Book Review: Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand

4 Oranges | Wonderful. Funny. Well-crafted.

Book Review: True by Hilary Duff

1.5 Oranges | Bland. Disappointing. Weak.

ARC Book Review: Some Quiet Place by Kelsey Sutton

4 Oranges | Chilling. Unique. Engrossing.

ARC Book Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller

3.5 Oranges | Enjoyable. Absorbing. Romantic.

Book Review: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

3 Oranges | Mainstream. Curious. Average.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday #27: Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff

This is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, spotlighting upcoming releases that we're anticipating.

Title: Kinslayer
Author: Jay Kristoff
Release Date: September 17th, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Series: The Lotus War (#2 of 3)
Pages: 464
   
A SHATTERED EMPIRE
The mad Shōgun Yoritomo has been assassinated by the Stormdancer Yukiko, and the threat of civil war looms over the Shima Imperium. The Lotus Guild conspires to renew the nation’s broken dynasty and crush the growing rebellion simultaneously – by endorsing a new Shōgun who desires nothing more than to see Yukiko dead.

A DARK LEGACY
Yukiko and the mighty thunder tiger Buruu have been cast in the role of heroes by the Kagé rebellion. But Yukiko herself is blinded by rage over her father’s death, and her ability to hear the thoughts of beasts is swelling beyond her power to control. Along with Buruu, Yukiko’s anchor is Kin, the rebel Guildsman who helped her escape from Yoritomo’s clutches. But Kin has his own secrets, and is haunted by visions of a future he’d rather die than see realized.

A GATHERING STORM
Kagé assassins lurk within the Shōgun’s palace, plotting to end the new dynasty before it begins. A waif from Kigen’s gutters begins a friendship that could undo the entire empire. A new enemy gathers its strength, readying to push the fracturing Shima imperium into a war it cannot hope to survive. And across raging oceans, amongst islands of black glass, Yukiko and Buruu will face foes no katana or talon can defeat.

The ghosts of a blood-stained past.
Goodreads

Why no, I will not shut up about how much I like love adore HAVE INSANE AMOUNTS OF LOVE for Stormdancer. It's one of my favorite books ever. With the cover of Kinslayer revealed this past week, it felt like the right time to honor it with this obvious, long-time-coming WoW.

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday #14: Top Ten Favorite Book Covers of Books I've Read

This is a meme from The Broke and the Bookish. For info about the topics and how to participate, click here.

Top Ten Favorite Book Covers of Books I've Read

I'm a total cover snob, and I'm not at all ashamed to say that is often one of the main drivers that will make me pick up a book. And obviously that either has good or bad consequences.

1. Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Haaaa, bet you didn't see this one coming, huh? Stormdancer has the tendency to pop up at the top of all my TTT lists, but the cover. Unf. I love it. The colors, the typography... Closely matches the awesomeness inside.

2. Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

I. Freaking. Love. This. Cover. Isn't it just amazing? Apparently I often fall for the girl in a dress cover, but this is by far my favorite. The beautiful image offset by that GORGEOUS typography... Wow. The book itself wasn't that amazing, but I will forever love the cover.

3. Pivot Point by Kasie West

The more I look at it the more I love this cover. And the book in general. I do kind of feel like a typical girl though, I mean, look at me, I'm attracted to shiny things.

4. Ink by Amanda Sun

Technically I'm cheating as I'm still reading this right now but I couldn't help myself. I just love this cover so much. I love everything about it: the colors, the style, the typography...

5. Everneath by Brodi Ashton

It was mostly the cover that attracted me to Everneath. Of course, then I found out it was about the Persephone myth and I was completely sold. But still one of the most beautiful covers ever. That smokey effect is just amazing.

6. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

I completely adore this cover! It's so not typical but beautiful. I especially love the typography and the color scheme. It just works. And the book itself is really cute too.

7. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

I'm not sure Incarnate is a book I would readily recommend, but that cover is absolutely incredible. What a work of art, such pretty colors. I don't mind having that on my shelf.

8. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

This series is awesome, awesome, awesome and has some of the best covers in YA. Yeah, I'm definitely a sucker for the girl in a pretty dress cover. But you know what? I REGRET NOTHING.

9. Across the Universe by Beth Revis

In spite of all the disappointment I have for this series, the cover is still incredible, and one of the prettiest ever. I'm a sucker for sparklies.

10. Angelfall by Susan Ee

If you've followed me for a while, you'll know I'm completely obsessed with this book and the cover is really pretty too. Considering it's an indie, that's even more impressive. I love it!

Let's Talk!

So... what are your favorite book covers? Do we have any in common?
Let me know in comments!

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Book Review: Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow by Tommy Donbavand

Release Date: April 11th, 2013
Publisher: BBC Books
Genre: Science Fiction
Series: Doctor Who New Series Adventures (#51)
Pages: 256
   
It is the day after John F. Kennedy's assassination and the faces of the dead are everywhere. PC Reg Cranfield sees his recently deceased father in the mists along Totter's Lane. Reporter Mae Callon sees her late grandmother in a coffee stain on her desk. FBI Special Agent Warren Skeet finds his long-dead partner staring back at him from raindrops on a window pane. Then the faces begin to talk, and scream... and push through into our world. As the alien Shroud begins to feast on the grief of a world in mourning, can the Doctor dig deep enough into his own sorrow to save mankind? Goodreads
4 Oranges

If you happen to follow me on Twitter, you would know by now that Doctor Who has taken over my life pretty much. So when I saw the beautiful New Series Adventures books in Waterstones in London back in March, it took all my self-control not to buy them. Alas, since then, the obsession has only grown, especially with my love of Whoufflé, and I could not stop myself any longer. I had no idea what to expect with a media tie-in book like this, but MAN was it enjoyable and captured the essence of the TV series perfectly.

What becomes apparent right off the bat is that Tommy Donbavand has such a great understanding of the Eleventh Doctor and Clara as characters. They sound completely genuine, which I suppose I was a bit nervous about (since Clara especially hadn't really been seen for long by the time this book was published). Especially the dialogue was top notch, and I found myself giggling like an idiot throughout most of the book. It was just Matt Smith. Totally.

The adventure in this book was also quintessentially DW. The Shroud are such a creepy freaking alien race, it pretty much gave me the shivers - as all good Doctor Who villains should. It even ended on a note reminiscent of the most famous episode ever, Blink, in that I'm going to have a bit of trouble not thinking I see the Shroud all around me. Creepy goodness!

I thought it was especially cool that elements of the series really came back in this book, like mentions of old characters, especially at the end, with memories of the Doctor saying goodbye to various companions over the years. It was not only cool, but that last scene was so emotional and beautiful. Also, I'm just going to put this out there, but there was a Mr. Williams, a veterinarian, in the US in the 1920s. Just. You know.

The only negative thing I have to note is that the ending is a bit confusing. I know Doctor Who is not exactly known for its thorough (and believable) explanations of science fiction elements, but the wormhole situation was poorly explained and felt a bit rushed to get the climax over with. But that ultimately didn't keep me from enjoying the book any less.

AND. As to the Whoufflé. There could have been more, but I totally understand that this is not fanfiction, haha. I love the dynamic between the two characters anyway, and Donbavand captured that perfectly. The subtle hints are good enough for me now and had me fangirling anyway.

His words were drowned out by a piercing scream from the corridor outside. He flashed a grin at Clara. 'They're playing our song, dear.'

Clara held out her hand. 'Care to do the corridor quickstep?' Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow, Tommy Donbavand
 'Want to know what this friend is thinking right now?'

'What?' asked the Doctor. 'Is it that you'd like to be taller? Because I think you should be taller. When I hug you, I can feel your breath on my chest. It's weird.' Doctor Who: Shroud of Sorrow, Tommy Donbavand

That is all.

Summing Up...

A fun, quick read! For Doctor Who fans who are bookworms like me, I think this series is probably the perfect solution to tide us over in between series. I mean, how am I going to survive the wait until November now? I might buy some more of these.

In Three Words...

Recommended To...

Any Doctor Who fans, really.

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Book Nerd Problems #10: E-Books and E-Readers, YAY or NAY?

This is a periodic discussion feature here at Snuggly Oranges about the many problems one can run into as a book nerd.

#10. E-Books and E-Readers, YAY or NAY?

I'm not sure this topic has been fully exhausted yet in the book blogging world, but I do always like giving my own view on things. So today I want to talk about e-books. In fact, this is inspired by one of my lectures at university, where we talked about how e-books are quite a radical innovation with a lot of potential (still).

Anyway. I own an e-reader, more specifically: the Sony Reader, and I love it to bits. I particularly love it because it's space saving (as I've mentioned multiple times, I live in one room, with absolutely no space for books anymore), it has easy annotation & dictionary options (which I majorly abuse), and, of course, it's light and portable. If asked, I will always honestly say that I prefer physical books. As a true book nerd, I don't think anything could beat that feeling of holding a book in your hands (and the smell, mmm!). So I will never fully substitute physical books with e-books. But I wouldn't only buy physical books if I had the money, space, ________ either. I have to have a fair balance of both.

But I'm wondering where most of you stand on this issue. I've spoken to many people about this. For book bloggers, I think, there's an added bonus to having an e-reader because of the ability to read e-ARCs and e-galleys that are easier to acquire than print ARCs or galleys. But a lot of the readers I've spoken to can't ever imagine switching over because they'll miss the feeling of the book in their hands, or they just don't want another gadget, etc. etc. etc. So let's look some of the pros and cons. Let me know if I missed any!

Pros

      • Books are way more portable and more or less weightless.
      • It saves an awful lot of shelf space.
      • Immediacy and ease of purchase.
      • It's more "green" - no paper wasted.
      • There's a huge variety of smaller authors.
      • It's anonymous - for when you're reading Fifty Shades of Grey.
      • Books are never "out of print".
      • They can be much cheaper than print copies.
      • Extra options, like annotations and dictionaries.

Cons

      • No more of that "book" feeling (or smell, you book sniffers, you).
      • It just goes against the established norm.
      • No more books to decorate bookshelves and bookcases.
      • Missing that in-store book buying experience.
      • It's way less fun to give/receive e-books as presents.

In the News...

To be honest, so far, the potential of the e-books has been underutilized. That's why design and innovation consulting firm IDEO developed some ideas for how to further revolutionize the concept.



  1. Nelson connects books to commentary, critique, and contextual information, letting readers explore a topic from multiple perspectives. Layers of connected commentary, news, and fact-checking augment the core book content—providing greater context and encouraging debate and scrutiny.
  2. Coupland makes book discovery a social activity by allowing readers to build shared libraries and hear about additional texts through existing networks. Personal recommendations, aggregation of reading patterns, and the ability to follow inspiring individuals and groups help ensure that Coupland users always are tapped into the latest essential content.
  3. Alice turns storytelling on its head by making narratives non-linear and participatory. With Alice, the story world starts bleeding into the everyday life of the reader. Real-world challenges, like acting on a phone call from the lead character, or participating in photo based scavenger hunts, unlock new aspects of the story, and turn other readers into collaborators or competitors. Alice is a platform for authors to experiment with narratives, to allow their stories to transcend media, and to engage fans in the storytelling process. 
Give me Alice! Gimme! Now! How cool is that? Completely changes the traditional narrative. Sadly... these ideas were announced in 2010 and nothing has been heard from them since. Publishers, what are you waiting for? Is it too big a leap? Too revolutionary? It's got to put quite a strain on authors as well, so, all in all, I guess I understand. I just want to see this happen.

Let's Talk!

Enough of my opinion, what about you?
Do you have an e-reader or not? Why or why not?
What do you think about an idea like Alice?

Let me know in the comments!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Book Review: True by Hilary Duff

Release Date: April 16th, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Genre:YA, Paranormal, Romance
Series: Elixir (#3 of 3)
Pages: 304
   
The epic love story of Clea and Sage comes to its thrilling conclusion in the final book in the Elixir series by multitalented star Hilary Duff.Following the harrowing events of Elixir and Devoted—and the ceremony that almost killed Sage—Clea faces a new reality: With Sage’s soul in Nico’s body, the love of her life looks an awful lot like her best friend’s boyfriend. Can Clea and Sage really be happy under these circumstances?

Clea wants to try to enjoy their new life together, but Sage is acting different—angry—and she struggles to keep her friends from finding out what has happened to him. Something is clearly haunting Sage, and Clea is losing control. Can she trust her friends with the dangerous truth, or will she have to risk losing Sage to madness? Goodreads
1.5 Oranges

Dear Elixir series,

Once upon a time, I was young and naive. Your first installment, Elixir was so gleefully different and had such a mysterious and creepy vibe that I honestly couldn't put it down until I finished. I was excited. Especially because I completely adore Hilary Duff.

But maybe that made me see this in a more flattering light than warranted. But I was inexperienced! I honestly had not read much before that point, and now, the tables have surely turned. First of all, I think to an extent I would still enjoy Elixir today. But the series lost its momentum, and, to be honest, it should have been a stand alone. This is another case of a series that was poorly planned out and just jumping on the bandwagon.

Because, Elixir series, why do you have to engage in YA stereotypes, like the totally absent parents, the unlimited resources (due to the main character's senator mother), teenage fights that end in noncommunication, and love triangles? The love triangle was still the best developed of the overused tropes, but its appeal surely waned after the first book ended.

Also, why are you 'telling' me everything, and 'showing' me nothing? Honestly, while I may not remember if there is a clear difference between True and its prequels Elixir and Devoted, this whole book was telling. Every single paragraph read as, "I did this. I saw that. She said this. I said that. He looked away." It reads like an elementary level novel, and I've matured way beyond that. Hell, there are elementary level novels that are way better than this.

And, why is your plot so disjointed? Plot elements come out of nowhere. It doesn't work this way, Elixir series. Well-read readers will surely notice the fact that the plot is clearly made up as it goes along. Explanations for the world building and mythology are completely absent. When some new element is necessary, it appears. Very convenient, but not a good method of storytelling.

Why are your characters so bland? The romance was slightly appealing (in the previous books, not this one, Elixir once again being the highest point), but the characters themselves were cookie cutter creations. Stupid to boot. Like, Clea, in this brilliant (read: boring) installment, goes to investigate why Sage's soul seems to be rejected by Nico's body and ends up at a commune specializing in soul transitions. While she's there, the whole time she's laughing at the idiots for believing the bullshit that is preached there, but still lets herself get locked up there because she believes she can find answers. Sections like this (yes, there were more) make the entire book contradict and laugh at itself. But then another convenient plot element appears to explain and drive the plot.

Summing Up...

I stuck with this series since there was only one more book to go, but man do I wish I hadn't. This was such a waste of my money. I'm kind of eying the other books now, wondering if even Elixir, which I truly enjoyed way back when, would still be enjoyable. But will I reread? No. I've grown up. I know better. This just sucked. 1 orange for the plot that, while ridiculous, kept me turning the pages because at least the concept was mildly intriguing, and half an orange for the twist at the end that I honestly didn't expect.

In Three Words...

Recommended To...

Nope, I wouldn't.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Waiting on Wednesdays #26: Obsession by Jennifer L. Armentrout


This is a weekly meme, hosted at Breaking the Spine, spotlighting upcoming releases that we're anticipating.

Title: Obsession
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release Date: May 31st, 2013
Publisher: Entangled
   
He’s arrogant, domineering, and... To. Die. For.

Hunter is a ruthless killer. And the Department of Defense has him firmly in their grasp, which usually doesn’t chafe too badly because he gets to kill bad guys. Most of the time he enjoys his job. That is, until he’s saddled with something he’s never had to do before: protect a human from his mortal enemy.

Serena Cross didn’t believe her best friend when she claimed to have seen the son of a powerful senator turn into something... unnatural. Who would? But then she witnesses her friend’s murder at the hands of what can only be an alien, thrusting her into a world that will kill to protect their secret.

Hunter stirs Serena’s temper and her lust despite their differences. Soon he’s doing the unthinkable—breaking the rules he’s lived by, going against the government to keep Serena safe. But are the aliens and the government the biggest threats to Serena’s life…or is it Hunter? Goodreads

Aw, man, when I first heard about this one it made its way on my to-read list right away. I love the Lux series, but the idea of an adult stand alone, in the same world, concerning romance between an Arum and a human? WOAH. Epic. I need it. The cover, though? Unfortunate.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Blog News + Giveaway: Blog Makeover Edition

Hey there everyone! If you're on your feed reader or Bloglovin', be sure to come round to the site soon, because... drum roll, please... Snuggly Oranges now has a fresh new layout!


One of the things you'll get to know about me over the course of my blogging journey is that things like layouts... they generally tend to start irritating me quickly. In terms of the last layout, it's not that I was totally unhappy with it, but there were so many little things that just didn't work quite how I wanted them to. And now, after more than half a year of blogging (I know, I can't believe it either) I also had a much better idea of what I wanted my blog to look like. Now, I am a perfectionist at heart, so believe me, there are still some things that could use tweaking or adding, but I am pretty darn happy with this new layout.

I also made a new button, which you can find at the bottom of the page! This will serve as my icon on all the social media sites and stuff, and if you want to post it somewhere... well, I'll love you forever!

So is this why you've been so disgracefully inactive lately?

Erm, no. I'd love to say that this layout was the reason, but, to be honest, I've only been working on it for 3-4 days. Maybe I'm foolish to think that people follow me so loyally that they would have noticed there is a marked decrease in the number of posts (and comments to others, sorry!), but to me it's a very apparent and big thing.

I want to be honest with my readers, but still keep it a bit professional, so I'm just going to say that I haven't been doing so well lately, and I mean mostly emotionally. Life has its ups and downs, and this is one extraordinary down for me. I hope to be able to pull myself out of this funk soon (I kind of have to, with university exams looming), but that is the primary reason for my absence as of late.

But it's not all bad!

I do have some nice things planned. I just got the new Dan Brown and can't wait to dig into that, I'm excited about the prospect of finally reading Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy with Judith (we seriously need to make that happen), and, even though it's far off, I love the idea of the Dutch book blogger/booktuber meetup in the works.

Honestly, I'm waiting to hear back from an internship that I want so badly I could cry and getting it would definitely give my motivation the kick in the pants it so desperately needs. So the next few days will be spent with crossed fingers.

On to more fun stuff!

It's been quite a while since my last giveaway, and I thought that was possibly the best way to celebrate this new look. I have quite a few print ARCs stacked up and I'd love to be able to share that with my readers. ONE winner will receive their choice of one of the following ARCs:


The Rules of the Game

  • You must fill in the Rafflecopter below to enter.
  • The giveaway is international!
  • You must be 13 years or older to enter.
  • Any entrants who are found to be gaming the system will be disqualified.
  • This giveaway runs until June 4th, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
  • When the contest ends, the 18 winners will be announced here and emailed. The winners will have 48 hours to respond, before another winner is picked.
  • I am not responsible for items lost or damaged in the mail. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let's Talk!

What do you think of the new layout? Are you like...
Good job, Debby!
Or more like...
I'm not quite sure which emotion this would be expressing... Oh well!

Let me know in the comments!


Current Giveaway

Blog Makeover ARC Giveaway
International, ends June 4th!

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