WWW Wednesday #3

WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words. 

WWW stands for three questions: 

1. What are you currently reading?

To Kill a Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Synopsis:

Atticus Finch gives this advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of this classic novel - a black man charged with attacking a white girl. Through the eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Lee explores the issues of race and class in the Deep South of the 1930s with compassion and humour. She also creates one of the great heroes of literature in their father, whose lone struggle for justice pricks the conscience of a town steeped in prejudice and hypocrisy.

This is a re-read for me. After doing The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag (where I got Atticus as the team medic) I felt like rewatching the movie and once I did, the book called for me again from my shelf. It's high time for me to review it anyway, since I didn't write anything about it the first time around.

2. What did you recently finish reading?

   
The Lady and the Highlander

by Lecia Cornwall

Synopsis:

Laire MacLeod’s father has married a mysterious widow who is a vain beauty that deals with potions and spells. Laire does not drink them with the rest of her family and is the only one who could see through her stepmother’s games. When Laire flees to find help from her Uncle the Lady’s huntsman follows her with orders to kill. Laire must survive in a dangerous new city and find the antidote to a poisonous potion before it is too late.

Iain Lindsay is cursed. He is bound for seven years to be the hunter of a Lady who uses him to bring back birds to use in her potions. When Laire MacLeod escapes the Lady’s nets, Iain tracks her to Edinburgh, where she’s found shelter with an unusual band of thieves, but he cannot bring himself to harm her. Instead, he finds himself falling in love with the MacLeod beauty.
But a Highlander’s oath is his bond, and the price for helping her is death, both his own, and of those he loves.

And I loved it! But hey, guys, the cover is soooo misleading. I mean... why would you put a girl in a red cloak on the front of a Snow White retelling?? The cover shouts Little Red Riding Hood when the story is actually Snow White. Weird.

Look out for the review, it'll be up soon!
 

3. What do you think you'll read next?

Okay. So. As you know, I wanted to read Girl in Disguise next, but for some reason they don't send me the e-copy, even though I'm supposed to review the book by March 25. I already sent them two polite e-mails, but I don't get a reply. They are either not going to send it to me or they are going to send it in the last minute and that's not good news, since I'm not a very fast reader... Oh, well. 

Since Girl in Disguise is not an option now, I'll show you what I planned to read after that:

 

Bohermore

by Jennifer Rose McMahon

Synopsis:

'When your dreams become reality, being cursed can be a real nightmare.'

Like a punch in the face, eighteen-year-old Maeve O'Malley's visions knock her off her path. The Pirate Queen stalking Maeve in her dreams, killed her mother years ago, and now is coming for her.

Maeve's decision to ditch Boston College takes everyone by surprise as she packs her bags, leaves Boston, and heads to the west coast of Ireland to chase her dreams – and end them.

Maeve uncovers an ancient family curse that refuses to remain silent until she accepts her predestined role in what many thought was only legend. Her Irish history professor – a man she shouldn't be falling for – is the only person who understands the origin of the tormenting events.

Maeve's journey becomes a medieval treasure hunt through Ireland's castles and ruins as she tracks the wrathful Pirate Queen who has her marked for vengeance...

 

You know comments are very welcome and don't forget to leave a link to your WWW post either! :)

 

Happy reading! 

Goodreads Monday #1

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren @ Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off! Don’t forget to link back to Lauren’s Page Turners and link up to the inlinkz so others can see what you picked!

There are 309 books on my Goodreads TBR. Oops. The thing is, I can't stop adding new titles, I think you fellow bookworms understand this urge...

Anyway, I have a wide range of books to choose from, but today this post will feature a retelling, because I was reading a fairy tale retelling in the second half of last week (The Lady and the Highlander by Lecia Cornwall) and I think it's a good idea to keep this theme going today.

I picked the following book because I'm extremely fond of Shakespeare and I have already read one Shakespeare retelling from this author that I loved dearly (read my review of Ophelia by Lisa Klein here).

So on to the book:

Lady Macbeth's Daughter

Lisa M. Klein

Synopsis:

Albia has grown up with no knowledge of her mother of her father, the powerful Macbeth. Instead she knows the dark lure of the Wychelm Wood and the moors, where she's been raised by three strange sisters. It's only when the ambitious Macbeth seeks out the sisters to foretell his fate that Albia's life becomes tangled with the man who leaves nothing but bloodshed in his wake. She even falls in love with Fleance, Macbeth's rival for the throne. Yet when Albia learns that she has the second sight, she must decide whether to ignore the terrible future she foresees—or to change it. Will she be able to save the man she loves from her murderous father? And can she forgive her parents their wrongs, or must she destroy them to save Scotland from tyranny?

Recently I had a few 'encounters' with Macbeth the play and the story; I was lucky enough to see a midnight performance of it in Shakespeare's Globe and I also saw the movie with Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, which I enjoyed a lot too. I can't wait to put my hands on this book!

Do you like retellings? Which one is your favourite?

Cover Reveal + Giveaway - The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson

Today Kara Swanson and Rockstar Book Tours are revealing the cover for THE GIRL WHO COULD SEE, which releases June 1, 2017! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to win a $5 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the eBook!

On to the reveal!
 

Title: THE GIRL WHO COULD SEE

Author: Kara Swanson

Pub. Date: June 1, 2017

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 200

Find it: Amazon | Goodreads

All her life Fern has been told she is blind to reality—but what if she is the only one who can truly see?

Fern Johnson is crazy. At least, that’s what the doctors have claimed since her childhood. Now nineteen, and one step away from a psych ward, Fern struggles to survive in bustling Los Angeles. Desperate to appear “normal,” she represses the young man flickering at the edge of her awareness—a blond warrior only she can see.

Tristan was Fern’s childhood imaginary hero, saving her from monsters under her bed and outside her walls. As she grew up and his secret world continued to bleed into hers, however, it only caused catastrophe. But, when the city is rocked by the unexplainable, Fern is forced to consider the possibility that this young man isn’t a hallucination after all—and that the creature who decimated his world may be coming for hers.

Exclusive Excerpt!

CHAPTER ONE

Present Time

On television, they never tell you how cold it is.

They might show you the dimly lit room or the hard, uninviting chairs—stark reminders that you have no power here. They may depict the lonesome table separating you from the elderly agent with the stone-grey eyes. But those cop shows never depict what a chilly affair an FBI interrogation truly is. If their aim is to make this process as intimidating as possible—it’s working.

I wrap my hands around bare shoulders, fingertips far colder than the skin exposed by my red tank top. Brilliant move, Fern. Wear a scarf, but forget your jacket. Stifling a shudder, I try to meet the sharp gaze of Agent Barstow standing rigidly across from me.

“I don’t know where you’re from, miss Johnson—but in LA, state-of-the-art buildings don’t just crumble.” His voice is gravelly, matching the jagged lines of his dark skin and weathered face. “Federal buildings, no less. There one minute and the next…destroyed.”

His tone chills me even more, and I tug nervously on my scarf. His arms slowly unwind from his chest as he takes a deliberate two steps toward me. “We’ve had everyone on the disaster—CIA, local police, firemen…heck, we even called NASA. No one can find a plausible reason why a skyscraper, in excellent repair, would collapse like that. No one, that is, except you.”

I fight the urge to bolt for the door as he leans down, palms flat on the table, so close I can make out the creases on his dark suit. “You warned us of an attack in that area two weeks ago. How did you know?”

I suck in a deep breath as his voice lowers, dark fists tightening on the edge of the table. “Are you involved with a terrorist organization?”

I almost laugh at his words, at how they couldn’t be farther from the truth. I’m here to save LA, not destroy it. To save everyone. And I don’t have much time—none of us do. If I can’t gain this man’s trust, a shattered building is nothing compared to what will come next.

“No, sir.” I shove my shaking hands beneath my legs as I glimpse a pair of lucid blue eyes over the agent’s shoulder. They shouldn’t be there—and I know not to stare. But those eyes that only I can see are the reason I warned the FBI in the first place. Their owner the reason I’m even sitting in this room.

Licking my lips, I keep my attention on Barstow. I’ve wanted this for years. Someone to listen. Really listen. And it’s the FBI, no less. Be careful here.

When I open my mouth, the words are calm and steady. I hope they’re convincing—they have to be convincing. “I knew about the incident, Agent Barstow, because my friend warned me.” Throat suddenly dry, I look away. “My imaginary friend.

About Kara:

As the daughter of missionaries, KARA SWANSON spent sixteen years of her young life in the jungles of Papua New Guinea. Able to relate with characters dropped suddenly into a unique new world, she quickly fell in love with the speculative genre and was soon penning stories herself.

At seventeen, she independently published a fantasy novel, Pearl of Merlydia. She has since published many articles, including one in the Encounter magazine. Kara received the Mount Hermon Most Promising Teen Writer Award in 2015. You can find her on Facebook as Kara Swanson, Author, or attempting to be artistic over on Instagram (@karaswanson_author). When she’s not creating new stories and placing characters in peril, she’s probably binge-watching Marvel movies, playing with her huskies, reading till two in the morning or experimenting with a dairy-free mocha Frappuccino (skills, I’m telling you).

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

(1) winner will receive a $5 Amazon Gift Card, US Only.

(1) will receive an Advanced eBook Copy of THE GIRL WHO COULD SEE, International.

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Review - The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

Title: The Last Song
      
Author: Nicholas Sparks

Rating: 2/5 stars

Synopsis: Seventeen year-old Veronica “Ronnie” Miller’s life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father… until her mother decides it would be in everyone’s best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. 

Ronnie’s father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms – first love, the love between parents and children – that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts… and heal them.

My Thoughts:

I wanted to write this review before I watch the movie because I don’t want to get influenced by that experience when I write about the book. So here is what I think about The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks.

It was way too sweet and sugary for my liking. Long walks by the beach, lots of pure, first love-y conversations, lots of ‘I love you’s… there was too much syrup for me between the lines of this book.

I don’t like when love becomes too vocal, because I believe one can express love better with action than with diction, and of course it’s necessary to say ‘I love you’ once in a while, but if you say it too much, the words lose their wonder. And I’m not only talking about relationships between a girl and a boy, a woman and a man. It is also true for family bonds.

I know there was a special situation here between Ronnie and her dad, because tragedy was striking, but after a quick escalation their relationship became unrealistically intense – considering that they hadn’t talked to each other for three years – and of course soon the big words flew around like colourful balloons in a fun-fair. The problem is, if we pop them, the essence of the book disappears and since I didn’t like the balloons, I’m left with nothing.

Ronnie, the protagonist is an irritating teenager who tries to solve every problem by shouting at someone. Sure, towards the end of the novel you can see that she’s becoming more mature, a better person even… right until the point when Will tells her his secret; then the mirage shatters, and she shouts some more. I was excited for this book partly because the protagonist has my name. I’m not happy with what I got.

The characters in general were clichéd. We had the psychopathic bully, the good guy with a guilty conscience, the know-it-all girl who learns some life lessons by the end of the story. I didn’t get very attached to either of them, up until the very end they didn’t acquire any depth. 

I regret to say, there is nothing mind-blowing about the plot either. From the very beginning you have an inkling how the book will end, it is hard to miss, really. The whole plot is predictable as heck. One positive thing is that the last part is delivered pretty well at least. I cried, I confess. The last fifty pages or so earned one more star for the book in my eye, but before that I was simply bored.

I didn’t care much about the budding romance, all they did was walk, they went fishing once and guarded a turtle nest all summer long. I swear I cared more about the turtles than what would happen to their love after the summer ends. Despite it being first love for both of them, it didn’t burn that hot, or so it seemed to me. When they were forced to separate, Will didn’t even try to contact Ronnie for a long time, which seemed strange to me.

All in all, I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you read other Sparks novels and loved them. This was my first Sparks, but my last too, I think. Now I’ll go and check out the movie, maybe this is one of those cases when you can get more out of the movie than the book. At least I hope so.

Goodreads | Amazon