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Quarterly Review Round-Up with GIVEAWAY

I decided it was probably time for me to start doing some sort of review round-up, but I don't want to do a weekly or monthly one linking to ALL my reviews. I decided that a quarterly one where I could revisit the best books I've loved plus those that I don't usually include on here (DNFs and adult novels) is what I wanted.

The Books I've DNFed (with links to my reasons-if I shared them-on Goodreads):
Dangerous by Shannon Hale
Elusion by Claudia Gabel, Cheryl Klam
Game Over, Pete Watson by Joe Schreiber
The Nightingale's Nest by Nikki Loftin (I am going to revisit this one. Maybe.)
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale

The Adult Books (all romance) I've Read (links to reviews on Goodreads):
Carolina Home, Carolina Girl, and Carolina Man by Virginia Kantra
The Chocolate Temptation by Laura Florand
Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
Proof By Seduction by Courtney Milan
Ten Ways to Be Adored While Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean

The 4.5 and 5 Star Reads of this Quarter (This is where the Giveaway comes in.) Links to my review unless otherwise noted.

I'm having a really great reading year so far. Last year at this time I had three to four books I LOVED. There are so many more this year. I'm hoping this is a sign of a whole good year and not a sign that the rest of it will be terrible.


Black Dog by Rachel Neumeier (YA Fantasy)
Boys of Blur by N.D. Wilson (MG Fantasy; Review posts on Monday.)


 Carolina Man by Virginia Kantra (Adult Romance)
The Chocolate Temptation by Laura Florand (Adult Romance)


Cracks in the Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty (YA Fantasy)*
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge (YA Fantasy)


A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge (MG Fantasy)
The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage (MG Fantasy)



Horizon by Jenn Reese (MG Science-Fiction/Fantasy; Review posts Friday.)*
Jinx's Magic by Sage Blackwood (MG Fantasy)* 



 Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (YA Historical)
Moonkind by Sarah Prineas (MG Fantasy)*


Nomad by R.J. Anderson (MG Fantasy)*

GIVEAWAY Rules

*Indicates later books in a trilogy or series. If you are wanting to begin with the first book and you win, I will allow you to choose that as your prize.

If you want to win one of the 4.5/5 star books I read this quarter, leave a comment below and tell me:
1) A favorite book of yours from the past few months.
2) Which of these books you are interested in if you win. (You can change your mind if you do.)
3) A way to reach you (email or Twitter handle) if you win. If you are using a Twitter handle, you may want to follow me in case I need to DM you.

Open to any reader who lives where Book Depository ships for free.

I will close this GIVEAWAY and choose a winner on Saturday, ARIL 5 at 8:00 PM EDT.

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Comments

Charlotte said…
I really enjoyed Death Sworn, by Leah Cypess, and I really want to read Face Like Glass!

Thanks for the giveaway! And now I'm going to goodreads to see why you dnf Nightingale's Nest...
March 29, 2014 at 9:09 AM
Charlotte said…
I guess it just wasn't working for you. I found it almost too sad to take, myself.....
March 29, 2014 at 9:11 AM
Pensrose said…
Per your frequent recommendations, I read Jinx and loved it. I've also really enjoyed Empire of Bones, but that has been put on pause so I can read it alongside my husband who is still catching up on the Drowned Vault. I'm not surprised you didn't finish Dangerous, I found the beginning hard to fall into and the ending a little cliche. However, when the superpowers arrived, I felt the pace picked up and the book became a much more enjoyable read for me. I'm a sucker for superpowers though, so maybe I was biased.

If I win, I'm torn between Cruel Beauty (your frequent recommendations are always ones I find I also enjoy), Boys of Blurr (love Wilson's writing), and Jinx Magic. Hopefully I can decide if I do.

I'm @pensrose on twitter and I love following your tweets!
March 29, 2014 at 9:50 AM
Kristen said…
I really really loved Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I also read The Endless Knight by Kresley Cole which was hot and amazing. :)

If I win I'd love Nomad or A Face Like Glass. :) Here's my twitter @bookgoil

Thanks for the giveaway!
March 29, 2014 at 10:15 AM
Celeste said…
I loved Eleanor and Park by Rainbow R. Thanks for the giveaway :)
If I win i would choose: Cruel Beauty
e-mail: celeste_257@hotmail.com
March 29, 2014 at 10:46 AM
Anonymous said…
My favorites this quarter were Regade Magic and Stolen Magic by Stephanie Burgis, Eleanor and Park, and Jinx's Magic. (Also for younger readers, Journey by Aaron Becker and Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron.)

If I win, I think I'd choose Jinx's Magic, because I read a library copy and would love to have it for my very own. But I'm also wanting to read Cracks in the Kingdom, as I loved A Corner of White, and I've been wanting to read the Laura Florand books for a while now, too.

I'm on Twitter as @alibrarymama
March 29, 2014 at 1:07 PM
Brandy said…
I felt like it was just another rehashing of the same things in so many other MG books: sad family, missing parents, TRAGEDY that must be overcome. And it was so slow. I wasn't enjoying it and as it's not the type of book my students would like, I decided to DNF. I'm not saying there aren't ANY MG readers out there who would like it, but I serve a small group and they are not into this kind of stuff.
March 30, 2014 at 9:40 AM
Brandy said…
I can't believe you were able to stop reading Empire of Bones. You have some serious will power!
March 30, 2014 at 9:41 AM
Brandy said…
Okay, I think I need to read the Arcana Chronicles books now. :)
March 30, 2014 at 9:42 AM
Brandy said…
I LOVE the Kat books so much. Did you know Burgis is currently working on a novella called Courting Magic that takes place when Kat is a teenager? I'm so excited.
March 30, 2014 at 9:44 AM
Anonymous said…
Yay for Black Dog, Cruel Beauty, A Face Like Glass and The Chocolate Temptation! Loved reading all of those. I have the first Virginia Kantra book in my Kindle since you and Laura have convinced me that I should read this series. And I really need to read A Corner of White. I'm curious about Sage Blackwood's books too.

Black Dog and The Chocolate Temptation are also in my list of best reads in 2014 so far. I would have to think about Cruel Beauty. The other books in my list are Touchstone and Medair by Andrea K. Host (as you know, I would love for you to read her books).
March 30, 2014 at 1:27 PM
Brandy said…
I promise you I will get to Andrea Host's books ASAP!
March 30, 2014 at 3:08 PM
Unknown said…
Oooh umm... Well, most recently, I've really enjoyed HIGH & DRY by Sarah Skilton and NEARLY GONE by Elle Cosimano. Both are contemporaries, oddly enough, but both also have mysteries that need to be solved. Yay, mysteries!

And of COURSE I'd choose Hardinge's book. I've heard so many good things. :) You know practically every way to contact me, so any would work.
March 30, 2014 at 3:35 PM
Brandy said…
I ALMOST picked up a copy of HIGH & DRY at ALA then didn't. Regretting that now.
March 31, 2014 at 9:52 PM
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