Recreated ARC Review: Lily

Book: Recreated
Author: Colleen Houck
Series: Reawakened #2
Genre: YA mythology
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 416
Release: August 2nd, 2016

From Colleen Houck, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Curse, comes Recreated, the second book in the epic Egyptian-inspired Reawakened series, in which a seventeen-year-old must literally go to hell to save the love of her life. 

Lily Young thought traveling across the globe with a reawakened sun prince was a grand adventure. Now she’s about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. 

When Amon and Lily part tragically, he transports himself to the Netherworld—what mortals call hell. Tormented by the loss of his one true love, he’d rather suffer in agony during Lily’s mortal years than fulfill his duty to protect humanity. 

Heartbroken, Lily seeks refuge on her grandmother’s farm. Yet she can feel Amon’s pain, and she has been having dreams—dreams of Amon continually suffering. 

For before he departed, Amon gave Lily something very special, an item that connects them even though they are worlds apart. Now Lily must use this object to free him, and to free their realms from darkness and utter chaos. She will do whatever it takes.

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Reawakened Review

Book: Reawakened
Author: Colleen Houck
Series:  Reawakened #1
Genre: YA mythology
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Pages: 400
Release: August 11th, 2015

When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification.

And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind.

But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

From New York Times bestselling author Colleen Houck comes an epic adventure about two star-crossed teens who must battle mythical forces and ancient curses on a journey with more twists and turns than the Nile itself.

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Everything, Everything Review + Movie News!

Book: Everything, Everything
Author: Nicola Yoon
Series: standalone
Genre: YA contemporary
Publisher: Delacorte Books
Pages: 310
Release: September 1st, 2015

My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

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Soldier Review

Book: Soldier
Author: Julie Kagawa
Series: Talon #3 (ongoing)
Genre: YA fantasy
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 380
Release: April 24th, 2016

The price of freedom is everything.

When forced to choose between safety with the dragon organization Talon and being hunted forever as an outcast, Ember Hill chose to stand with Riley and his band of rogue dragons rather than become an assassin for Talon. She’s lost any contact with her twin brother, Dante, a Talon devotee, as well as Garret, the former-enemy soldier who challenged her beliefs about her human side.

As Ember and Riley hide and regroup to fight another day, Garret journeys alone to the United Kingdom, birthplace of the ancient and secret Order of St. George, to spy on his former brothers and uncover deadly and shocking secrets that will shake the foundations of dragons and dragonslayers alike and place them all in imminent danger as Talon’s new order rises.

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Kheris Burning Review

Book: Kheris Burning
Author: C.G. Hatton
Series: Thieves' Guild Origins: LC Book One
Genre: YA sci-fi
Pages: 167
Release: April 9th, 2016
Source: author (thank you, C.G.!)

No one in the galaxy gives a damn about Kheris, a war-torn mining colony in the back of beyond.
Thirteen-year-old Luka is used to running from trouble, living rough with a gang of street kids, stealing from the Imperial troops and selling scavenged tech and intel to the Wintran-backed resistance fighters to survive.
But when a mysterious ship crashes in the desert, his life is turned upside down overnight. Suddenly Kheris is on everyone’s radar and he finds himself caught between the two warring factions, with the lives of those closest to him threatened.
He’s desperate to find a way out, but will the cost be too high?

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Summer Book Haul!

Hi guys!

So, summer is now in full swing. I've been spending all my free time indoors (I know, I know, but just wait!) doing...you guessed it, reading! Which, if this post title doesn't give it away, means I've also been busy buying new books in the past few weeks!

Since it would absolutely rude of me to tell you all about my new books but not share them with you, here they are:

Allow me the pleasure of telling you more about them:

Cover Reveal: LEGION by Julie Kagawa

Okay, if you know me, then you'll know that one of the authors I worship is Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series, The Immoral Rules series, and her ongoing Talon series.

And she has just officially revealed the cover to Legion, the fourth book of her Talon series:

Guys, it's green!

If you've read Soldier, you'll know that there's a certain green dragon in the book. Without spoiling her role in the story, what makes her so unique is that she's an Eastern dragon, aka from Asia, and thus takes the form of a traditional Asian dragon (flies with no wings, capable of bringing down storms, and a bunch of other amazing things). Which, to me, makes her extremely special, because how many amazing traditional Asian dragons are there in literature? Not a lot, that's for sure. I'd definitely be down to read more stories featuring fearsome Asian dragons, not just Western dragons!

But moving on from the green dragon cover, I'm absolutely in love with the symbol within the O. If you look closely enough, you'll see that it's actually a ying yang, with dragons replacing the traditional symbol. Again, it's another play on Asian culture, which I really appreciate and love! Ying yang represents balance, which this book is definitely going to need after everything that went down in Soldier. And I doubt I need to say more about. That. Ending.

Much to my dismay, this book isn't set to release until May, 2017. Why May? All the other books have been coming out in April! Sigh. But until then, I shall be eagerly awaiting the release of the synopsis!

And before I go, here's a bit about Talon, the first book, in case you haven't read the series yet! Do pick it up :)

Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons.

The Power Review

Book: The Power
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Titan #2
Genre: NA mythology, paranormal
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Pages: 344
Release: February 23rd, 2016

With any great change, there is always strife, and the Covenant University has become the frontline between pure-bloods who want the Breed Order reinstated and the half-bloods who want the right to control their own destinies.

Fate has other plans.

 The violence is escalating and war between the races seems inevitable, and it couldn’t come at a worse time. Hyperion may be out of commission, but Josie and Seth know they have only earned a reprieve.  Seth must get Josie fully prepared, which means controlling her newfound abilities, and they need to find the other demigods before the Titans do.

But the gods are sensing a greater threat. 

Only one thing is more dangerous than a bunch of starved Titans, and that’s an out-of-control Apollyon. The aether in Josie is drawing Seth in deeper, and when lust mixes with love and gives way to power, he knows being close to her is not only dangerous to her, but to everyone around them, but letting her go requires a level of selflessness that just isn’t Seth’s style.

The paths taken in the past are becoming the roads of the future.

Just as chaos breaks out, familiar faces from the past return, complicating the already strained bond between Josie and Seth, and when the danger from the Titans erupts with devastating consequences, the dark allure of power calls to Seth again, but this time Josie might not be able to pull him back.

 And when the struggle between power and love becomes the deadliest battleground, there may be no salvation.

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Blog Changes and Updates

Hi guys!

So, as a few of you might have already noticed, my blog has gone through some big changes. The general format of my blog has been the same ever since I started it, and I felt like it was time to move on, to graduate from my amateur blog style to something more sophisticated and clean. Here's a quick rundown of the changes I've made:

Title: Yes, this is the second time I've changed my blog title (first was Books, Stars, Writing. And the Pages in Between, then to Book, Stars, and the Pages in Between, and now just to Books and Stars, with the Pages in Between part now the sub-title). I apologize for all this hassle and confusion, but this will be the final time I change it. Why? Because this one finally matches my URL!

Heading/cover: I mean, who doesn't have a nifty blogging cover photo? It was time I had one too. As recommended a while ago by Cloe from Morning and Epilogues, I used Pixlr.com to design my cover. Given that I am by no means a photo designing expert, I think my attempt turned out okay.

Format: One interesting thing about my old blog style was the fact I had two side bars. But after spending a lot of time on other people's blogs, I noticed everyone had only one. I felt like having two didn't really make mine unique, just weird. So I took it out, and changed it to the traditional format of normal blogs.

So, in conclusion: what do you guys think? Do you guys like the changes? Is there anything you don't like, or think I should revert back to the original one? Is there anything I didn't change (format of my posts, font, tabs, etc) that you think I should change? Is there anything I should add (like a signature, more widgets, new tabs, etc.) into my blog? Is my blog too simple, or too clean? Let me know in the comments!

United as One Review

Book: United as One
Author: Pittacus Lore
Series: Lorien Legacies #7 (final)
Genre: YA paranormal
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 449
Release: June 28th, 2016

The seventh and final book in the #1 New York Times bestselling I Am Number Four series! With United as One, this action-packed series comes to a surprising, breathtaking, and utterly satisfying conclusion. The Garde didn’t start this war, but they’ll do whatever it takes to end it once and for all. . . .

The Mogadorians have invaded Earth. Their warships loom over our most populated cities, and no country will risk taking them head on. The Garde are all that stand in the way, but they’ll need an army of their own to win this fight.

They’ve teamed up with the US military, but it might not be enough. The Garde need reinforcements, and they’ve found them in the most unexpected place. Teenagers from across the globe, like John Smith’s best friend, Sam, have developed abilities. So John and the others must get to them before the Mogs, because if they don’t their enemies will use these gifted teens for their own sinister plan.

But after all the Mogadorians have taken from John—his home, his family, his friends, and the person he loves most—he might not want to put any more lives in danger. He’s got nothing left to lose, and he’s just discovered he has been given an incredible new Legacy. Now he can turn himself into the ultimate weapon. So will he risk his life to save the world, or will he realize that power in numbers will save us all?

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Illuminae Review: Kady

Book: Illuminae
Author: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Genre: YA sci-fi
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Pages: 599
Release: October 20th, 2015

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

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