Unknown's avatar

BE(A) My Friend!

by

bea

Off to BEA again this year and I am SO EXCITED!! Since there have been an array of posts going up on what to do, who to see, what to eat and so on, I thought I would join in the festivities and tell you how to spot and approach yours truly in the wild that is the Javits Center…This is meant to be cute and fun and my goal is to MEET ALL THE PEOPLE!! As always, for those of you new to BEA please feel free to ask me anything regarding NYC and the Book Expo and I will do my best to assist!

Important things to note:

  • I will be updating my Twitter (@withthebanned) A LOT. Probably with “This is what I look like today” posts.
  • I will apparently be wearing a lot of navy
  • You may or may not be blinded by the light that is actually just my extremely pasty legs shining under fluorescent lighting of the Javits center
  • There is a good chance that my hair will look like Monica Geller’s after she arrives in Barbados (“It’s the HUMIDITY!”)
  • There is a 97% chance that if you see Amy (@trippingbooks) or Brittany (@bookaddictguide) I am in the same vicinity.

humidity

*If you happen to walk by me and think “look at that completely unapproachable person eating nuts from her purse,” THINK AGAIN! I am just succumbing to the disease known as “bitchy resting face,” and I am also probably a little hungry. I promise I will be friendly once my attention has changed from snacks to you, and I have even been known to share my purse nuts with line friends, so don’t fret! Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

Kids Author Carnival: ANNOUNCEMENT!

by

kac

 

Hello, friends!!

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may know that I am heading to BEA again this year and I could not be more excited to see everyone!! This year, in addition to attending BEA, I am also working at the Kids Author Carnival. For those of you who don’t know, the Kids Author Carnival was inspired by the Teen Author Carnival and is being organized by the wonderfully talented Claire Legrand. It is a huge event being held on Saturday May 31 from 6-8:30pm at Jefferson Market Library. There are going to be some pretty amazing children’s authors there, and fabulous things going on for younger readers. I encourage you to grab your younger sibling and head on over to Jefferson Market Library. Make sure you say hi if you do stop by, I would love to meet you!

Happy reading! Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

On the Same Page: Fairytales for Wilde Girls

by

Title: Fairytales for Wilde Girls

Author: Allyse Near

Publishing Information: June 3, 2013 by Random House Australia

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gothic, Fairy Tales, Romance, Paranormal, Mental Illness

Series Information: Standalone

Format: Paperback, 432 pages

Source: Purchased for my personal library

Recommended For: Fans of darker fairy tales filled with descriptive imagery, fans of Neil Gaiman, and fans of books that are much more than what they seem.

Fairytales for Wilde Girls was unlike anything I have ever read before. It was dark, and deep, and sad while simultaneously maintaining ribbons of hope and stolen moments of happiness. It was a novel of self discovery and it was the dark overtone of the novel that really assisted the snippets of light to shine through. One of the most outstanding things about Fairytales of Wilde Girls was the language and use of metaphor by the author. Allyse Near has such a gift in the way in which she conveys every moment with lyrical and descriptive language, it really heightens the novel and sets it apart from other pieces of literature. That being said, some of the quotes throughout the novel really stuck with me and I wanted to share their beauty with you guys! I made up some nifty little images to go along with a few quotes that I really loved, take a peek! Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

C’mon Get Happy!

by

happy

 

Hey, friends!

You guys may have heard of this pretty fantastic thing taking over social media called #100happydays and maybe you haven’t. As it stands, I only heard about it a short time ago though it has been going on for quite a while. Here is the gist:

 

100 happy days

Sounds simple, right? You’e be surprised! Why would you want to do this? Well…

100 happy days 2

You might be wondering why I chose to do this…well, I am trying to see the beauty in every day. Trying to remain optimistic despite the things that may try to interfere with my happiness. There is much to live for. So, head on over to 100happydays and see what it is all about, and please, PLEASE follow my journey on Instagram!!

❤

Unknown's avatar

On The Same Page: The Lies of Locke Lamora

by

OtSPcirclebanner

On the Same Page is a new feature here on Books Take You Places that I am hosting along with two of my very dear friends, Amy (Tripping Over Books) and Brittany (The Book Addict’s Guide). Essentially, we will be reading one book a month together and then doing a non-traditional review such as a playlist, character analysis, and so on…To find out more about this new feature, head on over to its dedication page!

“I don’t have to beat you. I don’t have to beat you. I just have to keep you here…until Jean shows up.”

As I was reading The Lies of Locke Lamora I couldn’t help but notice the truly wonderful friendships throughout the novel. The banter between the characters and the way they play off of one another was truly my favorite part of the whole story.Though I adored the Sanza brothers and their newest initiate, Bug, it was the friendship between Locke and Jean that really stood out throughout. There was real angst and heartbreak when one thought the other was in trouble. Real worried thoughts and guilt when one knew he was keeping the other waiting and knew he would be worrying. Real love and loyalty and camaraderie that is not easy to find. It was really endearing, and they were very fun to watch together. With that in mind, I have decided that for this On the Same Page post I am going to focus on some other literary bromances that I really adore. Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

Review: Cruel Beauty of Rosamund Hodge

by

Title: Cruel Beauty

Author: Rosamund Hodge

Publishing Information: January 28, 2014, by Balzer & Bray

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Mythology, Romance, Retellings

Series Information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 346 pages

Source: Obtained an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss

Recommended For: Fans of vibrant fantasy novels with strong heroines, tall, dark and handsome male leads, and beautiful imagery

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him. But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

What a synopsis, am I right?  One thing I have to add is that there really should be some mention of Mythology in the synopsis for this book. The first part of the book is so completely wrapped in Mythology that I was wracking my brain trying to figure out how all of the gods fit together in this world. Then it tapers off a little bit, not in a bad way, but enough that this really could have been a retelling of Cupid and Psyche, it even has Hades and Persephone elements, and it definitely directly circled around Pandora. That isn’t to say that there aren’t elements from fairytales, Cruel Beauty also had some strong emphasis on Beauty and the Beast and Bluebeard. This might seem like an array of randomness thrown together but I promise that it all falls together nicely. Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

Review: Unhinged by A.G. Howard

by

Title: Unhinged

Author: A.G. Howard

Publishing Information: January 7, 2014 by Amulet

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Retellings

Series Information: Book 2 in the Splintered Trilogy (review of Splintered)

Format: Hardcover, 400 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Fans of darker fairy tale retellings, and yummy kissy scenes!

As prom and graduation creep closer, Alyssa juggles Morpheus’s unsettling presence in her real world with trying to tell Jeb the truth about a past he’s forgotten. Glimpses of Wonderland start to bleed through her art and into her world in very disturbing ways, and Morpheus warns that Queen Red won’t be far behind.

You may remember that I really enjoyed the first novel in this series, and I was very impatient to get my hands on Unhinged. I am sorry to say that though Unhinged was enjoyable, it fell a little short of my expectations. Continue reading →

Unknown's avatar

Review: While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

by

Title: While Beauty Slept

Author: Elizabeth Blackwell

Publishing Information: February 20, 2014 by Putnam

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance, Gothic, Fairy Tale

Series information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 432 pages

Source: Received an ARC from the publisher

Recommended For: Fans of historical fiction, and darker, bittersweet fantasy novels

 

While Beauty Slept re-imagines the legend through the lens of historical fiction, telling the story as if it really happened. A Gothic tale of suspense and ambition, love and loss, it interweaves the story of a royal family and the servants who see behind the glamorous facade, following the journey of a young woman as she lives out a destiny that leads her to the brink of death.

This novel was not at all what I was expecting. For some reason, I went into this novel thinking it was a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, complete with magic, and evil villains. While it was, in a roundabout way, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, it consisted of much more. While Beauty Slept was a very interesting work of historical fiction, with palace intrigue, upstairs/downstairs drama, and coming of age happenings.

The romances in this novel take a back seat to the familiar relationships and in truth, they are much more impressive than those focused on romance. The love between the queen and Elise, and between Elise and Rose is very special to watch. They all become family in an unusual but sweet way. The romances of the novel, however, fell a bit flat for me. I had a hard time relating to most, and they seemed thrown together in a bit of randomness.The relationship between Elise and Dorian threw me off but I can appreciate how they each got together out of a sense of duty rather than romantic inclinations. It surely did show a new side to Elise, but overall it seemed a little out of place. I suppose the ending of the prince “waking the beauty” was fairytale-esque, but as mentioned, this was a hisotircal fiction novel and not a fantasy so while the ending was tied up neatly, it didn’t sit right in the historical fiction setting.

The villain of While Beauty Slept was a little underwhelming for me as well. She did manage to take down an entire kingdom, but there were so many things hinted at regarding her character, and her association with the queen and in truth I just wanted more. I understood her villainy, and I understood the queen’s loyalty to her, but I wanted more wickedness from her character. The King and Queen were very lovable, and they loved each other in a beautiful way, it shone throughout the novel. Elise was likable in her own way but there were times that I wanted her to have a little more strength and live for herself instead of others. In the end, she is able to find her own happiness which was a relief but the novel was very bittersweet throughout.

Overall I found While Beauty Slept to be intriguing and only slightly reminiscent of traditional fairytales. While reading this novel I was extremely captivated, but looking back with more of a critic’s eye, I am finding some aspects of the novel falling short of my general expectations and first impressions. That being said, I do recommend it highly to readers who enjoy historical fiction. However, if you are looking for an upbeat fairytale, complete with straightforward happy endings, maybe skip over this one as the novel as a whole was beautiful, but bittersweet.

Unknown's avatar

Review: Tsarina by J. Nelle Patrick

by

Title: Tsarina

Author: J. Nelle Patrick

Publishing Information: February 27, 2014 by Razorbill

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Romance

Series Information: Standalone

Format: Hardcover, 331 pages

Source: Obtained an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Recommended For: Fans of historical fiction, especially Romanov Russia

Natalya knows a secret.
A magical Faberge egg glows within the walls of Russia’s Winter Palace.
It holds a power rooted in the land and stolen from the mystics.
A power that promises a life of love for her and Alexei Romanov.
Power, that, in the right hands, can save her way of life.
But it’s not in the right hands.

I was very intrigued by the idea of this story, Romanov Russia has always been interesting to me and the stories that surround the family have always been fascinating. While intrigued, I was also very worried. I honestly had no idea how Ms. Patrick was going to finagle a love story with Alexei, who was only thirteen when he was killed, it seemed like it would be at the very least, a very short and sad novel. The truth it, Ms. Patrick did manage a love story starring Alexei, but this story was much more than that. It was not so much a story of Alexei, though he is very important to the novel, but it was a story of his love, Natalya, and her quest to save Russia.

The relationships in Tsarina were something special as each character complimented one another. Each character believed in something whole heartedly, and each felt conflicted with their companion’s beliefs. Natalya and Leo were especially interesting to view together as they both believed in a better Russia, and though they started as not being able to understand one another’s beliefs, they eventually came to realize that they both wanted the same thing. I can’t completely say the same about Emilia, thought I do think that she believed what she did was right, she was still rather close minded in comparison to those around her.

I found that I really enjoyed Natalya, she had a strength within her that shone through as she moved forward in her task. Throughout the novel, she remained faithful in her unwavering support of her true love, Russia. As stated, Leo had the same strength as Natalya, he believed in his ideal Russia and did what he thought necessary to succeed. The mysticism that played a part in the central storyline was fantastic, and Maria’s character was especially interesting, and through her, the portrayal of Rasputin was incredibly intriguing. In fact, if Ms. Patrick chose to write a novella from Maria’s point of view, I would be very interested, seeing things from her mind would be fascinating.

I can’t say that I didn’t see the romance of the novel coming, but it unfolded slowly and surely in a way that made it very believable and sweet. I had my doubts, but this was very well done. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would, and I do believe it is a book that has a little something for everyone. To those of you worried about the historical inaccuracies, I remind you that this is a work of fiction. The author really did a wonderful job of keeping things historically accurate while also adding a very interesting fictional storyline. Overall, I am happy to say that Tsarina was a beautiful portrayal of a rather sad piece of history. It is a story of a girl who believes in love. It is a story of hope.