Anna Dressed in Blood: Meet Anna and Cas

Have you heard (or read) the news? Anna Dressed in Blood is jumping in the bandwagon and is about to become a movie, too!

If you haven't heard of the book, here's a little something to help.

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD 

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. They follow legends and local lore, destroy the murderous dead, and keep pesky things like the future and friends at bay. 

Searching for a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas expects the usual: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home. 

Yet she spares Cas's life.

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.

***

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.

***

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...

Waiting On Wednesday Updates

Hello beautiful people of the blogoshpere! Today is Wednesday, but as you can see, this is not a "Waiting On Wednesday" post. If you care to look at the post before this, it was my WoW post last week. Meaning, I haven't been able to put in some substantial blog content for the past seven days, and I aplogize for that. I don't want to be that kind of blogger who just posts memes or scripted weekly features, so I'd rather not post at all. Sorry for the weeks worth of inactivity. I have been distracted quite a lot, and I was really not in the mood to read lately, so my planned book reviews and posts did not materialize immediately.

Now, I am posting to give you a short update on the things I have been up to these past few days, the stuff that kept me busy and the distracted me from drafting blog posts, and the like...

WOW (6): The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week, I am going to feature a book that a lot of people are waiting for. It's one the many books that are highly anticipated this year - the conclusion to The Winner's Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski.

BOOKS AMINO Ruined My Day (Sort Of)

This post was initially called BOOKS AMINO (Kinda) Ruined My Life. But I changed it, and opted for a milder title because there people who only look at titles, and they might get too worried and condemn Books Amino without reading the whole content of the blog post. And NO, my life is not actually ruined. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for your concern. But although I am somehow exaggerating with that blog post title, I can tell you there's a hint of truth to that.

Before anything else, let me introduce you to Books Amino.

Books Amino is a free iOS/Android application that lets bookworms and book lovers from all over the world interact. It's like a social media app for book lovers that lets them post and share pictures and blog posts, vote on polls, ask questions and let other people answer, and the like. It's a book community - a bit like Goodreads or BookLikes in a sense, where you will find a lot of bookish people posting what they are currently reading, their book reviews and joining book discussions. But unlike Goodreads, I think Books Amino is geared towards user interaction more than actually reviewing and managing the books you have read (or to read).

Now, let me tell you how it kinda ruined day (Yes, I'm exaggerating.)

COVER CRAZY: A Few Weeks Worth of Book Covers Revealed + Some Bookish Updates

For the past few weeks, a lot of authors and publishers (through bloggers and other websites) have been revealing some teasers and covers for some of the most anticipated books to be published and released this 2016. And every time a cover reveal pops up somewhere on the internet, I immediately want to blog about it. But then comes another one, and another, until I don't know how to manage the supposed cover reveal blog post anymore.

Now, I decided to just put it all out there in one blog post. So, for the past weeks (or months), these are the book cover reveal, bookish news and updates that I have come across on social media sites.

WOW (5): Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week, I am "waiting on" Walk the Edge by Katie McGarry, which is the second book of the Thunder Road series. I have been wanting to read this book since I finished reading Nowhere But Here last year. After finishing the first book, I immediately wanted more. Since the second book is not out yet, I kind of binge read Katie McGarry's Pushing the Limits series instead (which is also a great series).

#StayPeculiar: MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (Movie Update + The Hand-Me-Down Story)

Weird introductory question:

When you and your boyfriend/girlfriend break up, do you keep the things he/gave to you?

The reason I am asking this is because it's how I happen to have acquired a copy of Ransom Riggs' Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. And every time I hear or see Miss Peregrine, I always remember the story of how got my hands on the book. If you want to skip the story, it's okay. You can just scroll down below and jump right on to the movie update.

BOOK BLURB: Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1)

SHADOW AND BONE (The Grisha #1)

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Number of Pages: 358

Date Published: June 5, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Goodreads:

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

***

My Thoughts:

The Grisha trilogy is one of those books that has developed a large fan base since its release. It's a high fantasy young adult series set in an alternate Russian universe, centered around Alina Starkov, an orphan girl who did not know she was a Grisha (or a human with some sort superpowers) until a near death experience almost took her and her best friend's life. Sounds interesting? Yes, it does. And the fact that a lot of readers loved it made me want to read the books even more.

WOW (4): It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

A few days ago, Colleen Hoover revealed the cover of her upcoming book, It Ends With Us. Honestly, I totally forgot that she will be releasing a new book this year. This has been on my TBR since I don't know when, and I am super excited for another CoHo book, but with all the wonderful releases this year, you just can't keep track of everything all the time.

BOOK BLURB: Adulthood is a Myth, A Sarah's Scribbles Collection

Adulthood is a Myth: A "Sarah's Scribbles" Collection

Author: Sarah Andersen

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Number of Pages: 112

Expected Publication: March 8, 2016
Genre: Comics / Graphic Novel

Goodreads:

Are you a special snowflake? Do you love networking to advance your career? Have you never wasted a fresh new day surfing the internet? Ugh. This book is not for you. Please go away.

Sarah's Scribbles — casually drawn, perfectly on-point comics by young Brooklyn-based artist Sarah Andersen — confront head-on the horrors, anxiety, and awkwardness of modern adult life. From the agony of holding hands with a gorgeous guy to the yawning pit of hell that is the wifi gone down to the eye-watering pain of eating too-hot pizza because one cannot stand to wait for it to cool down, Sarah fearlessly documents it all.

Like the work of fellow Millennial authors Allie Brosh, Grace Helbig, and Gemma Correll, Sarah's total frankness on extremely personal issues such as body image, self-consciousness, introversion, relationships, and bra-washing makes her comics highly relatable and consistently hilarious.

***

My Thoughts:

Before any thing else, have you seen this scribbles? This is what made me want to grab this book and devour its greatness. Thankfully, Netgalley has the book available to read before it was released to the whole world.

BOOK BLURB: Eve & Adam (Eve & Adam #1)

EVE & ADAM 

Author: Michael Grant; Katherine Applegate

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Number of Pages: 291

Date Published: October 2, 2012

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction

Goodreads:

And girl created boy…
In the beginning, there was an apple—

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.

Just when Eve thinks she will die—not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy.

Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect... won’t he?

***

My Thoughts:

Evening "Eve" Spiker broke her leg due to an accident, and was transferred to an elite facility, Spiker Biopharm, owned by her mother to be treated better. While waiting for her leg to fully heal and to appease her boredom, she was granted access to one of programs that lets you create you very own human simulation. Add into the mix a dysfunctional best friend, a vengeful young employee who is a possible love interest and some mentally unbalanced scientists and doctors set out to make money out of illegal means, you get THIS BOOK.

WOW (3): Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Waiting On Wednesday (WOW) is a weekly event or bookish meme, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that readers and bloggers are eagerly anticipating and patiently waiting for.

This week's WOW book is... Lady Midnight. I have seen this book being featured on a lot of blogs lately, and I am so jealous of the people who received their ARCs weeks (even months) before the release of the book. I know. I know. It's been receiving a lot of hype, and it's likely that a lot of people will not read Cassandra Clare's new book because they think she's just milking out her Shadowhunters stories for cash. But to be honest, I don't really care if it's for money or whatever. As long as it's a good book, I'll read it. And I saw Alexandra from Goodreads post a review that fueled my excitement for the release of Lady Midnight.

"Saying LADY MIDNIGHT is an emotional roller coaster ride is an understatement. I'm shell-shocked by Cassandra Clare's improvement in writing, world building, character development, EVERYTHING."

Blog Tour: HOLDING COURT Review + Giveaway

HOLDING COURT

Author: K.C. Held

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Number of Pages: 352

Release Date: March. 1, 2016

Genre: Young Adult Mystery

Sixteen-year-old Jules Verity knows exactly what's in store at her new job at castle-turned-dinner-theater Tudor Times. Some extra cash, wearing a fancy-pants dress, and plenty of time to secretly drool over the ever-so-tasty--and completely unavailable--Grayson Chandler. Except that it's not quite what she imagined.

For one, the costume Jules has to wear is awful. Then there's the dead body she finds that just kind of...well, disappears. Oh, and there's the small issue of Jules and her episodes of what her best friend calls "Psychic Tourette's Syndrome"--spontaneous and uncontrollable outbursts of seemingly absurd prophecies.

The only bright side? This whole dead body thing seems to have gotten Grayson's attention. Except that the more Jules investigates, the more she discovers that Grayson's interest might not be as courtly as she thought. In fact, it's starting to look suspicious...

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

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My Thoughts:

Holding Court is an honest-to-goodness fun, entertaining and very interesting read. I don't know how it managed to feel light and easy while being mysterious and a little creepy altogether. But that's what it is - an odd mix of surprisingly delightful comedy wrapped around the mystery of a disappearing dead body. Although the story had a few mildly negative quirks, all in all, it still delivered pretty well.