{Review} West (East #2) by Edith Pattou

Page Count: 528

Published On: October 23, 2018

Published By: HMH

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance, Retellings

Source: paperback ARC provided by the publisher

Age Rating: 12+

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 4.5 stars 

Goodreads synopsis:

In the sequel to the beloved high fantasy East, Rose sets off on a perilous journey to find her true love when he goes missing in a thrilling tale of danger, magic, adventure, and revenge.

When Rose first met Charles, he was trapped in the form of a white bear. To rescue him, Rose traveled to the land that lay east of the sun and west of the moon to defeat the evil Troll Queen. Now Rose has found her happily-ever-after with Charles—until a sudden storm destroys his ship and he is presumed dead. But Rose doesn’t believe the shipwreck was an act of nature, nor does she believe Charles is truly dead. Something much more sinister is at work. With mysterious and unstoppable forces threatening the lives of the people she loves, Rose must once again set off on a perilous journey. And this time, the fate of the entire world is at stake.

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Hey, guys!

I was graciously sent an ARC of West by Edith Pattou for an honest review. West is one of my most anticipated releases of 2018. The first book, East, came out about 15 years ago and it is one of my all-time favorite books. It's so beautiful. All thoughts and feelings surrounding this book are my own. Thank you HMH for sending me an ARC.

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      Reading West was so much fun. It gave me so many nostalgic vibes. I absolutely adored reimmersing myself in Edith Pattou's writing style. She writes so beautifully. It's very much like a traditional fairy tale. In East, Rose has to travel east of the sun and west of the moon to rescue her White Bear, Charles, from the Troll People. West follows Rose and the White Bear's story soon after their happily ever after. However, their lives are soon turned upside down when Charles's ship goes missing and he is reported dead. Rose is convinced that he isn't dead, so she goes on another adventure to find her White Bear. 

     West is a lovely combination of lyrical writing, a plot imbued with Scandinavian legends/myths/fairytales, fantastical adventures, and lovely characters that you cannot help but love. Rose is a such strong, independent, and inspiring character. It was so nice to get to spend time with her again. She's one of my all-time favorite characters. 

      I absolutely adored the multiple perspectives throughout this book. It was so nice to get to read from Neddy, Rose's Mother and Father, and Charles' perspectives. It was also so nice to get to know Rose's children. I love their family dynamic.  I also really love how the characters have developed since the ending of East. 

East will always hold a special place in my heart. Though West isn't as good as East, it is well worth the read. I'm so excited to have gotten to read it. Thank you so much HMH and Edith Pattou for sending me an ARC. I cannot wait for my finished copy to come in.

Don't forget to pick up the new edition of West too! I will be posting pictures of my preorders on my Insta-stories this next week once they come out. 

Happy reading!
Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Review} Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills

Page Count: 320

Published On: December 5, 2017

Published By: Henry Holt and Co.

Genre(s): Contemporary, YA, Romance

Source: paperback ARC provided by publisher

Age Rating: 13+

Where To Find It: Amazon // Book Depository

My Rating: 5 stars 

Goodreads synopsis

A contemporary novel about a girl whose high school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream leads her to new friends—and maybe even new love.

The day of the last party of the summer, Claudia overhears a conversation she wasn't supposed to. Now on the wrong side of one of the meanest girls in school, Claudia doesn't know what to expect when the two are paired up to write a paper—let alone when they're both forced to try out for the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

But mandatory participation has its upsides—namely, an unexpected friendship, a boy band obsession, and a guy with the best dimpled smile Claudia's ever seen. As Claudia's world starts to expand, she finds that maybe there are some things worth sticking her neck out for.

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Hey, guys!

      Foolish Hearts has managed to become one of my favorite books of the year. I received a copy from the lovely Julia for Christmas 2017 and I finally read it in June. I absolutely adored every bit of this book. The characters were so well written and their stories were so compelling. There were so many great elements to this book. I really do not think I found anything particularly wrong with this book. 

     I absolutely adored the characters in this story.  I loved her friendships and the friendships that developed throughout the story. It was so much fun to see the characters grow and change. There was a lovely bromance, a beautifully done sibling relationship, and a wonderful romantic relationship that developed. 

     Claudia was such a great character. She was flawed and made some annoying/bad choices, but she was so sweet and realistic. Gideon was such a fun character too. I absolutely adored his humor. He is such a sweetie pie. I could read about Gideon forever. The romance that surrounds Gideon is so wholesome and adorable. I couldn't get enough of the romance in this book.

     The romance was, as I said, so wholesome and good. It wasn't an annoying insta-love situation. It built up really naturally and sweetly. It was a wholesome slow burn situation. 

    The nerdy characters and fandom culture is so nicely done. There's such a beautiful message about acceptance and friendship and it will really warm your heart. It's so beautifully fluffy and fun. I recommend it to everyone. If you love Emma Mills' books, but you haven't picked up Foolish Hearts; you should definitely pick it up!

Other Emma Mills Reviews

• First & Then
• This Adventure Ends
• This Adventure Ends [Julia's Review]

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Giveaway} Her Alpha Viking (Odin's Bastards) by Sheryl Nantus

Hey, guys!

Today I'm bringing you an awesome giveaway for Her Alpha Viking by Sheryl Nantus! This is the first book in Sheryl Nantus' Odin's Bastards series and it looks really fun and interesting. I'm such a sucker for any story that has to do with Vikings and Norse mythology. I'm kind of on a kick. When Entangled Publishing agreed to let me host a giveaway, I freaked. This book just looks like so much fun! 

Goodreads synopsis:

Some loves are bigger than this world…

Former soldier Erik Harrison is a dead man walking. The sole survivor of an ambush, the guilt of losing his friends is crushing. He questions his own sanity, remembering the vision he saw as he was dying –– a battle angel come to collect his friends' souls.

Valkyrie Brenna Lund doesn't know why she failed in her duty to reap Erik's soul on the battlefield. He deserves his place with the other mighty warriors in Valhalla, and if she wants to return home, she has to kill him.

There are consequences for betraying the gods. But the closer Brenna and Erik become, the more they both want to risk everything for a future together. If only an immortal hunter weren’t sent to kill them both.

Page Count: 362

Published by: Entangled Publishing LLC

Published On: August 27, 2018

Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance

Where to Purchase: Amazon // Book Depository // Barnes and Noble

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✨ R U L E S ✨

* US only (sorry guys!) 
* This giveaway runs from October 9 to October 19
* Must be 18+ or have a parent's permission to enter 
* Winner will be contacted by email 

* All entries will be checked and confirmed for valid entry.

* Those who try to cheat the system will be disqualified from winning the prize.

* The winner will be personally contacted by me and their address will be shared with Entangled Publishing. Entangled will ship out your book soon after. 😊

I'm going to make this giveaway really easy. Just follow the steps on the Rafflecopter! Easy as pie!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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{Giveaway} The Haunting of Sunshine Girl Series Giveaway!

Hey, guys!

Today I'm bringing you an awesome giveaway where I will be giving away the whole Sunshine Girl trilogy to ONE (1) lucky winner!

Goodreads synopsis:

Something freaky's going on with Sunshine's new house... there's the chill that wraps itself around her bones, the giggling she can hear in the dead of night, and then the strange shadows that lurk in her photographs. But the more weird stuff that happens, the less her mom believes her. Sunshine's always had a quirky affiliation with the past, but this time, history is getting much too close for comfort...

If there is something, or someone, haunting her house, what do they want? And what will they do if Sunshine can't help them?

As things become more frightening and dangerous, and the giggles she hears turn to sobs and screams, Sunshine has no choice but to accept what she is, face the test before her and save her mother from a fate worse than death.
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✨ R U L E S ✨

* US only (sorry guys!) 
* This giveaway runs from September 30 until October 8! 
* Must be 18+ or have a parent's permission to enter 
* Winner will be contacted by email or Instagram DMs.* All entries will be checked and confirmed for valid entry.* Those who try to cheat the system will be disqualified from winning the prize.* The winner will be personally contacted by me (Liv the Book Nerd @livthebooknerd) for their address and information.* The prize will be shipped out within 2 weeks of announcement. It will come before Halloween 😊

This giveaway was first open to my IG followers

START DATE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2018END DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2018

How to Enter! 

Follow the steps on the Rafflecopter widget to enter!
There are different entries that you can earn. You don't have to do all of the things listed, but either way, you'll be able to enter. 

Extra Entries:

Step 1: Go to this picture on Instagram {click here}
Step 2: Follow the steps that are under EXTRA ENTRIES
~Comment (on the Instagram post) with your favorite spooky read or recommend me a spooky read
~ Tag 3 friends in the comments - 1 friend per comment. This can be done up to 3 times. 1 friend = 1 entry. There are 3 entries possible. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy reading!

Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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