Review – Overlord, Vol. 3: The Bloody Valkyrie by Kugane Maruyama

Overlord, Vol. 3: The Bloody Valkyrie
By: Kugane Maruyama
Release Date: January 31, 2017
Publisher: Yen On
Series: Overlord #3
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Tuesday saw the release of the next Overlord novel. So here I am, book in hand, to tell you all about it while waiting (not quite so) patiently for the next novel in the series. Overlord, Vol. 3: The Bloody Valkyrie by Kugane Maruyama is a fantastic installment in the series and possibly my favorite released (in English) thus far. The artwork by so-bin, including a double sided foldout at the beginning of the book, is absolutely stunning. And I can’t wait for Vol. 4.

That’s it guys. I’m hooked.

New Release – Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Three Dark Crowns
By: Kendare Blake
Website: http://kendareblake.com/
Release Date: September 20, 2016
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Three Dark Crowns #1
Rating:


Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake is a book I’ve heard a lot about. A dark tale of three sisters vying to be queen, each dead set to murder the other one in order to gain the throne, it sounded quite intriguing. In Three Dark Crowns the land of Fennbirn is ruled by a queen. Each queen gives birth to triplets, three girls who possess different magical abilities the most common of which are power over the elements, power over nature, and the ability to create and ingest any poison. The night they turn sixteen marks the beginning of the battle to be queen. Only one sister will emerge victorious, and only after the other two are dead.

Review – Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Every Heart a Doorway
By: Seanan McGuire
Website: http://www.seananmcguire.com/
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Tor.com
Series: Wayward Children #1
Award: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy (2016); Alex Award (2017)
Rating:


Every Heart a Doorway is a novella written by Seanan McGuire. This is a tale where all the doors to other worlds are real. The Narnia’s, the Wonderlands – all of these exist. But this isn’t a story of wonderful fantasy lands and the little girls and boys who fall into them. This is a story of what happens afterwards, once they fall back into our world sometimes older, perhaps a little wiser, but most definitely changed.

Review – Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Gemina
By: Amie Kaufman; Jay Kristoff
Website: http://amiekaufman.com/ ; https://jaykristoff.com/
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Award: Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2016)
Rating:


There’s something to be said for having a library a block and a half away from my apartment, especially when the nearest bookstore is a half an hour away. It’s saved me on more than one occasion when I need the sequel to book I just finished.

This time was certainly no exception. Gemina by Amie Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff was just put on the shelf, the book so new that it didn’t yet have a library card sleeve in the back. (Yeah, my library still uses those, only sans the actual library card. Why? Great question.) So I picked it up, brought it home, and read all 672 pages in one sitting to the awe and disbelief of my husband.

Review – Pawn’s Gambit: And Other Stratagems by Timothy Zahn

Pawn's Gambit: And Other Stratagems
By: Timothy Zahn
Website: https://www.facebook.com/TimothyZahn
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Publisher: Open Road
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


Timothy Zahn is a name I’ve heard often when speaking with friends about books. Half a shelf at my local library is dedicated to his work. Yet, I’ve never picked up one of his books. Pawn’s Gambit: And Other Strategems is the first Timothy Zahn book I’ve read, or, at least, remember reading. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

Heir Apparent
By: Vivian Vande Velde
Website: http://www.vivianvandevelde.com/
Release Date: October 1, 2002
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Series: Rasmussem Corporation #2
Award: Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature (2003), Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2005), Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for Grade 6-9 (2005), Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2004), Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 6-8 (2005), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2008)
Rating:


Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde is the story of fourteen-year-old Giannine who becomes trapped within a video game which shares the book’s title. I actually read this book when it was first released way back in 2002. I’d found it on the new release shelf in the library, brought it home, and absolutely loved it. Recently, I found a copy in a used book store and felt it was high time for a reread.

Review – Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Sleeping Giants
By: Sylvain Neuvel
Website: http://www.neuvel.net/
Release Date: April 26, 2016
Publisher: Del Rey
Series: Themis Files #1
Award: Goodreads Choice Nominee for Science Fiction (2016)
Rating:


Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel has been on my radar for some time, and I finally got my hands on a copy. As much as I wanted to read this book, I was a bit hesitant to begin, afraid it would fall short somehow. I’ve gotten myself hyped up for books before only to have my hopes and dreams dashed, and I couldn’t help but be a little nervous. But when the librarian looked at the cover, smiled, and gave it a fond little pat when i set it on the checkout desk I knew I was in safe hands. I really shouldn’t have been so afraid.

But enough about my own irrational fears. What is the book actually about?

Review – All Our Wrong Todays by Elan Masai

All Our Wrong Todays
By: Elan Masai
Website: http://www.elanmastai.com/
Release Date: February 7, 2017
Publisher: Dutton
Received From: Publisher
(All reviews are our own, honest opinions.)
Rating:


If old movies and TV shows were to be believed the year 2000 would have us living in a veritable technological utopia. There would have been flying cars, tech made for everything from making breakfast to getting dressed, and the world would look more or less like that of the Jetsons. Only, what if they were right? What if we were supposed to have that future? Only Tom Barren, the not-quite-so-genius son of the definitely-genius Victor Barren, leading expert on time travel, made one rash decision (well, one really important rash decision along with all the other, smaller ones) and doomed that world to forever grace the pages of science fiction, never to be born.

#ThrowbackThursday Review – Wish Vol 1 by CLAMP

Wish, Vol. 1
By: CLAMP
Website: https://clamp-net.com/
Release Date: (Original) 1996; (English) 2002
Publisher: TokyoPop
Series: Wish #1
Rating:


Some of the first manga I’ve ever read was from CLAMP. I’ve read (and watched) the usual stuff – Tsubara: Reservoir Chronicle, Cardcaptor Sakura, xxxHolic. But I never even heard of Wish before I found it tucked away in a used book sale at my local library. I stared at the cover, and wracked my brain, but nothing came up. So I did what any other fan would do – purchase it immediately and worry about details like plot and why exactly I never heard so much as a whisper about this manga afterwards.[/drocap]