Waiting on Wednesday #47

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW was hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase an upcoming release we are excited about. Jill hasn't been posting for quite some time, so Tressa @ Wishful Endings has adopted and renamed WoW to Can't Wait Wednesday.

For this week, I chose Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, out March 20, 2018! 

When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.

The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.

Author's Website | Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW | Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Title: Until Friday Night
Author: Abbi Glines
Series? Yes, trilogy of companion novels
Pages: 336
Publication Date: August 25, 2015
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Source: I read this book for free via Riveted Lit! They always have free reads and excerpts. Check out their page here!

To everyone who knows him, West Ashby has always been that guy: the cocky, popular, way-too-handsome-for-his-own-good football god who led Lawton High to the state championships. But while West may be Big Man on Campus on the outside, on the inside he’s battling the grief that comes with watching his father slowly die of cancer.

Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.

As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.

West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go…

Author's Website | Amazon | Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday #46

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW was hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase an upcoming release we are excited about. Jill hasn't been posting for quite some time, so Tressa @ Wishful Endings has adopted and renamed WoW to Can't Wait Wednesday.

For this week, I chose Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen, out January 30, 2018!

Shalia is a proud daughter of the desert, but after years of devastating war with the adjoining kingdom, her people are desperate for peace. Willing to trade her freedom to ensure the safety of her family, Shalia becomes Queen of the Bonelands.

But she soon learns that her husband, Calix, is motivated only by his desire to exterminate the Elementae—mystical people who can control earth, wind, air, and fire. Even more unsettling are Shalia’s feelings for her husband’s brother, which unleash a power over the earth she never knew she possessed—a power that could get her killed. As rumors of a rebellion against Calix spread, Shalia must choose between the last chance for peace and her own future as an Elementae.

This intense, richly drawn high-fantasy by the author of Scarlet will hold readers spellbound.

Author's Website | Goodreads

BOOK REVIEW | Sea Spell by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: Sea Spell
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Series? Yes, a series of four books
Publication Date: June 14, 2016
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Source: I checked this book out from my local library.

Six mermaids battle to save their hidden world.

Serafina and the other mer have discovered that Orfeo, one of the six founders of Atlantis, is trying to unleash an ancient monster from its icy prison. Astrid, his descendent is summoned to Orfeo's stronghold where she must attempt to take his black pearl talisman. Meanwhile, Ava tracks another talisman in the swamps of the Mississippi. To get it she will have to face the murderous Okwa Naholo spirits.

Serafina, Becca, Ling, Neela ready themselves for war. In an epic final double battle, the Black Fin resistance must stop the Voleneros from taking over the mer realms and end Orfeo's plan to take the fate of the gods into his own hands. Can they prevent the destruction of their world?
The final book in the Waterfire Saga.

Author's Website | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads

#TheReadingQuest // How Did I Do?

my character card! which is just so darling <3

Hi everyone and welcome back or to my blog! If this is your first time here, yay! Glad you can join in. :) Today I'll be talking about my results for the Reading Quest readathon! There are a ton of rules, so I don't want to get into all of those. So, if you want to learn more about what this whole readathon was about and what my inital TBR was,  check out my initial post here!

So let me preface by saying that I didn't do too well if I went by all the rules. One of the big rules is that you cannot do other main quest squares if you are not done with your first main quest. Well, I completely ignored that! XD I know, I know. But I just wanted to see how much I was reading and how many would be able to fit into the categories.

In the span of the readathon (Aug. 13-Sept. 10), I read 14 books/manga volumes/short stories!

Without further ado, here is how I did in terms of levels, exp, and all that jazz!

Waiting on Wednesday #45

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW was hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase an upcoming release we are excited about. Jill hasn't been posting for quite some time, so Tressa @ Wishful Endings has adopted and renamed WoW to Can't Wait Wednesday.

For this week, I chose Achilles by Greg Boose, out September 26th!

The year is 2221, and humans have colonized an earthlike planet called Thetis in the Silver Foot Galaxy. After a tragic accident kills off dozens of teenage colonists, Thetis's leaders are desperate to repopulate. So the Mayflower 2, a state-of-the-art spaceship, sets off across the universe to bring 177 new recruits to the colony.

For Jonah Lincoln, an orphaned teen who's bounced between foster homes and spent time on the streets of Cleveland, the voyage is a chance to reinvent himself, to be strong and independent and brave the way he could never be on Earth. But his dreams go up in smoke when their ship crash-lands, killing half the passengers and leaving the rest stranded--not on Thetis, but on its cruel and unpeopled moon, Achilles.
Between its bloodthirsty alien life forms and its distance from their intended location, Achilles is far from an ideal resting place. The situation is already dire, but when all of the adults suddenly disappear, leaving the teenage passengers to fend for themselves, Jonah doubts they'll survive at all, much less reach Thetis. Especially when it appears Achilles isn't as uninhabited as they were led to believe.

Author's Website | Goodreads 

TTT: Gems Published 7 or More Years Ago!

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Top Ten Tuesday, which is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. I don't do these memes on a weekly basis, but I loved the topic of this week! Today's topic is: "Throwback Freebie: Ten Books I Loved During The First Year I Started My Blog, Favorite Books Published 5 or 10 or 15 Years Ago, Ten Older Books I Forgot How Much I Loved, etc. etc. Tweak however you want!"

So with this throwback freebie, I decided to highlight some books that have been out for 7 years or more. 7 years ago, I was 11 years old, and not just starting to get into reading again. Whether I read them in sixth grade or just last week, here are some gems you might now know about!

Here are my favorite books that are seven years or older! All links are to goodreads. :)


10) Marmalade Boy by Wataru Yoshizumi
I will never stop talking about this manga series. I just absolutely love it, and whenever I need a good ol' pick me up, I read this. The manga was published in volumes in 2003, which was 14 years ago! Even though it's been a while since they've been published, I think that the series is till timely.


9) Dr. Franklin's Island by Ann Halam
I'm going to say this right off the bat: this book is really f*cking weird. And well, I love it. I remember reading htis in fifth or sixth grade. I read it in 2014 to see what I thought about it again, and I really liked it! I don't LOVE it by any means, but I recommend it!


8) When it Happens by Susane Colasanti
When It Happens was published in 2006, and though you can kind of tell, it's not too bothersome. When It Happens was one of the first YA books I read, and at the time, I really loved it. I have since read it again two times, and I still stand by my opinion. To me, this is a classic YA contemporary.

BOOK REVIEW | My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent

Title: My Soul to Take
Author: Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers Series
Pages: 279
Publication Date: August 1, 2009
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Source: I checked out this book from my online local library!

She doesn't see dead people. She senses when someone near her is about to die. And when that happens, a force beyond her control compels her to scream bloody murder. Literally.

Kaylee just wants to enjoy having caught the attention of the hottest guy in school. But a normal date is hard to come by when Nash seems to know more about her need to scream than she does. And when classmates start dropping dead for no apparent reason, only Kaylee knows who'll be next.

Author's Website | Amazon | B&N | Goodreads 

Friday 56 and Book Beginnings! No. 12

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Friday 56 and Book Beginnings. They are hosted by Freda's Voice and Rose City Reader, respectively!

The rules are simple for both. For the Friday 56, we turn to page 56 or 56% in our e-reader and highlight a passage of any book! Book Beginnings is where you feature the first sentence (or so) of a book and give your thoughts and impressions.

Book Beginnings!

 This is the opening lines of The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury! I've been wanting to read this for a while, and I figured it was about time and try and give it a go. I know it's a loose retelling of Aladdin (in the POV of the genie) in which the genie and Aladdin fall in love. Fingers crossed I get to this soon!  

Waiting on Wednesday #44

Hey everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be participating in Waiting on Wednesday. WoW was hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine. Every week we showcase an upcoming release we are excited about. Jill hasn't been posting for quite some time, so Tressa @ Wishful Endings has adopted and renamed WoW to Can't Wait Wednesday.


For this week, I chose Satellite by Nick Late, due out October 3rd!

A teenage boy born in space makes his first trip to Earth.

He’s going to a place he’s never been before: home.

Moon 2 is a space station that orbits approximately 250 miles above Earth. It travels 17,500 miles an hour, making one full orbit every ninety minutes. It’s also the only home that fifteen-year-old Leo and two other teens have ever known.

Born and raised on Moon 2, Leo and the twins, Orion and Libra, are finally old enough and strong enough to endure the dangerous trip to Earth. They’ve been “parented” by teams of astronauts since birth and have run countless drills to ready themselves for every conceivable difficulty they might face on the flight.

But has anything really prepared them for life on terra firma? Because while the planet may be home to billions of people, living there is more treacherous than Leo and his friends could ever have imagined, and their very survival will mean defying impossible odds.

Author's Website | Goodreads 

BOOK REVIEW | Nyxia by Scott Reintgen

Title: Nyxia
Author: Scott Reintgen
Series? Yes, a trilogy
Pages: 384
Publication Date: September 12, 2017
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers (under Random House Children's)
Source: I received a galley of Nyxia via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you!

Every life has a price in this sci-fi thriller that has the nonstop action of The Maze Runner and the high-stakes space setting of Illuminae. This is the first in a new three-book series called the Nyxia Triad that will take a group of broken teens to the far reaches of the universe and force them to decide what they're willing to risk for a lifetime of fortune.

Emmett Atwater isn't just leaving Detroit; he's leaving Earth. Why the Babel Corporation recruited him is a mystery, but the number of zeroes on their contract has him boarding their lightship and hoping to return to Earth with enough money to take care of his family.

Forever.

Before long, Emmett discovers that he is one of ten recruits, all of whom have troubled pasts and are a long way from home. Now each recruit must earn the right to travel down to the planet of Eden--a planet that Babel has kept hidden--where they will mine a substance called Nyxia that has quietly become the most valuable material in the universe.

But Babel's ship is full of secrets. And Emmett will face the ultimate choice: win the fortune at any cost, or find a way to fight that won't forever compromise what it means to be human.

Author's Website | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads

August 2017 Wrap Up!

Hey everyone and welcome back to my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be wrappping up August for you! August has been pretty hectic for me. The first half of the month, I was just hanging out with my family (watching movies, shopping together, etc.) and seeing my friends. On the 19th I moved into college (I'm a first-year at UNC Chapel Hill), and classes started on the 22nd!

As for my classes, they are all very reading heavy. I'm taking three English courses (British Literature, Popular Genres, and Intro to Sexuality Studies), one Women and Gender studies class (Intro 101), one Philosophy/Religion class (aptly named Heaven & Hell), and a Spanish class (203)! So I've been reading a lot of short stories, excerpts, articles...everything! It's been a lot of fun, but also really taxing. But I'm overall loving it here.

This month I read 12 things! Yes, things, because not all of them were novels or full length books. Out of those 12, one was a short story, one a play, and two were manga volumes. I felt as if I was cheating a bit on goodreads when I marked short stories as read, but I did read them! And I also want my goodreads less focused on my challenge and more focused on my reading in general. So I don't feel bad anymore!

ANYWAYS, enough of my rambling and onto my actual wrap up!

Short Stories/Plays/Manga

Dengeki Daisy Volumes 4 and 5 by Kyousuke Motomi
I really liked these two volumes! I can't really differentiate between the two, but I am having a lot of fun with the series. The plot is really picking up, and I'm looking forward to reading the upcoming volumes as well. The only thing is that I feel like these volumes, while fun, feel more like a bridge to the later volumes instead of standing on their own.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman

The Yellow Wallpaper is a short story by Gilman, and is very well known. Gilman was very much so compared to Poe, and I could see why. This is a great psychological thriller, and is very atmospheric. It also has feminist undertones, which I definitely appreciated. If you are even mildly interested in this, I totally recommend it! I really enjoyed it. :)

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW | Frostblood by Elly Blake

Title: Frostblood
Author: Elly Blake
Series? Yes, a trilogy
Publiction Date: January 10, 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Readers
Source: I checked out this audiobook via Overdrive!

The frost king will burn.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has concealed her powers of heat and flame from the cruel Frostblood ruling class her entire life. But when her mother is killed trying to protect her, and rebel Frostbloods demand her help to overthrow their bloodthirsty king, she agrees to come out of hiding, desperate to have her revenge.

Despite her unpredictable abilities, Ruby trains with the rebels and the infuriating—yet irresistible—Arcus, who seems to think of her as nothing more than a weapon. But before they can take action, Ruby is captured and forced to compete in the king’s tournaments that pit Fireblood prisoners against Frostblood champions. Now she has only one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who has taken everything from her—and from the icy young man she has come to love.

Author's Website | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Goodreads