Newt's Emerald by Garth Nix

Page Count: 304
Published on: October 13, 2015

Published by: Katherine Tegen Books

Genre(s):  YA, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction
Source: Print: Hardback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @garthnix

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

     On her eighteenth birthday, Lady Truthful, nicknamed “Newt,” will inherit her family’s treasure: the Newington Emerald. A dazzling heart-shaped gem, the Emerald also bestows its wearer with magical powers.

     When the Emerald disappears one stormy night, Newt sets off to recover it. Her plan entails dressing up as a man, mustache included, as no well-bred young lady should be seen out and about on her own. While in disguise, Newt encounters the handsome but shrewd Major Harnett, who volunteers to help find the missing Emerald under the assumption that she is a man. Once she and her unsuspecting ally are caught up in a dangerous adventure that includes an evil sorceress, Newt realizes that something else is afoot: the beating of her heart.

      In Newt’s Emerald, the bestselling author of Sabriel, Garth Nix, takes a waggish approach to the forever popular Regency romance and presents a charmed world where everyone has something to hide.

~~~

Hey guys!

      I was given this book by my lovely grandmother for Christmas. At first I thought this book was actually called "Newt's Mermaid." I was really looking forward to a bad-ass search for a magical gem mermaid story, but the story was actually about a young lady named Lady Truthful (or Newt) who is to inherit her family's treasure, the Newington Emerald. One stormy night, the precious Emerald was stolen from the Newington Estate. Newt goes off to London in search of her family's precious jewel, and in the process dresses as a man, and meets a man named Major Harnett. Harnett volunteers to help Newt find the Emerald. 

     It took me a few chapters to get into this book, and it took me a while to understand the type of fantasy novel it was. This book was very entertaining, but it wasn't until the about 2/3 of the way through that I started to love it. There is very little character development, there are so many cliches throughout, and the characters weren't very likeable. I was hoping to connect more with Newt, not to mention that Newt was rarely ever called Newt. The people that she met usually called her Lady Truthful which got really redundant and kind of annoying.

      Major Harnett actually reminded me of Mr. Darcy from Pride and Predjudice by Jane Austen. His over all attitude was a lot like Darcy's, but maybe a bit more inviting. The romance throughout this book was really cute, but it was executed very awkwardly. There weren't enough details throughout the book to keep it going smoothly, but the story was still enjoyable and cute. I really liked the magical aspects to this book, and I liked the glamour that the characters used, and I think it would be a really cool thing to read about. I usually only read about glamour in fairy/faerie novels, and to read about it in another type of fantasy novel.
Overall this was an adequate fantasy stand-alone, but I feel like the massive amount of hype that is around Garth Nix's books lead me to believe that it would be much better.

My Favorite Character: Major Charles Harnett
My Least Favorite Character: Newt's father

Enjoy! Happy Reading!

Olivia 

~livthebooknerd~

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{CLOSED] The Sugarspear Chronicles THE COMPLETE COLLECTION by Nicole Arlyn GIVEAWAY

Hey guys!

I was approached by Full Fathom Five (Publishing company) to help host a giveaway on my blog to celebrate the release of Nicole Arlyn's bind up of her 26 novellas. I haven't read the novellas yet, but they look to be really really good. In honor of the release of the bind up, Four Fathom Five is offering the first 3 novellas free to 20 winners! Here's how you can win!

START THE SUGARSPEAR CHRONICLES - GIVEAWAY

After many years and thousands of pages, the complete bind-up of Nicole Arlyn’s dark fantasy saga has finally arrived. Follow Sadie Sugarspear’s story from start to finish in THE SUGARSPEAR CHRONICLES: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, available January 27!

The Sugarspear Chronicles is a fantastical epic saga unlike any fantasy series you’ve ever read before. It’s filled with romance, adventure, horror, and drama. And in honor of the complete collection finally being available, Full Fathom Five is offering the first three novellas in the series for free to twenty winners!

How do you win, you ask? Just enter using any (or all) of the methods listed in the Rafflecopter below. The more ways you enter, the higher your chances of winning three fantastic free novellas!

Rafflecopter HTML:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read a bit more about The Sugarspear Chronicles: The Complete Collection…

The Sugarspear Chronicles begins with young Sadie suffering intolerable cruelty at the hands of her brutal stepfather. When she is alone with no one to protect her, Sadie turns to the memory of her real father, Sam Sugarspear, and the one possession he left behind: a book about an imaginary land ruled by a king who grants wishes.

One day when the abuse reaches unimaginable heights, Sadie runs away and hides inside a crevice in her beloved willow tree, where she goes to escape from the nightmare of reality. But to her surprise, the tree opens up, sending Sadie falling down, down, down into a land she’s only ever read about.

But that land is not at all like what her father described in his storybook. Instead of a blissful escape, Sadie finds herself face-to-face with the beginning of what will become a long, terrifying journey home.

Throughout her travels, she battles evil foes, giant serpents, and an evil queen, explores disappearing islands and caves filled with wonders, sails an unending ocean alongside adventurers and cowards. She grows and learns and faces her demons. She discovers love and heartbreak.

Join Sadie Sugarspear on her epic adventure, and start the series for FREE by entering to win novellas 1-3!

This giveaway ends on February 3rd, so don’t hesitate – enter to win THE SUGARSPEAR CHRONICLES today!

Curious about Sadie’s story? Read a first chapter excerpt at Full Fathom Five’s website, or download the first novella PERMAFREE from any retailer!

Check Out the Book Trailer!

Author: Nicole Arlyn

Nicole is a writer and an actress born in Brooklyn, New York. She has worked in films such as Clay Pigeons, opposite Joaquin Phoenix; The Wedding Planner; and Brooklyn Bound, among many others. She has also performed, written and directed theatre productions in New York, Los Angeles, and Europe. She has also read her poems in many poetry lounges in Europe and America. She also is a song lyricist for musicians.
Nicole lives back and fourth between New York City and Rome, Italy, where she is at work on more novels.


I hope y'all enjoyed this giveaway, and I hope y'all enjoy the giveaway! This is the first giveaway that I've ever done on my blog, and I hope it's a success. Enjoy y'all!

Good luck and happy reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

Page Count: 464

Published on: April 14, 2015

Published by: Harper

Genre(s):  YA, Fantasy, Dystopia, High Fantasy
Source: Print: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-15

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

My Rating: 5 stars

Erika Johansen's Facebook Page: 
{click here}








Goodreads synopsis:

An untested young princess must claim her throne, learn to become a queen, and combat a malevolent sorceress in an epic battle between light and darkness in this spectacular debut—the first novel in a trilogy.

Young Kelsea Raleigh was raised in hiding after the death of her mother, Queen Elyssa, far from the intrigues of the royal Keep and in the care of two devoted servants who pledged their lives to protect her. Growing up in a cottage deep in the woods, Kelsea knows little of her kingdom's haunted past . . . or that its fate will soon rest in her hands.

Long ago, Kelsea's forefathers sailed away from a decaying world to establish a new land free of modern technology. Three hundred years later, this feudal society has divided into three fearful nations who pay duties to a fourth: the powerful Mortmesne, ruled by the cunning Red Queen. Now, on Kelsea's nineteenth birthday, the tattered remnants of the Queen's Guard—loyal soldiers who protect the throne—have appeared to escort the princess on a perilous journey to the capital to ascend to her rightful place as the new Queen of the Tearling.

Though born of royal blood and in possession of the Tear sapphire, a jewel of immense power and magic, Kelsea has never felt more uncertain of her ability to rule. But the shocking evil she discovers in the heart of her realm will precipitate an act of immense daring, throwing the entire kingdom into turmoil—and unleashing the Red Queen's vengeance. A cabal of enemies with an array of deadly weapons, from crimson-caped assassins to the darkest blood magic, plots to destroy her. But Kelsea is growing in strength and stealth, her steely resolve earning her loyal allies, including the Queen's Guard, led by the enigmatic Lazarus, and the intriguing outlaw known simply as "the Fetch."

Kelsea's quest to save her kingdom and meet her destiny has only just begun. Riddled with mysteries, betrayals, and treacherous battles, Kelsea's journey is a trial by fire that will either forge a legend . . . or destroy her. 

~~~

Hey guys!

     I recieved The Queen of the Tearling from my awesome aunt and uncle for Christmas. This book was recommended to my uncle for me at Barnes & Noble, and I've been really interested in this book for the longest time. The book has been highly loved by some of my favorite BookTubers such as Regan from PeruseProject. I've wanted to read this book for the longest time. It reminds me of the Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce, the Graceling trilogy by Kristin Cashore, and a bit like Red Queen. It has the apocolyptic/fantasy setting, the magic and kick butt heroine from the Song of the Lioness quartet and Graceling trilogy. 

      I felt like the beginning was kind of slow, and it was hard to get into fantasy world. That was the only thing I found wrong with it. I mean it's not like I was looking for something wrong, because I wasn't. That was the only problem I had with it when I was reading it. This book kept me on my toes, squealing like a little girl, and I really liked the backstory of the world, and the gradual history lesson that you received throughout the book. The history of the world, The Tearling, was really intriguing and I really wish I knew more about it. The characters were also really cool. I really loved Kelsea's character, she's an avid reader, a natural leader, and she's not afraid to get her hands dirty and stand up for what she believes in. There was also barely any kind romance which was an amazing change of pace. Lately, every YA book that I've read so far has at least a slight hint of a romantic subplot. That can get annoying and repetitive sometimes, so this book was a real treat. This book was full of action, assassins, political intrigue, magic, and an awesome world called the Tearling. 

      There were a couple things that I really really enjoyed in this book. I loved Kelsea's love of reading, and how highly she holds the power of literacy. She knows the power of knowledge, and she takes the lessons from what she reads to help her make decisions that would benefit her queendom. Another aspect that I loved about the book was her strong character. She was so badass. She had a personality that was so strong willed, so faithful to her queendom, and so understanding of the needs for others. She keeps her insecurities in check, and her personal feelings too in order to keep order and do what's best for her people. I could go on and on about this book, and the amazing qualities the characters and the plot has. Kelsea is such a fantastic character, and I highly recommend that if you love adult and YA high fantasy, then you should definitely pick this book up. 

If You Love ___#___, Then You Will Love The Queen of the Tearling!

1. Graceling by Kristin Cashore {gr}
2. Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce {gr}
3. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers {review}
4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard {review}   

      These aren't adult fiction, but they have some of the qualities that The Queen of the Tearling has that made me fall in love with it even more. I hope you all enjoyed this review, and I hope you all go out and pick this book up. This is such a gem, and it's just a fantastic addition to the fantasy genre. Erika Johansen should get all of the awards for this book. Such a great book. A+ writing...OK I'll stop rambling! 

Enjoy!
Happy reading!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer

Page Count: 

Published on: 

Published by: 

Genre(s):  YA, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Contemporary
Source: Print: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-13

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @jodipicoult

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

      Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.
      And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.
      A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.

~~~

Hey guys!

     I have this huge TBR pile of about 30 un-read books that I have aquired this year, and when I gathered up all of the books to try to figure out what I would read next...I got really overwhelmed. I sent a picture to some of my friends and the first friend that responded was my friend Courtney. She told me to read Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer, because she adores Jodi Picoult's writing, and she's been telling me to read her books since the My Sister's Keeper review that she did. I bought this book during the Black Friday sale that BookOutlet had at the end of November, and I didn't recieve it until early-December. I've been really interested in this book for a while now, because it kind of reminded me of a Tumblr post that discussed an idea that someone had that was very similar to the premise of this book, and I was hoping of the best when purchasing this book.

     This book follows a lonely girl named Delilah who prefers books over people. When she finds the fairy tale Between the Lines in her school library, she finds herself repeatedly reading the story and obsessing over the characters, the story, and especially the main character Prince Oliver. One day, Oliver speaks to Delilah, and it turns out that he wants out of the story. He isn't happy, and he wants to meet Delilah and to escape the "predetermined" life that was written for him. 

      This book was really cool, and I really liked how it was set up. Each section/chapter was separated into 3 parts. The first part was a section of the fairy tale, Between the Lines. The second part of the chapter was told in Oliver's point of view, and the third part was in Delilah's point of view. There were also some really beautiful illustrations that are featured before each section that corresponded with what was happening in the fairy tale. Another cool part of this book that I loved was that each section and point of view had different colored fonts. The fairy tale sections had a black font, Oliver had a green font, and Delilah had a blue font. To be honest, this just added to the fantastic-ness of this book. This whole book was gorgeous.

    I found this book to be a bit insta-lovey, but in the same way, I really liked how Delilah didn't get completely ridiculous when she finally met Oliver. I loved how she didn't allow Oliver to escalate the situation, and she doesn't just reject him, she explains that she is a 15 year old girl and she wants to get to know him before anything ridiculous happens. THANK YOU DELILAH FOR BEING RATIONAL! I really liked Delilah's character, I could really relate to her logic that revolves around reading and Disney movies. This book focuses a lot on the characters, and I really love that. I feel really close to these characters, and I love every single one of them. The one character that I really want to get to know better....actually now that I think about it, I really want to know the back stories of the characters in Between the Lines and I really want to know more about Delilah's best friend, Jules. I really want to know more about her, she sounds awesome.

      This book is really cute, really fluffy, and really magical, and original. I really really recommend that you read it. If you love fairy tales and fluffy romance and magical worlds then you would love this. As soon as I finished this, I made a screechy noise and told my grandma that I needed the companion novel...she rolled her eyes. Oh whale. Also, I'm on the struggle bus. I thought my school library had the companion, but when I went back it didn't...so...now I'm going to wait...because I need to make a dent in my giant TBR pile before I go to the library. I'll probably go in February and check out Off the Page & The Invasion of the Tearling...Guys I'm basically writing out my plans...Oh well.
Favorite Character(s): Oliver & Delilah...but also Frump. He was so cute!
My Ship(s): Delilah x Oliver & Frump x Seraphima
I hope you enjoyed this review! Stay safe in this freaky weather!
Happy Reading!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~ Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // Bloglovin

Completed Series of 2015

Hey guys!

      I managed to start and finish six series/duologies in 2015, and reread a series as well. 2015 was a great reading year, and I'm really happy about the awesome books that I read. I'm really surprised that I didn't read more than six series. It felt like more, but I guess I started more than I finished this year. I plan on finishing a lot of series of 2016, and I'm really excited to read the conclusions to those awesome series. Here are the awesome series that I started, finished, and loved.




The first series that I finished in 2015 is the Shatter Me trilogy/series. This series includes the 3 actual books and the 2 novellas. I just love this series! The characters are so awesome! It's kind of like The Hunger Games meets X-Men meets something totally original and fantastic. Tehereh Mafi is such a fantastic writer, and I cannot get enough of her books. I can't wait for her newest book, Furthermore, which is a middle grade/YA fantasy which just sounds fantastic.

My Reviews: {1} {2} {3} {novellas}



The second series that I started and finished this year was The Selection 
trilogy by Kiera Cass. I don't think I'm going to include the spin-off duology (The Heir & The Crown), because when I kind of consider those two books to separate from the original trilogy. The Selection trilogy (+the novellas) is probably one of my all time favorite series ever. It's just so addicting, well written, and the characters are fantastic, the plot is flawless, and basically, I love everything about it. I can't get enough of it. 

I gave all of the books 5 stars except the novella The Guard, which I gave 4.5 stars. You can see my reasons why in my reviews! 
{The Trilogy}
{The Novellas}



The second series that I finished in 2015 was the Alienated duology + the novella Until Midnight. This is probably one of the best alien series I've ever read. The series starts with Alienated, then Until Midnight, and then concludes with Invaded. I gave both books and the novella 5 stars. Excellent books, very addicting and well written.
My Reviews: {1} {1.5} {2}




The third series that I finished in 2015 was the Spiderwick Chronicles. This series was actually a letdown, and I felt like all 5 of the books could be combined into one larger book. The story was very interesting, and if I hadn't of had marathoned the series in the huge bind up, I would have probably have given them a lower rating altogether if I hadn't of read them all at once.
This wasn't as disappointing as the first three books in the Series of Unfortunate Events, but The Spiderwick Chronicles come at a close second.

My Reviews: (1) {click here}
                   (2-5) {click here}





{not my picture}

I actually read To All the Boys I've Loved Before when I was really sick, and I had a horrid headache, I was nauseous, and I just felt so gross. I couldn't get to sleep, so I decided to read something so that I wasn't sitting and doing nothing. I read TATBILB and I loved it. It was so entertaining, and I kind of liked the writing style. I gave it 4.5 stars. When I read P.S. I Still Love You, I was really disappointed. I felt like TATBILB could have had 30 more pages at the end, and everything would have been great. I gave it 3.5 stars. {review}



So, during the summer of 2015, I discovered the School For Good & Evil trilogy, and I absolutely adored it. This trilogy is so wonderfully written and so addicting. I couldn't get enough of the characters, the plot, and the twisty turns that took place throughout the books. The books are some of my favorites, and I just love them so much! You can check out my reviews here: {1} {2} {3}



The last series/trilogy that I read was The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. This is one of my all time favorite trilogies. It's the first dystopian trilogy that I ever read, and it holds a lot of nostalgic memories in it. I re-read it so that I could binge watch all 4 of the movies and not forget anything... I gave them all 5 stars. {review}







So, these are all of the series that I read/reread in 2015. How many series did you read this past year? Comment down below!

Happy reading everyone!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~

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A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

Page Count: 328

Published on: October 6, 2015 

Published by: Disney Hyperion

Genre(s):  YA, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling, Romance 
Source: Print: Paperback

Age Rating: PG-15

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @ek_johnston

My Rating: 4.75 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

      Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

      And so she is taken in her sister’s place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin’s court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

     Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

     Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster. 

~~~

Hey guys!

      My mom & her boyfriend bought me this beautiful book for Christmas, and I was so excited to get it. I've been really intrigued and interested to read it ever since I had heard about it on some of my favorite BookTuber's channels. The book was described as beautifully written and really interesting. It was also compared to the latest fairytale retellings that had been published in 2015, such as The Wrath & the Dawn, A Court Of Thorns & Roses, and Legacy of Kings, two of which I have read and loved. I was really excited to read this book, not just because it's a retelling, but it's a retelling of A Thousand & One Nights just like The Wrath & the Dawn. Anyway, here's my review!

      There are so many things that I love about this book: the characters, the magic, the setting, the plot, the language, and how original it is. The original tale describes a king who marries women, but within a few days ends up killing her; and a young girl who sacrifices herself and ends up marrying the king, but saves herself by creating fantastical tales. A Thousand Nights is the same in those respects, but it's actually really really different compared to the original. The magic aspects to this story are really interesting, and nothing like I've read before. The characters were very diverse and very beautifully written, the one weird thing about this book was that none of the characters had actual names. That one thing kind of caused me to feel as if I couldn't connect with the characters as much as I had wished to. I also wished that there was one other perspective that I could have read in the book. I wish there was more of Lo-Melkhiin's perspective...people who have read the book will understand. One of the main reasons that I loved this book was because of the main themes. The "love" and "family" themes were so very important in this book, and every action and decision that the heroine makes is based of what she thinks will keep not only herself safe, but her family in the desert as well.

      This book really does feel like a story that you would hear around a camp fire, or reading a huge book of fairy tales. This story was just so beautiful, so diverse, so original, and so wonderfully written. I hope that E.K. Johnston writes more fantasy and/or more fairy tale retellings. She has fantastic writing style, and I really cannot wait to see what she releases next into the YA world.

Favorite Character: The nameless heroine
My Ship: Heroine x Lo-Melkhiin

If You Like ___#___, Then You Will Love A Thousand Nights!

• The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh 5 stars 
• A Court Of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas 5 stars
• Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman TBR

I hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope you guys check out this book! It's so amazing!

Enjoy! Happy Reading!

Olivia 

~livthebooknerd~

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