waiting on wednesday: a court of thornes and roses

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature over at Breaking the Spine where we feature an anticipated release each week.

This week's pick: A Court of Thorns and Roses – Sarah J Maas
find it on goodreads
Release Date: May 5

synopsis: A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

~~~
I've been saving this one because it is truly one of my most anticipated books of the entire year! I love Sara J Maas so much, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what this new series holds. Beauty and the Beast mixed with faerie lore? Yes PLEASE! Can it be May 5 already? I feel like so many people have already read this because there were a lot of ARCs floating around, so I really need for this book to be in my hands now.  

what are your picks this week?

xx
Sunny

january wrap-up

I think wrap-ups are a good way to keep track of what you read and when you read it over the course of a year. I also like to look back and see how the last month of my life has been, reading-wise. Therefore, I present to you my January wrap-up.

I read a total of nine books in the month of January, which was a little less than I wanted, but it was still a pretty stellar month in terms of reading!

1. Until Midnight – Melissa Landers ☆☆☆☆
(spoilers!) Cara and Aelyx only have one day to spend together before he returns to earth and she travels to Aelyx's home planet, L'eihr. Homesick and worried about the upcoming year apart, Cara is desperate to make these final hours count. Worst of all, Cara is missing Christmas, stuck on board an alien spaceship. When Aelyx learns that Cara is forgoing her favorite holiday, he tries to recreate Christmas in space by researching traditional earth customs…but a few things get lost in translation.
 

 2. Heir of Fire – Sara J Maas  ☆☆☆☆☆
(MAJOR spoilers!!)  
Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

3. On the Fence – Kasie West ☆☆☆☆
For sixteen-year-old Charlotte Reynolds, aka Charlie, being raised by a single dad and three older brothers has its perks. She can outrun, outscore, and outwit every boy she knows—including her longtime neighbor and honorary fourth brother, Braden. But when it comes to being a girl, Charlie doesn't know the first thing about anything. So when she starts working at chichi boutique to pay off a speeding ticket, she finds herself in a strange new world of makeup, lacy skirts, and BeDazzlers. Even stranger, she's spending time with a boy who has never seen her tear it up in a pickup game.
To cope with the stress of faking her way through this new reality, Charlie seeks late-night refuge in her backyard, talking out her problems with Braden by the fence that separates them. But their Fence Chats can't solve Charlie's biggest problem: she's falling for Braden. Hard. She knows what it means to go for the win, but if spilling her secret means losing him for good, the stakes just got too high.

4.  Humans of New York – Brandon Stanton ☆☆☆☆☆
In the summer of 2010, photographer Brandon Stanton set out on an ambitious project: to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City.  Armed with his camera, he began crisscrossing the city, covering thousands of miles on foot, all in an attempt to capture New Yorkers and their stories.  The result of these efforts was a vibrant blog he called "Humans of New York," in which his photos were featured alongside quotes and anecdotes.
Humans of New York is the book inspired by the Internet sensation. With four hundred color photos, including exclusive portraits and all-new stories, Humans of New York is a stunning collection of images that showcases the outsized personalities of New York.
Surprising and moving, Humans of New York is a celebration of individuality and a tribute to the spirit of the city.

5. Defy – Sara B Larson ☆☆☆☆
Alexa Hollen is a fighter. Forced to disguise herself as a boy and serve in the king's army, Alex uses her quick wit and fierce sword-fighting skills to earn a spot on the elite prince's guard. But when a powerful sorcerer sneaks into the palace in the dead of night, even Alex, who is virtually unbeatable, can't prevent him from abducting her, her fellow guard and friend Rylan, and Prince Damian, taking them through the treacherous wilds of the jungle and deep into enemy territory.
The longer Alex is held captive with both Rylan and the prince, the more she realizes that she is not the only one who has been keeping dangerous secrets. And suddenly, after her own secret is revealed, Alex finds herself confronted with two men vying for her heart: the safe and steady Rylan, who has always cared for her, and the dark, intriguing Damian. With hidden foes lurking around every corner, is Alex strong enough to save herself and the kingdom she's sworn to protect?

6. Ignite – Sara B Larson  ☆☆☆☆
(spoilers!!) 

Murder, abductions, and forbidden romance abound in this thrilling sequel to Sara B. Larson's acclaimed YA debut, DEFY.

Alexa remains by the newly crowned King Damian’s side as his guard, ever committed to helping him rebuild Antion and reclaim the hope of Antion's people, despite continuing to harbor a secret love for him. However, when another threat to Damian and his kingdom emerges, and blame is cast on their newly forged allies from Blevon, Alexa knows things are not what they seem. With the fate of her nation hanging in the balance once again, will Alexa be able to protect her king and uncover the true enemy -- before it's too late?

7. The Chaos of Stars (re-read) – Kiersten White ☆☆☆☆☆
 
Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of Paranormalcy, is back with The Chaos of Stars—an enchanting novel set in Egypt and San Diego that captures the magic of first love and the eternally complicated truth about family.
 
Isadora's family is seriously screwed up—which comes with the territory when you're the human daughter of the ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. Isadora is tired of living with crazy relatives who think she's only worthy of a passing glance—so when she gets the chance to move to California with her brother, she jumps on it. But her new life comes with plenty of its own dramatic—and dangerous—complications . . . and Isadora quickly learns there's no such thing as a clean break from family.

8.  The Year I Turned Sixteen – Diane Schwemm ☆☆☆

 Turning sixteen is an unforgettable milestone, and each of these four sisters has her own story to tell. Rose, the oldest, feels like she has the most responsibility when her father dies, and yearns to be true to herself. Daisy wants to break free from her family, but trouble arises when she falls for a bad boy. Laurel struggles with the loss of a close relative and finds herself drawn to a boy who may actually understand. And Lily, the youngest sister, feels like nothing could be more difficult than actually being herself. These four books in one special bind-up make for a great value—and an even better read.

9. These Broken Stars – Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner ☆☆☆☆


Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive -- alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth.






So what did you guys read in the month of January?

xx
Sunny

book boyfriends tag

So since today is Sunday and I'm finished with homework and bored, I was just clicking around on booktube. And when I came across this tag, I figured, who doesn't like talking about men who are both unattainable and also fictional? No one, that's who. I saw this video on Christine's channel, but the original video is here!
So, I decided to pick my top ten book boyfriends and then assign each one to a question in this tag. No repeats!Click read more to see my list and the tag questions!

judging books by their covers

Admit it. It's something we all do. As much as we want to claim that we are fair and objective when it comes to books, everyone forms opinions about books based on how they look. That's why we cringe so much when bad covers happen to good books, and when covers change to something that we don't think represents the story. It's also why we happy-tears cry over covers that are just so gorgeous they HURT.
I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing. There are so many amazing YA books out there today, there is no way you can walk into your local bookstore and spend hours combing through the section, reading every single synopsis and ignoring the covers. I think covers are our first filter for the books we think we might like. I know I am definitely drawn to certain books over others because they have a pretty or interesting cover. And most of the time, my cover senses end up being pretty dead on in picking good books. So, maybe not such a bad thing, as long as we don't completely rule out books that don't have those amazing covers.
I thought I would share a few of my most favorite covers!

Best

1. These Broken Stars and This Shattered World – Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

2. Throne of Glass Series – Sarah J Maas

3. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sáenz

4. I'll Give You The Sun – Jandy Nelson

5. The Chaos of Stars – Kiersten White 

6. The Grisha Trilogy – Leigh Bardugo

7. Starry Night – Isabel Gillies

8. Unspoken – Sarah Rees Brennan (a cover change I will NEVER FORGIVE)

9. The Fault In Our Stars – John Green

10. A Thousand Pieces of You – Claudia Gray











Those are just a few of my personal favorites. Let me know some of yours!

xx
Sunny