Wishing For Wednesday #66

This Wednesday the reads I have for you....I can't even! 
These are the two books I've been anticipating for AGES, and I've been anticipating them insane amounts. Seriously, I'm impatient but these have been driving me mad waiting for them! I'm gonna end up reading them over Christmas I think, because I like a holiday TBR and yeah. 
The sequel to The Invisible Library....I freaking LOVED The Invisible Library, and I've been so freaking excited for the sequel and it's finally here.......soon it will be real and I can read it and just....oh my god I can't wait! Also....THAT COVER! 
Then there's Oblivion. The first freaking Lux book from Daemon's point of view...I don't even have words for the excitement I feel for this book. I'm totally gonna end up buying it twice as well because like...physical copy to go with the other Lux books and then eBook for the extras....because why not?! 

The Masked City

Librarian-spy Irene is working undercover in an alternative London when her assistant Kai goes missing. She discovers he's been kidnapped by the fae faction and the repercussions could be fatal. Not just for Kai, but for whole worlds.

Kai's dragon heritage means he has powerful allies, but also powerful enemies in the form of the fae. With this act of aggression, the fae are determined to trigger a war between their people - and the forces of order and chaos themselves.

Irene's mission to save Kai and avert Armageddon will take her to a dark, alternate Venice where it's always Carnival. Here Irene will be forced to blackmail, fast talk, and fight. Or face death. 

The Masked City is out December 3rd, pre-order your copy...here! 
Add it to your TBR...here! 

Oblivion

Experience the epic love story of OBSIDIAN as told by its hero, Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it. 

And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are. 

But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can't stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game. 

Falling for Katy—a human—won't just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen...

Oblivion is out December 3rd, pre-order your copy....here!

Add it to your TBR....here!

November TBR

It's that time of month, when the review books are done and you turn to your TBR shelf or pile, depending on how unable to resist buying books you are, to decide what to read for the rest of the month. 
I've been in such a re-read kind of mood, and I've been desperate to re-read a certain series that I love because it always cheers me up, so I've spent last week doing that, I'm actually typing this on Saturday and by the time you guys read this...I will have finished the re-read! Anyway, I've been procrastinating from reading for no particular reason at all, I'm not really in a reading slump so it doesn't make any sense. It's been taking me longer to read books than usual and it's annoying. 
Considering I'm nearly done with the re-read I figured it was time to work out what I'm going to read for the rest of the month. I have quite the stuffed TBR shelf and it was a challenge working it out!

As you can see, I've got 6 books, two of which are the final books in my re-read, but I may or may not end up reading more than the ones I've chosen...depending on how fast I read and what other stuff I have to do! 

Midnight Frost by Jennifer Estep

Midnight Frost is the fifth book in the Mythos academy series, and in my re-read. Like I said, I've been in a re-read mood anyway, and considering how things are going, I was desperate to get to this one as it always cheers me up, even if it is a liiiiiiitttlleeee bit cheesy sometimes! 

Killer Frost by Jennifer Estep

Killer Frost is, obviously, the final book in the series. I'm really hoping to have finished this on Sunday, which is tomorrow for me as I'm writing this and like.....way past for you guys reading this! You'll be able to tell by when I post my Currently Reading photos if I managed it! This book doesn't half give me the feels though! 

A Mad Zombie Party by Gena Showalter

A Mad Zombie Party is the surprise fourth book in the White Rabbit Chronicles series. Originally it was just a trilogy but then the author was like "here have a fourth book". I am excited to read it, really I am, and I picked it for this month because towards the end of October I actually re-read the other three, so I figured I'd read this while the last book is still semi fresh in my memory. I am kind of nervous however, considering what happened in the last book and what's probably going to happen in this. I might get really annoyed hahaha. 

The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker 

Ever since this book came out I've been itching to get hold of it, and when Halloween rolled around, I finally picked it up because ya know...Halloween. But with everything going on in October I didn't actually have the time to read the abundance of Halloween books that I wanted to, it was all review books mostly! SO, I figured I'd finally read it this month! 

The School For Good and Evil by Soman Chainani

So, I won the entire trilogy in a competition last month, and I always see people raving about these books, so I figured...why not read the first one. This will probably end up with me reading the other two books right after, so I probably should have included them in this but we'll see! 

At First Sight by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This has been sitting on my TBR shelf since it came out, which is quite a while I think! I'm a huge fan of the authors books, I've read everything by her except for this....obviously, and the new The Naturals book. I'm torn with that because at the minute it's only out in hardback and all my other books are in paperback and it'll probably annoy me if I get the hardback but then I really want to read it so yeah. #BookishProblems right?! 

Let me know what's on your November TBR down in the comments! 

Wishing For Wednesday #65

It's Wednesdaaay!
Which means I have some new reads you might be interested in! 
I've got some fantasy, the second in a series to be specific and you know it's a good one because of who the author is! 
Aaaannndddd I've got the third book in a dystopian series that I fell in love with on NetGalley! I've been waiting aaagggesss for this book! 

Angel Of Storms

Tyen is teaching mechanical magic at a school respected throughout the worlds. News arrives that the formidable ruler of all worlds, long believed to be dead, is back and enforcing his old laws - including the one forbidding schools of magic. As teachers and students flee, Tyen is left with no home and no purpose... except the promise he made to Vella, the sorcerer imprisoned in a book. Tyen must decide what he is willing to do to free her.

After five years among the tapestry weavers of Schpeta, Rielle's peaceful new life has been shattered by a local war. As defeat looms, the powerful Angel of Storms appears and invites Rielle to join the artisans of his celestial realm. But what will he require in return for this extraordinary offer?

Angel Of Storms is out November 12th, pre-order your copy....here! 
Add it to your TBR....here! 

Queen

PAWN...CAPTIVE...QUEEN?

Kitty Doe is a Blackcoat rebel and a former captive with a deadly connection to the most powerful and dangerous man in the country, Prime Minister Daxton Hart. Forced to masquerade as Daxton's niece, Lila Hart, Kitty has helped the Blackcoats take back the prison known as Elsewhere. But Daxton has no intention of ceding his position of privilege—or letting Kitty expose his own masquerade. Not in these United States, where each person's rank means the difference between luxury and poverty, freedom and fear...and ultimately, between life and death.

To defeat the corrupt government, Kitty must expose Daxton's secret. Securing evidence will put others in jeopardy, including the boy she's loved forever and an ally she barely trusts. For months, Kitty's survival has hinged on playing a part. Now she must discover who she truly wants to be, and whether the new world she and the rebels are striving to create has a place in it for her after all. 

Queen is out November 24th, pre-order your copy....here! 

Add it to your TBR....here!

The Iron Warrior

The Iron Warrior
Rating: 5/5 
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of NetGalley 

The Iron Prince—my nephew—betrayed us all.

He killed me.

Then, I woke up.

Waking after a month on the brink of death, Ethan Chase is stunned to learn that the Veil that conceals the fey from human sight was temporarily torn away. Although humankind's glimpse of the world of Faery lasted just a brief moment, the human world has been cast into chaos, and the emotion and glamour produced by fear and wonder has renewed the tremendous power of the Forgotten Queen. Now, she is at the forefront of an uprising against the courts of Summer and Winter—a reckoning that will have cataclysmic effects on the Nevernever.

Leading the Lady's Forgotten Army is Keirran himself: Ethan's nephew, and the traitor son of the Iron Queen, Meghan Chase.To stop Keirran, Ethan must disobey his sister once again as he and his girlfriend, Kenzie, search for answers long forgotten. In the face of unprecedented evil and unfathomable power, Ethan's enemies must become his allies, and the world of the fey will be changed forevermore. 

I have waited SOOOOO long for this, it feels like years, it may have been, I lost all sense of time waiting for this book! Although I did comfort myself with the Talon books so I can't really complain! I remember how things where left off, how could I not after that ending!? So I eagerly started reading, and I was immediately sucked back in to the world and the story as if I'd never been away. I was immediately pulled in and glued to the page, reading as fast as I could. I managed to read it in one sitting, and ya know, I started out kind calm. Excited, but calm. But as the story thundered towards the conclusion, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen and how it could all be resolved. I should have more faith in Julie Kagawa by now to be honest, but I was still getting nervous looking at the % left. 

I can't remember what I said about the second book and the characters, but in this book, it has to be said....I really wanted to smack Kierran one. Badly. I know he has his reasons and everything, and he's Meghan and Ash's son so I should love him, and I did like him back in the first book but by the time this book has rolled round...I'm like "NO BAD KIERRAN, I DON'T LIKE YOU ANYMORE" he's a little bit of an evil douche, and I did wonder at points towards the end if he could be stopped, if he could be saved. As I was reading, all his reasons came flooding back and I was like "okay.....there are other ways....but okay". So yeah, Kierran, I spent a lot of the book disliking him and then at the end I actually felt sorry for him because I was like "that's not really fair but he was kinda evil for a while". 

It's like Kierrans romance, in the beginning I was like "aww", by the time this book rolls around I'm kinda like "I'm not sure I like you" about Annwyl, because ya know....it is kind of all her fault! Sorry guys, but Ash and Meghan will forever be my favourite and Ethan will forever be the kid from the Iron Fey trilogy. I'm so protective of my little precious's, and I'm like "HELL NO" at everything going on in the book. So, with that in mind, with their romance I'm kinda like, well....I prefer Ethan and Kenzie's really. That being said....I was not expecting the ending to their romance that there was, and I was like "NOOOOO" because as annoyed at the two of them as I was, I was just not expecting it. So yes. Well done Kagawa for shredding my feels. What a scene. 

The world Kagawa has created is truly magical, and it really springs to life as you read. Not just the Fey realms either, but the human world as well, when we see it briefly. After reading all of the books, going back in to the world was like going home. Everything was familiar, but at the same time it was a little bit bitter sweet because it's the last book and the last time you'll be in the world. We completely got to back to Tir Na Nog and I loved that, but we didn't get to see much of it! The Forgotten's "realm" as such, was suitably creepy and dark. Each of the realms has it's own atmosphere and it's one you can really feel, which helps to bring it to life and I just want to live in the world of the Fey that Kagawa has created, forever! 

We also venture in to a certain area of the Fey realm and it has to be said...I loved the incredibly creepy carnival and I laughed way too hard at Kenzie being all "The bearded lady" in distress. I found that scene hilarious as well as creepy, I'm not sure if I was supposed to find it funny but I did, and it was definitely really creepy. I might have second thoughts about going near one in the future. 

I just really love Kagawa's take on Fey, particularly the Iron fey as well as the Forgotten. Razor is my fave, and there where was a completely heart stopping moment regarding him and I was like "NO MY FEELS". I just can't get over all the Iron Fey, let alone the other Fey. I love reading all about them and I will never not go on about them for ages, so I'm trying to keep it concise now. I've got to say, you get to see a certain part of the Fey realm that was exciting and....interesting, shall we say. 

Kagawa writes truly excellent female characters as well as male. They're always strong, don't back down and courageous and Kenzie just continues to completely slay and be utterly awesome. She's one of my favourites, alongside Meghan herself. I love all the Meghan and Ash scenes but it's so strange reading about them as parents at the same time, because not long ago I was reading all about them in their own story! Anyways, I truly love Kenzie as much as I love Ethan, and I'm so onboard their ship! I've loved watching the pair of them develop over the course of the book, Ethan has truly changed and it's been great to watch. The romance developed so perfectly as well. 

We see lots of old faces in the book, Puck....I freaking love Puck, not going to lie, he makes me chuckle to another degree! We saaaaawwww Thin Man and Grimalkin, and Leanansidhe! I actually really felt sorry for her, I've got to say, but then she showed up and went full badass joining Ash and Puck and being all "dire last stand" and I seriously loved her a little bit more. She's always been a favourite of mine, even if she shouldn't have been, cos of the whole trapping people things. She makes me laugh and I'd always wanted to know more about her, so getting to see her go full badass was kind of awesome. 

There are some truly epic fights in this book, and I love reading them because I feel like I'm there with them. If only I was that badass though! They really grip you and have you on the edge of your seat and I love it when ones thrown in because they're always well written and, I'm assuming, correct. I wouldn't know because I'm not, ya know.....a badass fighter! Speaking of badass...I just HAVE to mention Mab. She was super scary in the other books but there's a moment in this book that makes me completely love her because she's basically all "NOT MY GRANDSON YOU BITCH"/ "Not today bitch" and I'm like " OMG MAB YES!!!!". I now firmly love Mab. 

So, the plot comes to it's epic conclusion, after many twists and turns that had me freaking out. Julie Kagawa writes what I like to call "throw across the room in a  feels meltdown" books. My feels are shattered every time I read one of her books, because of what she does to her characters! This was no exception. I was so close to throwing the book more than once! Especially with some of the plot twists, I really did not see the majority of them coming and kinda just had to roll with it. This being the last book, it was even more emotional to be honest! 

The plot is wrapped up perfectly. Seriously, the ending is freaking perfect and when I read the last bit I was squealing "aaaaawwwwww" and kicking my legs about for no reason at all! I'm so sad to see the series come to an end, but it's been one hell of a ride. As much as I loved this final book, it made me so sad because I wanted to keep reading the Fey series forever, and stay in the world with the characters forever. To be perfectly, 100% honest, this book had a completely perfect ending. I kinda just sat there staring at the last page of the book thinking about the whole thing and basking in the perfectness, as well as the feels that it's all over. I think fans will be pleased, much like I was. As much as they wish Kagawa would keep writing Iron Fey books! I'm now rambling in an attempt to keep the magic of the books going, even though they've finished so I'll stop now and repeat....this book is awesome. It's the perfect ending to a fantastic series. Get on it! 

Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon

Sherlock Holmes and the Necronomicon
Rating: 3/5
Buy or Borrow: Borrow
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Following his encounter with the vampire Selymes, Sherlock Holmes embarks on an Arctic expedition under the assumed name of Thomas Sigerson. During his excursion, the great detective uncovers strange and dark forces at work, and only learns that some mysteries are best left unsolved!

As the GoodReads synopsis says...Sherlock Holmes does indeed meet H.P. Lovecraft in this Holmes story. The artwork for this particular graphic novel was very well done, not at all cartoony, very dark and realistic, as well as detailed. The setting of Victorian London was beautifully created and very authentic! It's actually the art giving it a high rating and I was tempted to give it four for the art alone. 

The dialogue added to the authentic feel of the setting and the narrative was all very straight forward, I didn't really have a problem with it. I was expecting the supernatural elements to the story when I received the novel to review, and I was most intrigued as to how they would be worked in to a Holmes story. I have to say, it was very well done and I actually enjoyed the blend of Victorian England being so authentic with Holmes and all the supernatural goings on. There was no Watson however?! No Watson in a Holmes story?! What was going on with that? Perhaps I missed something, as I've realised this is a follow on from a previous Holmes story. 

Anyway, everything comes together very well and the plot was good. I've given it three stars however because I just didn't find myself engrossed in it or glued to the page. My mind was wandering as I was reading and I found myself focusing more on the artwork rather than the words, and I did find myself a bit bored once or twice, which is a shame because I did enjoy the blend the novel had going on as I said. I'm not really sure what it was either? Perhaps it was the dialogue and the phrasing, perhaps I thought the pace was a little bit slow, it could have been any number of things but it was just disappointing considering how fantastic the artwork was and how much I enjoyed the addition of the supernatural. 

Dangerous Days In Ancient Egypt

Dangerous Days In Ancient Egypt
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher! 

Think that Ancient Egypt is just a load of old obelisks? Don't bet your afterlife on it. 
Ancient Egypt should be deader than most of our yesterdays. After all it was at its height 5,000 years ago. Yet we still marvel at its mummies and under over its pyramids. It's easy to forget these people once lived and laughed, loved and breathed...though not for very long. 

These where dangerous days for princes and peasants alike. In Ancient Egypt- a world of wars and woes, poverty and plagues- life was short. Forty was a good age to reach. A pharaoh who was eaten by a hippo ended up as dead as a ditch-digger stung by a scorpion. Unwrap the bandages and you'll find that the Egyptians' bizarre adventures in life were every bit as fascinating as the monuments they left to their deaths. 

As a child, I was, much as I am today, obsessed with history. What was a child obsessed with history to read?! Horrible Histories. Even as a child I didn't read the kind of history books I read today, namely thick books with tiny type, or actual text books just for the fun of it. I had quite the collection of Horrible Histories books, as well as the Science and Geography ones, I used to read them yeah, but I also used to use them to help me with homework or in the case of Science, just plain understand what the hell I was being taught. Science was not a strong point of mine, to be honest. I'm actually quite sad that I ended up taking them all to the charity shop a few years ago, when I was a teenager and trying to make my room 'minimalistic'. It is not, nor will ever be that, but I didn't know that then. Anyway, off they went, and I do regret it. Perhaps one day I'll buy them all back. 

I'm now, supposedly, an 'adult'. It's like Terry Deary knows how much I miss the fun of Horrible Histories, because here he is with a book that, at least to me, seems a lot like Horrible Histories...for adults. This is the fourth book, I'm actually surprised I haven't stumbled across the others before and I'll be adding them to my list! 

Anyway, we all know I'm obsessed with Ancient Egypt above all other time periods, not really sure why, but whatever. So it's not really a surprise that this caught my eye. I have to say, while the book had a lot of things that I already knew....it also had a lot of things I didn't know. For instance, the day to day lives of the peasants of Ancient Egypt. The book contains a hell of a lot of information....but it's concise. There's no tiny font and endless pages. It's maximum information without being boring. 

There's Did You Know boxes, timelines, bullet points, lists, quotes and more as well as paragraphs of information. The book is divided in to different sections, and each is packed with little mini sections. Different rulers, different archaeologists and so on. There where actually some female archaeologists that I, shamefully, had no idea existed. 

Dangerous Days in Ancient Egypt is perfect if you want to know more about the time period without having to read endless pages. It's easy to read and easy to understand without being too dumbed down. It's amusing and makes you chuckle every so often. It was brilliantly written to be honest, the same tone as Horrible Histories from what I remember, almost chatty, some sarcasm, plenty of wit. There's even a bit about curses. We all love a good curse don't we? 

Seriously, I couldn't resist using a Mummy GIF anymore, be thankful I only used the one! 

Dangerous Days in Ancient Egypt is an informative, yet fun read, and has plenty of knowledge to share with you including a step by step guide to mummifying someone! There's even a grave robbers guide in case you fancy a change of career. This book brought me a good couple of hours of entertainment and it's great to have the format of Horrible Histories, but changed up for adults to read, Deary makes history fun and he always has, and not a lot of history books manage to do that, they're usually quite dry. I'm excited to see what period of history he will cover next! 

If you want to pick up the other books we have.....

-Dangerous Days In The Roman Empire
-Dangerous Days On The Victorian Railways 
-Dangerous Days In Elizabethan England

The Roman one has a freaking Carry On quote on the back and I laughed for way longer than I should have! I'll definitely be getting around to picking these up, and I really think you all should too!