Rating: 4.5 stars

Happily ever after is a thing of the past.

A series of natural disasters has decimated the earth. Cut off from the rest of the world, England is a dark place. The sun rarely shines, food is scarce, and groups of criminals roam the woods, searching for prey. The people are growing restless.

When a ruthless revolutionary sets out to overthrow the crown, he makes the royal family his first target. Blood is shed in Buckingham Palace, and only sixteen-year-old Princess Eliza manages to escape.

Determined to kill the man who destroyed her family, Eliza joins the enemy forces in disguise. She has nothing left to live for but revenge, until she meets someone who helps her remember how to hope—and to love—once more. Now she must risk everything to ensure that she not become… The Last Princess.

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze was one awesome read! It was one of those books that I knew within the first 10 pages that I was going to love it. I read straight through this one, devouring every page.

I loved the plot – it was constant action and a lot of intrigue. The plot doesn’t let up for a moment, so it was a really fast paced read. My one complaint about The Last Princess is that some of the pacing felt a bit off. The first half of the novel was very nicely paced, but a ton happened in the second half and it seemed like it should have been a bit more spread out.

The world Galaxy Craze has created in The Last Princess is eerie and frankly, downright scary at parts. I just loved it. It was so easy to get caught up in the characters world, and with that, be very swept into the plot.

The characters in The Last Princess were a really strong set. I really liked Wesley – I wished he had had a bit bigger of a role, as he was wonderful.  Eliza was a really strong heroine, I really liked her as well. I do wish the character motivations had been explored a bit more in-depthly, as what they did made sense and worked but you never really knew why.

The ending was very clever. I cannot wait to see what follows it with the rest of Eliza’s story in the sequel.  The characters in this book each had such a unique tale to tale – I would especially love to know Portia or Westley’s history. I really just loved this one a ton.

I would definitely recommend The Last Princess to everyone! It’s a very cool dystopian in the sense you never really have an idea of what year you are in. I loved the plot and the characters were great – a must read!

The winner of the Historical Fiction Prize Pack is ….

Kelly W

The winner of Mostly Good Girls is….

Heather H

Congrats! Please email me at thebookcellar @ wi.rr.com within 48 hours or a new winner will be chosen .

I just heard about the Bout of Books readathon, and I am totally signing up!   I love readathons, and I have wayyyy too many books to read – so why not do a readathon?

Since I don’t actually know how much time I will have, I am aiming for at least a book a day, so 7 books over the whole week.

Books I Am Hoping to Read:

Dark Frost by Jennifer Estep
The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats
Endure by Carrie Jones
Point of Origin by Amanda Havard
When You Were Mine by Rebecca Serle
All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Making Waves by Nicole Leigh Shapard
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze
Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker

Updates:

5/14

Read:
Last 85% of Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker (204 pgs read)
Overdue For Pleasure by Shelley Aikens (166 pgs read)
Endure by Carrie Jones  (272 pgs read)
The Ash-Born Boy by Victoria Schwab (short story) (61 pgs read)
Page Total:  703 pg

5/15:

Read:
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze (304 pages)
reread Major Crush by Jennifer Echols (304 pages)

Daily Page Total: 608
Daily Book Count: 2 books

Total Page Count: 1311 pgs
Total Book Count: 6 books

5/16:
Making Waves by Nicole Leigh Shepherd (246 pages)

Daily Page Count:  246
Total Page Count: 7
Total Book Count:  1557

Rating: 4.5 stars

It’s all-out war (and no-holds-barred romance) in the climactic conclusion to Carrie Jones’s bestselling series.

Zara is at the center of an impending apocalypse. True, she’s successfully rescued Nick from Valhalla, but it simply isn’t enough. Evil pixies are ravaging Bedford, and they need much more than one great warrior; they need an army. Zara isn’t sure what her role is anymore. She’s not just fighting for her friends; she’s also a pixie queen. And to align her team of pixies with the humans she loves will be one of her greatest battles yet. Especially since she can’t even reconcile her growing feelings for her pixie king . . .

Since the day I finished Entice, I have been dying to know how Carrie Jones would wrap up this series that I have come to love. Endure was nothing like I was expecting and was the perfect ending to the series!

Endure has landed itself the spot of my second favorite book in the series. Need is still my favorite, but Endure comes in a very close second. The stakes are high in Endure and Carrie Jones has pulled out all the stops. The plot was completely unpredictably and I was on the edge of my seat for basically the whole book. The opening pages of Endure had me a bit worried that it would be very angsty but that was not the case at all.

I love how easily Carrie Jones weaves in different mythologies into this series – it is just fascinating to see how they will be incorporated and how things will pan out. Carrie Jones always adds a little extra narrative to the chapter beginnings, and in Endure, it is little news snippets or police reports. I just love those short and sweet start to all the chapters.

One of the awesome things about this series is its focus on great bonds of friendship and that is really highlighted in Endure. Zara has some of the best friends anyone can wish for, and I love all the scenes that are her and her friends sitting around planning.

The characters really just make this series – they all are so great. I just love both Issie and Cassidy-  they are both such wonderful characters. Zara has really grown as a character throughout the series, but she makes the most growth through Endure.

Endure by Carrie Jones was a really great read. I was a bit nervous to see how the story would end, especially since Entice was not my favorite book of the series. Everything is tied up, there’s a ton of action, and all the characters I loved from the previous books in the series were back in action.

Valkyrie Rising by Ingrid Paulson, coming October 9, 2012 from Harper Teen

When Ellie and her brother Graham are shipped off for a summer in Norway, she has no idea she’s in for the adventure of her life. Her biggest worries are getting out from her perfect older brother’s shadow and concealing her crush
 on Graham’s best friend, Tucker—who’s suddenly tagging along for the trip.

The moment Ellie sets foot in the small town of Skavapol, she stumbles into a mystery that will change her forever. Boys are disappearing under impossible circumstances, and kids in town blame her. When Graham is the next to be kidnapped by ferocious yet beautiful girls, something powerful and ancient awakens within her. Strange and terrifying forces are at work in their tiny corner of Norway and Ellie and Tucker are the only ones who stop them and rescue Graham.

Oh my gosh, doesn’t this one sound just fabulous? I love valkyries – they’re that part of mythology that don’t get too much attention. This one sounds like such an epic read and will be a super thrilling book! Plus, there is SO MUCH COVER LUST GOING ON RIGHT NOW! That cover and the design, it is PURDY. Basically it just needs to be October now. Can someone make that happen? :)

What are you guys waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and Bookish. Each week features a different topic, and you make a top ten list about it. This week is a freebie week/reality tv show, and since I don’t watch reality TV I went with the Top Ten Books I’ve Read Recently and Loved.

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker – Melissa Walker is just a goddess of contemporary and Unbreak My Heart was just so great!

Manhunting by Jennifer Crusie – For anyone who loves a good adult contemporary romance, this one is a must read! It was too darn cute.

The Selection by Kiera Cass – This is the dystopian for people who don’t really like dystopians. It’s magical, wonderful, and all around awesome.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa – All I’m gonna say about this one is only Julie Kagawa could write vampires and post apocalyptic into the same novel and make it all sorts of fabulous.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins – Angels and demons as you’ve never seen them before! This is definitely one of the best debuts of the year!

Ripper by Carol Amy Reeves – A really cool take on Jack the Ripper and it was just very awesome.

Underworld by Meg Cabot (and book 1 Abandon) - This is such a fun, modern twist on the myth of Persephone and Hades and I love it so much. The third book in the trilogy, Awaken, is one of my most anticipated books of 2013!

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg – This book was just amazing. I love Elizabeth Eulberg’s writing – I will basically read anything she writes.

Collision by Stefne Miller – Stefne Miller is an amazing story teller and this is her best book yet.

False Memory by Dan Krokos – This one isn’t out til August, but put it on your radars now as it is one rocking book! I seriously cannot tell you how much I loved it!

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini – Another book that isn’t out til fall, but this is another one to keep on your radar as this was so enchanting and downright beautiful.

Rating: 3 stars

The annual Great Quest is about to be announced in Quendel, a task that will determine the future of Marcus and the other boys from the village who are coming of age. The wizard Zyll commands them to find the Rock of Ivanore, but he doesn’t tell them what the Rock is exactly or where it can be found. Marcus must reach deep within himself to develop new powers of magic and find the strength to survive the wild lands and fierce enemies he encounters as he searches for the illusive Rock. If he succeeds, he will live a life of honor; if he fails, he will live a life of menial labor in shame. With more twists and turns than a labyrinth, and a story in which nothing is at it seems, this tale of deception and discovery keeps readers in suspense until the end.

The Rock of Ivanore by Laurisa White Reyes was a cute coming of age fantasy. It had a charming cast of characters and a rather simplistic plot.

The beginning was a bit confusing to me – there were two points of view, but the way the other was integrated was a bit confusing. I didn’t feel like the voices were different enough, and it was very jarring because I was confused as to who this other random person was. The story did come together, and then the story made a lot more sense.

The plot is a ton of fun – the happy go lucky, questish type. There were a lot of instances where I felt things were too simple. Everything seemed to simply fall into the characters paths, and given the nature of their quest, that seemed a bit unrealistic. I did like how there was an element of mystery that followed the entire plot – you weren’t ever completely sure where the plot would take you next.

The characters were a ton of fun. Xerxes was a hoot. I loved his snarky comments he threw in everywhere they went. Jayson was another favorite character of mine – I loved that you never could quite figure him out. I really liked Bryn’s transformation of character throughout the book. A lot of the more minor characters are what made the book for me, like Vos was in such a small part of the book but he was awesome!

Fans of middle grade fantasy will definitely enjoy this one. I had a little trouble getting into it, but once I did the pages just flew by. I wasn’t completely content with the plot, but for me, the characters forgave that.

It’s May 15th!

Not only does THE NEAR WITCH by Victoria Schwab come out in paperback TODAY, but, to celebrate its release, “The Ash-Born Boy” is finally up over at Disney*Hyperion’s website!

So, what IS “The Ash-Born Boy”?

It’s a free story Victoria wrote as a thank-you to her fans, and she wrote it to answer ONE question: “Who was Cole before he came to Near?”

Now, if you’ve already read THE NEAR WITCH, “The Ash-Born Boy” is guaranteed to change the way you see Cole.

And if you haven’t read THE NEAR WITCH yet, don’t worry, “The Ash-Born Boy” won’t spoil anything!

So basically, either way, you should go read Cole’s story ;)

And if you want to wait and read THE NEAR WITCH first, don’t worry! Cole’s story will stay up on Disney*Hyperion’s website, and if it ever comes down, Victoria will carve out a space for it on her own site. It will always be available somewhere, and it will always be free.

And!

Cole’s story isn’t the only goodie to go along with the paperback release. In the back of the paperback itself, you’ll find the first chapter of Victoria’s new book, THE ARCHIVED, which doesn’t come out until January.

So what are you waiting for – go check it out :)

And if you haven’t already read The Near Witch, feel free to check out my review.

Buy The Near Witch: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository

My thoughts on The Ash-Born Boy by Victoria Schwab:

With a story just as haunting as The Near Witch, Victoria Schwab delivered another winner with The Ash-Born Boy. Her lyrical, beautiful prose is once again present in this one. As I finished the last pages of this one, I had this overwhelming urge to go read The Near Witch again, to discover the magic of The Near Witch! I just loved hearing more about Cole and his past, as he was such a wonderfully complex character in The Near Witch. The story was chilling and haunting and invoked so many emotions. A must read for those who are a fan of The Near Witch, and a good read for everyone!

Rating: 5 stars

Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life. Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now. Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? Told in alternating chapters that chronicle the year that broke Clem’s heart and the summer that healed it, Unbreak My Heart is a wonderful dual love story that fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Susane Colasanti will flock to. 

Since I finished Small Town Sinners, I have been waiting for another Melissa Walker book. And with Unbreak My Heart, Melissa Walker delivers the perfect summer story that was just way too cute.

Clem was such an easy main character to connect with, as a lot of things about her just reminded me of things in my life. James is pretty much the most adorable guy ever – seriously, where can I find one like that? I loved how spunky and fun Olive was – she was so funny!

The plot was so heartbreaking and touching at the same time. I loved the alternating chapters – they both had so much story to tell and I couldn’t wait to read more to find out exact what had happened to Clem. Clem and Jame’s story was so easy to fall in love with, and it was so lighthearted and nice, despite the happenings that are kind of haunting both of them this summer.

I was so sad to see this one end – I wish it had went on a little longer. This was just the perfect book to read on a nice summer day, and definitely made me want to go boating again!

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa Walker was an awesome read. I love her writing, her characters, and the stories she shares with readers. Unbreak My Heart is a book you will be sad to miss! Melissa Walker is just a master of contemporary, and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.