Books Via Ashley

Back in January I wrote about which books I was most excited about this year. I only went up through June because there just wasn't much information about books that were being released after that. But now it's July (wait, whaaat?!) and the last half of 2017 has some pretty amazing books releases! July Because You Love To Hate Me  - Various Authors Release: 18 July Anthology of short stories about everyone's favorite villains. The Last Magician - Lisa Maxwell Release: 18 July A girl with magic must go back in time to save the future. No Good Deed - Kara Connolly Release: 18 July A retelling of Robin Hood where an Olympic archer goes back in time. Read my review here . August Shimmer and Burn - Mary Taranta Release: 9 August In order to save her sister, a girl must smuggle magic into a plague-ridden kingdom. Wonder Woman: Warbringer - Leigh Bardugo Release: 29 August A story of Diana, Princess of the Amazons, before she becomes Wonder Woman....

No Good Deed by Kara Connelly *I received a free ARC  from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review * This book releases 18 July 2017 from Delacorte Press. Synopsis  ( from Goodreads ) Ellie Hudson is the front-runner on the road to gold for the U.S. Olympic archery team. All she has to do is qualify at the trials in jolly old England. When Ellie makes some kind of crazy wrong turn in the caverns under Nottingham Castle—yes, that Nottingham—she ends up in medieval England. Ellie doesn’t care how she got to the Middle Ages; she just wants to go home before she gets the plague. But people are suffering in Nottingham, and Ellie has the skills to make it better. What’s an ace archer to do while she’s stuck in Sherwood Forest but make like Robin Hood? Pulled into a past life as an outlaw, Ellie feels her present fading away next to daring do-gooding and a devilishly handsome knight. Only, Ellie is on the brink of rewriting history, and when she pic...

The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman * I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review * Synopsis ( from Goodreads ) Thirty years ago, something terrible happened to Luna’s mother. Something she’s only prepared to reveal after her death. Now Luna and her sister have a chance to go back to their mother’s birthplace and settle her affairs. But in Brooklyn they find more questions than answers, until something impossible – magical – happens to Luna, and she meets her mother as a young woman back in the summer of 1977. At first Luna’s thinks she’s going crazy, but if she can truly travel back in time, she can change things. But in doing anything – everything – to save her mother’s life, will she have to sacrifice her own? Review Before reading any further, please turn this on as a soundtrack. I didn't really know what to expect when I picked up the book. I though the synopsis was interesting and it pulled me in. I did not ex...

Roar by Cora Cormack Synopsis Aurora comes from a long line of Stormlings--People who can control and tame the powerful storms that plague their world. She's all set to be the next ruler, except for one problem: She hasn't shown any sign of Stormling magic. To protect her secret and the crown, she arranges marriage to a prince from another kingdom who has strong Stormling powers. But he's keeping dark secrets of his own. One night Aurora follows him to a black market for magic, where she discovers that people who weren't born with storm magic now possess it. Seeing there's another way for her to gain magic and save her kingdom, Aurora flees her home and joins up with a team of storm hunters. But there is more danger than just the storms out in the wilds. Review I received Roar in my June FairyLoot box. First off, the STORMS! Terrible, strong, vicious storms, that can think . Stormlings are people who can control certain types of storms, and this ability ...

Hunted by Meagan Spooner Synopsis When Yeva's father loses all his wealth, he moves her and her two older sisters out to their cabin in the woods. There, her father begins to obsessively hunt a mysterious creature that belongs in myths and fairy tales. When he disappears, Yeva knows she must find the Beast, and kill him. But as she's drawn into this strange, magical world, she discovers things aren't quite what they seem. Review A fantastic and dark Beauty and the Beast retelling, mixed with Russian folklore, where Beauty is actually hunting the Beast. The story takes place was in medieval-ish Russia, though we're never told that outright, just through historical hints and the names of characters and the stories told. The woods and forest are the main setting, and they are beautiful and haunting in their icy winter glory, with magical creatures hidden just out of sight. All the characters were so well done. Even minor characters were fleshed out just enou...

I read a total of 7 books this month! Fairly good, since I was traveling for the main part of June, doing photography and service work in Tanzania! Nevertheless, I still managed to read five books on my trip, in addition to a couple others! 1) Nevernight - Jay Kristoff (4.5 stars) 2) A Penny Lost - Aspen Bassett (2.5 stars) 3) Gemina - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (5 stars) 4) Dark Matter - Blake Crouch (4 stars) 5) Grave Mercy - Robin LeFevers (4 stars) 6) Dark Triumph - Robin LeFevers (4 stars) 7) Mortal Heart - Robin LeFevers (4 stars) As you can see, I read the entire His Fair Assassin trilogy  by Robin LeFevers during my trip. It was such a good series! I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it. I finally read Nevernight  and it was amazing. I'm looking forward to the sequel! And Gemina was the sequel to Illuminae , which I read last month, and was just as amazing as the first. Can't wait for the third and final installment, Obsidio ! I'm c...

A Penny Lost - Aspen Bassett *I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.* Synopsis ( from Goodreads ) "Penelope Grace, usually forgotten under the shadow of her twin sister's perfection, tries her hardest to hide her freakish ability to see into anyone's soul. Until she senses an unusual energy like a human shaped void in the universe. When Penny investigates the source, she gets tossed through a crack in time along with the cute boy next door. The Void follows them through history, increasing the dangers as if testing Penny. But what is it testing for? And why does it claim to know her better than even she knows herself? Even as Penny searches for answers, she must fight to survive the tragedies of both the past and future in order to get back home." Review This story had a very intriguing premise, which is what peaked my interest in it. I love all things time-travel. I felt like the author's take on it was very unique and different,...