Song of the day

The Wolf Series: OATHBREAKER-WOLF AT THE DOOR IS ONLINE!!!

The Wolf Series: OATHBREAKER-WOLF AT THE DOOR IS ONLINE!!!: Lorelei Wong is completely ordinary in spite of the fact that she is the only human growing up in a werewolf pack. Until one day she ...

#NOWREADING: Marie Rutkoski's The Winner's Curse.

(summary from Goodreads)

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Thoughts:

This is one of those books that both summary and cover leads you astray. 

The cover makes you think that it's going to be well, court-like, high class-low class romance while the summary is, like a Romeo-Juliet kind of thing....it's not. Not really. 

It has all the elements of it but the book is so much more. Kestrel, the girl depicted in the summary as vaguely rebellious is intelligent, smart and cunning. She is groomed by her general father to be a worthy  military tactician, and he encourages such pursuits and needles constantly about enlisting because he deems her worthy. 

The Volarians are a strong, military lot, both male and female can enlist. It's either military or marriage for Volarian woman. 

Every woman carries a jewel dagger--some ornamental, some not--and at their coming of age is taught where to push said dagger when the situation calls for honor suicide. 

Not to say that the women are looked upon as individuals themselves. they are still forced to take an escort everywhere they go etc. And though it is said that both male and female can enlist, there was no mention of a female soldier or God forbid, officer, but still. 

Arin is proud, intractable, serious and surprisingly sweet. He's also strong, and educated and smart and more than meets the eye.  We know what he's up to straight away really and we can't blame him for it. 

Actually, it's kind of hard to blame one and the other for their feelings, for their arguments, for the ugly words or the anger between them afterwards. I had really hoped that the author would not create a happy ending right away and I was relieved that she didn't. 

Kestrel's people enslaved Arin's. And now, Arin's people are taking back their freedom, and in the process killing hers. How do you get over that, really?

It's true that Arin tries to be noble, felt the need to be better, but in war, there will be casualties. And how can Kestrel forgive the man who are killing her people? Eventhough she understood why he did the things he did. 

And how with all the political intrigue and the manipulation that they have to do against each other, to SAVE each other, can their feelings for each other survive?

The angst felt real, the action they each took doesn't make me want to tear my hair out. I understood their actions, I relate to their feelings. I sympathized and I REALLY WANT BOOK 2 NOW!!!

#SongoftheDay: Jason Mraz's A Long Drive

Long drive, long night

The best night of my life, 

With you riding, your hand on my hand. 

The thought of arriving, kind of feels like, dying. 

I don’t want, to go home and be, alone. 

Could we, stay out? 

Could you, drive a little slower, don’t matter where we’re going, 

As long as I’m with you, we could take the long way. 

Chevy Nova, front seat, sofa, getting closer, to you. 

Drive a little slower; don’t matter where we’re going, 

As long as I’m with you, we could take the long way. 

Drive a little slower, not ready to go home, 

I’d rather stay with you. 

We could take the long way, to the country out of town. 

Let’s get lost; I don’t wanna be found. 

Let’s get away, now and be careful not to crash. 

There’s no defrost and we’re steaming the glass. 

You and the road have a generous shoulder 

We can pull over and say we took the long way. 

Headlights, not strobe lights, 

I can see you, but not quite. 

I can feel you inside; the timing is just right. 

For the moment, I don’t want to go home. 

Take the long way. 

Drive a little slower; don’t matter where we’re going. 

Take the long way. 

Drive a little slower; don’t matter where we going now. 

Take the long way 

Drive a little slower; not ready to go home. 

I’d rather stay with you. 

We can take the long way. 

Long drive, long night, 

The best night of my life.

Was trying to avoid doing this but who am I kidding, it's Robin Williams.

R.I.P you dear, dear man. 

Thank you for all the laughs and childhood memories. You made it better. 

Till Death Do Us (NOT) Part: Chapter 1: If Wishes Were Ghosts We'd All Be Haunt...

Till Death Do Us (NOT) Part: Chapter 1: If Wishes Were Ghosts We'd All Be Haunt...: A/N: Really rough draft and not beta-read. All mistakes are mine. Feedbacks would be appreciated. Here goes!!! Till Death Do Us (Not...

#NOWREADING Karina Cooper St. Croix #5 Engraved (SPOILERS)

Summary:

Cherry St. Croix returns to the fog-ridden streets of Victorian London, where the balance of power threatens all that she loves.

I will not wither without laudanum. Sober and determined, I have chosen another way—alchemy, and the pursuit of wellness it embodies. My name is Cherry St. Croix, and though freedom is finally at my fingertips, I return to the blackened streets intent on righting the wrongs I'd left behind.

All is not well in London low. Caught in a war between gangs, men are torn limb from limb, and I am called on to ascertain how. The immoral Karakash Veil is no doubt involved, and Micajah Hawke, a prisoner in his own Menagerie, cannot soften the danger this time.

Armed with the alchemical arts I have learned, my ever present guardian, and what few friends are left to me, I embark on a campaign to rescue the ringmaster I cannot abandon, save the Brick Street Bakers from annihilation, and finally face that which frightens me the most—my own heart.

Thoughts:

So, we left Cherry in the last book heading off to London with Maddie Ruth and her guardian/tutor Ashmore. Sobered up and armed with alchemy, she's headed off to save Hawke. 

The book was fast paced and full of action and creepy people. 

Though I'm intrigued by Hawke and Cherry, I'm not really sure I want them to be together, primarily because Hawke's a headcase and asshole extraordinaire. I'm not saying that he's incapable of love or sacrificing himself but damn, dude, REALLY? If you read this book and the last one, you'd get why I would think so. 

And btw, I'm still hard up on Cherry just realizing that Hawke had been protecting her all this time. Maybe it's the opium, maybe it's her own prejudice, maybe it's her denial on how she feels for Hawke but still, girl. 

The book doesn't really give you time to breathe and process, and Cherry gives one hell of an impression of the energizer bunny. She was SERIOUSLY determined to save Hawke. 

Ashmore was awesome, supportive and practically the white knight to Hawke's sort-of-villain.

I seriously want to burn the Menagerie into the ground. Glad people beat me to it. That place was creepy in the first place but at least not evil, it was a place where rules were scarce and darkness lurked around the corner but when Hawke was no longer the ringmaster, that place went to the pits. 

And I want to smack the Veil upside the head. 

I'm now really eager for the sixth book because now Ashmore and Hawke would exist in the same scene. Man, that would be so FUN.