Recommend A...Book That Lived Up To Your Expecations (4)

Recommend A... is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit. This week's is Recommend A...book that lived up to your expectations.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Sypnosis
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back.

Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.

Blood Red Road has a searing pace, a poetically minimal writing style, violent action, and an epic love story. Moira Young is one of the most promising and startling new voices in teen fiction. (Goodreads)

This book far exceeded my expectations. Everything about it was fantastic. Blood Red Road was a legit dystopia with cage fighting and slaves and giant man-eating worms. You need to check this book out! It has adventure, bands of warrior women, and even a little romance. Not to mention the heroine is a force to be reckoned with. Plus, the unique writing style makes the book all the more authentic. Rebel Heart just arrived, and I cannot wait to read it!

What book would you recommend this week?

Recommend A...Book With A Character That Plays A Sport (3)

Recommend A... is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit where you recommend a book based on a prompt. This week's is Recommend A...Book With A Character That Plays A Sport.

The Deep End of Fear by Elizabeth Chandler

Twelve years ago Kate's family left the Westbrook estate on a stormy night, just after young Ashley Westbrook drowned in an icy pond. Now Kate, alone in the world, has returned to the estate to tutor another spoiled Westbrook child, Patrick. The seven-year-old says he talks to Ashley by the pond. He does dangerous, deadly things because, he says, "Ashley dared me to." Just as Ashley once dared a shy, little Kate twelve years ago.

But at seventeen Kate is not so easily intimidated by "Ashley" or hostile members of her family or the forbidding housekeeper. Then Sam, the handsome stranger to whom Kate is irresistibly drawn, reveals a tragic piece of the puzzle that connects him to Kate. Sam tells Kate to leave -- either out of concern for her or due to a festering anger, she's not sure. But Kate will not abandon Patrick to the evil that is haunting him and threatens to destroy them all. (Goodreads)

This book is old school. This is the fourth book in the Dark Secrets series, but they are companion novels and don't need to be read in a certain order. Each novel has a different mystery and different characters, but all four take place in the same town. My favorite is probably the first, Legacy of Lies, but they are all great, fast reads. I reread this series SO MANY times in high school. Just countless times. I loved the creepy feel, the suspense, and the romances were always really sweet. They were my guilty pleasure. Plus, Sam plays ice hockey in this book. Probably one of the few books I've read where a character plays a sport. I'm horrible when it comes to sports. As in I'm a danger to everyone. So, I try to avoid reading books about sports. It can be traumatic. 

What's your Recommend A? 

Happy reading, 

Courtney

Recommend A...Book With A Blue Cover (2)

Recommend A is a weekly meme hosted by Chick Loves Lit where you recommend a book following a specific prompt. This week's is Recommend A...Book with A Blue Cover. 

Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle

Arriving in the English countryside to live with her mother and new stepfather, Jenny has no interest in her surroundings, until she meets Tamsin. Since her death over 300 years ago, Tamsin has haunted the lonely estate without rest, trapped by a hidden trauma she can't remember, and a powerful evil even the spirits of night cannot name. To help her, Jenny must delve deeper into the dark world than any human has in hundreds of years, and face danger that will change her life forever. . . 

From the writer of The Last Unicorn, Tamsin is a fantastic read for people of all ages. I loved how the English countryside took on an otherworldly feel with the Wild Hunt and the Black Dog. Folktales came to life in this wonderful story. I read this years ago, and I still remember it well because I enjoyed it so much. 

What's your Recommend A...?

Happy reading,

Courtney

Recommend A...Book You Read This Year (1)

The blog Chick Loves Lit now hosts a weekly meme for bloggers called Recommend A... This week's is Recommend A...Book You Read This Year.

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

I read this book during my senior year at college because my good friend, who I trust with fantasy recommendations, insisted that I read it. I am so disappointed that I hadn't read it before. Despite all of my college work, I sped through this book and was a little antisocial while I read it.

The son of the Captain of the Guard, Finn is told at the age of nine that he will have to sacrifice a pound of flesh in order to save his kingdom of Lumatere. He stands on the rock of three wonders and mixes his blood with his friend Prince Balthazar and Balthazar's cousin Lucian to protect Lumatere. But shortly after, the peace of Lumatere is ruined during the five days of the unspeakable when the royal family is brutally murdered in the palace. An intruder seizes the throne and The Forest Dwellers are blamed and burnt at the stake. Their leader curses Lumatere by trapping all those that remain inside while Lumaterans outside the walls are forced to remain exiles that die in fever camps. The curser proclaims that the curse will not end until the rightful heir returns. Ten years later, outside Lumatere, Finn is told to go to another rock to meet the novice Evanjalin. She claims that Prince Balthazar, the rightful heir to the Lumatere throne, is still alive and that she can lead Finn and his mentor, Sir Topher, to the prince. But Evanjalin carries secrets and Finn doesn't know if there's any hope for a united Lumatere. Yet he follows her, discovering there may be more to him and his destiny than he ever knew.

This book is definitely a worthwhile read. Marchetta is a wonderful storyteller, and I enjoyed hearing about the gods and the different kingdoms. The world she builds is exciting and rich with political intrigue, and the reader gets to explore this world as the main characters travel on their journey across several kingdoms. We learn so much about the alliances and relations between the different kingdoms and we also hear the sad story of the Lumateran exiles hanging on by a thread. Plus, the characters are pretty awesome. I especially loved Finn and Evanjalin. They are two strong leads for this story, and Marchetta smoothly shifts from one POV to another, allowing the reader into the thoughts of different characters. This is recommended for anyone who loves young adult, fantasy, or just a good read.

Happy reading,

Courtney