Review: Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely

Publisher: jimmy patterson

Check it out on Goodreads

Yee Haw! Praise this book and pass the ammunition! What an awesome ride that was! I was salivating when I saw that this was a dystopian western, and really curious about how it would be done. I was not disappointed. I have no doubt that this page-turner will stand firm as one of my favorites of the year, and it's only January. 

Gunslinger Girl is an action packed story about a girl named Serendipity Jones, who's got a free spirit and perfect aim. It's sometime in the future, after the Second Civil War, and the West is wild again. Pity lives with her abusive family, and they see little value in her. She's about to be shipped off to another Commune, sold as a breeder, but she's not about to give up her life that easily. Her mother was a rebel and a sharpshooter who taught her a few tricks, so Pity grabs her six-shooters and hits the road, with no idea what lies ahead.

Her first taste of freedom quickly turns to tragedy, but her life is saved by strangers who take her to the last place she ever thought she'd end up, Cessation, a dark and glomorous city, full of equal parts revelry and corruption. There, her skills with her guns land her a starring role in a mysterious circus and she ends up living a life of luxury, but at a terrible price. She has to play by the rules or risk being named as a traitor. It's easy to get lost in the glamour of the city, especially when her heart becomes tied to the people there. 

It won't be long before this place where she feels so at home will explode in a hail of bullets, with double-crosses and dangerous secrets at every turn. Pity is about to find out exactly how far she'll go for love and freedom in a world gone mad.

Gunslinger Girl is marketed as YA, but I highly recommend it to adults who love westerns, badass female characters or dystopian worlds. If you watch the show Westworld or if you're a fan of Wynona Earp  you'll enjoy Gunslinger Girl. It's definitely violent, there are some mature situations and the alcohol flows freely, so I'd say this is for older Teens to Adults. I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I can safely say that it surprised and delighted me at every turn.

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<3 Michelle

Top Ten Tuesday (On A Wednesday): My Fall TBR List

HELLO, MINIONS!!

IT'S ME!!

MICHELLE!!! 

I know it's been a while, but things have been busy, to say the least. I've been meaning to get back to reading more and trying to get the blog back up and running. It may be a slow process, but I figured that this would be a good place to start. I KNOW, I'm a day late with it, but when I saw that the Top Ten Tuesday Topic was "Fall TBR (To Be Read) List", I thought this might be a good way to kick myself in the butt and get motivated. I haven't had as much time to read or blog, but I'll be trying to make more time. My son is in Kindergarten now, so I get a few hours of quiet each day. Of course, I also have a 9 month old crawling around, and the few hours I do get are sometimes the only chance I have to do things (like take a shower), so there's no guarantee that I'll get to read or blog every day, but I promise myself and you that I'll try! I'll talk more about what's been going on in my life in another post, now is the time to talk about books!

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the cooler weather, the pretty colors, the crunchy leaves, the festivals and HALLOWEEN! I love to read spooky, magical or dark books at this time of year, too. Here's my list of books I want to try to make time for this fall:

(click book covers for Goodreads links)

Miss Perrigrine's Home for Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

Yes, I know. BAD MICHELLE! I should have read this already. It's time. The movie is coming soon and it's also the book my book club is reading for October.

Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2)

by Leigh Bardugo

I loved Six of Crows and I can't wait to find out what adventures await The Dregs next!

Labyrinth Lost (Brooklyn Brujas #1)

by  Zoraida Córdova

Must have witches.

Unnatural Deeds by Cyn Balog

A dark mystery/thriller written by one of my favorite people! It's not out until November, but I have an ARC.

Lost Souls by Poppy Z. Brite

An older book, and it's not YA, but I've been promising someone I'd read it. It's about vampires, so it fits my spooky Fall theme.

And the Trees Crept In

by Dawn Kurtagich

Something really creepy!

Three Dark Crowns

by Kendare Blake

Dark fantasy!

Replica by Lauren Oliver

Because it's by Lauren Oliver and I love her.

Illuminae (The Illuminae Files #1)

by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Because the sequel will be out soon and because SPACE ZOMBIES.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

(Harry Potter #8)

Just because I haven't read it yet.

AND, I'm still working on finishing . . .

A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2)

by Sarah J. Maas

Well, that's it. I can't guarantee that I'll get to all of these books, but I'm definitely going to try. I'm also going to try to get back into blogging. I'm so behind on my reading for this year, though. It's a lot harder to balance two kids, work and life in general than I thought it would be. At first, I won't be able to post as often as I used to, but I'm working on it.

It's good to be back!

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<3 Michelle

Review: This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang

This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Goodreads

What's it about?

Janie and Micah have been friends since they were in elementary school, ever since Janie moved in next door. They crawl between each other's bedrooms and sneak out in the dark of the night to go on adventures, pull pranks and lay under the stars at the local quarry. Even though their friendship is perfect, they still keep it a secret from everyone at school. Since Janie is outgoing and popular and Micah is more of an introvert with a much smaller social circle, they feel that hiding their relationship is for the best. When Janie's family moves, even though it's only a few minutes away, the two of them begin to grow miles apart. Micah's world begins to fall apart when he wakes up in the hospital with holes in his memory and he discovers that Janie is missing. In order to find out what happened to his best friend, he will have to expose their bond and in the process, he'll uncover some disturbing things that happened to Janie that may shed some light on where she went and why. One way or another, this is where his world will end.

The story is told in a nonlinear style, from dual POVs and it includes Janie's journal entries to help unravel the mystery.

My Thoughts:

First of all, I have to say that Amy Zhang is an incredibly talented young writer who has a HUGE future ahead of her. She has a gift with words that many would kill for. I am a huge fan of hers. Her first book, Falling Into Place, was one of my favorite books from last year (check out my review HERE), so she set the bar pretty high. While I did enjoy This Is Where the World Ends, it didn't have quite as big of an emotional punch as Falling Into Place. My issues were really with the plot and ending. It could have used more plot development and the ending didn't have as much wow factor as it could have. It just kind of. . . ended. I pretty much knew what was going on from the start, so I was hoping for a big emotional bang at the end, but I didn't really get one. I do have to mention that the actual subject matter of this book is VERY heavy, and it does include rape. I don't want to give away too much more, but I had to give a heads up on that one. It had the potential for emotional intensity, but it didn't quite get there for me, but like I said, she set the bar really high with her first book, so it was still a compelling read. It could have used a little more mystery and a bigger bang at the end, but all in all, I'm still glad I read it for Amy Zhang's gorgeous writing. It is a quick read, and so is Falling Into Place, so I recommend checking out both if you haven't already. I will definitely be checking out and looking forward to whatever she has to offer next.

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<3 Michelle

No Wi-Fi = Sadness

A lot has been going on, but at the moment, I do not have Wi-Fi. I have reviews and posts on the way, as soon as Verizon can get here to fix this. I'll explain everything in my Stacking the Shelves post this weekend. It'll be big because I haven't done one in a while. Sorry for my absence.

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<3 Michelle

March OwlCrate! See What's Inside!

Hello, Minions! My March OwlCrate arrived last week, and as usual, I'd like to share with you what was inside. This months's theme was WRITER'S BLOCK. I did not guess the book this time and it's one I've heard really good things about, so YAY for OwlCrate! So far, they've been pretty amazing with their selections and I've had fair warning with the monthly theme so I dont go out and buy what's in the box before it arrives. Want to see what I got?

The book inside was The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner and it came with a note from the author. Also inside: banned books socks from Out of Print, 642 Tiny Things to Write About from Chronicle Books, a quill pen from Kikkerland and a custom pack of bookish pins from Bookworm Boutique (there are SO MANY things I want from there!).

 A monthly subscription to OwlCrate is $29.99 a month plus shipping. They've already announced the theme for next month's box . . . DYSTOPIA.

Next month's box will contain an addictive and unique dystopian novel, as well as lots of items inspired by our favourite dystopian stories. If you like The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner and Shatter Me you won't want to miss this box! So many goodies! 

Hmm . . . I wonder what the book will be? I just have to avoid buying any books with that possible theme until next month. I figure that even if, for some reason, the book they pick is one I already own (bought or received as an ARC), I can just do a giveaway for it and keep the other bookish goodies.

If you're interested, check it out at OwlCrate.com . You can also follow them on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

I REALLY love OwlCrate!

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<3 Michelle

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books I LOVED But I Haven't Talked About In A While

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Interesting topic this week. Considering all the shiny new books that we all come across every day, I do notice that the older ones don't get as much attention. This is a list of books that I find myself recommending frequently.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

This is my favorite book. If you haven't read it yet, now is the time. It's available in a new enhanced edition. The movie is currently filming and is supposed to be released this year.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

This is the only book that ever gave me nightmares. Even though it scared the crap out of me, I absolutely loved it. If you are a fan of zombies, do not miss this book. Maisie Williams (from Game of Thrones) was just cast in the movie.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

This is such an amazing dystopian/sci-fi trilogy. A must read.

Of Metal and Wishes by Sarah Fine

This Phantom of the Opera retelling absolutely blew me away. Such an amazing book.

Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

This is the "other" cancer book (but I think it's better than The Fault In Our Stars).

These Broken Stars

by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Just a reminder, if you haven't read this fabulous sci-fi adventure yet, DO IT. This series is amazing.

Ink (Paper Gods #1) by Amanda Sun

If you're an anime fan, you MUST read this book/series. Trust me.

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

One of my favorite books last year, if you have not read this yet, I advise you do so. If you like fantasy, you'll love this. The sequel is out April 5th.

Reboot by Amy Tintera

This book is SO kick-ass. Seriously. Fans of Divergent must read this! I think it's better.

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King

This is one of my favorite books and I feel like it gets overlooked. A.S. King has become well known for her brilliant contemporary novels, but this, her first book, is a little bit different. It is the story of how an innocent Irish girl becomes one of the most feared pirates of the Caribbean, thwarts a curse that spans the centuries and discovers that even time cannot defeat true love.

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<3 Michelle

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly feature hosted by Book Date to share what we've read, what we're reading and what's up next. It's also a way to share news and get organized.

Hello, Minions! I haven't been doing this every week, but I figured it was a good time to post an update on my reading plans. There are SO MANY books about to release that I've been waiting for. My paycheck won't make it out of my workplace this month since I work in a bookstore.

Yeah, I know, go ahead and say it:

But anyway, I've been pretty disorganized and scatterbrained with my reading lately, so I'm going to make a plan and try my best to stick to it. Mostly. If I can. Yoi. I'm hopeless.

Upcoming review:

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVED this book! I actually read it a while ago but never got the review posted. I also have an extra copy I'll be giving away, so that'll be happening sometime this week.

Currently reading:

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifaces #1)

by Cassandra Clare

It's long and I've had other books/reviews/stuff that keeps interrupting me. It's really good, I'm just taking my time with it.

All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani

This is for my book club that is meeting on Thursday. I figured I should read the book before going, especially since Adriana is actually calling in to the meeting.

What's up next:

Ok, here's the planning part.There are new releases I really want to read, sequels I've been anticipating and I have a very ambitious YA book club this month (we're trying to read at least two for discussion). It may be a few weeks before I post another It's Monday! update, so that's why I'm planning so far ahead here.

First, the books I want to read next:

The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

This Is Where the World Ends by Amy Zhang

Sequel/Prequels I MUST read:

(click covers for Goodreads links)

YA Book Club reads:

The Novice (Summoner #1) by Taran Matharu

Storm Siren (Storm Siren #1) by Mary Weber

I also really want to sneak in:

Riders (Riders #1) by Veronica Rossi

Seven Black Diamonds by Melissa Marr

That should cover the next few weeks. I'll check in to let you know how I'm doing! Odds of  getting distracted by other books: I'd say 50/50. We'll see.

What are YOU reading?

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<3 Michelle