test lol: November 2017

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by
Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights a
book we're hotly anticipating.

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Pacifica by Kristen Simmons
Standalone novel

Publishes March 6, 2018 by Tor Teen
Add it on GoodReads!

Marin is cosario royalty, a pirate like her father and his father before him. Sailing the ocean to chase adventure is in her blood. But these days no one cares that the island town her people call home is named after her grandfather. They have a new leader, one who promises an end to their hunger – and one who thinks that girls are meant for the kitchen or the brothel. Marin knows she's meant for more than that, and with the sudden influx of weapons on the island, and rumors of a pending deal with the enemy oil nation in her wake, she knows a big score to gain the council's favor is the only way to save her people, and herself.

Ross lives a life of privilege. As the president's son he wants for nothing, but he longs for a life of adventure. On a dare, he convinces his best friend Adam to sneak out to the Docks, the site of local race riots between the poor Shorlings and the upper class. But when Adam is arrested along with the other Shorlings, and not even the president is willing to find him, Ross finds himself taking matters into his own hands. He journeys back into the Docks, ready to make deals with anyone, even a beautiful pirate, if it means Adam's safe return.

When Marin and Ross meet in dangerous Shoreling territory he sees a way to get his friend back and she sees her ticket home. The ransom a president’s son would command could feed her people for years and restore her family’s legacy. But somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Marin must decide if her heart can handle handing over the only person who has ever seen her as more than a pirate.

{ other books }
Article 5 series | Metaltown | The Glass Arrow | The Valhalla Academy {upcoming}

{ pre-order links }

{ find the author }

Twitter | Website | Facebook | Instagram

This has pirates and that's all I really need.

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{ about the book }

The Heartbreak Cure by Amanda Ashby

Standalone novel

Publishes December 4, 2017 by Entangled: Crush
e-ARC provided by Netgalley

Add it on GoodReads!

How to get over a heartbreak:

Step one: Eat your body weight in brownies.

Step two: Throw yourself into your dreams of becoming a famous writer.

Step three: Beg your (hottie) ex-neighbor to act as your fake boyfriend.

Step four: Skip step three unless you’re ready for some serious fallout.

After being dumped and humiliated over the summer, Cat Turner does what any sane girl would do. She asks bad boy Alex Locke to be her fake boyfriend and show the world (and her editor at the school newspaper) that she's fine. Problem is, the more time she spends with Alex, the more she risks getting her heart broken. For real this time.

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{ my review }

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The Heartbreak Cure was a light, quick read, and it really wasn't that bad. I enjoyed the witty conversations between the main characters, Cat and Alex. It has one of my favourite tropes, too—fake dating! Yay.

Minor things bothered me, though. One of them was the way Cat referred to certain things as girly, be it movies or otherwise, and I just?? I don't get why you need to say that, as if it's a bad thing? Nothing wrong with liking girly things, movies or otherwise. They were comments in passing, and they were said a few times and every single time, my eye twitched a little.

The romance between them was cute. It was a little bit angsty, especially on Alex's part. It happens pretty early on in the novel, so I was glad of that.

There isn't much backstory to either character, so they didn't really stand out to me all that much. I wished that parts of their past was explained a bit further than what we were given, especially since some of the events would have answered a few questions.

Overall, it was an okay novel for me. Like I said, it was light and it was quick. 3 stars!

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{ buy the book }

~~Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Indie Bound~~

Kindle | Nook | Kobo | iBooks | Google Play

{ about the author }

Amanda Ashby was born in Australia but now lives in New Zealand where she writes romance, young adult and middle grade books. She also works in a library, owns far too many vintage tablecloths and likes to delight her family by constantly rearranging the furniture.

She has a degree in English and Journalism from the University of Queensland and is married with two children. Her debut book was nominated for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice award, and her first young adult book was listed by the New York Public Libraryʼs Stuff for the Teen Age. Because she’s mysterious she also writes middle grade books under the name, Catherine Holt and hopes that all this writing won’t interfere with her Netflix schedule.

She also runs writing workshops and loves to speak to people about Buffy (er, she means writing). See her Appearance page for more information.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

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Hello friends! Let's Talk! is a (probably unoriginal)
new feature in which I'll talk about a wide variety
of books and topics, preferably in list format!

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So. A bit of an intro to Let's Talk!

I love, love, love posts where I can just freely talk about books without having that obligated feeling you get when you review them. It's not that I can't do that when I'm reviewing something, but this way, it's just more fun. It's like those BookTube videos! Except, without the whole video part.

So anyway! First thing I wanted to sort-of discuss is one of my favourite books of the year—Warcross by Marie Lu! I present you...

5 REASONS YOU SHOULD READ

W A R C R O S S

1. fast-paced

The book literally starts with the main character trying to hunt down a criminal. Look. This is the first chapter, and it's a pretty fun one at that. From then on, it only gets better and better. You follow Emika to Tokyo, to the Warcross championships, and eventually, into darker, more dangerous territory. Things are constantly happening and it is exhilarating.

2. action-packed

Warcross has a lot of action going on. It's not your usual fantasy-esque type. Considering that it is a video game, imagine yourself in the world of one. Yeah, that's how cool it is. It gets better and more exciting when Emika is chosen as a wildcard in this year's competition. From their training sessions to the actual game, Marie Lu manages to keep you on the edge of your seat, both in and out of the games.

3. great cast of characters

Emika is, by far, my favourite character created by Marie Lu. She's a fun, sarcastic, and voice-y character and it's incredibly fun to read from her point of view. She's also a rainbow-haired, tattooed hacker, one who's totally capable of handling herself. I adored her from the very first page and I have no doubt she'll be a blast in book two.

There are also amazing side characters, like those on Emika's Warcross team—Roshan, Asher, and Hammie, all of whom are diverse and interesting. They play important roles both in Emi's life now, and the book itself.

There's also Hideo, a quiet and mysterious man who made all of this possible.

4. warcross—the game—itself

The book is titled based of the game Hideo Tanaka created when he was younger. In Emika's world, millions of people play this game, both for fun and competitively. What exactly is Warcross though?

Well, it's virtual reality, and yeah, it's preeettty damn cool. You could be just about anywhere in the world with it, and you can be just about anything with it. You want a pet dragon? You think one up and bam, there it is.

For a good portion of the novel, you follow Emika through the simulations in the Warcross competitions. Marie Lu has managed to take the concept of virtual reality and produced something wholly authentic, fun, and unique. It's super fun to read about the things Warcross can do.

5. romance

Oh, yeah. This book has it. And it is so goooood. Romance isn't even the most important part of the book—there are other things that are more crucial—but oh, it's still such a good romance. A bit slow burn in the beginning, but it is incredibly swoony. There are a bunch of scenes that made me fall in love with the book.

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Aaaaaand there are my reasons! I hope I've convinced you if Marie Lu wasn't enough. I hope you have a chance to read it soon!

Already read it! You're fabulous. Why not vote for it for Best YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi over on the Gooreads Choice Awards? Here's the link!