Monday, November 4, 2013

Books I Got

So, I've been going on a book buying spree lately, but I haven't actually made one of these posts in a long time. The result? I have well over 30 books to talk about.

A bunch of them are adult historical fiction books. Is there any interest in them? If so, then I'll make another post about them. In the meantime here are the review books I've collected...

This post is for some of the books I've gotten in the past LONG TIME or so.


For Review


Palace of Spies
by Sarah Zettel


Spies! Historical fiction! Palaces! That's enough to grab my attention for sure. Add in court intrigue, a possible murder, impersonations, and (of course) a touch of romance and be still my heart!

Invited and received via NetGalley.



A Spark Unseen
by Sharon Cameron


I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the first book The Dark Unwinding, so I jumped at the chance when I was approached to participate in a blog tour and review of the sequel.

Though less Gothic-house-exploring as the first book, I think I might actually have enjoyed A Spark Unseen even more! I won't say more now since I'll have a review posting soon, but fans of the first should definitely check out this sequel.


Sorrow's Knot
by Erin Bow


So, this is another one of those high expectations books because I LOVED Erin Bow's first book Plain Kate so, so, so much.

It was dark, lyrical, beautiful, and absolutely tragic with one of the best animal-human friendships I've ever read. I still want to sob just thinking about that book.

But will Sorrow's Knot be as good? I don't know! And I've had three years to agonize over the possibilities and send myself on an emotional roller coaster of hype. Guess I'll find out soon enough!

Requested and received via NetGalley.


These Broken Stars
by Amie Kaufman


Honestly, I'm not much into space books. Star Wars and Star Trek love aside (and it is a massive love), the idea of being cooped up in a space ship with a void of airless death surrounding me is...a little suffocating (this is the main reason I have yet to read the Across the Universe books).

BUT, the idea of a crash landing on a remote planet, two bickering opposites, survival, and peril, well, I'm coming around to this whole space opera thing.
 
Requested and received via NetGalley.


Witchstruck
by Victoria Lamb


Tudors plus witches. Sounds like a recipe for success, doesn't it? 

Well, I'm finding that isn't quite the case. I'll elaborate in my review, but so far I'm a lot more bored with the whole thing than I should be. 

Requested and received via NetGalley.
  


Daughters of the Nile
by Stephanie Dray


The conclusion to Cleopatra Selene's story! I cannot wait to read this book! I rank the first two books Lily of the Nile and Song of the Nile among my favorite historical fantasy books (with Stephanie Dray's portrayal of Octavian as my FAVORITE fictional portrayal of him ever).

*sigh* Yet another book surrounded by high expectations and hype. Hope it lives up!

ARC from author.



The Wolf Princess
by Cathryn Constable


I think this is a fairy tale retelling, but it could be an original fairy tale. The blurb reminds me a little of The Snow Queen, but I don't see any mention of a guy character (and don't think I'm not a little disappointed by that omission).

I've had poor luck with icy-fairy tales (East, Winter's Child), but I'm really hoping this one will work for me. 

Requested and received via NetGalley.


Bloodstone
by Gillian Philip


I read the first book Firebrand and was conflicted enough that I couldn't form my thoughts coherently enough to write a review. The characters were both likable and unlikable and they're all fairies, which I found both worked and didn't work for me.

But the writing was beautiful. Dark and much more adult in tone (think Sharon Shinn) with a world that was intriguing, if not wholly appealing (fairies!). It has scope, though, and I'm very interested in seeing where Gillian Philip is going to take the story next.

And, yeah, the guy on the cover IS a motivating factor. 

Requested and received via NetGalley.


Poison Dance
by Livia Blackburne


Adding "Poison" to the title of anything makes me instantly want it more.

Normally I don't really go for novellas, but this one is a prequel for a series I'm highly anticipating. It's called Midnight Thief, which includes yet another word that make my I WANT drive kick in ("thief").

And then the plots of both books include the words "assassins," "vengeance," "enemies (in the context of reluctant allies)," and "intrigue" and it's all I can do to hold myself together until the July release! Thankfully I now have this novella to tie me over.

Pitched by author.






What did you get this week? Are you interested in reading any of these books? What did you think of them if you've read them already?








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7 comments:

  1. SR--don't fear THESE BROKEN STARS, it is really, really good. It doesn't feel like a typical scifi book either, and there is a pretty swoony romance in it. :)

    I only recently heard about PALACE OF SPIES, but it sounds like fun! I need to get off my butt and read the first Cameron book, too. Happy reading!

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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  2. Sometimes I think I shouldn't dare read these posts of yours because it then causes a knee jerk reaction to rush to NG and see if I can get some approved too. Even though I'm trying to swear off NG until then end of the year. EEEK. I was doing so good, now I've already simply could not resist Sorrow's Knot because we all know how much I adored Plain Kate!!!! Then I see the sequel to Firebrand. You already sent me the hard cover of book 1. Should I force myself to read it and request book 2? Decisions, decisions - what should a gal do?

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  3. I like historical fiction.The books I got this week are mostly review requests that I will add to my ever-growing TBR pile. A lot of those books sound good, especially The Wolf Princess. I'm a sucker for fairy tales and retellings.

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  4. I have Palace of Spies too (I think you saw) and am looking forward to your thoughts and how we'll compare.

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  5. I'm sensing a trend here, Small, there were so many chicks on those covers and only two dudes! LOL

    Sorry, hand't heard of any of those before so I can't say much, i like the idea of Wolf Princess though : D

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  6. Well, you've convinced me to go find Lily of the Nile, Plain Kate, and The Dark Unwinding, and maybe even Firebrand, despite the fairies ;-P (A few authors can get them right. I like Jim Butcher's fairies, for example.)

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  7. Witchstruck sounds really cool as does Poison Dance! Enjoy all of your new books!

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