Once Upon a Fairytale – A Book List

Howdy, book adventurists!

I come to you with the book list of the month! After peeking at the upcoming YA for this year I was inspired to do this list. Of course, from the title you’ve got a gander already. Rewriting fairytales is a tale as old as time and every time there’s something about each retelling that the author puts into in that really makes it splash and become something more than its original.

I love fairytales. I even have my own special bound, gold paged, with a ribbon mark edition of the Grim Fairytales, and I’m talking about the original tales with blood and torture and not done up for bedtime storytelling. It’s beautiful and I treasure it like Gollum/Sméagol treasure the one ring. I’m also a lover of the Canterbury Tales and would be totally up for a unique twist and telling of those. King Arthur’s Tales of the Round Table is right up there too! I could list it on and on.

Getting to the main event here: below are some rendition of fairytales, given a glow-up and unique life! Maybe you’ve read a couple and maybe there are a few you’ll be adding to your TBR! Bear in mind, a majority will be YA because I’m a sucker for it.

 

Hood

Author: Jenny Elder Moke

Goodreads

Robin Hood gets his own moment when his daughter seeks him out for his help.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

The Lunar Chronicles (Series)

Author: Marissa Meyer

Taking a serious twist here with well-known ladies such as Cinderella, better known as Cinder here, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding hood where there’s not a damsel in sight.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

A Wild Swan: And Other Tales

Author: Michael Cunningham

Fairy tales come to the modern-day with dreadful and abysmal ends, yet with a feeling of norm. Twists that stun and possibly leave you disturbed. Having read this one myself, there was the occasion when I was here and there.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

Dorothy Must Die (series)

Author: Danielle Paige

Amazon

Dorothy is evil and Oz is dying. A new Kansas native is dropped in the middle of it all and doesn’t want any part of the war that’s going on. Toe get home, she’ll have no other choice but to put an end to it.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

Beastly

Author: Alex Flinn

Goodreads

Beauty and the Beast come to the modern-day hierarchy of high school. Doesn’t get more angsty than that.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

Twisted Tales (series)

Author: Liz Braswell (though on occasion a few other fantastic authors pop in like Elizabeth Lim & Lisa McMann)

Disney

Okay, so this one mostly aligns with Disney, but who didn’t grow up on Disney as their fairytales? Plus, a good majority derive from originals by the Grimm brothers. And, I don’t know about anybody else, but Pinocchio was/is creepy as hell. Aside from that, there is an array of books that range on tales from Aladdin to Peter Pan to Cinderella to Mulan. So many! There are a few I really need to consider reading.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

Stepsister

Author: Jennifer Donnelly

Goodreads

I’m a sucker for delving into the backstories of secondary characters. It drags me even further into the enchanting world of the series they’re a part of. Like, getting to look behind the door that is usually locked. This one follows Isabelle, an ugly stepsister of Cinderella.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

White Cat (Curse Workers Book Series)

Author: Holly Black

Amazon

Magic comes with aa price. Always.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

Devoured

Author: Amanda Marrone

A unique twist on the story of Snow White where the mirror is the true villain, not just an instrument of the evil queen.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

Spelled (The Storymakers)

Author: Betsy Schow

Goodreads

Enough is enough for this princess. There’s a lot to enjoy, but an arranged marriage? No way. So, wish upon a cursed star and get reverse-tornadoed, leading to the princess to Kansas. Oh boy.

Goodreads     Amazon          Barnes & Noble

 

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? A favorite twist on a fairy tale you loved? Let’s chat in the comments below!

What’s Coming in 2020 – A Book List

Hey there, book addicts!

Every month I enjoy doing a book list. Not only does it give me more books to add to my TBR but it gives you some as well! Plus, I get the awesome opportunity to hear from you if you’ve read them!

It’s the beginning of a new year so I’m doing a list on books coming out this year. In particular, I’m focusing on Young Adult because that’s my jam. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy other genres because I do. It’s just that YA is my favorite. So here are the YA books being released this year that I’m really looking forward to!

 

The Twin

Author: Natasha Preston

Amazon

Emmy and Iris were split up after their parents’ divorce—Emmy with her dad and Iris with their mom. Years pass and their mom is lost in a tragic accident so Iris now comes to live with Emmy and their dad. Emmy quickly finds out that her twin sister, Iris, is trying to push her out of her own life—and might be responsible for their mother’s death.

 

All the Stars and Teeth

Author: Adalyn Grace

Goodreads

Fans of Caraval and Throne of Glass, get hooked on the story of a girl that fights to prove her worthiness of being heir to the throne of Visidia only to be forced to flee after it goes wrong. With the help of unexpected allies, she is determined to conquer the destructive magic on the rise and take her place as heir to the throne.

 

Hood

Author: Jenny Elder Moke

Goodreads

A twist on Robin Hood, the daughter of the vigilante will have to seek out her father while avoiding the bounty hunter and right-hand man to the king, Wolf. She’s thrust into a life of thieves and mercenaries so different from the quiet one of the convent she’s always known. Getting the adventure of a lifetime, she’ll get to know the father she’s never known.

 

Spellhacker

Author: M.K. England

Goodreads

When magic becomes a commodity after a deadly plague, Diz takes advantage in an illegal siphoning gig. When it turns up a powerful strain of magic, she and her friends make a discovery that could save the world.

 

The Serpent’s Curse

Author: Lisa Maxwell

Goodreads

The epic conclusion of The Last Magician, Esta and Hart race through time and across the country to steal the remaining elemental stone to stop the Order and save the future, but what will that mean for them in the end, two people that are separated by time.

 

The Mall

Author: Megan McCafferty

Goodreads

It’s 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes, and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is spending he summer before college working at the Parkway Center Mall. Though she plans to have an amazing summer and then go to college with her boyfriend, best-laid plans don’t always work out. A complete tribute to the era of when malls were at the height of their game, friendship, love and discoveries in the most unexpected places.

 

Wonderland

Author: Juno Dawson

Goodreads

Discovering an invitation to “Wonderland”, the most epic party of parties—three days of hedonistic excess to which only the elite are welcome, Alice hopes to find her missing friend, Bunny. Without her medication, which she desperately needs, Alice hopes to avoid Paisley Hart, who is determined to uncover her secrets no matter what, and find her best friend.

 

Sanctuary Highway

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Goodreads

The United States government, now called the Confederation has redefined what it means to be “American”. Two teens are on the run when they fall outside the parameters of the Confederation. Their survival means relying on strangers and not everyone is trustworthy. One wrong whisper is the difference between freedom and imprisonment, life and death.

 

The Dark In-Between

Author: Elizabeth Hrib

Goodreads

After dying and then coming back, Casey is haunted by the drowning of her best friend. Feeling like she’s going mad, especially after seeing a boy fall from the sky, she meets Red. The boy that fell. He’s an angel fallen to earth to regain his wings and he’ll help Casey to walk the path of Limbo: the place between life and death so that she won’t lose Liddy to something worse than death.

 

The Unleashed

Author: Danielle Vega

Goodreads

Sequel to The Haunted, Hendricks and her friends are still trying to return to normal after the Steele house, but the hauntings of Drearfield are not even close to over. Prom is coming up and Hendricks is trying to focus on that, but she can’t stop thinking about Eddie and thinking he may still be out there somewhere. Together with her friends, she tries to summon his spirit and gets more than she bargained for. Things start happening again. Lights flickering in the school library. Mysterious girls roaming the halls. Hendricks discovers they might not have summoned Eddie at all but something more dangerous than anything they’ve ever seen.

 

I’m so excited about these releases and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Some are a part of a couple series that I’ve unbelievably enjoyed. Others just have me smitten and excited to read. What books are you looking forward to this year?

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments below!

My Book-ish New Year’s Resolution for 2020

Hey there, bookish humans!

I don’t know about you, but I love setting a book version of a New Year’s Resolution. It really lights a fire under my reading butt. It also encourages me to read more. In the past, I’ve done one that’s introduced me to twenty-five new authors and just last year (if you’ve been keeping up) I read five new series and I’m still working on a couple that I’m in the middle of. this year I’m doing something a little different. This is the year of the re-read. That’s right. I’m going to reread some books on my shelf. To be specific, I’m rereading three series. “Only three?” You say. “That’s so little!”

Nope. Two of these series have ten+ books in their collection. The last has five. I chose these ones specifically because I haven’t reviewed them on my blog and I also unbelievably love these stories. Don’t worry, The Arcana Chronicles aren’t on the list. LOL. With how much I already gush about the series as it is and the fact that the reviews are ridiculously long, you don’t need to hear how highly I recommend them all over again. Here are the series that I’ll be tackling this year!

The Morganville Vampires

Author: Rachel Caine

Book Count: 15 + a book of short stories

Travel Bookworm

 

The Royals

Author: Erin Watt

Book Count: 5

Literati Literature Lovers

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events

Author: Lemony Snicket

Book Count: 13

Adventure Kitchen

I’m very excited to revisit these books. It’s great to go back because sometimes you rediscover why you enjoyed them and some bits you didn’t catch the first time. So, be on the lookout for some reviews! And definitely consider them for your TBR list if you haven’t.

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Have you read any of these series? What did you think of them? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Top Ten Reads of the Year – 2019 Edition

Hey there, book readers!

I’ve read so many books this year but not as many as I hoped. I wasn’t able to complete my New Year’s Resolution or my Goodreads goal. I’m totally okay with that since both of those really inspired me to read books I’ve been meaning to for a long time like the All Souls Trilogy, The Haunted, and even The Dark Tower. Those are only a couple, but I really enjoyed them. In fact, I enjoyed what I read so much that I made a top ten list for you. Check it out.

 

Amazon

1. Stargazing at Noon by Amanda Torroni

Such a beautiful book. I was so moved by the words and imagery. Just so much love for this one and I highly recommend it for poetry lovers.

 

Amazon

2. Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout

I really loved the entire trilogy. Tantalizing and utterly addicting. Recommending it to everyone.

 

3. A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Been meaning to read this and after watching the first season of the show I’m definitely glad that I got to read it. So much depth and magic. And the romance knocked me off my feet.

 

4. The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Though the last in a series, this book was jam-packed with action, teamwork, and amazing demigods kicking some serious ass. Such a phenomenal adventure.

 

Penguin

5. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

I love Gaiman. Every book I’ve read has been mind-blowing and fun with its humor. His way with mythology always impresses me and the series that goes with this? AMAZING. It’s not always good vs evil. Sometimes it’s good and evil.

 

Simon & Schuster

6. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

This was one of those books that was, “Ohhhh! Pretty cover!” and then after reading the inside jacket, “Ohhh! Magic!”. Such a great book with twists and turns, leaving even me unsure of who to trust. Keeping me on my toes, I couldn’t get enough of this book of both magic, illusion, and thievery.

 

Goodreads

7. The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson

Real and blunt, this book was eye-opening, not just because people weren’t dying, but because it’s eye-opening with truth and relatable situations about the complexity of friendship and what friends do for each other. With several relevant themes that moved my heart, I really enjoyed this book.

 

Amazon

8. Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

A fun and dark twist on a classic tale. Dorothy is the evil one and a new hero comes to Oz. Granted, she didn’t ask for this, but she’s the only one that can save the land and possibly restore its magic. I love twisty tales and this was a fun one.

 

Quirk Books

9. Much Ado About Mean Girls by Ian Doescher

Mean Girls and Shakespeare! One of the best Shakespeare parodies ever. So much fun to read for those who know the move by heart.

 

Penguin Random House

10. The Haunted by Danielle Vega

Spooky ghosts? Yes, please! Danielle Vega never disappoints. Like watching a horror movie, I was holding my breath, jumping at the scary parts, and surprised by the plot twists. A teen horror that got my blood pumping.

 

There you have it. The top ten from all that I’ve read this year and you can check out my year in books from Goodreads here. I hope you all have an amazing New Year!

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Have a favorite book you read this year? Let’s chat in the comments below.

The Seasonal Booklist

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Hello, fellow book hoarders,

I don’t know about you, but where I am, we moved into autumn pretty fast and then into winter even faster. It’s snowed already. And yes, I’m one of those people that doesn’t enjoy snow or the cold. Just as much as there are people who are done with summer as soon as it begins there are also people out there who are done with winter before it even begins, even if the population of that group is just me. LOL.

The fast changes in the seasons here made me think of this booklist. Below are four books, each representing a season, from my opinion of course, and a bonus to represent change. Now, I do consider this a list, not a tag because I have a Thanksgiving feast tag planned this month, but if you want to use this as a tag go for it.

 

Spring:

Dumplin’

Author: Julie Murphy

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Summer:

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author: Jenny Han

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Autumn:

Gone With the Wind

Author: Margaret Mitchell

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Winter:

Lovely, Dark and Deep

Author: Amy McNamara

Goodreads

 

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Bonus:

And here’s a book that brings I believe expresses and shows great change much like the seasons do or are, in their own right, life-changing.

We All Looked Up

Author: Tommy Wallach

Simon and Schuster

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

Which book has changed your life? I know, there are so many! It was hard for me to choose one. No choice is ever wrong. It can be whatever one has inspired in any way.

 

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? A book recommendation? Let’s chat in the comments below!

Halloween Book List – A Book List

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Hello, my spooky little monstrous book hoarders!

It’s time for the Halloween book list! I think this is the one that I do every year. I know I like to change things up, but this is the one that I always put up. I love putting up all of the new possible reads and sharing them with you. I’m even putting some of these on my TBR.

Now, there aren’t very many, but why should that matter!

 

School Spirits

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Goodreads

Hunting magical creatures is the family legacy. Getting a normal, high school life? Totally abnormal and strange.

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Capturing the Devil

Author: Kerri Maniscalco

Goodreads

Fourth, and the big finale, in the Jack the Ripper series. I’ve been told that this series is thrilling and enthralling. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse with real historic events and a true villain: the White City Devil himself. What a better way to treat yourself than a YA read on a killer mystery like this.

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Planting Gardens in Graves

Author: R. H. Sin

Twitter

A trilogy of poetry that I hear is supposed to be amazing. If you’re into poetry then definitely get into these pages.

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Merciless

Author: Daniella Vega

Under The Book Cover

Alright, this is a series and I recommend the entire thing. I read Vega’s Survive the Night and it was phenomenal. Gave me some intense, action-horror vibes. Really loved it and I got that feeling that this series is right up there with a side of devilishness.

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

House of Furies

Author: Madeleine Roux

Bibliomantics

After escaping a horrific school where punishment is the main curriculum, the new job as a maid at a strange, haunting house with strange rules and scary expectations that may not be much better.

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

Author: Paige McKenzie

America’s Most Haunted

A chill. Giggling in the dead of night. Strange shadows lurking in the back of photographs. But, nobody believes her. Nobody believes she’s being haunted. How can she help? What could happen if she doesn’t?

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

A couple of books and some series to get your binge on with. Or, perhaps you’ve read a few already. How were they? Did you like them? Or, maybe you have some spooky reads already up and going for the season! In any case, I hope you’ve caught a few that you’ll add to your TBR, I know I have!

 

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Goodreads

 

Let’s chat in the comments below and feel free to follow me on Twitter and I’m always happy for more friends on Goodreads to geek out with.

Change in the Wind – A Fall Booklist

Hiya booknerds!

How is everyone loving Fall? It’s still nice and summery some days, but the leaves are changing colors! Change is actually what’s helped me create this list!

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First off, I love doing these lists because it gives me an opportunity to look up fresh reads not only to put on my TBR but to put on yours! Or heck, to hear about from you!

Second, I went with change because of the obvious. The seasons are changing. The leaves are changing. Just loads of change! So, I plucked out 2019 books that express a range of color change and/or match up with the vibrant colors of Fall.

Be sure to check out the Goodreads links to get the scoop and put them on your Want to Read list! And, if you’re SUPER intrigued, add them to your booklist on Amazon or just give in to that little voice and (pre-)order it.

 

The Beautiful

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Amazon

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Watch Us Rise

Author: Renee Watson

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

 

Shout

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

The Black Coats

Author: Colleen Oakes

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

The Exalted

Author: Kaitlyn Sage Patterson

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

The Next to Last Mistake

Author: Amalie Jahn

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

 

Crier’s War

Author: Nina Verela

Goodreads

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

The Burning Shadow

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Amazon

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble         Amazon

 

The Things She’s Seen

Author: Ambelin & Ezekiel Kwaymullina

Amazon

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Dealing in Dreams

Author: Lilliam Rivera

Simon & Schuster

Goodreads       Barnes & Noble          Amazon

 

Maybe you’ve read a couple already or are anticipating reading them like me. I do hope you found a couple to add to your TBR. Happy Fall!

 

More to come soon…

  -K.

 

Find Me:

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Thoughts? Read any of these yet? Which ones do you want to read? Let’s chat in the comments below!