Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward-- Review of Books 1-3

Reviews of Books 1-3 in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series by J.R. Ward

I only started these books late last week, but I have been flying through them. Currently, I am on the fourth book Lover Revealed and I am honestly using these books as motivation to get my work done. The holidays were nice because I could binge-read, but now I'm letting myself read a little bit once an hour or a bit after each section of work. Because of that though, I have not been writing full reviews for these books and I don't want to go back and do it either. I also don't want to just not write about them though because they are GREAT!

Dark Lover (Wrath and Beth)
Jumping into this book, I was really worried that it would be a cheesy vampire romance, but while it is a vampire romance, it is not cheesy at all. This first book was a great gateway into the series. It establishes the main cast (from what I've read so far at least) and it sets up a strong foundation for the world that Ward has created. Wrath definitely creeped me out at first, but then as things were explained more and more about the world it all started to make sense and I love that Wrath and Beth are together.


Lover Eternal (Rhage and Mary)
This book was better than the first. I was slightly hesitant about it at first because I had just fallen in love with Wrath and Beth and I knew they weren't going to be the stars of this book, but I really really enjoyed this one. The characters, because they were already established, got to be so much more rounded in this book and I loved the way that Mary was able to stay with Rhage. It was also just great to watch Rhage change and develop as a person. The best part of this book though was how it all resolved itself and seeing the Scribe Virgin allow the two of them to be together.


Lover Awakened (Zsadist and Bella)
Of the three that I have read so far, this one was the best. Zsadist terrified me in the first two books. It was good that there was some preparation for this ship in the previous book because otherwise not only would it not have made sense, but it would have been a rough introduction to the ship. As the book went along though, I rapidly began to hope that they would be together and my heart broke for Z more and more. The way that these two work around each other is both amazing to read because they are great together, but also frustrating because I feel like their communication with each other needs to be forced out at the last possible minute. *Sighs heavily* Anyway, I am really looking forward to how they interact with each other and others in the upcoming books. ALSO, THEY HAVE A YOUNG!!! I can't wait to see Z and the Brotherhood interact with that baby and be super protective of her.

Of these ships so far, I think my favorite is... Rhage and Mary. I love all of them, and I am really looking forward to seeing them more in the future books. Rhage and Mary though I think are my top ship as of right now- but only marginally. Zsadist and Bella are right there with them.

I'm curious to see where the rest of the books go because there are only so many brothers in the Brotherhood. Right now, I'm reading Butch's story, which I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. But then after that? After all the brothers have mates? Ward has been doing a good job of introducing new characters, so I guess some of the books will cover them... it will be interesting though I think. (Please don't spoil me! I'm looking forward to just reading them as they come.) I think I may have given all of these books 5 stars on Goodreads, but from best to worst I would rank them as: Lover Awakened, Lover Eternal, then Dark Lover. But seriously, they're all amazing.

Thanks for reading!

My Bookish Christmas List

My Bookish Wish List

This may or may not be the best time of the year to get a bunch of shopping done with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, holiday deals, etc., etc.... so I'm just going to leave this list here of what bookish and nerdy things I know that I would like and I'm going to recommend some general ones as well. Honestly, there's a very good chance that I will buy at least one of these things myself. Also, any of the images will have links in their descriptions in case anyone is curious and wants to buy it.

My Wish List

Jane Austen mug

1) Books. Pfff- who would've thought? For real though here's a quick list of titles that I'm interested in: Every Note Played by Lisa Genova, Circe by Madeline Miller, From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata, The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Consumed by J.R. Ward, The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristen Harmel. There are a lot more, but I'll leave it at this for now.

2) A Jane Austen mug. This may be overly common, but I love Jane Austen's books and these mugs are completely adorable and I would use mine for everything from oatmeal to coffee.


3) A book print dress (or scarf) with really almost pages from any book. I just think these are both so beautiful and so perfect for personality.

Book Print Scarf

4) Floating bookshelves. With all the books I already have and the ones I want to get there is no shelf space left for me. I really need to go through my books and donate some of them, but I also just really like how floating shelves look. There are a couple of spots where I think they would look good, plus I'm out of floor space so there's also no other option.

5) Character candles. I. Am. Obsessed. I have yet to find a company that I don't like. But I also am just generally in love with the smells associated with the Night Court and Rhys from the series A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and luckily nearly every company I've come across has seemed to have some sort of candle related to that. The more the merrier I say.

My Bookish Recommendations List

Library socks

1) Start with my favorite books. I truly love these and would highly recommend them. Here's my Goodreads shelf because there's too many to list.

2) Library socks. Personally, I lose socks like other people lose pennies. I stopped trying to wear matching socks years ago, so this gift probably wouldn't be the best for me, but they are super cute and I wish I didn't lose socks so that I could wear these.

3) Bookends-- really any kind will do. Maybe get some personalized ones or really interesting ones, because eventually you put books on top of the shelves and you need something to stop them from falling.

Jamie Fraser pillow

4) Throw pillows. A lot of people really love these things, either for use or for decoration, and there are PLENTY of great bookish throw pillows out there. There are some that even look like book characters!

5) Tea and mug combo set. Just set someone up for a cozy reading session. They'll have the book (or you could get one) and you'll provide the nourishment. They'll be all set to cuddle up and read and relax.

Best of luck if you're looking for gifts this weekend and I hope you find what you're looking for!

Thanks for reading!

The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork Review

The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork

4.56 out of 5 Stars

***I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

In this retelling of The Nutcracker we get to see so much more of the story that Heather Dixon Wallwork has spun around the original. Clara Stahlbaum is a pianist that hopes to catch the attention of her famous male counterpart Johann Kahler through her performance at a Christmas concert. The night before however, on Christmas Eve, she is transported into the land of Imperia where she encounters magic, evil rats, and a prince-turned-toy Nutcracker. It was delightful fun to read and perfect for the holiday season.

SPOILERS BELOW

PLOT: 
I really enjoyed the plot. I knew going into it that it was essentially going to be like the original story/ballet, so it was already attention-grabbing to me. I really appreciated though the different twists that Dixon Wallwork took on this story. The added depth to the characters- understanding the backgrounds of why they are they way they are- really added to the connection to what was happening. Even knowing (sort of) what was coming, I was still curios and itching to keep turning the pages. The element that really did it for me though was the Pied-Piper-esque dynamic that Erik brought with him. It was super creepy in the best way to see him turn the children into toys and hear his rationale as to why it was okay. This retelling was a perfectly even balance of unique original story and classic elements from the first story.

CHARACTERS:
Clara-- Being completely honest, Clara annoyed me to no end for the longest time with her obsession with Johann. Maybe I'm a bit too much like Nikolai in personality, but I was on his [Nikolai's] side the whole time... what Clara had was painstakingly obviously not love and was actually completely made up. When she finally got it through her head that she was illuding herself it was one of the best moments of the book to me. Because that also gave room for her to realize how she felt about Nikolai so it was a win-win situation. Outside of her love life, it was slightly frustrating to she her doubt herself in her musical capabilities, but at the same time it made sense for her character and development.

Nikolai (Nutcracker)-- I felt so bad for Nikolai from the beginning. It took me awhile to catch on that the General really was just looking out for him, but I still just felt so bad for him. He was a little too doe-eyed toward everything, but it was made up though by his compassion for everything as well and his ability to lead.

Erik-- Of course the antagonist is the creepiest character, but as I mentioned earlier, it was really creepy to hear Erik's reasoning as to why what he was doing was okay. It helped a lot to have his back story in there, which I really appreciated. He was still super disconcerting but in a good literary way.

Zizi and Alexei-- These two were both really great side characters. I just wanted to quickly point out how cute I think they are and I love that there were there.

Johann-- I'm not even sure if Johann really is a character worth mentioning. He doesn't have many acting moments in the book and the ones that are there show that he is a bit awful and petty. Really, the only thing that I liked about this character is that it gave Clara's character depth.

WRITING:
I love this writing. There's something about it that's just so narrative if that makes any sense? I feel like this is a story you could read out loud to a child and be able to solidly hold their attention. By the way, while this is listed as young adult, I seriously think a middle-grade reader could read this as well. Back to the writing- the story just knits together so nicely without being overwhelming or confusing, yet is engaging at the same time. Lastly, I love the title of the book. I really think it's a great fit.

Dixon Wallwork is able to completely capture the story not just in words but the sensation of the music she describes. I have never before read a work where music is incorporated so seamlessly into the narrative. What's truly great about it is that it carries the essence of the music in the story inside the words of the plot and the descriptions of the music. You don't need to know music to feel the sensation she describes. The Enchanted Sonata is itself an enchanting piece of art.

Thanks for reading!

Spoiler Free Review: The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork

The Enchanted Sonata by Heather Dixon Wallwork

4.56 of 5 stars

Spoiler Free Review 

***I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!***

In this retelling of The Nutcracker we get to see so much more of the story that Heather Dixon Wallwork has spun around the original. Clara Stahlbaum is a pianist that hopes to catch the attention of her famous male counterpart Johann Kahler through her performance at a Christmas concert. The night before however, on Christmas Eve, she is transported into the land of Imperia where she encounters magic, evil rats, and a prince-turned-toy Nutcracker. It was delightful fun to read and perfect for the holiday season.

Dixon Wallwork is able to completely capture the story not just in words but the sensation of the music she describes. I have never before read a work where music is incorporated so seamlessly into the narrative. What's truly great about it is that it carries the essence of the music in the story inside the words of the plot and the descriptions of the music. You don't need to know music to feel the sensation she describes. The Enchanted Sonata is itself an enchanting piece of art.

Full review to come tomorrow!

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Popular (YA) Books I Haven't Read

Popular (YA) Books I Haven't Read

I read a great deal of books. I always have, I pray to God I always will. I especially read a lot of Young Adult books. Yet, there are so many books and series that are widely known across the bookish community- and outside of it- that I have not read yet. For whatever reason, interest wasn't piqued, not willing to spend money on it, just haven't gotten to it yet, there is a good chunk of popular books that I just haven't gotten to.

Here are just a few:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancy

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Sabriel by Garth Nix

Anything Sarah Dessen has ever written

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Bloodlines by Richelle Mead

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli


THESE ARE JUST A FEW!!

I swear some of these have been on my TBR for so long it is literally a shame to myself that I have not read them yet. Of course, for many of them that will change one day. Hopefully. :)


Thanks for reading!

24 Hour Work-A-Thon

24 Hour Work-A-Thon

The last time I did something similar to this was a 12 Hour Reading Challenge where I read 540 pages read in 12 hours.

This was not quite the same and I am not too thrilled with how much "work" I actually got done.


Here are the totals:
Books read: 1.6
Pages read: 569ish (maybe closer to 600?)
Words written/edited: 3,112

I also managed to get a workout in, which I was really happy with, but that doesn't really count for bookish work getting done. I think I also did some blogging stuff, but nothing new was written, just published or promo-ed on social media, so again, doesn't count.

Starting off strong, I finished off Throne of Glass and went right into listening to the audiobook of The Call by Peadar Ó Guilín while I cleaned up in my room. Quick side note: this audiobook is why I'm not entirely sure about my pages read count. I was only able to finish around three chapters before my room was clean and I didn't want to just lie on my bed listening to a book. At this point, I picked up Crown of Midnight and started in on that one. If you're wondering why so much ToG, it's all part of my plan to prepare for Kingdom of Ash. I'm hoping to have the series reread by the time I go back to school. That's the plan, anyway. Who knows if it will actually happen.


Anyway, it was somewhere in the middle of CoM that I fell asleep for the first time. I woke up, completely foggy, and needed to like take a lap around my house to wake myself back up. It was after this that I sat down and wrote out and edited (rough edits) a short story. If it ever publishes, I'll link that here, but until then, I wrote it and I like it and if you think that doesn't count as work you can go eat a moldy pickle.


Seriously though, it took hours to write that little monster. Blogging and stream of conscious stuff I can crank out like nothing, but actually trying to communicate something with emotion and characters and fine-tuning it to get exactly what I want across if freaking hard. I applaud authors. Their job is hard.


After this was done though, I picked CoM back up. There's something about the second half of this book and all of the next book, Heir of Fire, that has a weird ability to really make me love reading but also fall into a really bad funk. It was after finishing CoM that I really fell asleep. It was like my mind quit and succumbed to a deep delusional fangirl slumber. I worked out when I woke back up and then by the time I got home the 24 hours were up and that was that!

Thanks for reading!

Prepping for Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

THERE ARE 87 DAYS UNTIL KINGDOM OF ASH COMES OUT!!!

We are less than three months away from the final Throne of Glass book! I don't know if my heart's going to make it, I really don't. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about... ohhhhh my God. Where have You BEEN AND WhaT ArE yOU DoiNG REadInG THiS?!?!?!! YES! Shouty capital and crazy letters! Here, I'll even link the first book's Goodreads page here so you can check it out. Stop reading this! You have more important things to be doing!

Here's also a quick little blurby thing from Goodreads:

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . . As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

That out of the way, for those of us who have read the series, there's a lot of work to do to prepare. Emotionally, I think I'm going to be screwed no matter what. Oh my wryd, ROWAELIN IS MY LIFE. There are other ships too that I can't stop thinking about, but Rowaelin is bae. Let's be honest, the end of Empire of Storms essentially put me into a coma I was so distraught.

On Pinterest (soure) it said "Credits to @meabhusd"

I had to stop that paragraph to steer away from a rant. Looking at Kingdom of Ash, it is currently set on Goodreads to have 992 pages. Ah. HELL. Yeah. The last two books in the series were large as well, but Tower of Dawn had 664 pages and Empire of Storms had 693 pages. To date, the largest published Sarah J. Maas book is A Court of Wings and Ruin (go read this series too if you haven't) with 699 pages. THERE ARE TWO HUNDRED MORE PAGES TO THIS ONE.

I can't even begin to fathom the number of tears and laughs and epicness and smut and badassery and such that will be within these pages. My brain can't compute it. I actually don't even think I've ever read a book this long. ***I just checked. I technically have because Voyager by Diana Gabaldon is 1059 pages, but that's mass market paperback, so I don't think it really counts like this. The largest full-sized novel I have read is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at 870 pages. So yeah, it's going to be the largest book I've ever read. (Swoons)***

From: Pinterest/Deviantart @mariana-vieira

To prepare for this finale to a much-loved series, there are a couple of things I need to do.

Firstly, I am rereading the series. Seems basic, but I'm going back to school in like a month, so I have to make sure to stay on top of this shit. It may not actually prove to be too hard though because I am obsessed with this series. But, it still needs to and will happen. I only have two posts reviewing this series. One is for Empire of Storms, and the other a modge-podge review of Assassin's Blade through Queen of Shadows. Feel free to skim through them though for reminders about what happened.

Second, I need to figure out how I am going to paint my nails. It may seem like it isn't important, but I love painting my nails and I have painted them for special releases in the past, so I need to do it again for this book now.

My defacement of "A Court of Mist and Fury"

Thirdly, and optionally, I'm going to draw out some defacement plans for the series. For those of you who do not follow me on Tumblr (@booksandtea12 in case you're curious), I have painted the hardcovers of books before. Gasp! What? Yes, I have painted on the covers underneath the jackets. But, it really is more like fan art because it is sort of like an alternative cover. As you can see in this image, it's just fun and I really like paying attention to the book and the series like this. Because I do it so carefully though, it takes a longggggg to finish. That's why this one is optional and may not even happen at all. At least, not before KoA comes out.

Also, I have this not-so-insane theory that Aelin is going to make the Cauldron for the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. You can check that out here. 

I hope you are all as excited for this book as I am and we can all experience this amazing book together when it comes out!! Also, I know I hyperlinked like a madwoman in this post, but I sincerely think these are only some of the posts that I have psychotically written about this series, so feel free to keep poking around the blog.

Thanks for reading!