Stacking The Shelves (13): April 2016

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

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April has been a busy month for me and my personal life. That is why I haven't blogged as much as I used to like the past two months. I also haven't bought any book this month. But thankfully, Harper Collins sent me three ARCs that I can feature in this month's Stacking the Shelves post. Thank you, HC Int'l!

NBS EVENTS: Jennifer Niven Book Signing Tour

I know I am a week late with the announcement, but it doesn't matter. It does not change the fact that Jennifer Niven, author of All the Bright Places, is coming to the Philippines this May. So get your books and camping gears ready, as we prepare for another book signing event.

What: Jennifer Niven Book Signing Tour

When: May 28, 2016, 1 p.m.

Where: Northwing Atrium, SM City Cebu

When: May 29, 2016, 2 p.m.

Where: 2nd Level Mega Atrium, SM Megamall

For full details of the event and the discussion,

here's the link to the National Book Store event's page

But if you're too lazy to click and wait for another page to load, just read on.

BOOK BLURB: Siege and Storm (The Grisha #2)

SIEGE AND STORM (The Grisha #2)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Number of Pages: 435

Date Published: June 4, 2013

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

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My Thoughts:

Honestly, I don't know how to start organizing my thoughts and feelings regarding the second book of The Grisha trilogy. Although I sort of figured out its widespread appeal to people who loved it so much, I am still not at awe with the books. So, if this review seems kind of all over the place, I apologize in advance.

If you have read my review for Shadow and Bone (the first book of the trilogy), you would know that I am not as happy as I thought I would be during and after reading it. Maybe it's just not the book for me. I don't actually hate it, because I really did enjoy some parts. I just didn't like it as much as most of the readers did.

Blog Tour: LOVE ME NEVER Review + Giveaway

LOVE ME NEVER (Lovely Vicious #1)

Author: Sara Wolf

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Number of Pages: 352

Release Date: April 5, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance/ Dark Comedy

Previously published as Lovely Vicious, this fully revised and updated edition is full of romance, intrigue, and laugh-out-loud moments.

Don’t love your enemy. Declare war on him.

Seventeen-year-old Isis Blake hasn’t fallen in love in three years, nine weeks, and five days, and after what happened last time, she intends to keep it that way. Since then she’s lost eighty-five pounds, gotten four streaks of purple in her hair, and moved to Buttcrack-of-Nowhere, Ohio, to help her mom escape a bad relationship.

All the girls in her new school want one thing—Jack Hunter, the Ice Prince of East Summit High. Hot as an Armani ad, smart enough to get into Yale, and colder than the Arctic, Jack Hunter’s never gone out with anyone. Sure, people have seen him downtown with beautiful women, but he’s never given high school girls the time of day. Until Isis punches him in the face.

Jack’s met his match. Suddenly everything is a game.

The goal: Make the other beg for mercy.

The game board: East Summit High.

The reward: Something neither of them expected.

Purchase: Amazon | B&N |iBooks | Kobo | Amazon.co.uk |
Amazon.ca | Entangled Publishing

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My Thoughts:

When I first heard of Sara Wolf's Lovely Vicious trilogy, I knew I had to read it. Despite the "cliche-ness" of the plot based from the blurb, I still want to read about a spunky female lead who somewhat hates (and is at war with) the most popular boy in school. There's just something about their "cat and mouse" sort of relationship that's exciting to read. And we kinda know how this will end, don't we?

Cover Crazy: UNKNOWN by Wendy Higgins Cover Reveal

UNKNOWN (Unknown #1)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Expected Publication: August 16, 2016

Genre: Apocalyptic Sci-Fi NA Romance

Amber Tate believes the worst thing she’ll suffer in life is dealing with the unrequited love she feels for her brother’s best friend, Rylen Fite. She also believes war is something unfortunate that happens places far, far away from her rural Nevada town. She’s wrong on both counts.

When an unknown organization meticulously bombs major cities in the United States and across the globe, a trickle-down effect spreads to remaining towns at an alarming speed—everything from food and water sources to technological communications are compromised. Without leadership, the nation is split between paralysis and panic, but Amber isn’t one to hide or watch helplessly. She’s determined to put her nursing skills to use, despite the danger, even if it means working alongside the man she can never have.

In this first installment of NY Times bestselling author, Wendy Higgins’s debut New Adult series, a frighteningly realistic apocalyptic America is brought to life, entwined with searing romantic tension that will leave you eager for more.

BOOK BLURB: Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)

ILLUMINAE (The Illuminae Files #1)

Author: Aime Kaufman; Jay Kristoff

Publisher: Oneworld Publications

Number of Pages: 599

Date Published: October 22, 2015

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Goodreads:

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

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My Thoughts:

Young adult science fiction (or sci-fi in general) is not something I would usually "go to" and read. Stories about the universe, aliens, space travel, or intergalactic politics and relations is not something I like to read about a lot, and I don't normally enjoy them. So despite my extreme desire to buy Illuminae, I still had hesitations. Also, I do not know if the story will live up to the book's physical awesomeness. I had a fleeting thought in the back of my head that people liked it only because of the book's unique and cool appearance, and that the story is presented in a different way, not because the story was that great and impactful. But thankfully, I was wrong.

Illuminae is aesthetically pleasing and very entertaining. Not only does it look so good both inside and out, but the story is quite impressive as well.

Stacking The Shelves (12): March 2016

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks! Hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

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This March, I feel like I have purchased quite a number of books, even though I know it's not a lot compared to some people's monthly book hauls. It has been a long time since I bought more than two books in one month. The cause of this impulsive book buying is the extremely low price of some great hardback titles in the bookstore. Honestly, I only wanted to get Lady Midnight because that was the only book I really saved up for. But the other books were so tempting, and when I looked at the prices, I know I just had to grab them and go (after paying, of course).

Now, my March haul...