And I Darken (The Conqueror's Saga #1) By: Kiersten White Published: June 28, 2016 by Delacorte Press 498 pages Source: Netgalley ARC from publisher ( Goodreads / Amazon ) Summary: This vividly rendered novel reads like HBO’s  Game of Thrones  . . . if it were set in the Ottoman Empire. Ambitious in scope and intimate in execution, the story’s atmospheric setting is rife with political intrigue, with a deftly plotted narrative driven by fiercely passionate characters. Fans of Victoria Aveyard’s THE RED QUEEN, Kristin Cashore’s GRACELING, and Sabaa Tahir’s AN EMBER IN THE ASHES won’t want to miss this visceral, immersive, and mesmerizing novel, the first in a trilogy. NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to su...

Carter Finally Gets It #1 By: Brent Crawford Published: April 7, 2009 by Brilliance Audio Audiobook Source: Borrowed from my SNL, Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know ( Goodreads / Amazon ) Summary: Meet Will Carter, but feel free to call him Carter. (Yes, he knows it's a lazy nickname, but he didn't have much say in the matter.) Here are five things you should know about him: 1. He has a stuttering problem, particularly around boobs and belly buttons. 2. He battles Attention Deficit Disorder every minute of every day unless he gets distracted.  3. He's a virgin, mostly because he's no good at talking to girls (see number 1). 4. He's about to start high school. 5. He's totally not ready. Join Carter for his freshman year, where he'll search for sex, love, and acceptance anywhere he can find it. In the process, he'll almost kill a trombone player, face off with his greatest nemesis, suffer a lot of blood loss, narrowly escape dea...

Feed (Newsflesh #1) By: Mira Grant Published: April 10, 2010 by Orbit 609 pages Source: Personal Kindle library ( Goodreads / Amazon ) Summary: The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them. FEED is the electrifying and critically acclaimed novel of a world a half-step from our own---a novel of geeks, zombies, politics and social media. MY REVIEW: I debated doing an actual review for this one but I decided to go ahead because the book isn't awful. Many I'm sure will enjoy it. But once I got to 20% (page 127) I knew this wasn't one I wanted to read. When ...