I Think *LIBBA BRAY* is Trying to Break *ME*: My 5 🌟 Review of BEFORE THE DEVIL BREAKS YOU

Title: Before the Devil Breaks You
Author: Libba Bray
Narrator: January LaVoy
Series: The Diviners, book #3
Length: 21 hrs 26 mins
Publisher: Listening Library
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
Source: audiobook received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

New York City.
1927.
Lights are bright.
Jazz is king.
Parties are wild.
And the dead are coming...

After battling a supernatural sleeping sickness that early claimed two of their own, the Diviners have had enough of lies. They're more determined than ever to uncover the mystery behind their extraordinary powers, even as they face off against an all-new terror. Out on Ward's Island, far from the city's bustle, sits a mental hospital haunted by the lost souls of people long forgotten--ghosts who have unusual and dangerous ties to the man in the stovepipe hat, also known as the King of Crows.

With terrible accounts of murder and possession flooding in from all over, and New York City on the verge of panic, the Diviners must band together and brave the sinister ghosts invading the asylum, a fight that will bring them fact-to-face with the King of Crows. But as the explosive secrets of the past come to light, loyalties and friendships will be tested, love will hang in the balance, and the Diviners will question all that they've ever known. All the while, malevolent forces gather from every corner in a battle for the very soul of a nation--a fight that could claim the Diviners themselves.

I don't even know where to begin with my love for this series. The writing, the narration, the utter creepiness of it...it all coalesces into one of my very favorite series. Which is quite a boast for this author, considering her Gemma Doyle trilogy is also on that list of favorite series. Despite how much she loves breaking my heart.

And I can totally see Libba Bray doing that here with this series, as well. She's made me come to love all of these characters, even ones I thought I'd always loathe. And, yes, she's left my heart reeling after this installment, too, but I know it's not over yet. She's not finished with my heart yet and even when this series is complete, she still won't be done with me because this is one of those stories that I can't help but come back to.

I love each and every characters' story arc, even if I didn't foresee it going in a certain direction, well, for any of them. No, especially because of that. I love how relevant this story is because of how history is doomed to repeat itself. That the more things change, the more they stay the same. And how sad is that? And I loved that in this book most of all, we see the Diviners actually coming together to work as a team. They all have their issues and their hang-ups but they're such a diverse lot of characters that it makes me hopeful for them, despite what they're up against.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Libba Bray has done her homework. When I'm reading these books, everything else falls away. I am transported to the Roaring Twenties. To the time of speakeasies and flappers and prohibition. When white man ruled the land and anyone of color or another sexual orientation was shunned. (Oh...wait.) But it's in the little details, as well, from specific items of clothing to songs sang at rallies or advertisements on radio shows. The background for this series has been so well-researched and it shows.

The publisher could not have selected a better narrator for this series, either. This story comes to life because of January LaVoy. There are so many story lines, so many perspectives, that normally I'd have a hard time keeping them all straight, but this narrator literally has a separate voice for each character. Each one is unique; each one is special. I cannot praise the narration of this series enough. It's among my favorites, as well.

This third installment in The Diviners series is actually on my favorites of 2017 list. It is just SO good. I mean, I waited long enough for it...it should be, right? ;0) Two to three years between books is hard but worth it. So worth it. And if I'm being honest, this might actually be my favorite in the series so far, so that makes the wait between installments all the sweeter.

I wholeheartedly recommend this series -- especially on audio -- and this time of year is perfect for it. It's just so divinely creepy.

Previous books in the series:

The Diviners
Lair of Dreams

About the author:

Libba Bray is the New York Times bestselling author of The Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, The Sweet Far Thing); the Michael L. Printz Award-winning Going Bovine; Beauty Queens, an L.A. Times Book Prize finalist; and The Diviners series. She is originally from Texas but makes her home in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, son, and two sociopathic cats.

(You should absolutely check out her full bio on her website, though. You'll learn things.)

Find Libba:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Tumblr | Goodreads

About the narrator:

January LaVoy is a New York City based actress, best known for her role as Noelle Ortiz-Stubbs on the long-running ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. January was named Publishers Weekly's "Audiobook Narrator of the Year" for 2013 and has an extensive body of work in both narration and commercial voiceover, including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions, John Grisham’s Camino Island and several Star Wars novels. She has won multiple Audie Awards, most recently in 2016 for her work on Libba Bray's Lair of Dreams.

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Labels: 2017, audiobooks, cover redesigns, extras, favorite authors, favorite narrators, favorites, hachette, historical fiction, libba bray, paranormal, reviews, the diviners

Sensual and Mysterious: THE HUMMINGBIRD HEART by A.G. Howard

Title: The Hummingbird Heart
Author: A.G. Howard
Series: Haunted Hearts Legacy, book #2
Publisher: self-published
Publication Date: August 15, 2017
Source: ARC received from author
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Set 19 years after The Architect of Song.

Shortly after escaping a circus tragedy, young Italian orphan, Willow Antoniette, seeks refuge at The Manor of Diversions—a holiday resort in England born of a ghost story. For eleven years, she’s raised alongside the children of the resort’s owners: Julian, his twin brother, Nick, and their younger sister Emilia. Now that Willow is of marriable age, she's determined to escape finishing school along with everyone's efforts to make her a proper lady. The only man she wants to spend her life with is Julian, after all. Yet how can she tell him, when he thinks of her as nothing but a friend?

As a machinist and engineer, Julian Thornton prefers a governable life. He can't allow his ever-deepening attraction for Willow to distract from his amusement park plans to lure a younger, wealthier clientele to their family's resort. In hopes to escape Willow and find investors, Julian sets off on a transatlantic ocean liner headed for the St. Louis World’s Fair, unaware Willow has secretly stowed away on the same ship.

A tiny, mute orphan named Newton and a pair of haunted Italian shoes bring Willow and Julian face to face on deck. Forced to work together to solve the mystery of Newton and his vindictive, ghostly companion, Julian and Willow can no longer fight their untapped passions. However, time to admit their true feelings is running out, for the ghost and her murderer have enlisted them as unsuspecting pawns in a karmic game of cat-and-mouse that could cost all of them their lives.

This novel was, simply put, gorgeous. I loved Howard's Splintered series, but there's no doubt in my mind that I love this series best. I think it's just how sensual and mysterious each ghost story is -- or has been thus far -- coupled with the historical setting. I can't get enough of her atmospheric words.

Howard's characters are always so multi-faceted, and Willow and Julian are no exception. By all appearances, Willow is a tough, no-guts-no-glory kind of tomboy, but as the story progresses, you get to see her more vulnerable side, the one she doesn't want anyone to see. And Julian is the straight-laced, analytical type, but he comes out of his shell more than a little throughout the story. But when they come together...they are completely different people with each other. Their chemistry would blow up a lab if left unchecked. But they are also very caring, attentive, loyal and protective with each other, and I loved reading as they learned how to love each other together.

But it's not just the main characters I found so appealing because Anita's characters all have these layers and dimensions to them that you discover as you're reading. I love how the author weaves such diverse characters and situations and how seamlessly she does so. She doesn't just mention them and then brush them aside; that diversity is essential to the story. These characters facing adversity and trying to right the wrongs of the past gives me life. Howard doesn't gloss over Newt's muteness or the rumors of a fellow passenger being part of the Italian mafia simply because he is rich and has a harem of gorgeous women in his entourage. It was the same in the last book and I am on board for more of this.

My only real complaint with The Architect of Song, the previous book in this series, was that I wanted more from the ending. And I got that with this sequel. More from the previous couple AND more from the featured couple and their story, and it was everything I'd hoped for them. I adore how these stories are already connected and what that might mean for future books in this series, and I can't wait to read more!

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

A.G. Howard is the #1 NYT & International Bestselling author of several young adult retellings and spinoff novels, including her gothic Alice in Wonderland Splintered series, and RoseBlood, a Phantom of the Opera inspired adaptation.

When writing, A.G. is most at home weaving the melancholy, magical, and macabre into her settings and scenes. In her downtime, she enjoys rollerblading, gardening, and visiting 18th century graveyards or abandoned buildings to appease her muse’s darker side.

Find Anita:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr

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Labels: a.g. howard, beautiful covers, favorite authors, favorites, ghosts, gothic romance, haunted hearts legacy, historical fiction, indies, reviews

Cute and Charming: DUELS AND DECEPTION by Cindy Anstey

Title: Duels and Deception
Author: Cindy Anstey
Series: n/a
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: April 11, 2017
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Miss Lydia Whitfield, heiress to the family fortune, has her future entirely planned out. She will run the family estate until she marries the man of her late father's choosing, and then she will spend the rest of her days as a devoted wife. Confident in those arrangements, Lydia has tasked her young law clerk, Mr. Robert Newton, to begin drawing up the marriage contracts. Everything is going according to plan.

Until Lydia—and Robert along with her—is kidnapped. Someone is after her fortune and won't hesitate to destroy her reputation to get it. With Robert's help, Lydia strives to keep her family's good name intact and expose whoever is behind the devious plot. But as their investigation delves deeper and their affections for each other grow, Lydia starts to wonder whether her carefully planned future is in fact what she truly wants…

Well, this book was utterly charming. I read a lot of adult historical fiction novels, and I usually love when the characters flout societal norms for a risqué tête-à-tête...or two. But in this case, I was happy to see the young gentleman acting so gallantly and in defense of the main character's reputation.

It's difficult to imagine how hard it was in those days to maintain one's integrity and always act accordingly, especially compared with society today. But even so, Miss Lydia Whitfield stands apart as a headstrong and capable woman of means. She always endeavors to maintain a modicum of decorum, but she also has a knack for making things happen in just the manner she planned. Until someone takes matters into their own hands and makes things happen to Lydia.

I greatly enjoyed the element of mystery to this story, though I did figure out the gist of it pretty early on in the story. And I loved that Mr. Robert Newton made it his mission to discover the truth behind the abduction, going above and beyond his duties as Lydia's solicitor. They were so utterly guileless in their affection for each other and it was completely endearing but also totally frustrating at times because I just wanted so badly for them to kiss already. =)

On a side note, I initially thought this book was a sequel of sorts to Love, Lies and Spies, but it is a completely separate story. Both books can be read on their own in whatever order you choose. But you should definitely read both if you're a fan of wholesome, clean fun by way of historical fiction. Duels and Deception was adorable, quirky, and just plain delightful, and I can't wait to read more from Cindy Anstey.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

Cindy Anstey spends her days painting with words, flowers, threads and acrylics. Whenever not sitting at the computer, she can be found—or rather, not found—traveling near and far. After many years living as an expat in Singapore, Memphis and Belgium, Cindy now resides with her husband and energetic chocolate labrador in Nova Scotia, Canada.

Find Cindy:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

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Labels: cindy anstey, duels and deception, historical fiction, macmillan, reviews

When a Book Makes You Violent...In a Good Way

Title: These Ruthless Deeds
Author: Tarun Shanker, Kelly Zekas
Series: These Vicious Masks, book #2
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Publication Date: March 14, 2017
Source: galley received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

England, 1883. Still recovering from a devastating loss, Evelyn is determined to use her powers to save other gifted people from those who would harm them. But when her rescue of a young telekinetic girl goes terribly wrong, Evelyn finds herself indebted to a secret society devoted to recruiting and protecting people like Evelyn and her friends.

As she follows the Society’s orders, healing the sick and embarking on perilous recruitment missions, Evelyn sees her problems disappear. Her reputation is repaired, her friends are provided for, and her parents are newly wealthy. She reunites with the dashing Mr. Kent and recovers the reclusive Mr. Braddock (who has much less to brood over now that the Society can help him to control his dangerous power). But Evelyn can’t help fearing the Society is more sinister than it appears...

I absolutely adored the first book in this series, so I was beyond excited to start reading These Ruthless Deeds. And it was a pretty great sequel, if not but a little predictable.

Here's the thing: the prologue made things so obvious to me. I like when a prologue teases things to come, but I still want to be relatively surprised when it comes to fruition. So, maybe skip that? Also, it was ridiculously easy for me to guess who the mysterious villain was, despite the red herrings. I almost wanted to be wrong because of how sure I was.

Still, there's never a dull moment for these 19th century would-be superheroes. Evelyn is being forced back into her role as debutante, but she still flouts decorum at every turn, especially in her duties for the Society. I love that this girl questions everything, even when everyone else is basically telling her to let it be. Evelyn is a true heroine, even if things don't always rarely go accordingly to plan.

There weren't nearly enough swoons for me in this sequel, though there are all manner of declarations of love. But, seriously, one kiss? Ugh, and the love triangle...don't get me started on it. Because I legitimately like both guys. I think I'm probably pulling for the one who won't make the cut, but that's my cross to bear.

Oy, and then that ending! It basically took everything awful that happened in book one and multiplied it by 100 to leave us with the most maddening ending ever. I kind of wanted to throw the book while simultaneously wanting to re-read it ten more times while I wait for the next book. So, while I didn't like this sequel quite as much as the first book, I maintain that any book that can make me want to cause bodily harm after reading it has effectively done its job. ;0)

GIF it to me straight:

 

About the authors:

Mild-mannered assistant by day, milder-mannered writer by night, Tarun Shanker is a New York University graduate currently living in Los Angeles. His idea of paradise is a place where kung-fu movies are projected on clouds, David Bowie’s music fills the air and chai tea flows freely from fountains.

His first novel, These Vicious Masks, co-written with Kelly Zekas, will be released by Swoon Reads / Macmillan on February 9th, 2016. It is the first of a trilogy.

Find Tarun:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Tumblr

Kelly is a writer living in NYC. YA is her absolute favorite thing on earth other than cupcakes and she has spent many hours crying over fictional deaths. She also started reading Harlequin romances at a possibly too early age (12?), and still adores a good historical romance.

Find Kelly:

Website | Goodreads | Twitter

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Labels: historical fiction, kelly zekas, macmillan, reviews, special abilities, tarun shanker, these vicious masks

Epic and Fierce...I Could Not Put This Book Down: THE VALIANT by Lesley Livingston

Title: The Valiant
Author: Lesley Livingston
Series: The Valiant, book #1
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: February 14, 2017
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Audible

Lost to history, the story of the female gladiator has never been told. Until now.

Fallon is the daughter of a proud Celtic king and the younger sister of the legendary warrior Sorcha. When Fallon was just a child, Sorcha was killed while defending their home from the armies of Julius Caesar.

On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Fallon is excited to follow in her sister's footsteps and earn her place in her father's war band. She never gets the chance.

Fallon is captured by ruthless brigands who sell her to an elite training school for female gladiators owned by none other than Julius Caesar himself. In a cruel twist of fate, the man who destroyed Fallon's family might be her only hope of survival.

Now, Fallon must overcome vicious rivalries, deadly fights in and out of the arena, and perhaps the most dangerous threat of all: her irresistible feelings for Cai, a young Roman soldier and her sworn enemy.

A richly imagined fantasy for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Cinda Williams Chima, "The Valiant recounts Fallon's gripping journey from fierce Celtic princess to legendary gladiator and darling of the Roman empire."

The words "female gladiator" were the only ones I needed to read to know that this was going to be my kind of book. Also, just the fact that it's such an utterly different setting than I've seen in most YA of late made me that much more eager to read it.

The Valiant is full of fierce friendships and bitter rivalries and brutal battle scenes and it was LIFE. Guys always get to have the epic battles in books and movies, while the females usually have to sit on the sidelines and pray for their safe return. So, it was delightful to see the tables turned in this story. And the author described the fighting with such precision and imagery that it felt like I was right in the thick of things, like I was the one holding the weapon, waiting to meet my fellow gladiatrix in battle.

Despite how awesome the fight scenes were, I found the romance to be very...meh. Very take it or leave it, if you will. I wasn't really here for that, though. There was a sweet, new love that died a swift death when Fallon was picked up by slavers, but I found that one more believable than the relationship she develops with the Roman soldier who should, by all accounts, be her sworn enemy. I just felt like this pair never spent enough time together to develop the kind of longing and devotion that they seemed to have toward one another. Not when there were so many more epic things happening around them...and to them.

My only real qualm with this novel, though, was how predictable I found it. And that's probably my own fault, as I read quite a bit more than the average reader and it's made me a lot more observant. Also, I think it's hereditary. My mom can watch the first five or ten minutes of a show and tell you what's going to happen for the rest of the episode...and she's almost always right. You can imagine how much fun it was watching television with her growing up. :P

I can't believe this was my first Lesley Livingston novel! It surely won't be my last. I've had her backlist novels on my TBR forever, but I'm going to make a point to check them all out very soon after reading The Valiant. I've always loved Roman history. I even loved when we were forced to read Julius Caesar in AP English. So, I am here for more of Fallon and her gladiatrix pals. And yes, obviously to find out what Caesar's plans for her are.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

LESLEY LIVINGSTON is a writer living in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of twelve books to date. Her first novel, WONDROUS STRANGE, was winner of the CLA Young Adult Book of the Year 2010, a White Pine Honour Book, shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Speculative Fiction, and in 2015 was named one of CBC’s “100 YA Books That Make You Proud To Be Canadian”. DARKLIGHT, the second book in this series was a finalist for the Indigo Teen Read Awards. The concluding volume in the trilogy, TEMPESTUOUS, was a finalist for the Monica Hughes Award. These books have sold to more than ten countries to date, and WONDROUS STRANGE has been optioned for film/TV by Shaftesbury Films. Her other trilogies have both won the Copper Cylinder award for Young Adult fiction.

In addition to her books for teen readers, Lesley is also co-author of a Middle Grade series with Jonathan Llyr called THE WIGGINS WEIRD. The first book, HOW TO CURSE IN HIEROGLYPHICS was shortlisted for the CLA Book of the Year for Children Award and was longlisted for the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Young Readers Book of the Year award. It was also chosen as one of the selections for the 2016 First Book Canada All-Star Reading Challenge.

Lesley’s newest novel is a YA historical epic, THE VALIANT, which will be published in February 2017 by Penguin Razorbill (US) and HarperCollins (CAN) and tells the story of a 17-year-old girl’s journey from fierce Celtic princess to female gladiator and the darling of the Roman Empire.

For almost three years, Lesley hosted weekly late-night movie marathons on the nationally broadcast television show, SPACEBAR, as the Waitron-9000, a sparkly holographic waitress with an encyclopedic knowledge of obscure B-movie trivia. For almost two decades, she was a principal performer with Tempest Theatre Group, a Toronto-based Shakespearean theatre company.

Find Lesley:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Labels: alternate history, favorites, historical fiction, lesley livingston, penguin, reviews, the valiant

WINTERSONG: Inspired by LABYRINTH, a Story & a T-Shirt

Title: Wintersong
Author: S. Jae-Jones
Series: Wintersong, book #1
Publisher: Thomas Dunne
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Source: ARC received from publisher
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Beware the goblin men and the wares they sell.

All her life, nineteen-year-old Liesl has heard tales of the beautiful, mysterious Goblin King. He is the Lord of Mischief, the Ruler Underground, and the muse around which her music is composed. Yet, as Liesl helps shoulder the burden of running her family’s inn, her dreams of composition and childish fancies about the Goblin King must be set aside in favor of more practical concerns.

But when her sister Käthe is taken by the goblins, Liesl journeys to their realm to rescue her sister and return her to the world above. The Goblin King agrees to let Käthe go—for a price. The life of a maiden must be given to the land, in accordance with the old laws. A life for a life, he says. Without sacrifice, nothing good can grow. Without death, there can be no rebirth. In exchange for her sister’s freedom, Liesl offers her hand in marriage to the Goblin King. He accepts.

Down in the Underground, Liesl discovers that the Goblin King still inspires her—musically, physically, emotionally. Yet even as her talent blossoms, Liesl’s life is slowly fading away, the price she paid for becoming the Goblin King’s bride. As the two of them grow closer, they must learn just what it is they are each willing to sacrifice: her life, her music, or the end of the world.

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet because (Sorry, I tried.) I feel like if you already love the movie Labyrinth, you'll really enjoy this book, which is semi-based on it. Maybe. Probably. I did. But I've seen others struggle with it. Mostly because of length and how long it takes for the plot to really get going. And it does. But...it's also totally worth it?

I really wish I'd written this review immediately after I finished reading the book back in October. I had such eloquent and though-provoking things to say about it then. They would undoubtedly be no less true now, but I can't remember them. Probably should have re-read the book first. But time is of the essence and I have oh-so-little of it as it is. I will definitely re-read this story in the future, especially if it becomes available on audio -- oh, please, please let that become a thing because I can only imagine how enticing the Goblin King would sound -- and as the release of the second book nears.

I still remember my older sister coming home from the video store with a copy of Labyrinth on VHS when I was just a youngling. And I remember the intense and immediate love I felt for Sarah and her plight...and Jareth, the Goblin King. I was raised a David Bowie fan from the cradle, and so seeing him in this role was tantamount to all of my wildest dreams coming true. And then to find out recently that an author was furthering my dreams by writing a story set in that world? Be. Still. My. Heart.

It was difficult, at first, not to picture Jareth as Jones' Goblin King. But she does a great job of reminding the reader what he looks like, how different he is from that other character, and how very nameless he is, and it works well to help you separate the two entities. Yes, the same magnetism exists between Liesl and the Goblin King, but in this story, he's actually able to reach the heroine in a way that Jareth never was able to.

I went into this story expecting it to be heavy on the romance. But it doesn't really start out that way. In fact, it takes a very long while to reach that point. Instead, I felt that the story was more heavily influenced by music and sacrifice...and how inexorable sacrifice seems when love is involved.

I've discussed this book at great lengths with friends, and whatever issues they've had, I've been able to overcome them. I don't know if it's my loyalty to the original story or just that I absolutely loved the writing and atmosphere of this book -- probably a little from Column A and a little from Column B, if I had to guess -- but I found this novel exquisitely lovely. So much so that I was inspired to create a t-shirt based on it, when given the opportunity.

GIF it to me straight:

About the author:

S. Jae-Jones, called JJ, is a voracious and indiscriminate reader, an avid traveller, and something of an adrenaline junkie.

Born and raised in sunny Los Angeles, she lived in New York City for 10 years before relocating down to Dixie, where she is comfortably growing fat on grits and barbecue. When not writing, she can be find rock-climbing, skydiving, taking photographs, drawing pictures, and dragging her dog on ridiculously long hikes.

Find JJ:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Pinterest | Tumblr

So, in my review, I alluded to a t-shirt design inspired by Labyrinth. And you got a peek of it in my Instagram pic above. The wonderful people at UberPrints offered to collaborate with me on a custom t-shirt of my own design, and this was the result:

I absolutely love my Labyrinth-inspired tee! It's so soft and comfy and the design came out exactly as I pictured it! And the best part was how easy it was to navigate their site to design it myself. I definitely anticipate using their service again. I've already got so many ideas for more bookish tees!

Check out UberPrints and design something awesome for yourself: Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook. They have a wide array of shirt styles, sizes, and colors, so you're sure to find something to fit your needs!

Happy reading...and designing! :D

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Labels: beautiful covers, fantasy, favorites, goblins, historical fiction, labyrinth, macmillan, promotions, retellings, s. jae-jones, wintersong