The Friday 56

I was browsing the Book Blog Meme Directory , interested in discovering some new features to add to my blog. I discovered The Friday 56 and I have decided to give it a try!

As stated on Freda's Voice :

Rules:
*Grab a book, any book.
*Turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader
(If you have to improvise, that's ok.)
 *Find any sentence, (or few, just don't spoil it)
*Post it.
*Add your (url) post below in Linky. Add the post url, not your blog url. 
*It's that simple.


I have chosen the book Wither by Lauren Destefano

Page 56, paragraph 1:

"I imagined the world outside North America must have been a beautiful place. And it was my father who introduced that beauty to me. I think of these long-gone places still. A koi wriggles past me and disappears into the depth, and all I can think is that my father would have been so happy to see it."

If any of you decide to try this feature, leave the link in the comments below! 

Beautiful Cover(s) of the Day!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa was the first YA book that I ever read containing fairies. The story and writing absolutely blew my mind, along with the beautiful covers on each of the 4 books. I love the designs along the edges, the way the colours complement each other, and the close, but not too close, shots of the models.

The blurb:

"Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face; and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart"

Find The Iron King on Goodreads

Dead Girls Don't by Mags Storey

Series: N/A

Author: Mags Storey

Page Count: 380
Published: March 17th, 2015
Publisher: ChiTeen

5 Stars ★★★★★

I received a free copy of this book through Netgalley. 

Liv and her best friend Gabriel are watching live footage of a party when something goes terribly wrong. Brett, a member of the 'popular' group at school, is found murdered, and Adam, the boy Liv has a small crush on, finds himself to be the main suspect.

Liv develops the power to speak with the dead, and working at a funeral home, she has plenty of opportunity to use this ability. When Adam escapes custody, a girl is stabbed, and his ex-girlfriend is murdered, rumours fly that he has escaped his prison only to kill and kill again. 

He goes to Liv for help, claiming that he is innocent, asking her to help him prove it. With Liv's ability to speak to the dead, they're both hoping to get some answers. But they must face obstacles... like keeping this secret from Gabriel, Liv's status as an outcast, and their feelings for each other. 

I devoured this book quite quickly....a darkly intriguing read, I was sucked into the story from the very start.

I love how the author mixed a murder mystery with paranormal elements in a high school setting. I've never read anything like this before, and I found myself pleasantly surprised.

Everything about this book was amazing. The characters? Well developed, complex,  unique and relatable. Not all completely good or completely evil, but many fell in between. The setting? Described so thoroughly it felt like I was right there with the characters...but it wasn't too descriptive. There was a good balance. The plot? Perfectly paced, very mysterious, and super unique!

I liked how the romance sub-plot didn't steal the spotlight from the overall plot. There was a bit of a love triangle but it wasn't over-the-top.

An amazing read, I recommend this to YA readers who like their mysteries with a bit of romance, a touch of paranormal, and a dangerous killer. 

Find Dead Girls Don't on Goodreads

Beautiful Cover(s) of the Day!

Today I am featuring the Théâtre Illuminata trilogy by Lisa Mantchev. I really love the covers of these books, I find them to be unique and eye-catching. The colour schemes are perfect and, as is the case with many books, the covers are what drew me to the books in the first place. I think all three are absolutely gorgeous but I must say that if I had to pick, I'd say the second cover, Perchance to Dream, is my favourite.

The blurb:

"All her world's a stage.

Bertie Shakespeare Smith is not an actress, yet she lives in a theater.

She's not an orphan, but she has no parents.

She knows every part, but she has no lines of her own.

That is, until now.


Enter Stage Right

NATE. Dashing pirate. Will do anything to protect Bertie.

COBWEB, MOTH, MUSTARD SEED, and PEASEBLOSSOM. Four tiny and incredibly annoying fairies. BERTIE'S sidekicks.

ARIEL. Seductive air spirit and Bertie's weakness. The symbol of impending doom.

BERTIE. Our heroine.

Welcome to the Théâtre Illuminata, where the actors of every play ever written can be found behind the curtain. They were born to play their parts, and are bound to the Théâtre by The Book--an ancient and magical tome of scripts. Bertie is not one of them, but they are her family--and she is about to lose them all and the only home she has ever known.

Lisa Mantchev has written a debut novel that is dramatic, romantic, and witty, with an irresistible and irreverent cast of characters who are sure to enchant the audience.


Open Curtain"


Find Eyes Like Stars on Goodreads

The Dangers of Fairy Compacts by Katey Hawthorne

Series: Fairy Compacts

Author: Katey Hawthorne
Page Count: 46
Published: June 25th, 2012

Publisher: M/M Romance Group @ Goodreads

  5 Stars ★★★★★

Aeron is a faery who always hears a voice in his head. One day, the voice becomes louder than he can bear and he follows it all the way into the mortal realm.

He meets Tammas, a priest, who has unknowingly bound both of them together. Tammas is frightened and Aeron has nowhere to go, and finds himself angry and residing in a tree until he is finally invited into Tammas's home. 

Aeron is stubborn and rather confident while Tammas is shy and unsure, but soon enough, despite their quarrels, an attraction forms. Will they ever break the binding spell? And what will happen when Aeron is sent back home? Will he and Tammas ever see each other again? 

This is a short, sweet novella, and it was free when I downloaded it, which is a great bonus. It surpassed my expectations and despite its short length, I was pulled into the story and I learned so much about both Aeron and Tammas.

I love faeries and I love romance. Give me a shy, adorable human and a confident, stubborn faery and I am satisfied! This story did just that.

The romance took enough time to develop, but I wasn't kept waiting for too long. The erotic scenes were perfect and sweet, and in my opinion adorble, and the ending made me want to read more about Tammas and Aeron! I will definetly be reading more of this author's work in the future.

Overall, very cute and romantic. I appreciated this good quality, gay romance novella, and I recommend this to fans of gay romance, faeries, and short and sweet novellas.

Find The Dangers of Fairy Compacts on Goodreads