Always Me

February seemed to fly by - and that means 4 out of the 24 tasks for  Book Riot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge  are complete!  The tasks I completed required me to read a   comic that isn’t published by Marvel, DC, or Image and a   comic written and illustrated by the same person.  For the tasks, I selected  Hellboy, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction  by Mike Mignola  and  Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic  by Alison Bechdel  respectively.  Read on to see my mini reviews and what's next for March: ❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ I have no idea why I haven't started in on this graphic novel series before now because I like the movies. Needless to say I had pretty high hopes for the source material (the books are usually better, right?), and for the most part my expectations were met. Hellboy is just so much fun. The art and the characters feel like they could just walk off the page. Plus, there's a bit more depth to the comics a...

❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ I received a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. Yesterday, Drea was a regular high school student. Today? Today, she's suddenly super smart, can speak many languages, and she instinctively knows how to fight. She has no clue where her new skills came from, but she's not complaining. But, someone knows her secret and they're after her - in fact, they've been looking for her her whole life. With Dylan, her best friend, and Maddox, a new guy at school, they're going to get some answers once and for all. Drea will have to push her abilities to her limits as she begins to learn that nothing is quite as straightforward as it seems. I'm so glad I tried this debut YA sci-fi novel. The concept sounded so fascinating that I could resist. It really hits its stride about a fifth of the way in, so don't be discouraged by the slower pace it takes in the beginning. It takes a little time to get going, but once it does you won't want to put...

❋  ❋ I received this novella from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. By 2050 the Invisibles have practically taken over and this is no different for Paris, France. Some are in the microchips embedded nearly everywhere, but some are slightly more visible since they power robots. Either way, though, humans have been very underutilized. Ruby, an American living in Paris, is going to have to learn how to thrive in a her utopian new home. I really like the concept behind Futura with Paris as a futuristic utopian society, but I honestly found this meditation incredibly dull. I went from not caring about any of the characters to actively disliking Ruby, our leading lady. I think I would have preferred a story on the Basics and especially the Holdouts. I also could be reading to hard into this, but I'd say this could have the makings of a much more interesting dystopia. Overall, I think Jordan Phillips has a lot of potential with an intriguing concept. In the end, ...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to the first Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme originally created by  The Broke and the Bookish , which is now being hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  The rules are exactly the same as they were before - this week's topic is Books I Could Re-Read Forever.  I don't re-read often, but here are some books I've re-read and some books I'd like to re-read in the future.  All of the ones I've selected today are part of a series, a couple of which I haven't yet finished, but I would love to experience again from the beginning.  Here we go, in alphabetical order by series title: The Dresden Files  by Jim Butcher Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Jackaby  by William Ritter The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein The Lunar Chronicles  by Marissa Meyer Percy Jackson  by Rick Riordan The Raven Cycle  by Maggie Stiefvater Shades of Magic  by V.E. S...

Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let's share some songs we've been enjoying lately!  If you would like to play and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below. Rules: Every Monday share a few songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s). If you would like to participate in Music Monday, please join the link up by sharing your post's url. This week I'm spotlighting the band To Kill A King , a British rock band.  I've just started hearing their stuff on Sirius XM's Alt Nation and I love their sound.  I'm definitely going to get my hands on a copy of their newest album called The Spiritual Dark Age (2018).  Here are a couple of my favorites from the album so far - ...

Happy Sunday everyone and welcome to my stop on the StoneKing  Blog Tour from  Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC .  Read on to learn more about this book, the author, see an excerpt from the story, and to watch the book trailer!  On to the tour: StoneKing by Donna Migliaccio February 20, 2018 Fantasy The Gemeta Stone Book 3 Fiery Seas Publishing, LLC They call him StoneKing: the lord of four countries, the vanquisher of the Wichelord Daazna, the man who will restore his people to prosperity and peace. But there is no peace for Kristan Gemeta. Already weighed down by the cares of his new realm, Kristan carries a secret burden – the knowledge that Daazna is not dead. He isolates himself in his ruined castle in Fandrall, where he struggles to control the destructive Tabi’a power that may be his only hope of defeating the Wichelord once and for all.  And there’s trouble elsewhere in his realm. His Reaches are squabbling in Dyer, Melissa and Nigel are...

❋  ❋  ❋  I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Canadian Syrian Sadia is a Grade 9 student who is incredibly passionate about basketball. She jumps at the chance to join this year's co-ed tournament team and her talent speaks for itself. The hijab that she wears as a Muslim, though, can pose a problem on the court. Surrounded by her teammates, her coach and teacher, and a new friend, a Syrian refugee named Amira, she learns to stand up for herself and fight for what's right. This novel does a very good job to raise awareness and promote compassion between people. It's also a decent story if you're reading it for the basketball elements. This quick novel has been promoted YA, but it definitely reads tonally as MG. It's actually quite tame, but it still manages to raise several important questions - both on a personal and institutional level. In regards to the characters, as much as I liked getting to know Sadia, her friends, a...

On Friday's I take part in three weekly link ups - The Friday 56, hosted by  Freda's Voice , Book Beginnings, hosted by  Rose City Reader , and 50/50 Friday is a new weekly link up and it is hosted by  Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader  and  Laura @ Blue Eye Books . For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook. Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post. As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader. Then, for 50/50 Friday, every week there's a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts blogs. This week I'm spotlig...

❋  ❋  ❋  I received a free eARC in exchange for an honest review. After spending the last year together, Catherine and Bowen are finally ready to take the next step in their relationship and get married. As a couple made up of an ancient druid doctor and a woman with druid magic from the sacred oak tree, they'll have to have a traditional Celtic marriage ceremony. In order to connect with their ancestors and the sacred location of their discreet ceremony, they'll have to select an oathing stone. On the wedding night, Catherine's magic becomes unstable. Meanwhile, the Fae Kings send a Fae spy to check out Catherine's magic disrupting her life and her friend Bella's life when she becomes the spy's obsession. After Bella goes missing, it's up to Catherine to find her. Really, though, their problems are just beginning because they've just landed right in the middle of a Fae civil war. Although I was slightly underwhelmed by book one in this series, ...

Happy Tuesday everyone!  Welcome to the first Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme originally created by  The Broke and the Bookish , which is now being hosted by  That Artsy Reader Girl .  The rules are exactly the same as they were before - this week's topic is Books I’ve Decided I’m No Longer Interested In Reading. Delirium ( Delirium #1) by Lauren Oliver  - I don't know, the whole dystopian world without love premise just doesn't sound that appealing anymore. The Selection ( The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass  - I'm not even 100% sure why this was on my tbr to begin with since I've never been a fan of The Bachelor . Nevermore ( Nevermore #1) by Kelly Creagh  - I like the sound of the Edgar Allan Poe element, but I'm getting Hush, Hush vibes from summary, and I don't think I want to do that again. Where She Went ( If I Stay #2) by Gayle Forman - I liked book one well enough, but a sequel just doesn't seem all that necessary. ...

❋  ❋  ❋  I received a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review. Catherine Green, her twin sister, and her brother have the opportunity to travel to Ireland as a college graduation present. Catherine's visit becomes permanent when she lands a job at a museum. She finds herself oddly attracted to Bowen, a stranger who's a sort of expert on local history who warns her to leave the country before it's too late. Catherine quickly begins to realize that she's actually the key to a centuries old curse as she frees a psychotic druid and his followers. Tragedy ensues and Catherine is forced to work with Bowen and together the two get swept up on an adventure involving Celtic myth and long-forgotten knowledge. The two going to have to work together to make sure sure Conall doesn't put his evil plans in motion, and they'll have to do whatever it takes. Oak and Mistletoe is the first book in The Rituals Trilogy by J.Z.N. McCauley, and is a New Adult fantasy wi...

Happy Monday everyone and welcome back to Music Monday! Let's share some songs we've been enjoying lately!  If you would like to play and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up below. Rules: Every Monday share a few songs you've been enjoying lately.  It doesn't have to be a specific genre, new, or one of your favorites - just something you'd like to share with others.  If possible, share a music or lyric video of the song and your thoughts on the song(s), artist(s), and/or music video(s). If you would like to participate in Music Monday, please join the link up by sharing your post's url. This week I'm spotlighting the music of Dylan Price - if you'd like to learn more about him, you can visit his website ,  Facebook , Twitter ,  Instagram , or YouTube  channel.  Anyway, I just recently learned that my mom works with him - and she just told me about his music, so l had to look into it.  I really like his sound and a co...

❋  ❋  ❋  ❋ I received a free eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Selena and her brother have to escape tyrannical New Canaan. They have to make sure that the information on data stick that got her parents killed makes it to the Republic of California, the only place left that stands for peace and freedom. The two siblings are the last hope for their mostly ruined continent before it's entirely too late. They've got thousands of miles on the road ahead of them through the Middle Wastes and they'll have to deal with everything from murderers and thieves to a poisonous grass called yellow locust which has made growing food next to impossible. Fallowfield is practically an oasis in the midst of the wasteland - everything seems far too good to be true. As Selena begins to uncover the secrets of the town and its leaders, she'll have to use the fighting skills that she was forced to hone back in New Canaan if she and her brother are going to make i...

On Friday's I take part in three weekly link ups - The Friday 56, hosted by  Freda's Voice , Book Beginnings, hosted by  Rose City Reader , and 50/50 Friday is a new weekly link up and it is hosted by  Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader  and  Laura @ Blue Eye Books . For The Friday 56, you choose a book, a book you have just finished, a book you are about to start, your current read, and share a line or a few lines that grab you (but don't spoil anything) from page 56 or 56% of the way through the ebook. Post it and share your post's url on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post. As for Book Beginnings, you share the first sentence or so and your initial thoughts, impressions, or whatever else it inspires, and then link up your post's url with Rose City Reader. Then, for 50/50 Friday, every week there's a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts blogs. This week I'm spotlig...