Astounding August Releases~

So many amazing new releases for August! 

:D Especially excited for Isla and the Happily Ever After~

Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3)

by Stephanie Perkins

Release Date: August 14th, 2014

My Thoughts: OMG! It's finally here! Stephanie Perkins creates the cutest characters ever. Every time I reread Anna and the French Kiss, I refall in love with Etienne St. Clair. But I heard Josh was even better!! So really can't wait to read about Isla and Josh's lovely romance in PARIS. :D

Tagline: From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. 

Opposition (Lux #5)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

My Thoughts: I haven't been keeping up with this series, but the first book was an entertaining, fun read. :) Book 5's synopsis sounds good. A lover's betrayal. Hmm. :) Hope the fans are excited! I wonder how this series is though. 

Tagline: Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.

The Rule of Thoughts (The Mortality Doctrine #2)

by James Dashner

Release Date: August 26th, 2014

My Thoughts: The Maze Runner anyone? Well, this isn't the Maze Runner, but the movie is coming out NEXT MONTH!! DYLAN O'BRIEN! AND THE MAZE LOOKS AWESOME. Okay. I actually haven't been reading James Dashner's new series, but it's worth mentioning the second book is coming out soon!! :D 

Tagline: Michael completed the Path. What he found at the end turned everything he’d ever known about his life—and the world—completely upside down.

Ugly Love

by Collen Hoover

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

My Thoughts: This is definitely either new adult or adult. But since it's was a popular new release on Goodreads, I'm going to feature it too. :) I don't remember reading any of Colleen Hoover's books, so no idea how her writing style works.

Tagline: When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. 

Messenger of Fear 

by Michael Grant

Release Date: August 26th, 2014

My Thoughts: 

I mean, it's Michael Grant. What can I say? Not that much. Because I haven't read much of his books. I read Gone, I thought it was pretty good. And Eve and Adam. But yannoe, just featuring the new releases. 

Tagline:  I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

Percy Jackson's Greek Gods

by Rick Riordan

Release Date: August 19th, 2014

My Thoughts: I love Percy Jackson's sarcastic remarks. Totally entertaining. And those Greek gods also happen to be hilarious. Love Greek myth. More importantly, love me some more Percy Jackson. :D <33

Tagline: Who could tell the origin stories of the gods of Olympus better than a modern-day demigod? 

The Girl of Fire and Thorns Stories: The Shadow Cats, The Shattered Mountain, & The King's Guard

by Rae Carson

Release Date: August 26th, 2014

My Thoughts: The novellas are out~ Or they've been out. They're just together now. :) #0.5 - 0.7. I haven't read book two and three yet thought, much less novellas. But :) You know the drill. 

Tagline:  Ummm. Too lazy to type them all. Or copy and paste them all. SOO....

Gates of Thread and Stone (#1)

by Lori M. Lee

Release Date: August 5th, 2014

My Thoughts: The cover looks similar to Clockwork Princess. :) And the "brother" part. I love high fantasy books, so I'll definitely love this book if it also has a fabulous writing style, plot, and character. Which is totally hard to ask for. I'm definitely willing to give it a try though. :D

Tagline: In the Labyrinth, we had a saying: keep silent, keep still, keep safe.

So that's it for my post for August. 

Be sure to leave a comment if there is another August release you are excited about! :)

Happy Reading~

Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) 
by Rae Carson 
Release Date: September 10th, 2011
Publisher: Greenwillow 
Genre: YA Fantasy 
Format: Paperback, 423 pages
Source: Bought @ JMMS book fair
ISBN: 978-0-545-49894-4
Get a Copy: B&N | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.
Elisa is the chosen one. 

But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will. 

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

Cindy's Review: My friend recommended this book and when I saw it at the book fair for just four dollars, I had to buy it. ;D It was free for me too. ;D Omg. Cuz I know the librarian and I got this coupon.

I really didn't get the cover at first. But I get why there's a gem now. The story kind of revolves around her gem. 

"I almost forgot. Happy birthday, Lucero-Elisa."

That's  when my view of Alexander kind of changed. ;)

The Characters: 

Elisa - Elisa is the chosen one of the century. I don't really get what the chosen one is.....ummm... Anyways, Elise is the chosen one and a  lot of people would want to get their hands on her. To keep her safe, Elise's father, whose a king of a tiny kingdom, married her off to a young king, whose controls a larger kingdom. It was a secret marriage. Her marriage signifies alliance between the two kingdoms. Elisa has gems on her belly. And they are hard and they're warm. They also give her warnings and the gems signifies that she is the chosen one. Personally, I think having warm gems growing out of  your belly is weird. 

"Be well, Elisa, little sister."

I just want to cry at this part. Elisa doesn't understand how much her sister actually cares about her. Yeah. I'm a sucker to these really sad family relationships. 

Alejandro - Okay so, moving on, so I don't sound so awkward. At first, I thought Alexander was an old, perverted king. But it turns out he's pretty young. But he already has a wife. And a son. I'm actually cool that he has a son, cuz that just reminds me of Brigan from Fire by Kristin Cashore. Brigan was hot. ;D So later on, I kind of wanted Elise to end up with Alexander, but...She just had to get kidnapped and fall for another guy. Ohmergerd.  P.S. Anytime you see Alexander, change it to Alejandro. Apparently,  I got the names wrong. Srry about that. 

"You may address me as Lady Elisa."

Woah. Bitchy much? Sorry. I didn't mean that, but I don't understand why she's supposed to act like that. 0.

Humberto - It's not that I don't like Humberto. And his name is kinda weird. But he just popped up out of nowhere. When Elise left on her 'adventure' I can't say she was kidnapped anymore cuz she's willing to stay with her kidnappers and help them. Elise kind of still thinks about Alexander and miss him. I was expecting her to end up with Alexander. And then Humberto came out, and she started falling for Humberto. I'm just like wait what? Apparently, she has something with Humberto she had never felt with Alexander. Well, I guess Humberto is younger....

"My lips look like fat slugs and my eyes are far too small."

I didn't like how she criticized herself in the beginning. I'm glad she actually accepted herself in the end . Or near the middle.

Hector - Hector is kind of like her best friend, not including her two maids. Elise can feel happy and carefree with him At first, there was hints of romance sparkle between Elise and Hector. I noticed. "His eye is the deepest blue I've seen". That's what you would think if you liked someone. At least in bookwise. LOL. Now I kind of get what that sparkle is about.

"Is there something between you and Arina?"

Ugh. Alejandro got to have a mistress. I hope Arina ends up dying in a stuffy, black pit with no one but herself. She acts so nice in front of Alejandro. There's always a faker in a book though. ;/

The Good/Bad: 

Because of the unexpected events that happened in book one, I can't wait to read book two. Rosario is just so cute. Rosario is Alejandro's son. This book was pretty good, but I think it could have been better. Like the scenes, especially near the end kind of happened pretty fast. I had to do a double take and realize what just happened.  The ending gave me the impression of 'what's going to happen now?' Also, I think the main character was too straightforward. Like she talks too plain. No twist in her words. Like telling a summary, you know? 

Reading the synopsis of the second and third book It spoiled a lot for me, so I suggest you don't read the synopsis of the third book until you read book 2. I learned what the sparkle between Hector and Elise is about. Yeah. I just gave it away. The romance of this book wasn't that good either. To me, it was like leap frog. She lept from one to another to another. I wish she would just stay devoted to just one boy. But I guess she can do that now. <- You'll have to read the book to get that. 

I can't say this book was that bad though. It was pretty interesting. I read it through one sitting. There was quite a character change though. Elise became much more wise and smart. I actually feel proud of her. She also stuck up to being called 'fat' and unwanted. I appreciate her for being so strong and confident. 

"They would have been well-matched, my husband and my sister."

Hmmmm.....

 Overall, if you're bored and if you have absolutely no books to read, you can read this book! ;D 

Rating: (1-10): 8.6

I tend to give high raitings. And I can't give this book a seven because they're are books worse than this and I gave it a seven. So yeah.....

Happy Reading~