top ten tuesday: fall tbr

Hi everyone! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, hosted over at the Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is: "September 27: Books On My Fall TBR List." These weeks are my favorites, because I just love talking about what books I want to read and seeing everything y'all have on your lists too!

Top Ten Books on my Fall TBR

1. CROOKED KINGDOM by Leigh Bardugo – I don't even know how to describe how excited I am for this one. Six of Crows was one of my very top favorites of last year, and though I'm going to be sad to see these characters go, I cannot wait to see what happens next. 

~~~

Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn't think they'd survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they're right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz's cunning and test the team's fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city's dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.  

2. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake– I bought this the other day, and I cannot wait to read it. Based on the first couple chapters that I have read, I think it's going to be awesome. Dark and twisty, but AWESOME.

 ~~~

Every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born: three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins. The last queen standing gets the crown.

If only it was that simple. Katharine is unable to tolerate the weakest poison, and Arsinoe, no matter how hard she tries, can’t make even a weed grow. The two queens have been shamefully faking their powers, taking care to keep each other, the island, and their powerful sister Mirabella none the wiser. But with alliances being formed, betrayals taking shape, and ruthless revenge haunting the queens’ every move, one thing is certain: the last queen standing might not be the strongest…but she may be the darkest.

 

3. A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess – Sorcerers and magic and victorian England all rolled into one sounds like my perfect afternoon, and that is exactly why I can't wait to dive into this one! Some of my favorite authors have said great things about it, so *squeeeee* 

~~~

 I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves?

4. Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige – I wasn't crazy about her Dorothy Must Die series, but I've read the first bit of this one and I think it is something that I am definitely going to be into. I love fairy tale retellings, and I can't wait to see what edginess Paige gives to the Snow Queen. 

~~~

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent her life locked in Whittaker Psychiatric—but she isn’t crazy. And that’s not the worst of it. Her very first kiss proves anything but innocent…when Bale, her only love, turns violent.

Despite Snow knowing that Bale would never truly hurt her, he is taken away—dashing her last hope for any sort of future in the mental ward she calls home. With nowhere else to turn, Snow finds herself drawn to a strange new orderly who whispers secrets in the night about a mysterious past and a kingdom that’s hers for the taking—if only she can find her way past the iron gates to the Tree that has been haunting her dreams.

Beyond the Tree lies Algid, a land far away from the real world, frozen by a ruthless king. And there too await the River Witch, a village boy named Kai, the charming thief Jagger, and a prophecy that Snow will save them all.  

5. The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst – This book looks like the high fantasy dream that I've been waiting for. I have also read a couple non-spoilery reviews and loved what I've seen... especially that there's a city in the trees? or something like that... whatever it is, sign me up. 

~~~

An idealistic young student and a banished warrior become allies in a battle to save their realm in this first book of a mesmerizing epic fantasy series, filled with political intrigue, violent magic, malevolent spirits, and thrilling adventure

Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .

But the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. But queens are still just human, and no matter how strong or good, the threat of danger always looms.

With the position so precarious, young women are chosen to train as heirs. Daleina, a seemingly quiet academy student, is under no illusions as to her claim to the throne, but simply wants to right the wrongs that have befallen the land. Ven, a disgraced champion, has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks. Joining forces, these daring partners embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits’ restlessness—a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land . . . before it’s bathed in blood.

 

6. Been Here All Along by Sandy Hall – Sandy Hall's contemporaries make me swoony happy. A Little Something Different is still one of my absolute favorite contemporaries ever. I really need to get my hands on her new one, which looks just as promising as her other two.

~~~

Gideon always has a plan. His plans include running for class president, becoming head of the yearbook committee, and having his choice of colleges. They do NOT include falling head over heels for his best friend and next door neighbor, Kyle. It’s a distraction. It’s pointless, as Kyle is already dating the gorgeous and popular head cheerleader, Ruby. And Gideon doesn’t know what to do.

Kyle finally feels like he has a handle on life. He has a wonderful girlfriend, a best friend willing to debate the finer points of Lord of the Rings, and social acceptance as captain of the basketball team. Then, both Ruby and Gideon start acting really weird, just as his spot on the team is threatened, and Kyle can’t quite figure out what he did wrong…

 

7. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan – Rick Riordan + any mythology ever = me reading it. I enjoyed the first book in this series and am excited to pick it back up :) 

~~~

Thor's hammer is missing again. The thunder god has a disturbing habit of misplacing his weapon--the mightiest force in the Nine Worlds. But this time the hammer isn't just lost, it has fallen into enemy hands. If Magnus Chase and his friends can't retrieve the hammer quickly, the mortal worlds will be defenseless against an onslaught of giants. Ragnarok will begin. The Nine Worlds will burn. Unfortunately, the only person who can broker a deal for the hammer's return is the gods' worst enemy, Loki--and the price he wants is very high.

 

8. This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills – LOVED First & Then. Heard amazing things about this, her next novel. Commenced the impatient waiting. STILL impatiently waiting. Cannot wait to get my hands on this one. 

~~~

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

 

9. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin – I have been meaning to read this for forever, and it just sits on my shelf, mocking me because I know it is going to be amazing, I just balk at picking it up. Do y'all ever do that? I annoy myself. In any case, I really want to read this one so that I can read the second one as well, and I've heard incredible things about it. 

~~~

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule. To commemorate their Great Victory, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor’s Ball in Tokyo.

Yael, a former death camp prisoner, has witnessed too much suffering, and the five wolves tattooed on her arm are a constant reminder of the loved ones she lost. The resistance has given Yael one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year’s only female racer, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin’s brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael’s every move.

But as Yael grows closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

From the author of The Walled City comes a fast-paced and innovative novel that will leave you breathless.

 

10. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery – would y'all believe I've never read this book???? I've seen the movie and loved the cartoon tv show when I was little, but fall feels like a perfect time to dive into this one :) 

~~~

Everyone's favorite redhead, the spunky Anne Shirley, begins her adventures at Green Gables, a farm outside Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When the freckled girl realizes that the elderly Cuthberts wanted to adopt a boy instead, she begins to try to win them and, consequently, the reader, over.

what's on your lists this week? 

xx

Caroline

the hidden oracle: stardust reviews

The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1)

by Rick Riordan

☆☆☆☆

goodreads/b&n/amazon

How do you punish an immortal?

By making him human.

After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.

But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

full review under the cut!

november wrap up

welcome to another episode of "what did Caroline read this month?" I can't believe November is almost over, which means CHRISTMAS is right around the corner!! I am one of those people who is ridiculously obsessed with everything about Christmas: everything from music to decorations to movies to gift giving and everything else, so hopefully this next month will be super festive, both in life and on here. November was a pretty good month for me overall, I managed to read nine books and post four reviews, so here we go!

1. Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer – Rick Riordan ☆☆☆☆☆

synopsis: Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .
 

2. Bleak House  – Charles Dickens  ☆☆☆
I started this book in SEPTEMBER but I finally made it through

Bleak House opens in the twilight of foggy London, where fog grips the city most densely in the Court of Chancery. The obscure case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce, in which an inheritance is gradually devoured by legal costs, the romance of Esther Summerson and the secrets of her origin, the sleuthing of Detective Inspector Bucket and the fate of Jo the crossing-sweeper, these are some of the lives Dickens invokes to portray London society, rich and poor, as no other novelist has done. Bleak House, in its atmosphere, symbolism and magnificent bleak comedy, is often regarded as the best of Dickens. A 'great Victorian novel', it is so inventive in its competing plots and styles that it eludes interpretation.

3. First & Then – Emma Mills ☆☆☆☆1/2

  Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.


 

4. Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) – Marissa Meyer ☆☆☆☆☆

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth's fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She's a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai's, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world's future.

5. Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles #2) – Marissa Meyer ☆☆☆☆☆

Cinder is back and trying to break out of prison―even though she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive if she does―in this second installment from Marissa Meyer.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother, or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana.

6. Cress (The Lunar Chronicles #3) – Marissa Meyer ☆☆☆☆☆

Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army.
Their best hope lies with Cress, who has been trapped on a satellite since childhood with only her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker; unfortunately, she's just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing stop her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only ones who can.

7. Lumberjanes – Noelle Stevenson ☆☆☆☆

Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp...defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons...what’s not to love?!

Friendship to the max! Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together...and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things. It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss. Collects Lumberjanes #1-#4.

8. Two on a Tower – Thomas Hardy ☆☆☆☆

Two On A Tower is a tale of star-crossed love in which Hardy sets the emotional lives of his two lovers against the background of the stellar universe. The unhappily married Lady Constantine breaks all the rules of social decorum when she falls in love with Swithin St. Cleeve, an astronomer who is ten years her junior. Her husband's death leaves the lovers free to marry, but the discovery of a legacy forces them apart. This is Hardy's most complete treatment of the theme of love across the class and age divide and the fullest expression of his fascination with science and astronomy.

9. Fairest (The Lunar Chronicles #3.5)  – Marissa Meyer ☆☆☆☆

Mirror, mirror, on the wall.
Who is the Fairest of them all?

Pure evil has a name, hides behind a mask of deceit, and uses her "glamour" to gain power. But who is Queen Levana? Long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress in The Lunar Chronicles, Levana lived a very different story—a story that has never been told . . . until now.
New York Times –bestselling author Marissa Meyer reveals the story behind her fascinating villain in Fairest, an unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes a special full-color image of Levana's castle and an excerpt from Winter, the exciting conclusion to The Lunar Chronicles.


what did you love this month?

xx
Sunny

look at her go: reviewin' reviewin': the sword of summer

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

goodreads/b&n/amazon
(rating)

synopsis: Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

full review under the cut!

top ten tuesday: fall tbr

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at The Broke and the Bookish! I've taken the last few weeks off from this meme, but I really have missed it, and I'm so happy to be back doing it again this week! This week's theme is "September 22: Top Ten Books on Your Fall TBR." I love doing these TBR posts, here is a link to my summer one, which I thought I did pretty well on, reading 6/10 of the books on there! My fall one is going to include new releases from October 1 to November 30, as well as some books that I've been meaning to get to for a while.

1. The Royal We – Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan 

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.
Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become. Which is how she gets into trouble.
Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

2. Let's Get Lost – Adi Alsaid


 Five strangers. Countless adventures. One epic way to get lost.

Four teens across the country have only one thing in common: a girl named Leila. She crashes into their lives in her absurdly red car at the moment they need someone the most.

Hudson, Bree, Elliot and Sonia find a friend in Leila. And when Leila leaves them, their lives are forever changed. But it is during Leila's own 4,268-mile journey that she discovers the most important truth—sometimes, what you need most is right where you started. And maybe the only way to find what you're looking for is to get lost along the way.

3. Armada – Ernest Cline

Zack Lightman has spent his life dreaming. Dreaming that the real world could be a little more like the countless science-fiction books, movies, and videogames he’s spent his life consuming. Dreaming that one day, some fantastic, world-altering event will shatter the monotony of his humdrum existence and whisk him off on some grand space-faring adventure.
But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a little escapism, right? After all, Zack tells himself, he knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He knows that here in the real world, aimless teenage gamers with anger issues don’t get chosen to save the universe.
And then he sees the flying saucer.
Even stranger, the alien ship he’s staring at is straight out of the videogame he plays every night, a hugely popular online flight simulator called Armada—in which gamers just happen to be protecting the earth from alien invaders.
No, Zack hasn’t lost his mind. As impossible as it seems, what he’s seeing is all too real. And his skills—as well as those of millions of gamers across the world—are going to be needed to save the earth from what’s about to befall it.
It’s Zack’s chance, at last, to play the hero. But even through the terror and exhilaration, he can’t help thinking back to all those science-fiction stories he grew up with, and wondering: Doesn’t something about this scenario seem a little…familiar?

4. Six of Crows – Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...
A convict with a thirst for revenge.
A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.
A runaway with a privileged past.
A spy known as the Wraith.
A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.
A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.
Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

5. Carry On – Rainbow Rowell 

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.
Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

6. Magnus Chase & The Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Sumemr – Rick Riordan 

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.
One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.
The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.
When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.
Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . . 

7. A Madness So Discreet – Mindy McGinnis–

Grace Mae knows madness.
She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.
When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.
In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

8. First & Then – Emma Mills 

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

9. Illuminae – Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

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.

10. Velvet Undercover – Teri Brown 

Samantha Donaldson's family has always done its duty for the British Crown. In the midst of World War I, seventeen-year-old Sam follows in their footsteps, serving her country from the homefront as a messenger for the intelligence organization MI5. After her father disappears on a diplomatic mission, she continues their studies of languages, mathematics, and complex puzzles, hoping to make him proud.
When Sam is asked to join the famed women's spy group La Dame Blanche, she's torn—while this could be an unbelievable adventure, how can she abandon her mother, who has already lost a husband? But when her handlers reveal shocking news, Sam realizes she can't refuse the exciting and dangerous opportunity.
Her acceptance leads her straight into the heart of enemy territory on a mission to extract the most valuable British spy embedded in Germany, known only as Velvet. Deep undercover in the court of Kaiser Wilhelm II, Sam must navigate the labyrinthine palace and its many glamorous—and secretive—residents to complete her assignment. To make matters worse she must fight a forbidden attraction to the enemy—a dangerously handsome German guard. In a place where personal politics are treacherously entangled in wartime policy, can Sam find Velvet before it's too late . . . for them both?
A thrilling story of one girl's journey into a deadly world of spy craft and betrayal—with unforgettable consequences.

11. Winter – Marissa Meyer

(SPOILERS)
 Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

12. Ten Thousand Skies Above You – Claudia Gray 

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents' invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions.
Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared. The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.

13. Da Vinci's Tiger – L.M. Elliot 

Young, beautiful, and witty, Ginevra de’ Benci longs to take part in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence. But as the daughter of a wealthy family in a society dictated by men, she is trapped in an arranged marriage, expected to limit her creativity to domestic duties. Her poetry reveals her deepest feelings, and she aches to share her work, to meet painters and sculptors mentored by the famed Lorenzo de Medici, and to find love.
When the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, arrives in Florence, he introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers—a world of thought and conversation she has yearned for. She is instantly attracted to the handsome newcomer, who admires her mind as well as her beauty. Yet Ginevra remains conflicted about his attentions. Choosing her as his Platonic muse, Bembo commissions a portrait by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them—one Ginevra can only begin to understand. In a rich and enthralling world of exquisite art, elaborate feasts, and exhilarating jousts, she faces many temptations to discover her voice, artistic companionship, and a love that defies categorization. In the end, she and Leonardo are caught up in a dangerous and deadly battle between powerful families.

what's on your fall tbr?

xx
Sunny

top ten tuesday: auto buy authors

top ten tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at the Broke and the Bookish, where each week we have a different bookish theme! This week's theme is: "August 18: Top Ten Of Your Auto-buy Authors (no matter the genre or what it's about...you'll buy it from these authors!)."

 1. Rainbow Rowell – As one of my top five favorite authors ever, I think it is safe to say I would read anything this woman ever decides to publish. I've followed her from YA to Adult and back, from throwback contemporary to magical realism to (soon) pure fantasy, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Frankly, I think Rainbow is one of the most talented writers around today, and I will fully support her, whatever she decides to write.

2. Sarah J Maas – I only just started reading Sarah J Maas' Throne of Glass series at the end of 2014, but over the course of the last eight months, she has definitely become an auto-buy author for me. Throne of Glass is definitely one of my favorite series to EVER exist, and with the release of A Court of Thorns and Roses, which I loved almost just as much as the other series, Maas proved that she writes things that I like. I absolutely cannot wait to see what else she comes up with, because I will be there for it. 

3. Rick Riordan  – I began reading Riordan's books when I was in middle school, when only the first couple Percy Jackson books were out. Since then, I have bought and subsequently read every single one of his releases up until now. Rick Riordan has inspired my love of mythology, and I love the things that he does with the timeless stories, but certainly if Uncle Rick wanted to write about literally anything else, I would be first in line to buy that sucker. 

4. Stephanie Perkins – Some of my absolute favorite contemporaries are written by this woman. I have read Anna and the French Kiss over 10 times! I know these types of books are not for everyone, but I absolutely adore this woman and all of her novels, including her anthology of Christmas stories, which are the cutest. I believe her next release is going to be very different, a horror novel, and you better believe I'm going to read this one too, because I believe that Perkins has the midas touch– and anything she writes will be gold in my book. 

5. Morgan Matson – Like an idiot, I owned every single Morgan Matson book, but never read one until Since You've Been Gone had been released for about two months. Well. After that, which I ended up loving, it took me no time at all to fly through her other two novels, which I loved just as much and more than SYBG. Matson does touching, moving contemporary very very well, and I can't wait until her fourth novel. These are all personal favorites, so Matson's consistency has made me trust her.

6. Shannon Hale – Shannon Hale is another author that I have been reading since I was young, probably reading my first novel by her at 9 or 10 years old. The ones that I read when I was small are still some of my favorite books (The Goose Girl and Princess Academy) and I have since accumulated many of her other novels, from her ya sci/fi book to her adult contemporary to her middle grade fairy tale fantasies, I love Shannon Hale's writing, and I will continue to buy her novels.

7.  John Green – Many people have strong opinions about John Green and his novels, and I understand that he is not for everyone, but you'll forgive me if I love his novels and him as a person. I have been reading his books since 2009, and though some are better than others, I have never not enjoyed myself while reading a John Green book. They are short and fun and they have moments that I just stop and close the book and think about how John Green thinks of the things he does. IF HE EVER releases another book, it will be the best day ever.

8. Marissa Meyer – Though the conclusion isn't out yet, it is safe to say that the Lunar Chronicles have been a huge part of the last few years of my life, and will remain one of my favorite series, no matter what happens in Winter. I can't wait to see what Meyer does after she finishes this series, because I have no doubt in my mind that it will be amazing. The way she takes fairytales and makes them completely her own is something to behold, and I can't help but think she would be just as good at writing whatever else she chooses.

9. V.E. Schwab – pictured here are just a few of the books that V.E. (or Victoria) Schwab has written, and all of them are absolutely brilliant. From adult fantasy to adult super/anti heroes to all over the ya spectrum, Schwab has never failed to impress me. I absolutely love how original all of her ideas are, and from following her on twitter, I am unbelievably excited for whatever it is she comes up with next.

10. Jandy Nelson – Safe to say that I'll Give You The Sun is one of my favorite novels ever, and The Sky is Everywhere is no slouch either. These are both heartwrenching stories of love and loss, and it is truly like Nelson finds the bullet holes in your heart and aims the words right for them. I literally cried my eyes out while reading both of these books, more than once. Her next release isn't slated for release until 2017, but I would wait TWICE that to read a sentence that this woman writes.

What are your picks for this week?

xx

Sunny

top ten tuesday: authors with the most

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at the Broke and the Bookish, and this week's theme is: "August 11: Top Ten Authors I've Read The Most Books From." I always love a chance to talk about some of my favorite authors, so I am totally in love with this week! I can't wait to see what you all put as well :)

1. Rick Riordan = 15 books

After following Percy Jackson and all of the Heroes of Olympus books through their publications, I read the Kane Chronicles and the two additional novels in the Percy Jackson world that Riordan wrote. Aside from the tiny series with millions of books that I read when I was really little, Riordan is the author that I have read the most books from, by far, and will remain forever one of my favorites.

2. Lemony Snicket/Daniel Handler = 14 books

With 13 books in the Series of Unfortunate Events, it was easy for Lemony Snicket to secure a spot on this list. I love this author, for his strangeness as much as for his writing. I also read Why We Broke Up last year and loved it, proving that Daniel Handler can impress just as much as his alter ego, Snicket, can. 

3. Sarah Dessen = 10 books

I went through a stage where all I wanted to read was Sarah Dessen books, and I literally read every single thing she had written within the span of a couple weeks. Since then, I've kept up with her new releases, and though they aren't some of my absolute favorite books, I do find myself going back to them from time to time and always end up enjoying myself when I'm reading one of hers. 

4. Cassandra Clare = 10 books

Clare's Shadowhunter world is one of my favorite literary places to visit, and I know that this number will grow in the years to come. Between the six Mortal Instruments, three Infernal Devices and the Bane Chronicles, I have almost an entire shelf dedicated to Clare's novels. I can't wait for the release of Lady Midnight in 2016. 

 5. Ally Carter = 9 books

For me, as a thirteen year old girl in a boring southeastern town, the idea of girls being extraordinary was something really enticing, and Carter's Gallagher Girls series fed my need for excitement. I also enjoyed the three Heist Society novels, and though I haven't gotten to it yet, I feel sure I will like All Fall Down just as much as her other novels.  

6. J.K. Rowling = 11 books 

I think this is pretty self-explanatory. 7 Harry Potters, Fantastic Beasts, Quidditch Through the Ages, The Tales of Beetle the Bard, and a desperate read of the Casual Vacancy. I will love this woman forever.

7. Jennifer L. Armentrout = 7 books  

This woman has written an incredible amount of books, and I really would like to get more into her New Adult series, as I have heard great things about them! For now, I have read the Covenant series and the first book in the Lux series, and I loved every single second of these novels. I know the number by this woman's name will grow, because she is super talented.

8. John Green = 6 books

(I had to be shameless and use my own picture with this incredible person lol) I've read everything that John Green has written and I will continue to do so until he chooses to write no more words. He is one an inspiration to me, from his novels to his youtube to his social media platform and what he does with it. 

9. Richelle Mead = 7 books 

I read the Vampire Academy series last year, then read Bloodlines in 2015. I haven't continued on with that series yet, but I plan to, once I acquire the rest of the books! I also can't wait for her new release later this year, entitled Soundless. 



 

10. Sarah J Maas = 5 Books

Sarah J Maas is my queen, I bow to her, I will read her grocery lists if she would ever allow me to. Throne of Glass is, in my opinion one of the best series to grace the YA shelves, and I also adored her Beauty and the Beast retelling that came out this year. 




What are your picks for this list??

xx
Sunny