Goodreads Monday is a meme hosted by Lauren @Page Turner, and the idea is to post a book that’s on your TBR pile and show it off. This is a great way to show off books I have not yet managed to read!
This week I have chosen:
Title: Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Published: August 28th 2017 by Random House Children’s Books
Goodreads Summary:
Daughter of immortals.
Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.
Daughter of death.
Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together.
Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
Merry Christmas!!! If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a very wonderful day full of family and friends!
This week I want to highlight Wonder Woman by Leigh Bardugo for GRM! I’ve had this book on my shelf since September, and I am hoping that by putting it on here it will motivate me to pick it up and read it! I’ve heard so many great things about this book and I can’t wait to pick it up. Have you read it? What are your opinions?
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo
Published: September 26th 2017 by MacMillan/Imprint
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:
Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.
Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.
Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.
Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.
This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.
Since I have already written individual reviews on three of them (you can click on the link to read them), I will focus mainly on the three new ones for this particular review.
Bad fates do not always follow those who deserve them
First off, I just wanted to say that the illustrations in the book by Sara Kipin were simply amazing. They were just as creepy and beautiful as the short story they are based upon. Even if you didn’t read the story, the illustrations themselves gave you a visual representation of what was going on during that time. I honestly, would love just a copy of the picture at the end of each story for my office!
This is the problem with making a thing forbidden. It does nothing but build an ache in the heart
Ayama and the Thorn Wood, kind of set up how we can expect the rest of the stories to be. As in not to expect the Brothers Grimm versions, where everyone has a happy ending with the perfect guy and running off into the sunset together. All these fairy tales take on a much darker theme and have completely different messages than the typical fairy tale.
What harm can a little hope do?
I couldn’t tell if Ayama and the Thorn Wood was a retelling or not, but the last two stories was definitely retellings of The Nutcracker and The Little Mermaid. I loved the direction that Bardugo went with these retellings, and if she wanted to do another book just like this (but longer) I would totally be okay with that. These were just the right amount of dark and imaginative that I expect from Bardugo. I don’t want to go into more detail and spoil anything for you, but there was definitely a Darkling cameo in When Water Sang Fire. I didn’t realize that when he first appeared, but by the end I definitely realized who he was and I wanted more!
This goes to show you that sometimes the unseen is not to be feared and that those meant to love us most are not always the ones who do
Overall, I loved this short story collection and was very sad when it ended. Even if you haven’t read any of Bardugo’s other books, you should definitely check this one out. You don’t even have to read the others to understand what is going on since this is basically the Grishaverses version of our Brothers Grimm.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine that shows the upcoming books that many of us are anticipating! This week, I’m waiting for…
Title:The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Expected Publication: September 26th 2017
Publisher: Macmillan/Imprint
Goodreads Summary:
Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.
Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid’s voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy’s bidding but only for a terrible price.
Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times–bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.
Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, these tales will transport you to lands both familiar and strange—to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.
This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, all of them lavishly illustrated with art that changes with each turn of the page, culminating in six stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.
A short story collection set in the Grishaverse? Yes, please! I can’t wait for this book to come out next week! Bardugo is one of my instant buys, and if you order from Barnes and Noble you can get a signed copy 😉
Goodreads Monday is a meme hosted by Lauren @Page Turner, and the idea is to post a book that’s on your TBR pile and show it off. This is a great way to show off books I have not yet managed to read!
This week I have chosen:
Title:Wonder Woman: Warbringer (DC Icons #1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Published: August 29th 2017 by Random House Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Summary:
She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .
Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
Leigh Bardugo is one of those authors that I will automatically buy any book that she releases. This book was no exception, it came out on Tuesday and I bought it on Friday! As soon as I finish the book I am currently reading, this will definitely be my next read!
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine that shows the upcoming books that many of us are anticipating! This week, I’m waiting for…
Title:Wonder Woman: Warbringer
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Expected Publication: August 29th 2017
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Summary:
The highly anticipated coming-of-age story for the world’s greatest super hero: WONDER WOMAN by the # 1 New York Times bestselling author LEIGH BARDUGO.
She will become one of the world’s greatest heroes: WONDER WOMAN. But first she is Diana, Princess of the Amazons. And her fight is just beginning. . . .
Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mere mortal. Even worse, Alia Keralis is no ordinary girl and with this single brave act, Diana may have doomed the world.
Alia just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.
Together, Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. If they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
A new book by Leigh Bardugo?! Yes, please!! August can’t get here fast enough!! I love that this is part of the DC Icons series, that will include 4 books by 4 different authors!
Published: September 27th 2016 by Henry Holt and Co.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
There may be some Six of Crows spoilers, so read at your own risk.
Goodreads Summary:
When you can’t beat the odds, change the game.
Kaz Brekker and his crew have just pulled off a heist so daring even they didn’t think they’d survive. But instead of divvying up a fat reward, they’re right back to fighting for their lives. Double-crossed and left crippled by the kidnapping of a valuable team member, the crew is low on resources, allies, and hope. As powerful forces from around the world descend on Ketterdam to root out the secrets of the dangerous drug known as jurda parem, old rivals and new enemies emerge to challenge Kaz’s cunning and test the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be waged on the city’s dark and twisting streets―a battle for revenge and redemption that will decide the fate of magic in the Grisha world.
No mourners
No funerals
I received this book the day it came out, and I dragged it out as much as possible!! It still was not enough for me! I am totally bummed right now that this series is over =(.
This book starts off a week after the first one finished, and everyone is still trying to figure out the next step after Inej has been kidnapped. Let me just say that Inej is probably my favorite character in the whole series, and I would be a-okay with her having her own spin-off. Just saying. They obviously get Inej back, but not without some serious planning. It is amazing the plans that Kaz comes up with and all the contingency plans just in case there is a hiccup.
“He was going to break my legs ,” she said, her chin held high, the barest quaver in her voice. “Would you have come for me then, Kaz? When I couldn’t scale a wall or walk a tightrope? When I wasn’t the Wraith anymore?”
Dirtyhands would not. The boy who could get them through this, get their money, keep them alive, would do her the courtesy of putting her out of her misery, then cut his losses and move on.
“I would come for you,” he said, and when he saw the wary look she shot him, he said it again. “I would come for you. And if I couldn’t walk, I’d crawl to you, and no matter how broken we were, we’d fight our way out together—knives drawn, pistols blazing. Because that’s what we do. We never stop fighting.”
When you are dealing with the Dregs and their heists, you almost need to write down everything just so you don’t miss something. While Kaz tells you about the main plan, he has about 2 others in play at the same time that if you’re not careful you don’t pick up on until the end during the reveal. I definitely missed a couple and was very surprised with out it all turned out. Whereas in the first book, there was only one major con and a few little ones here and there to get the crew together. In this book there was something happening every other chapter. Just when you think that things can not get any worse for our favorite team, Bardugo throws a curveball at them and they have to struggle to keep their heads above water.
Bardugo not only liked to give us all of the plot twists unimaginable, she threw in all the feels as well! I don’t think I have been invested in a series as much as this one, and boy were they all over the place! Bardugo basically took you on a roller coaster ride and you didn’t get off until the very end of the book!
I could go on and on about this book, but I think you get the point that I really enjoyed it! If I could ask Bardugo for anything, I would ask her to write a short story with Kaz and Inej!
Two of the deadliest people the Barrel had to offer and they could barely touch each other without both of them keeling over. But they’d tried. He’d tried. Maybe they could try again.
I definitely think I enjoyed this book a whole lot more than the first one, and I loved the first one. I stumbled upon Bardugo’s books by accident about a year and a half ago and I have read everything by her now! With that being said, if you have not read this book yet, what are you waiting for? You will not be disappointed!
Published: August 18th 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:
Before he ruled Ravka, before he was the Darkling, he was just a lonely boy with an extraordinary gift. In this prequel story to the New York Times-bestselling Grisha Trilogy, Leigh Bardugo takes us into Ravka’s mysterious past, when Grisha lived as fugitives and the Darkling took his first steps on the path to power. Discover new territory in the Grishaverse, as well as two chapters from the soon-to-be-released Six of Crows.
These were the trees he liked best, the kind that never lost their green, that always smelled of sap. In woods like these, it felt like summer was still alive, as if a sun were buried in every rough trunk like a warm, dormant heart.
This could have easily been an actual prequel to the whole Grisha series instead of a novella! The Darkling deserves an entire book for himself, or maybe even a spinoff! This made me feel so much for the young boy who would soon become the Darkling.
This novella doesn’t spoil anything for the Grisha trilogy, and it makes me want to go reread the series all over again! I have always been sympathetic to his character in the series, and this further emphasized that feeling. Just like all of Bardugo’s short stories set in this universe, there is a twist that I didn’t see coming. I should have based upon what the Grisha was facing during this time, but it just further emphasized the lengths that people will go for power.
If you are a fan of the series, I would definitely suggest you check out this very short story on the Darkling. You won’t be disappointed, except perhaps only by the length of the novella.
You can actually read the short story for free here.
Rating: 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:
In this third Ravkan folk tale from Leigh Bardugo, a beautiful girl finds that what her father wants for her and what she wants for herself are two different things.
It is a companion story to the third book of the Grisha Trilogy, Ruin and Rising, and the stories “The Witch of Duva” and “The Too-Clever Fox.”
After reading the first two short stories in the series, I don’t know which one I like more! Leigh Bardugo can write anything, and I’ll read it!
This was a great short story about a girl who was so beautiful that people would fight for her attention, a duke who wanted to capitalize on her beauty, and very greedy men. Although it was only 32 pages, you really get a sense of who the characters are and their flaws. My only complaint is that I wish this story was longer!
If you are looking for a very quick read, definitely check it out! Let me know what you think in the comments!
This past Saturday, a friend and I had the opportunity to attend the Texas Teen Book Festival in Austin, Texas. This event has been held every year since 2009 as a one day event, and currently takes place at St. Edward’s University. Texas Teen Book Festival (TTBF) “fosters a community effort to celebrate and promote reading and writing by connecting teens to local and award-winning authors, whose writing spans across genres and interest levels.”
This year TTBF had an awesome line-up of 34 authors and a some exhibitors. Some of the authors included Leigh Bardugo, Renee Ahdieh, Laini Taylor, Kendare Blake, and Caleb Roehrig. With this great of a line-up it was hard to decide which books to bring and which to leave at home. (This was my first time at a book festival, so I thought there was a limit to the amount of books you were allowed to bring from home. For future reference, just bring them all!!!!!!)
The festival officially started at 8am, and I was in line probably by 7:30 (which silly me I should have been there by like 6am!). We didn’t know what the line was for, so we just joined everyone else. By the time we made it inside, all the bracelets for the first signing were gone! =( Our day was filled with plenty of authors, panels, and walking around the exhibits to make up for it.
Mindy Kaling and the Q&A facilitator. Sorry for the fuzzy photo, my iPhone was not up to the task of taking great photos of all the great authors.
This year their guest author was Mindy Kaling! I unfortunately did not make the cut to get a book signed by her, but I did get to enjoy her Q&A session. Since this was a YA book fest, the facilitator asked questions about Mindy’s life in the scope of writing a YA novel. All of Mindy’s answers were hilarious, I mean, come on…it’s Mindy Kaling! She told us that her secret crush was Pierce Brosnan, but is that really a secret? (Side note: he was in Austin for the ACL festival) Mindy told us who her friends were in high school, who the mean guy was, and what types of books she read as a teen. Sounds like the start to a contemporary YA novel! Kaling’s next project is filming the A Wrinkle in Time movie adaptation with Emma Thompson! This was one of my favorite books growing up, and I can’t wait to see this movie!
After Mindy, my friend and I went to the first of three author book signing events. For the hour session, I stood in line for Kendare Blake and was about 5 people away from getting my book signed, and then the session closed! Talk about disappointment! My friend on the other hand was more successful, he stood in line for E.K. Johnston and was able to get his book A Thousand Nights signed. He also made her a drawing for the new Ahsoka book, which is being released October 11th 2016. Johnston was very happy with the drawing, and was excited about getting her very first fan art! If you have not read A Thousand Nights or any other of her books, I definitely suggest you check her out!
My friend and E.K. Johnston with the drawing he made her.
Before the next panel we had some time to kill. We walked around the exhibit area and checked out all the great things being offered there! Owlcrate was there with their prize wheel, and they had some awesome prizes! I won a Mockingjay bracelet by The Geeky Cauldron. My friend wanted to win a whole box, but got a candle instead. Which he gave to me, because he has “too many fire hazards in his room already.” Thanks, I love candles and will not turn one down! We talked to a few authors who had booths, and he bought The Gay Teen’s Guide to Defeating a Siren book 1: The Seeker, by Cody Wagner. (Click the link to check out its Goodreads page)
My friend and Cody Wagner at TTBF 2016
The opening keynote speaker was Laini Taylor, and she was amazing, insightful, and very funny. Taylor gave great life advice, without it sounding like advice from an adult to a high school student (although I am not in high school, and haven’t been for years, it was still good advice). For my first book festival, so far it was going pretty well!
Laini Taylor during her opening keynote. (Sorry for the guys head)
The second book signing, right after Taylor’s keynote, was a bit more successful than the first. I was able to get my books signed by Laini Taylor and Renne Ahdieh! The third signing was right after, and unfortunately Leigh Bardugo could only stay for 30 minutes so that she could prepare for her closing keynote. It was a bit crazy trying to get in line for her signing, as you can imagine everyone there wanted her to sign their copy of the Grisha trilogy and the Six of Crows series books! My friend was nice enough to wait in line for Bardugo while I went to her closing keynote.
Kendare Blake and I after she signed my Three Dark Crowns book!
Leigh Bardugo’s closing keynote was everything and more! She showed a very funny video about how to handle YA haters, and her speech was ah-may-zing! I might be biased, but that’s okay! =D
After the keynote, there was a mega author signing. So I was finally able to get my Blake book signed along with my An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. Since everyone was in line for Leigh Bardugo, (including my friend, such a nice friend, everyone should have one!) I was able to hop around and get my books signed by all the authors that I missed the first time around. But, let’s be honest, everyone had one friend stand in line for Bardugo as they went to go get books signed, and then returned the favor. Luckily for us, Bardugo announced that she would stay until everyone got their books signed! I can’t imagine how long she stayed there signing books for fans, but I love when authors are willing to do that!
<- Here is my friend getting Six of Crows signed for his friend back at home! Waited in line for over an hour, but it was totally worth it!
And finally, here is a picture of Leigh Bardugo and myself! I am so glad that she decided to stay longer to sign everyones books and pictures! She was very nice and I would love to see her again!
Here is my haul of books that I was able to get signed! I loved being able to meet all of these fantastic authors and have a small conversation with them. It makes reading their books a little more personal than reading just because it is the next popular book. I want to thank Texas Teen Book Festival, Book People, and their many sponsors and volunteers! I am already counting down the months until next years TTBF!
Format: ebook, you can read it for free at Tor.com
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:
In Ravka, just because you avoid one trap, it doesn’t mean you’ll escape the next. This story is a companion folk tale to Leigh Bardugo’s upcoming novel, Siege and Storm, the second book in the Grisha Trilogy.
I read this short story after The Witch of Duva, and I think if I read this one first I would have enjoyed it more. The Witch of Duva was creepy and had so many dark twists. This story was just a tiny bit of a let down from that.
This story is about a little fox who uses his wits to get him out of some dangerous situations. When a hunter comes to town and starts killing all of the animals in the woods, will the fox be able to survive or will he become the next victim of the hunter?
This had the right amount of backstory to care about the too-clever fox to wonder if he will make it or not. There wasn’t as many twists in this story as in the previous one, but it works well for this one. We all know people who try to talk their way out of things, so the fox was very relatable, especially considering this is a fable. The ending was fantastic! I won’t say anything else, or I’ll give it away!
While this is set in the Grisha universe, it is a stand alone story. So you don’t have to read the trilogy to understand what is going on, or if you read it don’t expect to see characters you already know and love.
Sam's Little Corner 