Friday, October 28, 2016

Edgar Allan Poe: An Adult Coloring Book by Odessa Begay


Synopsis:
Dive into the macabre, mysterious world of Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling tales with popular coloring book artist Odessa Begay (Little Birds). Inspired by Poe’s beloved stories, Begay has created images that reference settings, motifs, and details that fans will recognize.
(Synopsis taken from Amazon).

My Thoughts:

If you've been in a bookstore, grocery store, or anywhere that sells books/magazines, you've probably seen an adult coloring book. They are everywhere you turn. Everyone around the world is obsessed with them, including me. When Sterling publishing asked me to review the Edgar Allan Poe adult coloring book, I jumped at the chance. It has become one of my favorite adult coloring books.

I have always loved Edgar Allan Poe's short stories and poems. I read The Raven as a kid, and ever since I have been hooked. I think I have read everything he's written. Having the power to bring his works to life through the adult coloring book was a dream come true. The coloring book used quotes from some of his books, including my favorites, Black Cat, and The Raven, with beautiful pictures that bring the story to life.

Most of the pictures are really intricate, and take quite some time to color, which I like. It makes the book last longer. As for the pages themselves, they are thick, high quality pages. I wouldn't hesitate to color them with fine line markers. In fact, I recommend it because colored pencils leave a weird texture from being so light. I tried colored pencils, markers, and watercolor. I enjoyed the fine line markers the best. I almost wish it would have said that on the book before I started coloring, because the first picture I colored didn't look professional.

I greatly enjoyed the Edgar Allan Pie coloring book. It was high quality, and will last a while, which is important to me when buying adult coloring books. I hope Sterling Publishing makes more adult coloring books featuring other authors. I think a Jane Austen, or Charles Dickens coloring book would be an amazing idea. I definitely recommend this book to everyone and anyone interested in trying out an adult coloring book.

I give Edgar Allan Poe: An Adult Coloring Book: 5/5.


Want to know know more about the author?

Website: http://www.odessabegay.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odessa.design/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/odessabegay
Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/odessabegay/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odessabegay/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/odessabegay

I received this adult coloring book from the publisher, Sterling Publishing, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Monday, October 3, 2016

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas


Synopsis:
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

(Synopsis taken from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
Throne of Glass was one of my favorite books that I read this year. As soon as I finished it, I had to start the second book in the series, Crown of Midnight, immediately. I became very anxious to read it, even though I hadn't heard positive things about it. After reading it, I have to say that I don't know what everyone was giving it a negative review for. I loved it just as much as Throne of Glass, if not more so. 

Crown of Midnight starts off as an action packed thrill ride, and only gets more exciting from there. As the book went on, I found myself wanting to read more and more, and getting upset when I had to put it down. There are so many things that happened in it that I wasn't expecting. Most of the book took me by surprise, especially a main character death that had me sobbing like nothing would ever be okay again. It made me feel like the death happened to one of my friends, instead of a fictional character that didn't even exist. That's how you can tell that a book is good. It leaves you gasping, crying, laughing, cheering, and just generally freaking out and wanting more. When Celeana was in the tomb, I was literally having a panic attack and yelling and screaming at my Kindle. It was one of those things where I wanted to look away because I knew what was going to happen, and it filled me with anxiety, but at the same time, I needed to know if I was right. 

If I thought I liked the characters in the first book, I fell in love with them in the second book. I got to see so many new sides to all of my favorite characters, and meet some new characters. I have to admit, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the new characters. Even though they were introduced, the reader doesn't get to know them very well, because they don't show up a lot. I hope that changes in the future books. I want to know more about them, especially Roland. There's a mystery that surrounds him that intrigues me. 

I loved Crown of Midnight so much. I would say that its my favorite book of 2016, but I think at this point, I should just label the whole series as my favorite books of 2016 because I have a feeling my favorite book while switch as I continue on with the series. The ending left off on a crazy cliffhanger, so I'll be picking up the next book in the series immediately, Heir of Fire, to find out what happens. I recommend this book to everyone who loved Throne of Glass. You should definitely ignore all of the negative reviews, and check it out for yourself.


I give Crown of Midnight: 5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://sarahjmaas.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THRONEOFGLASS
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SJMaas
Pintrest: https://www.pinterest.com/sarahjmaas/
Tumblr: http://sjmaas.tumblr.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/therealsjmaas/

I received this ebook from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Fugitive X by Gregg Rosenblum


Synopsis:
Their fight for freedom is humanity's last hope for survival. The chilling Revolution 19 trilogy continues in Fugitive X.

A war between humans and robots is on the horizon, and only one side will survive.

Siblings Nick, Kevin, and Cass are struggling to survive in a world where deadly, sophisticated robots have turned on their creators and enslaved mankind. Fugitives from one of the bot-controlled Cities, the siblings venture into the woods, but when they are attacked by bot foot soldiers, the siblings are separated...and for the first time, they are on their own.
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:
I read an ARC of Revolution 19 quite some time ago. It was one of my favorite books of 2013. Even though it's been several years since I've read Revolution 19, I wanted to continue with the series, so I picked up Fugitive X. I didn't enjoy it as much as Revolution 19, but it was still good. I didn't find this book as action packed as the first one, which made it boring at times. There was a lot of dialogue and politics going on, which I didn't enjoy nearly as much.

It had been quite a long time since I read Revolution 19, but I didn't find Fugitive X confusing at all. Fugitive X gives the reader reminders of what happened all throughout the book, which I found very helpful. It made my reading time a lot easier, and more enjoyable. 

That being said, the book did have it's good points. I got to revisit some of my favorite characters, and continue their story lines. Cass turned into a complete bad ass, which I loved. I think throughout this book, she became my favorite character in the series.

While I didn't like everything in Fugitive X, I did think that it was a good sequel. I love the scifi/dystopian world that Gregg Rosenblum had created. I'm excited to read City 1, the final book in the trilogy, to see how everything wraps up.

I give Fugitive X: 3.5/5.

Want to know more about the author?
Website: http://alloyentertainment.com/authors/gregg-rosenblum/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gregg-Rosenblum-author-503611676339567/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GreggRosenblum
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5838087.Gregg_Rosenblum

I received this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

The Last Good Knight III: The Games Destiny Plays by Tiffany Reisz


Synopsis:
Shocked to see Nora's bruises, Lance is furious that she put herself in danger and demands to know where she got them. As Nora confesses her true nature, she's equally shocked to learn that Lance has some secrets of his own, drawing them together despite Kingsley's orders…. 
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

I just found out about Tiffany Reisz's books last year when I started The Last Good Knight series. I'm kind of ashamed to admit that it's taken me this long, due to my crazy busy schedule, but I finally finished the third book in the series, The Games Destiny Plays. I think it might be my favorite book in the series. I regret not reading it sooner, since I've had it for a while. I think Tiffany Reisz is becoming one of my favorite authors. I've only read the first three books in this series by her, but based on that, she's definitely in my top ten.

This book in the series was fantastic, yet infuriating at the same time. It answered a lot of my questions, but left a whole heck of a lot more unanswered. It also gave me new questions to ponder over. I really did enjoy that we got to see more of Nora and Soren's relationship. I really hope that the other books in the series delve into that more because I'd enjoy watching it evolve (The Siren might show it too. Not sure, I haven't read it). 

Tiffany Reisz writes short stories in such a compelling way that just draws the reader in. I can't wait to finish the rest of The Last Good Knight series, which I plan on doing tonight. I recommend this for any fans of the Original Sinners series, although it's not required to read that first.

I give The Games Destiny Plays: 4/5.

Want to know more about the author?

Website: http://www.tiffanyreisz.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleredridingcrop/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tiffanyreisz
Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/tiffanyreisz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/8thcirclepress/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4480131.Tiffany_Reisz

I received this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. I was in no way compensated for this review.