Stacking the Shelves [304]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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As always, I have a couple of books to tease you with. My full stack is, also as always, over at Reading Reality.

I have three books for you today, for three different reasons. One because I love the series, one because I can't believe that publishers are posting egalleys for books that are not due to be published until next year, and one because it's just so pretty. I try not to judge books by their covers, but this one is simply gorgeous.

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly

The story for this one, while not exactly original, certainly sounds interesting. But what I really can't believe is that this book won't be published until January, 2019.

The Privilege of Peace by Tanya Huff

This one is from my previous week's stack, but I can't resist sharing it because I love this series so much. If you like military or quasi-military SF with terrific kickass heroines, you have to meet Gunnery Sergeant Torin Kerr of the United Space Force Marines. She's marvelous, and so is her epic story.

Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose

The cover is utterly gorgeous. The book looks like lovely historical fiction, but I fell in love with the cover and couldn't resist picking up the book. I wonder how many other people are going to grab this one for the cover alone, because it's just so, so beautiful.

We do judge books by their covers sometimes after all.

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

Stacking the Shelves [303]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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It's been awhile! I've been reading, but I've been very slow due to the illness of late winter/early spring. Here's what has been moving over my shelves the last few weeks...

The Diviners by Libba Bray
Last month's teen book club title. Previously read.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Recently completed. Review coming soon.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Recently completed. Review coming soon.

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Recently completed. I needed an easy, light, "I don't have to review this" read.

Ms. Marvel, Vol 7: Damage Per Second by G. Willow Wilson

Recently completed. Finally catching up on my favorite graphic novel series!

Ms. Marvel, Vol 8: Mecca by G. Willow Wilson

Recently completed.

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

Recently completed.

Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton

Recently completed. Review coming soon.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Andersen

Recently completed for April's teen book club.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Recently completed. 

13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don't Do by Amy Morin

Currently reading.

Don't forget to share what you've been reading too in the link below!

Stacking the Shelves [302]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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This was just one of those weeks where the stack over at Reading Reality turned out to be ginormous. Some weeks are like that. And if you're wondering how on Earth I'm going to get around to them all, so am I. But needs must. Eventually.

As always, there are a couple of books that I really want to highlight here. I can never resist another book by Beatriz Williams after her marvelous A Certain Age. I really enjoy my visits to Butternut Lake with Mary McNear. And I just couldn't resist the description of Space Unicorn Blues.

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White

The Secrets We Carried by Mary McNear

Space Unicorn Blues by T. J. Berry

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

Stacking the Shelves [301]

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

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My complete stack over at Reading Reality is so short this week that I'm almost tempted to reproduce the whole thing here. But that would be cheating. And yes, of course, I'm hoping you'll go over there and look to see what you've missed.

But there are a couple of books that stand out this week, the final book in Rhys Ford's marvelous Sinners series, and the first book in Jeffe Kennedy's Chronicles of Dasnaria, which is a follow-up to her terrific Uncharted Realms series, which was a continuation of her absolutely awesome Twelve Kingdoms series. If you want my advice, for both series, start at the very beginning and settle in for some marvelous reading.

Prisoner of the Crown by Jeffe Kennedy

Sin and Tonic by Rhys Ford

Please link your STS post in the linky below:

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown

Book Stats:  

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, dystopia
Hardcover: 596 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release date: January 16, 2018

Series:  Red Rising, #4

Source: Purchased

Reviewed by: Kara

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

They call him father, liberator, warlord, Slave King, Reaper. But he feels a boy as he falls toward the war-torn planet, his armor red, his army vast, his heart heavy. It is the tenth year of war and the thirty-third of his life.

A decade ago Darrow was the hero of the revolution he believed would break the chains of the Society. But the Rising has shattered everything: Instead of peace and freedom, it has brought endless war. Now he must risk all he has fought for on one last desperate mission. Darrow still believes he can save everyone, but can he save himself?
               
And throughout the worlds, other destinies entwine with Darrow’s to change his fate forever:
               
A young Red girl flees tragedy in her refugee camp, and achieves for herself a new life she could never have imagined.
               
An ex-soldier broken by grief is forced to steal the most valuable thing in the galaxy—or pay with his life.
               
And Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile to the Sovereign, wanders the stars with his mentor, Cassius, haunted by the loss of the world that Darrow transformed, and dreaming of what will rise from its ashes.

Ever since I found out there was going to be more of Darrow's story, it's been harder than anticipating Christmas! We needed answers to see what happened to the broken-in-pieces Republic. Don't go thinking this is the "same story" as we've heard before. It's quite an adjustment from the last series since there are four narrators.

I found it hardest to get used to the switching viewpoints, though I do understand why it had to happen this way to understand the chronology of plot events. Just when you were really, REALLY interested in seeing what was going to happen next, the narrator changed and as a reader who basically reads for "what happened next", I was super frustrated. Doesn't mean I didn't like or appreciate the different viewpoints. In fact, I really enjoyed getting to know Lyria and Lysander. The one I was most frustrated with was Ephraim, but I also saw what he brought to the story. And I especially relished seeing him spar with Pax and Electra. I'll come back to that in a minute.

Let's talk about Darrow for a second. Darrow isn't our noble, "always think he's right/justified in his actions" hero that we've come to love. Here, he's garnered quite a bit of mistrust among the new Republic. Is he capable of stopping the bloodshed? Is he capable of acting like a man versus an animal? Is his way of thinking right, as we've been conditioned to assume throughout the first three novels, or is he paranoid? I don't think any of these get answered, but it'll be interesting to see how he redeems himself. (Or goodness, I hope he proves his credibility again...) There's also the question of his motivations regarding his family. Virginia is still Sovereign and Darrow's recent actions have called her leadership into question, jeopardizing everything they've worked for and potentially causing a civil war. Darrow also doesn't have a good relationship with his son, Pax, now a tween, making the same choices his own father did when Darrow was young. Additionally, he has made his niece Rhonna as one of his lancers to protect her from getting killed at the request of his brother, and though Rhonna has more than proven her capabilities, he's still holding her back from real responsibilities.

When we talk about Darrow, we also have to talk about some of our other beloved characters. Sevro and Victra are doing splendidly having had four daughters already, the eldest being Electra. Victra is very pregnant, and has some super memorable moments in this novel -- for good or ill. One impressive thing is how Victra crushes herself into battle armor while eight months pregnant and flies a ship AND has a dogfight in said ship. This is like Wonder Woman x4. I actually missed seeing more of Victra in this novel, but I expect that is definitely going to change in the next one due to some key plot developments. Back to Sevro, who is so much more emotional now that he's had four daughters. He really wears his love for his family on his sleeve just like his love for Darrow. It's sweet and endearing, but also entirely expected with his Howler/pack mentality. In fact, this love for his family comes into direct conflict with his love for Darrow and you'll see which side he chooses when all is said and done. I missed more of Sevro here too. His personality didn't have many chances to shine.

I also think Brown was trying to rectify some comments others had made about the first three books and include more world building, but I found it parts of it confusing, especially descriptions of the Syndicate. I actually didn't like very many settings in this novel except when Lysander and Cassius are on their spaceship. Maybe because they are so very different, or it was just hard to notice the setting since both characters and setting changed so rapidly. My final opinion? I don't love this as much as the first three but we'll definitely see where it leads. It had to change sometime, and actually, the very different plot structure reminds me of Gabaldon with her different arcs for each novel.

Saved the best for last! My absolute FAVORITE quote in this book was when we're allowed to finally see Virginia breathe a bit and grow some claws: "If you attempt to escape, or if you defect to the Syndicate, know this as a certain fact: your friend will die.  And be it on Mars, Luna, Earth, the Rim, or Venus itself, one night you will wake in the middle of the dark and find a shadow standing over you. If you are lucky, it will be me. If you are unlucky, it will be Sevro or my husband, and you will die shitting yourself in a foreign bed." YAASS QUEEN!

What did you all think?