Stacking the Shelves - Ghosts of the Shadow Market

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Summary (by Goodreads)

Celine Montclaire goes to the Shadow Market to escape. She would go anywhere in Paris, or the entire world, to escape the suffering she experiences at the hands of her family. She did not expect to meet Valentine Morgenstern there, or to have him promise her freedom and the heart of the man she secretly loves. On one condition, of course. At the Shadow Market, nothing is for free.

One of the things that I love about the Mortal Instruments series is that it is so vast.  And it spans across generations. We see the Infernal Devices series which dates back in time and then current day families, events and relationships.  How Cassandra Clare has interwoven the Shadowhunter families is fascinating and I think it is one of the key components to keeping her world diverse and interesting.  Each family acts as its own web with its own story and the threads that make up this web are the relationships and complexities that tie to another person or family. Ghosts of the Shadow Market helps to bridge the gap and of course open new story possibilities to understand characters we have seen little of  throughout the books.  It is a great addition if you have read the full series but would be hard to understand if you are JUST beginning to read about the Shadowhunters.  I have been reading them for the past week or so (yes, I need to do reviews) and I LOVE these background stories and histories.  

**spoiler alert**

Celine's history with Stephen Herondale is of particular interest because it relates to a very KEY character in the Mortal Instruments series.   See how I did that? I gave you a hint WITHOUT revealing everything. 

If you have read the entire Mortal Instruments series (and maybe even Infernal Devices), I would highly recommend diving into Ghosts of the Shadow Market.  There are 10 stories in all and they seem to be released one each month since April 2018...which makes sense because it all leads up to the final installment of  The Dark Artifices.

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves - Dance of Thieves by Mary E Pearson

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Summary (by Goodreads)

A new novel in the New York Times–bestselling Remnant Chronicles universe, in which a reformed thief and the young leader of an outlaw dynasty lock wits in a battle that may cost them their lives—and their hearts.

When the patriarch of the Ballenger empire dies, his son, Jase, becomes its new leader. Even nearby kingdoms bow to the strength of this outlaw family, who have always governed by their own rules. But a new era looms on the horizon, set in motion by a young queen, which makes her the target of the dynasty's resentment and anger.

At the same time, Kazi, a legendary former street thief, is sent by the queen to investigate transgressions against the new settlements. When Kazi arrives in the forbidding land of the Ballengers, she learns that there is more to Jase than she thought. As unexpected events spiral out of their control, bringing them intimately together, they continue to play a cat and mouse game of false moves and motives in order to fulfill their own secret missions.

I know I just recently wrote about this title coming out but I actually received it this past weekend from my library!  I am not super keen on the cover but I REALLY enjoyed Mary's last series - The Remnant Chronicles so I have high expectations.  Too much reading...too little time!

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves - War Cross by Marie Lu

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Summary (By Goodreads)

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life.

The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire. 

Sadly for some, we are becoming more of a technology dependent world and more and more of us are logging in and spending more time as our virtual selves than our real ones.  I imagine this book to be something similar to Ready Player One.  Marie Lu has always been on my TBR list of authors but for some reason I haven't yet tried her titles.  Eager for this one from Audible though! (I know book #2 is just around the corner...just in case it's a winner for me!)

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary (By Goodreads)

Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville—derailing the War Between the States and changing America forever. In this new nation, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Reeducation Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead. But there are also opportunities—and Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from society’s expectations.

But that’s not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesn’t pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose. But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies. And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.

Historical zombie apocalypse.  Need I say more?  Checkout please....

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves - Immortal Reign by Morgan Rhodes

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Summary (by Goodreads)

As two lethal elemental gods set out to destroy Mytica, sworn enemies must become allies in the final fight to save the kingdoms.

Jonas continues to willfully defy his destiny, but the consequences of plotting his own course are drastic. As the fight for Mytica rages on, he must decide just how much more he's willing to sacrifice.

Lucia knows there's something special about her daughter and she'll do anything to protect her, even if that means facing Kyan alone.

Amara is called back home to Kraeshia. Grandma Cortas has her own plans for Mytica's future. She promises Amara power, revenge, and dominance if she agrees to be part of her scheme.

Magnus and Cleo's love will be put to the ultimate test. Dark magic is causing widespread destruction throughout the kingdom. Enemies across the sea are advancing. And unrest is stirring throughout the land. Is their love strong enough to withstand the outside forces tearing them apart?

So...nearly a year ago I started a subscription to Audible.  I now listen to audiobooks quite frequently because I might be able to multitask while I listen and I like to hear different accents and voices for characters.  One really cool thing about Audible is that I can also pre-order titles.  One of the series that I have been reading over the past few years is the Falling Kingdoms series by Morgan Rhodes.  What I had not realized is that my pre-order for this title had been sitting in my account for nearly a month!!  So guess what I found a few days ago? It's like finding treasure! Very excited to listen to Book #6.  There are a lot of characters so I wonder how well the narration compares to the voices in my head.  :)  The book voices I mean! (haha!)

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves - Hunting Prince Dracula by Kerri Maniscalco

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Summary (by Goodreads)

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine...and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

I know that this is book #2 of the Stalking Jack the Ripper series but I figured that the two titles couldn't possibly be that related seeing they are completely different plots.  Sure both villains murdered and maimed their victims but it's not like Jack flew to Europe to continue or compete in his killing spree, right? 

This is my first time reading a book by Kerri Maniscalco.  Actually, I didn't even read it.  I had it read TO me on Audible this time. I'll let you know how ends...I've got a few chapters left...

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary (by Goodreads)

Summer in Sand Lake isn’t complete without a trip to Meade Creamery—the local ice cream stand founded in 1944 by Molly Meade who started making ice cream to cheer up her lovesick girlfriends while all the boys were away at war. Since then, the stand has been owned and managed exclusively by local girls, who inevitably become the best of friends. Seventeen-year-old Amelia and her best friend Cate have worked at the stand every summer for the past three years, and Amelia is “Head Girl” at the stand this summer. When Molly passes away before Amelia even has her first day in charge, Amelia isn’t sure that the stand can go on. That is, until Molly’s grandnephew Grady arrives and asks Amelia to stay on to help continue the business…but Grady’s got some changes in mind… 

Whew! I have had a couple of pretty heavy weeks when it comes to reading.  By heavy I don't mean huge books either. I mean intense and dark titles.  I just finished reading the Stillhouse Lake series by Rachel Caine and I'm still reeling from some of the events of the story.  Not sure if I'll be posting a review.  It's not exactly YA material but I do love her writing...Anywho...I thought I'd go for something a little lighter on the contemporary side this time around.  I received this title from NetGalley a little while ago and it will be released in April.  Ice cream anyone? 

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves - S.T.A.G.S. by M.A. Bennett

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Summary (by Goodreads)

There's no point hunting if there's no kill.

At St. Aidan the Great School, or S.T.A.G.S., new things--and new people--are to be avoided. Unfortunately, Greer MacDonald, token scholarship student, is very much a new person. She has just transferred to S.T.A.G.S., and finds herself ignored at best and mocked at worst by the school's most admired circle of friends, the Medievals.

So imagine Greer's surprise when this very group invites her to an exclusive weekend retreat at the private estate of the parents of their unofficial leader, Henry de Warlencourt. It's billed as a weekend of "huntin' shootin' fishin'," and rumor has it that the invitee who most impresses the group will be given the privilege of becoming a Medieval themselves.

As the weekend begins to take shape, however, it becomes apparent that beyond the luxurious trappings--the fancy clothes the maid lays out on Greer's bed, the elaborate multicourse dinners held in the Great Hall--there are predators lurking, and they're out for blood. . . .

I picked up S.T.A.G.S. on Audible to listen on my way to and from work.  It reminded me of similar titles such as the Don't Get Mad series by Gretchen McNeil.  School bullying taken to the extreme...except in this case, the bullies aren't retaliating.....

Stacking the Shelves - Honor Among Thieves

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Summary (by Goodreads)

Petty criminal Zara Cole has a painful past that’s made her stronger than most, which is why she chose life in New Detroit instead moving with her family to Mars. In her eyes, living inside a dome isn’t much better than a prison cell.

Still, when Zara commits a crime that has her running scared, jail might be exactly where she’s headed. Instead Zara is recruited into the Honors, an elite team of humans selected by the Leviathan—a race of sentient alien ships—to explore the outer reaches of the universe as their passengers.

Zara seizes the chance to flee Earth’s dangers, but when she meets Nadim, the alien ship she’s assigned, Zara starts to feel at home for the first time. But nothing could have prepared her for the dark, ominous truths that lurk behind the alluring glitter of starlight.

I borrowed this title to read because I LOVE these two authors!  I don't know how authors do it.  How do they write together??  I am so pumped to read this book because I loved Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series and Ann Aguirre's Razorland series.  Has anyone read this title yet?

- Christinabean 

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary (by Goodreads)

Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

It has been a long time since I've done a Stacking the Shelves post. Mostly because I have been busy but also because I have put myself on a book-buying hiatus because I am out of bookshelf space. 

So after some major weeding, I cleared some room and now I'm starting to collect my some of my favourite series.  The Throne of Glass series deserves some space and to start, I'm going back to the beginning. Not the beginning of the series publication date but the beginning of Celena's career as an assassin.  I have all of Sarah J Maas' books but many of them are in e-book format.  Because of my lack of shelf space, I only actually purchase titles that I know I will read again and again (or if I happen to get signed copies of great reads...they go up on the shelf as well).  One of these days, I'll get my act together and take a photo of my bookshelf to share.  One of these days....

- Christinabean 

Stacking the shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary (By Goodreads)

Stop the Magician. Steal the book. Save the future.

In modern-day New York, magic is all but extinct. The remaining few who have an affinity for magic—the Mageus—live in the shadows, hiding who they are. Any Mageus who enters Manhattan becomes trapped by the Brink, a dark energy barrier that confines them to the island. Crossing it means losing their power—and often their lives.

Esta is a talented thief, and she’s been raised to steal magical artifacts from the sinister Order that created the Brink. With her innate ability to manipulate time, Esta can pilfer from the past, collecting these artifacts before the Order even realizes she’s there. And all of Esta’s training has been for one final job: traveling back to 1902 to steal an ancient book containing the secrets of the Order—and the Brink—before the Magician can destroy it and doom the Mageus to a hopeless future.

But Old New York is a dangerous world ruled by ruthless gangs and secret societies, a world where the very air crackles with magic. Nothing is as it seems, including the Magician himself. And for Esta to save her future, she may have to betray everyone in the past. 

I love the cover of this book. It is what keeps drawing me in everytime I visit Indigo/Chapters. The story too sounds so interesting. I just finished watching the last episode/season finale of Shadowhunters on Netflix this week.  The Last Magician sounded right up my alley! I bought my copy on Audible to listen to on my way to work. Anyone else a fan of audio books?

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Summary by Goodreads

Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . 

I received a copy of this title from NetGalley and thought it might be kind of fun.  We don't often hear stories of the bastard children being heroines/heroes maybe with the exception of Game of Thrones. They are barely considered family. More like the family secret.  Andrew Shvarts is a new author to me as well so I thought I'd give it a read!

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

Should it really be any surprise that I went out and bought this last Tuesday? I have been super busy lately so I haven't been able to read it fully but I am inching my way there.  I even purchased the audio version (as well) so that I didn't have to lug all 600 pages to and from work. So I flip between listening to James Marsters (Spike from the Buffy series) and reading the hardcover. :) Book nerds unite!

- Christinabean

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves allows us to share the books we have added to our collections - physical, virtual, borrowed, bought or received

This is kind of what my TBR list looks like right now. I've got so many books on the go that I think I'm going to dedicate this week to working on something I already have but haven't finished reading.  I hope you have some good books to work on this week!  Please share the titles you're working in the comments! I would love to hear what's on your shelf!

- Christinabean