Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (12) - The Darkest Part of the Forest


Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: January 13th, 2015




Goodreads Summary:
Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Why Forest?
Holly Black is one of my favorite authors. Everything written by her is so magical and captivating and I almost always get swept up with the plot and characters. Her newest book will probably be no different for me. I'm so excited for this dark, twisty book about the Fae that I was even about to buy copies of this book for holiday presents until I realized that it didn't come out until next year (Oops! maybe in 2015).


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

End of the Year Survey

Happy New Year's Eve (Eve)! It's almost 2015 and we would love your advice to help make this blog better! It would be so great if you could take a couple of seconds to help us out by answering any questions that you can. All answers are anonymous so please feel free to express your thoughts! Thank you~



Monday, December 29, 2014

[Review] Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen


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Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Series: Scarlet #1
Release Date: February 2012

Goodreads synopsis:
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in.

It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.


Scarlet is a retelling of the legend of Robin Hood, but rather than focusing on Robin himself, A.C. Gaughen chooses to shine the limelight on Will Scarlet, a member of Robin Hood's merry men in the original tale. Gaughen modifies all of the characters in ways that enhance the story and lends an original touch to a classic tale. All three of the main characters, Scarlet, Robin, and John, are likable and well written. Scarlet proves herself to be independent and determined, Robin fulfills his role as a hero to the core, and John displays a caring and loving side to complement his playful ways. However, like all believable and realistic characters, our heroine and heroes are flawed. For example, Scarlet has a split personality in some cases; she leads John on one day but shuts him down the next without any explanation.

I didn't really favor the writing style, since it is told through Scarlet's point of view, and she speaks in poor grammar and uses an abundance of slang words. Although I was annoyed with this at first, the explanation that comes in the later part of the story explains it well. The writing contributes to Scarlet's character and is a part of who she is, which makes the prose much more tolerable and understandable.

I am definitely a Scarbin...or Roblet... shipper and they are absolutely adorable together! I enjoyed the scenes with Scarlet and Robin and love their relationship with each other. It's stormy and far from perfect, but they're both willing to try to make it work!

Rather than give all the characters a fairy tale "happily ever after", A.C. doesn't hesitate to hurt our heroes and make plans go awry. This makes it, again, much more realistic. I find that happily ever after endings where the bad guys are taken out of the picture completely and the good guys get to rejoice are overdone in YA. Of course, there is a sequel, so this is probably expected. I can't wait to see how A.C. makes it all work in the second book, Lady Thief.



Thursday, December 25, 2014

Six Month Blogiversary & Holidays


If you celebrate Christmas, we hope you found some great books under your Christmas tree! And if you don't celebrate Christmas, we hope you still have an amazing day. :-)

On another note, December also marks Wonderland Novel's six month blogiversary! As of December 5th, we have officially been blogging for six months. Due to college, we didn't have time to make a post/update about this earlier in the month. Thank you to our followers for all your support; we couldn't do this without you. 



Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Top Ten Tuesday (3) - Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a an original feature/ weekly meme that was created at The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new topic is presented and this week's is:


Top Ten Books I Wouldn't Mind Santa Bringing This Year

My list is made up of both new, old, and soon-to-be-released books! :)

 


1. Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki
2. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
3. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder
4. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
5. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
6. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
7. Shadow Study by Maria V. Snyder
8. Abandon by Meg Cabot
9. Insatiable by Meg Cabot
10. The Selection by Kiera Cass

Are any of these on your list?