Sophie Reads YA

Stacking the Shelves: July 4th 2020

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2020 Beat the Backlist challenge

Review: The Wicked King (The Folk of the Air #2) by Holly Black

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The Wicked King
Series: The Folk of the Air #2
Author: Holly Black
Published January 8th 2019 by Hot Key Books

Goodreads Synopsis
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.
Goodreads

Review
After the way that The Cruel Prince ended, I knew that I needed to go straight into The Wicked King, and so I did. Now that Cardan is king, and Jude his puppet master, she has a year in order to make it safe for her step-brother Oak to return and reclaim his throne, while watching the sword that is hanging above her head, ready to fall at any point. Basically everyone in Faerie is out to get her, and Cardan has made it more than obvious that he is just counting down the days until their bargain is up. As if that wasn't enough, Jude is estranged from Madoc, her foster father who organised the assassinations at the coronation, and the Queen of the Undersea, Orlagh, (and Nicisia's mother) is ready to break the treaty with the land, because she had an agreement with Balekin, and isn't happy with Cardan being king.

This book was so good! Jude has really come into her own, and the fact that she is basically the ruler, with Cardan being the puppet for her to master, she fully embraces her powerful side. She uses the old spy network, the Court of Shadows, from the previous book, and Bomb and Roach's input in the plot this time around is so useful! If she is the public side of things, they are the private, feeding her with all the information she needs to keep one step ahead of all of the plot against her and Cardan. The chemistry and banter between Jude and Cardan was off the page fantastic in this book, with there being both aggravating and swoony moments when I wanted to scream/squeal at what was happening. They are definitely the OTP of this series, and I truly understand now why I used to see so much fan art for these books, before there was the stop put to it, that is. Taryn, as a character, I still don't like, not really, but I understand her a little bit more, that she is doing what she could to survive, just in very different ways.

Unlike in book 1, I never found there to be a lull in the plot, nor was it slow to get into. We were thrown into the deep end right from the beginning, and if I hadn't had to sleep, or go to work, I would've spent all day reading this until it was done as everything needed to be known, and I was dying for more because of just how much was happening in this tale. And, if I had thought that the ending of The Cruel Prince was bad, then this one takes the biscuit!

Dates Read:

January 15-16, 2020

Rating
4 Stars

books on my radar

July books on my radar

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Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Series: None
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
July 7th 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton
SOMETIMES THE PRINCESS IS THE MONSTER
From the author of Girls Made of Snow and Glass, this captivating and utterly original Persian-inspired fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch is perfect for fans of Natasha Ngan and Naomi Novik.
There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it's not just a story.
As the day of her twin brother's wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she's willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves, the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn't afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.
Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming . . . human or demon. Princess or monster.
Goodreads

Not Another Love Song
Series: None
Author: Olivia Wildenstein
July 7th 2020 by Swoon Reads
An aspiring teenage singer finds herself playing a different tune when she falls for a boy who could jeopardize her future dreams in Olivia Wildenstein's romantic YA novel, Not Another Love Song.
Angie has studied music her entire life, nurturing her talent as a singer. Now a high school senior, she has an opportunity to break into Nashville's music scene via a songwriting competition launched by her idol, Mona Stone. Discouraged by her mother, who wishes Angie would set more realistic life goals, she nonetheless pours her heart and soul into creating a song worthy of Mona.
But Angie's mother is the least of her concerns after she meets Reedwood High’s newest transfer student, Ten. With his endless collection of graphic tees, his infuriating attitude, smoldering good looks, and endearing little sister, Ten toys with the rhythm of Angie’s heart.
She’s never desired anything but success until Ten entered her life. Now she wants to be with him and to be a songwriter for Mona Stone, but she can’t have both.
And picking one means losing the other.
Goodreads

The Heir Affair
Series: Royal We #2
Author: Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan
July 7th 2020 by Grand Central Publishing
After a scandalous secret turns their fairy-tale wedding into a nightmare, Rebecca "Bex" Porter and her husband Prince Nicholas are in self-imposed exile. The public is angry. The Queen is even angrier. And the press is salivating. Cutting themselves off from friends and family, and escaping the world's judgmental eyes, feels like the best way to protect their fragile, all-consuming romance.
But when a crisis forces the new Duke and Duchess back to London, the Band-Aid they'd placed over their problems starts to peel at the edges. Now, as old family secrets and new ones threaten to derail her new royal life, Bex has to face the emotional wreckage she and Nick left behind: with the Queen, with the world, and with Nick's brother Freddie, whose sins may not be so easily forgotten—nor forgiven.
Goodreads

The Damned
Series: The Beautiful #2
Author: Renée Ahdieh
July 7th 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton
New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with the second installment of her new sumptuous, sultry and romantic series, The Beautiful.
Following the events of The Beautiful, Sébastien Saint Germain is now cursed and forever changed. The treaty between the Fallen and the Brotherhood has been broken, and war between the immortals seems imminent. The price of loving Celine was costly. But Celine has also paid a high price for loving Bastien.
Still recovering from injuries sustained during a night she can’t quite remember, her dreams are troubled. And she doesn’t know she has inadvertently set into motion a chain of events that could lead to her demise and unveil a truth about herself she’s not quite ready to learn.
Forces hiding in the shadows have been patiently waiting for this moment for centuries. And just as Bastien and Celine begin to uncover the danger around them, they learn their love could tear them apart.
Goodreads

The Do-Over
Series: None
Author: Jennifer Honeybourn
July 14th 2020 by Swoon Reads
A teenage girl gets the chance to redo her past in this smart and charming YA novel by the author of When Life Gives You Demons.
Emilia has always wanted to fit in with the A crowd. So, when Ben, the hottest guy in school, asks her out, she chooses him over Alistair, her best friend—even after he confesses his feelings to her.
Six months later, Emilia wonders how her life would have been different if she'd chosen Alistair instead. Haunted by her mistake, she finds a magical solution that promises to rectify the past. As a result, everything in her life is different. What happens if her second chance is her only chance to make things right?
Goodreads

Keep My Heart in San Francisco
Series: None
Author: Amelia Diane Coombs
July 14th 2020 by Simon Pulse
Sparks fly when two ex-best-friends team up to save a family business in this swoon-worthy and witty debut perfect for fans of Jenn Bennett and Sarah Dessen.
Caroline “Chuck” Wilson has big plans for spring break—hit up estate sales to score vintage fashion finds and tour the fashion school she dreams of attending. But her dad wrecks those plans when he asks her to spend vacation working the counter at Bigmouth’s Bowl, her family’s failing bowling alley. Making things astronomically worse, Chuck finds out her dad is way behind on back rent—meaning they might be losing Bigmouth’s, the only thing keeping Chuck’s family in San Francisco.
And the one person other than Chuck who wants to do anything about it? Beckett Porter, her annoyingly attractive ex-best friend.
So when Beckett propositions Chuck with a plan to make serious cash infiltrating the Bay Area action bowling scene, she accepts. But she can’t shake the nagging feeling that she’s acting irrational—too much like her mother for comfort. Plus, despite her best efforts to keep things strictly business, Beckett’s charm is winning her back over...in ways that go beyond friendship.
If Chuck fails, Bigmouth’s Bowl and their San Francisco legacy are gone forever. But if she succeeds, she might just get everything she ever wanted.
Goodreads

Fair as a Star
Series: None
Author: Mimi Matthews
July 14th 2020 by Perfectly Proper Press
From USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews comes a Victorian tale of love and longing in a quaint English village.
A Secret Burden…
After a mysterious sojourn in Paris, Beryl Burnham has returned home to the village of Shepton Worthy ready to resume the life she left behind. Betrothed to the wealthy Sir Henry Rivenhall, she has no reason to be unhappy—or so people keep reminding her. But Beryl’s life isn’t as perfect as everyone believes.
A Longstanding Love…
As village curate, Mark Rivenhall is known for his compassionate understanding. When his older brother’s intended needs a shoulder to lean on, Mark’s more than willing to provide one. There’s no danger of losing his heart. He already lost that to Beryl a long time ago.
During an idyllic Victorian summer, friends and family gather in anticipation of Beryl and Sir Henry’s wedding. But in her darkest moment, it’s Mark who comes to Beryl’s aid. Can he help her without revealing his feelings—or betraying his brother?
Goodreads

More Than Maybe
Series: None
Author: Erin Hahn
July 21st 2020 by Wednesday Books
Growing up under his punk rocker dad's spotlight, eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. His real love isn't in front of a crowd, it's on the page. Hiding his gift and secretly hoarding songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing and meddling, far-too-jealousy-inspiringly-happy-with-his-long-term-boyfriend twin brother, Cullen. But that’s not Luke’s only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell.
Vada's got a five year plan: secure a job at the Loud Lizard to learn from local legend (and her mom's boyfriend) Phil Josephs (check), take over Phil's music blog (double check), get accepted into Berkeley's prestigious music journalism program (check, check, check), manage Ann Arbor's summer concert series and secure a Rolling Stone internship. Luke Greenly is most definitely NOT on the list. So what if his self-deprecating charm and out-of-this-world music knowledge makes her dizzy? Or his brother just released a bootleg recording of Luke singing about some mystery girl on their podcast and she really, really wishes it was her?
Goodreads

What has caught your eye for July? Have you read any of these? Let me know :)

Amanda Sellet

Waiting On Wednesday: By the Book by Amanda Sellet

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june

June Summary

11:00

What I've read this month:

The Empire of Gold
Series: The Daevabad Trilogy #3
Author: S.A. Chakraborty
Published June 11th 2020 by Voyager - GB (eARC)
Read: May 9-June 3 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Read with Pride
Series: The Paper & Hearts Society #2
Author: Lucy Powrie
Published May 28th 2020 by Hodder Children's Books
Read: May 31-June 5 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

Never Doubt a Duke
Series: Never #1
Author: Maggi Andersen
Published June 4th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. (eARC)
Read: June 5-6 2020
My Rating: 3 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

All You Need is a Duke
Series: The Duke Hunters Club #1
Author: Bianca Blythe
Published March 10th 2020
Read: June 8 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

My Favorite Duke
Series: The Duke Hunters Club #2
Author: Bianca Blythe
Published May 31st 2020 by Amazon Digital Services (eARC)
Read: June 8 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

A Poison Dark and Drowning
Series: Kingdom on Fire #2
Author: Jessica Cluess
Published September 19th 2017 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Read: June 7-10 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Earl With The Secret Past
Series: None
Author: Janice Preston
Published June 25th 2020 by Mills & Boon Historical (eARC)
Read: June 11 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

A Scandal By Any Other Name
Series: A Tale of Two Sisters #2
Author: Kimberly Bell
Published January 30th 2018 by Entangled: Amara (eARC)
Read: June 13-14 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling
Series: Kingdom on Fire #3
Author: Jessica Cluess
Published October 16th 2018 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Read: June 12-14 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

The Duchess Deal
Series: Girl Meets Duke #1
Author: Tessa Dare
Published February 22nd 2018 by Mills & Boon
Read: June 15-16 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Viscount's Sinful Bargain
Series: The Dukes' Pact #1
Author: Kate Archer
Published June 9th 2020 by Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. (eARC)
Read: June 16-17 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

The Governess Game
Series: Girl Meets Duke #2
Author: Tessa Dare
Published August 20th 2018 by HQ Fiction - GB
Read: June 17-18 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

The Wallflower Wager
Series: Girl Meets Duke #3
Author: Tessa Dare
Published September 5th 2019 by Mills & Boon
Read: June 18 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

Romancing the Duke
Series: Castles Ever After #1
Author: Tessa Dare
Published January 28th 2014 by Avon
Read: June 18-19 2019
My Rating: 4 Stars

Say Yes to the Marquess
Series: Castles Ever After #2
Author: Tessa Dare
Published December 30th 2014 by Avon
Read: June 20 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars

When a Scot Ties the Knot
Series: Castles Ever After #3
Author: Tessa Dare
Published August 25th 2015 by Avon
Read: June 21-22 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Do You Want to Start a Scandal
Series: Castles Ever After #4
Author: Tessa Dare
Published September 27th 2016 by Avon
Read: June 23 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge

Rebel Spy
Series: None
Author: Veronica Rossi
Published June 23rd 2020 by Delacorte Press (eARC)
Read: June 22-24 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Girl, Serpent, Thorn
Series: None
Author: Melissa Bashardoust
Published July 7th 2020 by Hodder & Stoughton (ARC)
Read: June 23-25 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Talk Nerdy to Me
Series: Bookish Boyfriends #3
Author: Tiffany Schmidt
Published May 19th 2020 by Amulet Paperbacks
Read: June 25 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

The Heart of a Hellion
Series: The Duke's Bastards #2
Author: Jess Michaels
Published July 14th 2020 by The Passionate Pen LLC (eARC)
Read: June 25-26 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge

Shine
Series: Shine #1
Author: Jessica Jung
Published October 15th 2020 by Electric Monkey (ARC)
Read: June 27-29 2020
My Rating: 4 Stars
Challenge: 2020 New Release Challenge, 2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

Challenges Update:
2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge: 3 (25 total)
2020 New Release Challenge: 12 (54 total)
2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge: 4 (36 total)

Summary:

June hasn't been as good a reading month as May was, but I've had some things going on in real life, so I'm not too bothered. The #BlackLivesMatter movement that has been taking a main stage across the world is inspiring, and I just hope that finally something will be done about police brutality.

How have you done this month? Let me know below.

2020 Contemporary Romance Challenge

ARC Review: Bookish and the Beast (Once Upon a Con #3) by Ashley Poston

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Bookish and the Beast
Series: Once Upon a Con #3
Author: Ashley Poston
Published August 4th 2020 by Quirk Books

Goodreads Synopsis
In the third book in Ashley Poston's Once Upon a Con series, Beauty and the Beast is retold in the beloved Starfield universe.

Rosie Thorne is feeling stuck—on her college application essays, in her small town, and on that mysterious General Sond cosplayer she met at ExcelsiCon. Most of all, she’s stuck in her grief over her mother’s death. Her only solace was her late mother’s library of rare Starfield novels, but even that disappeared when they sold it to pay off hospital bills.

On the other hand, Vance Reigns has been Hollywood royalty for as long as he can remember—with all the privilege and scrutiny that entails. When a tabloid scandal catches up to him, he's forced to hide out somewhere the paparazzi would never expect to find him: Small Town USA. At least there’s a library in the house. Too bad he doesn’t read.

When Rosie and Vance’s paths collide and a rare book is accidentally destroyed, Rosie finds herself working to repay the debt. And while most Starfield superfans would jump at the chance to work in close proximity to the Vance Reigns, Rosie has discovered something about Vance: he’s a jerk, and she can’t stand him. The feeling is mutual.

But as Vance and Rosie begrudgingly get to know each other, their careful masks come off—and they may just find that there’s more risk in shutting each other out than in opening their hearts.
Goodreads

Review
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

I never for one minute imagined that I would be approved for a review copy of this book, no matter how much I loved the previous books, so when my copy arrived, and on my birthday too, I couldn't stop myself from starting it as soon as I was able to, and devoured the entire book in less than a day!

This time around, we have Vance's story. Now, I didn't know what I would think, because I wasn't keen on him in the previous book, The Princess and the Fangirl. After crashing his car into a lake, with Elle there too, he's sent to a small town, basically in exile. All he can do is count down the days until his 18th birthday, when he can get himself home. He comes across local girl, Rosie, when she quite literally falls in front of him, straight into the swimming pool at his borrowing castle-home, taking a first edition Starfield novel with her. To pay off her debt over the book, she has to reorganise the library in the house - more like a dream rather than a chore - but Vance is being awful, and makes everything awkward. For Rosie, she's coping with the loss of her mother the year before, and being close to all these books - some which remind her of her mother just by being there - and trying to get over the cosplayer she met at the ExcelsiCon Ball last year. The more and more that Vance and Rosie spend time together, the more they see the real people, and could they just be the two cosplayers who spent all night together at the ball last summer?

As apprehensive as I was about whether I would like Vance or not, that soon wasn't an issue because his chapters were insightful, and real, and I ended up loving him. Not as much as Rosie, mind. Rosie is my favourite of all of Poston's heroines, and I adored her chapters. She was wacky and real, and didn't take any of Vance's crap, which was refreshing for both me and for Vance, who is used to people pandering to him. The secondary characters, like Rosie's best friends Annie and Quinn, her dad (Space Dad), and Vance's uncle, Elias, were also fabulous, and made the story. The chemistry between Vance and Rosie, too, was off the charts, and they might be my favourite couple of the series.

Being the final book (I think?) in the Once Upon a Con series, it was perfect to see characters from the previous books in cameo positions, especially Imogen who has become a proper friend to Vance after their disastrous pseudo date in book 2. Everything that I needed to be tied together, definitely was, and I could not have asked for a better conclusion to this series! I haven't read Poston's other series, but reckon I'll buy them as soon as I can. This is definitely a series every geek or book lover should read!

Dates Read:
March 6-7, 2020

Rating
5 Stars