Waiting on Wednesday #51: Unrivaled by Alyson Noel

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Author: Alyson Noel
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Number of Pages: 432
Release Date: May 10, 2016

Synopsis:

"Everyone wants to be someone.
Layla Harrison wants to leave her beach-bum days for digs behind a reporter’s desk. Aster Amirpour wants to scream at the next casting director who tells her “we need ethnic but not your kind of ethnic.” Tommy Phillips dreams of buying a twelve-string guitar and using it to shred his way back into his famous absentee dad’s life.
But Madison Brooks took destiny and made it her bitch a long time ago.
She’s Hollywood’s hottest starlet, and the things she did to become the name on everyone’s lips are merely a stain on the pavement, ground beneath her Louboutin heel.
That is, until Layla, Aster, and Tommy find themselves with a VIP invite to the glamorous and gritty world of Los Angeles’s nightlife and lured into a high-stakes competition where Madison Brooks is the target. Just as their hopes begin to gleam like stars through the California smog, Madison Brooks goes missing. . . . And all of their hopes are blacked out in the haze of their lies.
Unrivaled is #1 New York Times bestselling author Alyson Noël’s first book in a thrilling suspense trilogy about how our most desperate dreams can become our darkest nightmares"

Top Ten Books Every Kid Should Read

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

1. Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne

2. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

3. Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

4. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

5. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

6. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

7. Corduroy by Don Freeman

8. The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco

9. Stellaluna by Janell Cannon

10. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Review: Ten Tiny Breaths by KA Tucker

Author: KA Tucker

Publisher: Atria Books
Number of Pages: 280

Synopsis:

"Kacey Cleary’s whole life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.
Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.
But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness."

I picked this book up on a whim, and I ended up really enjoying it. The first half of the book was really good, but then it started getting a little annoying for about 50 pages. After that though, it started picking back up and it got really interesting. I definitely am going to continue on with the series. 

The plot was not cliche at all, and it really started pulling you in once you started to get to know the characters. Kacey has been through so much that the reader doesn't really understand at first, but once the characters start connecting, such as Kacey with Trent and Storm, you really start to understand her situation. By the end of the book I had really connected with her. She was such a strong character that had to deal with so much that it felt so unfair, and I hope I get to read for of Kacey. 

There were parts that I felt were going really fast, such as the romance between Kacey and Trent. Overall, it was understandable, but when I was reading it the connection between them felt off. By the end of the book I really liked them together, but the ending didn't satisfy me either. I hope I get more of their relationship because personally I felt like there were so many unsaid feelings by the end that the author could maybe make a novella, and that would complete the book.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is comfortable in the New Adult genre. Nothing about the romance is particularly inappropriate, but the story does get into some deep topics. So, if you are uncomfortable with that I would not recommend this book. But, personally I really liked the book and am definitely going to pick up the next one.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!

Waiting on Wednesday #50: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi

Author: Roshani Chokshi
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Number of Pages: 352
Release Date: April 26, 2016

Synopsis:

"Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen?
Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire...
But Akaran has its own secrets -- thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most. . .including herself.
A lush and vivid story that is steeped in Indian folklore and mythology. The Star-Touched Queen is a novel that no reader will soon forget."

 This sounds so good, and that cover ohmygod!!!!

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead Release Party & Giveaway!

Author: Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Number of Pages: 416
Goodreads l Amazon

Synopsis:

"For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea.After a chance meeting with the dazzling Cedric Thorn, Adelaide poses as a servant to join the crop of impoverished girls he promises to transform into proper ladies. But her familiarity with upper class life comes with a price: she must hide her identity from her new friends, mysterious refugee Mira and fiery former laundress Tamsin, and most importantly, from Cedric himself—even though she’s falling in love with him.
Everything begins to crumble when Cedric discovers Adelaide’s ruse, and she catches the eye of a powerful young governor, who wants her for a wife. She didn’t leave the gilded cage of her old life behind just to become someone else's property. But nothing is as daunting—or as wonderful—as the potent, forbidden attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. One that, if acted on, would make them both outcasts in a wild, dangerous, uncharted world, and possibly lead them to their deaths."

Richelle Mead has written over twenty-five novels for teens and adults. She is the author of the international #1 bestselling Vampire Academy series and its spinoff series, Bloodlines. Her recent standalone novel, Soundless, draws upon Chinese mythology and history, and her forthcoming series, The Glittering Court, follows the adventures of girls destined for arranged marriages in a fantasy world inspired by colonial America. A lifelong reader, Richelle has always had a particular fascination with mythology and folklore. When she can actually tear herself away from books (either reading or writing them), she enjoys bad reality TV, traveling, trying interesting cocktails, and shopping for dresses to wear on tour. She is a self-professed coffee addict, works in her pajamas, and has a passion for all things wacky and humorous. Originally from Michigan, Richelle now lives in Seattle, Washington, where she is hard at work on her next novel.

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1 winner will receive a hardcover of THE GLITTERING COURT & a $25 Sephora Gift Card.
Ends on April 15th at Midnight EST! [US Only]

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