My Weekly Pull [129] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [104]

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Star #4 (of 5) by Kelly Thompson, Javier Pina, Filipe Andrade, Carmen Carnero

Ant-Man #5 by Zeb Wells, Dylan Burnett

Scooby-Doo Where Are You #105 by Sholly Fisch, Walter Carzon

 

Once & Future #10 by Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora

Firefly #19 by Greg Pak, Lalit Kumar Sharma, George Kambadais

Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance #10 by Matthew Erman, Jo Cheol-Hong, Mona Finden

Jacob's comics for the week!

Transformers #22 by Brian Ruckley, Anna Malkova

Transformers '84 Secrets & Lies #2 by Simon Furman, Guido Guidi

Transformers Vs Terminator #3 by David Mariotte, Alex Milne, Andrew Griffith

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Urban Legends #26 by Gary Carlson, Frank Fosco, Andy Kuhn

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The Roommate by Rosie Danan

Expected publication: September 15th 2020 by Berkley

Synopsis (via Goodreads): 

House Rules:

Do your own dishes
Knock before entering the bathroom
Never look up your roommate online

The Wheatons are infamous among the east coast elite for their lack of impulse control, except for their daughter Clara. She’s the consummate socialite: over-achieving, well-mannered, predictable. But every Wheaton has their weakness. When Clara’s childhood crush invites her to move cross-country, the offer is too much to resist. Unfortunately, it’s also too good to be true.

After a bait-and-switch, Clara finds herself sharing a lease with a charming stranger. Josh might be a bit too perceptive—not to mention handsome—for comfort, but there’s a good chance he and Clara could have survived sharing a summer sublet if she hadn’t looked him up on the Internet...

Once she learns how Josh has made a name for himself, Clara realizes living with him might make her the Wheaton’s most scandalous story yet. His professional prowess inspires her to take tackling the stigma against female desire into her own hands. They may not agree on much, but Josh and Clara both believe women deserve better sex. What they decide to do about it will change both of their lives, and if they’re lucky, they’ll help everyone else get lucky too.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your My Weekly Pull post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

All Eyes on Her by L.E. Flynn [Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway]

Hello lovelies! Welcome to the next stop on the All Eyes on Her blog tour, hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. L.E. Flynn  has written an amazing story, so be sure to check out the giveaway below! Thank you for stopping by! For the full tour schedule, please visit the Rockstar Book Tours website.

About the Book: 

Title: ALL EYES ON HER
Author: L.E. Flynn
Pub. Date: August 18, 2020
Publisher: Imprint
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 320
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

You heard the story on the news. A girl and a boy went into the woods. The girl carried a picnic basket. The boy wore bright yellow running shoes. The girl found her way out, but the boy never did….

Everyone thinks they know what happened. Some say Tabby pushed him off that cliff— she didn’t even like hiking. She was jealous. She had more than her share of demons. Others think he fell accidentally—she loved Mark. She would never hurt him…even if he hurt her.

But what’s the real story? All Eyes On Her is told from everyone but Tabby herself as the people in her life string together the events that led Tabby to that cliff. Her best friend. Her sister. Her enemy. Her ex-boyfriend. Because everybody thinks they know a girl better than she knows herself.

What do you think is the truth?

"Because somewhere along the line, we decided to equate quiet with good, which means loud became bad by default."

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

All Eyes on Her was unlike any other book I've read before! The story is about a possible murder, but we only see the perspectives of some secondary characters, not the main suspect. Flynn has flipped it so that the people in the periphery are actually the ones telling the story. It was fantastic! Wonderfully written and utterly captivating, All Eyes on Her easily held my attention and I never wanted to put it down.

I loved how the author made everyone a suspect, or at least had them seem suspicious. People can think they know someone, but their interactions with them - - along with their perceptions - - might make them feel differently. For example, Keegan thought Mark was a saint that treated girls well, while Elle thought he was controlling and manipulative. They both saw the same person, but through very different lenses. Their relative positions to Mark, plus their personal experiences with him, shaped how they saw him as a person. It also affected how they saw his death, and whether or not it was an accident.

Additionally, we see that most people are morally gray. They will do things to "help" others, or because they think someone else "deserves" it. They let their opinions dictate their actions, and we see people get hurt because of a misunderstanding or false information. No one is perfect, and Flynn highlights people's imperfections in this book. Even the "good guys" have done "bad" things for the right reasons (or what they thought were the right reasons). They often felt vindicated and determined in the moment, only to regret and second-guess their decisions later.

I never knew who was responsible for what until the author wanted me to know, and even then there were two sides to every story. I was left making my own assumptions and conclusions about certain aspects of the story. Sadly, I'm not thrilled with the ending, despite most of the story's threads being wrapped up. There's too much we still don't know, and only one person with the all of the answers. That person isn't inclined to be 100% honest, so we're left wondering what the truth actually is. I wouldn't say the ending was unsatisfying, because it did follow the same pattern as the rest of the book, but I wish the conclusion had been more definitive.

The parents and adults in this book were mostly nonexistent. Tabby's parents just sucked.

I also really liked that the author used her characters to highlight how girls and women are seen in the world. There are all of these expectations and unwritten rules, and we get judged accordingly. It was nice seeing them stand up for themselves and each other. Definitely a Girl Power book! Additionally, if you're looking for a suspenseful mystery, All Eyes on Her will deliver! (★★★★☆)

𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋𑁋

About L.E.:

Laurie Elizabeth Flynn is a former model who lives in London, Ontario with her husband and children. She is the author of three young adult novels: Firsts, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, along with Last Girl Lied To and All Eyes On Her, under the name L.E. Flynn. She is also the author of Wattpad featured series The Boys Tell All.

Her adult fiction debut, The Girls Are All So Nice Here, will be published in 2021. It has been optioned for a TV series by AMC.

When she’s not writing, you can likely find her hiking in the woods, perusing thrift stores for vintage dresses, or bingeing on reality TV.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of ALL EYES ON HER, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ink & Sigil (Ink & Sigil, #1) by Kevin Hearne

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails – and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective – while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive.

"It had raisins in it, so that was bloody daft, as raisins are ill-omened abominations and he should have known better."

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne was a damn delight! The characters were well-developed and had some of the best personalities. It's been ages since a book made me laugh this much! Al is in his 60's and I absolutely adored him, Buck Foi is my new favorite hobgoblin, and Nadia is someone I want to be besties with (she's hilarious and can kick some serious ass). The world-building was complex without being confusing, and I cannot wait to dive back into this series in the future. Thank you, Kevin Hearne for delivering an epic story with dirty jokes, unrepentant magical creatures, and weird wizard vans. ;)

I also enjoyed the author's not-so-subtle references to the current world we live in, regarding things like phones and politics. They were relevant without feeling forced. A few examples:

1.  "How much magic and wonder was missed while people were distracted by something flickering on their screens?"
2.  "Most of the time such news just bounced off them, the way horrific shite about a candidate bounces off a party’s faithful because they can’t face the fact that they voted for a monster and they may in fact be monsters themselves. Easier to just deny it all, call it fake news. No introspection required."

I thought the mystery was interesting, if a bit underwhelming (just the teeniest tiniest bit). It didn't take long for Al to discover who was likely behind the fae trafficking, but it did take him a while to unravel the messy situation. He had to travel and hunt down specific people, do a lot of investigating (while drinking quality beer, whisky, and gin), and solve a problem without actually solving it. It was like putting a band aid on a broken leg, so maybe the problem will be revisited in the future. I know there wasn't much he could've done against his potential adversary, but I wish there had been more conflict on the fey side of things.

I loved the Avatar: The Last Airbender and Lord of the Rings references, and how excited Buck was when he discovered them for the first time. Nadia makes a comparison towards the end that had me laughing despite the seriousness of their situation. 

The language was a bit tricky for me even with the author's help at the start. Hearne tries to explain how certain words are pronounced (in a very humorous way), but it wasn't always easy for me to remember them as I was reading, and I didn't want to keep dragging my e-ARC back to the beginning. I think Ink & Sigil would make one hell of an audiobook though! I know I butchered a lot of the words, but a narrator would likely do a much better job (therefore increasing a person's overall enjoyment of the story). Unless you're already familiar with a Weegie accent! 

Illegal pit fights, trolls, sigils - - there's no shortage of fun and entertaining material in this book! I'm very interested in Al's particular curse(s) and really wanted more information on their origins before the book's conclusion. Unfortunately, we just learn a little more about what they do instead of who actually put them there or why. I have a feeling it will be addressed later on down the road, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that particular thread plays out (especially now that Buck's life is intertwined with Al's, and I'm already super attached to the thieving trickster). 

If you're looking for something new to read, Ink & Sigil was a blast and a half! Mad scientists, secret government facilities, modified fey, and a fantastic fantasy with no romance whatsoever (looking at you, Chuckles), this book is easily a new favorite! I'm happy I had an opportunity to read it. (★★★★⋆)

Additional quotes I liked:

1. "Live long enough and people from your past will echo, calling back to you years after they have left you behind."
2. "Five stars for defying expectations and coming out swinging with the batshite.”

The Sunday Post [55]

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.

News: 

It's. Still. Raining. We actually went for a walk yesterday in the rain just to get out of the house. We donned our raincoats, boots, and umbrellas, then went for a stroll around the neighborhood. I'm sure we received many odd looks from passerby (safely in their cars), or those enjoying the weather from their porches and windows, but my monsters absolutely loved it. Eventually we were shoeless and soaked, so naturally we started trying to kick water at each other as we ran down the sidewalk. ;) 

We made an offer on a house and negotiations ensued! Inspections are this week. The stress is real, friends. I'm ready for this to be over so we can move and get resettled somewhere else. 

Previous week on the blog:

• Sunday: The Sunday Post [54]
• Monday: State of the ARC [24]
• Tuesday: The Clockwork Crow (The Clockwork Crow, #1) by Catherine Fisher (★★⋆☆☆)
• Wednesday: My Weekly Pull [128] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [103]
• Thursday: NA
• Friday: NA
• Saturday: Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity, #3) by Nalini Singh, Angela Dawe (Narrator) (★★★★★)

What I'm currently reading:

Ink & Sigil (Ink & Sigil, #1) by Kevin Hearne

Quintessence by Jess Redman 

Lair of Dreams (The Diviners, #2) by Libba Bray 🎧

Ink & Sigil is delightful! Why haven't I heard of this author before? Still working my way through Quintessence with the girls, and will hopefully finish Lair of Dreams before my library hold expires (again).

What I plan on reading next:

All Eyes on Her by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards, #1) by Janella Angeles

What I'm watching: 

We watched Magic Camp this morning as a family! It was a fun movie that we all enjoyed. My son wants to finish watching Godzilla, but the girls weren't impressed with it. 

Challenge updates:

• Read the Alphabet Challenge 17
• Audiobook Challenge 21 / 50+
• Beat the Backlist Challenge 31 / 110
• Discussion Challenge 2 / 1-10
• Goodreads Challenge 227 / 365

Wolf Rain (Psy-Changeling Trinity, #3) by Nalini Singh

Narrated by Angela Dawe

Synopsis (via Goodreads): New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us on a new adventure in this next novel of the Psy-Changeling Trinity series…

The end of Silence was supposed to create a better world for future generations. But trust is broken, and the alliance between Psy, Changeling, and human is thin. The problems that led to Silence are back in full force. Because Silence fixed nothing, just hid the problems.

This time, the Psy have to find a real answer to their problems–if one exists. Or their race will soon go extinct in a cascade of violence. The answer begins with an empath who is attuned to monsters–and who is going to charm a wolf into loving her despite his own demons.

𑁋𑁋𑁋

I am loving the audiobooks for this series! I read a physical copy Silver Silence and own the entire Psy-Changeling Trinity series, but Angela Dawe is a phenomenal narrator. Every character has a distinct voice and I am never confused by who's speaking. She conveys their individual personalities so well, and never fails to amaze me with her conviction and creativity. I highly recommend this series on audio, if you like audiobooks!

Wolf Rain is currently tied with Silver Silence as my favorite book in the Psy-Changeling Trinity series. I enjoyed Ocean Light and Alpha Night, but I think I prefer when the changelings are the males. Don't ask me why, because I honestly don't know. There's just something about a growly, insufferable man that appeals to me. A little rough around the edges, somewhat possessive and a lot protective, animal instincts occasionally overriding the human ones - - it makes for good reading! Also, their sex drive is insane! They're like an oversized Energizer Bunny... They just keep going and going...

My mind is totally in the gutter right now remembering Alexei and Memory's romp in the woods. Nalini Singh knows how to deliver a good story and amazing character chemistry. Nothing feels like insta-love despite a character's animal "knowing" when someone is their mate. They still develop feelings and a friendship before knocking boots. I really loved how patient Alexei was with Memory, and that he wanted to give her time to understand herself before acting on their emotions. She knew she had the stirrings of something for him, but neither could be sure it wasn't just because he'd saved her from a horrible situation. We know they're going to be forever lovers, but it was nice they took the time to figure some stuff out before jumping into a super steamy relationship. *cough* Sexy Lexie! *cough*

Alexei is dealing with his own demons, and I loved that Memory was able to support and understand him in a way no one else could. Her abilities and her personal connection to him allowed her to heal some of his hurt and jagged edges. She was there for him as much as he was there for her, and I laughed every time she growled or poked him in the stomach.

I also really liked the secondary characters and how well they were written! It's fun when old favorites make an appearance, or when it's clear the author is setting up a future book for someone you already adore. Additionally, there were multiple mysteries woven into the story, and it was fun figuring out how they tied together and what they meant for the world as a whole.

Singh has delivered another amazing story with relatable and memorable characters. I've already finished Alpha Night and will hopefully find the time to review it soon. Slave to Sensation is the first book in the original Psy-Changeling series, and while it was enjoyable, I've already noticed some significant differences. More on that later! If you need a series to get lost in, this is definitely one to consider. (★★★★★)

My Weekly Pull [128] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [103]

My Weekly Pull is something I do every Wednesday to show which comics I had pulled for me that week! If you're into comics, or you're looking to start, please join me! If you decide to do your own post, there's a link-up at the bottom. I would love to stop by and check it out!

Dungeons & Dragons Infernal Tides #5 by Jim Zub, Max Dunbar

Hawkeye Freefall #5 by Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt

Seven Secrets #1 by Tom Taylor, Daniele Di Nicuolo, Matteo Scalera

Jacob's comics for the week! 

Venom #27 by Donny Cates, Juan Gedeon, Ryan Stegman

Transformers Galaxies by Sam Maggs, Umi Miyao

Amazing Spider-Man #46 by Nick Spencer, Guillermo Sanna, Mark Bagley

FCBD 2020 InvestiGators Take the Plunge Sneak Peak by John Patrick Green

• I got an early copy of Seven Secrets last week, but I couldn't resist a mystery cover! Also, it's written by TOM TAYLOR, so I'm totally okay with having two copies of the same issue. ;)
• HAWKEYE IS BACK, BABY.
• I think this is the last issue for the Dungeons & Dragons Infernal Tides series, but I'm only 85% sure. 
• The sneak speak for InvestiGators is for one of my monsters. 

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature that's hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It highlights the upcoming releases we're really excited about reading! CWW is a spinoff of the feature Waiting on Wednesday (WoW), that was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Float Plan by Trish Doller
Expected publication: March 2nd 2020 by St Martin's Griffin

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Critically acclaimed author Trish Doller's unforgettable and romantic adult debut about setting sail, starting over, and finding yourself

Since the loss of her fiancé, Anna has been shipwrecked by grief—until a reminder goes off about a trip they were supposed to take together. Impulsively, Anna goes to sea in their sailboat, intending to complete the voyage alone.

But after a treacherous night’s sail, she realizes she can’t do it by herself and hires Keane, a professional sailor, to help. Much like Anna, Keane is struggling with a very different future than the one he had planned. As romance rises with the tide, they discover that it’s never too late to chart a new course.

Trish Doller’s unforgettable adult debut, Float Plan, reminds readers that starting over doesn't mean forgetting: you can build a new home, right alongside the old.

*Share your My Weekly Pull post! Please leave the direct link to your My Weekly Pull post and not just your blog's URL. Thank you for participating and happy reading!

The Clockwork Crow (The Clockwork Crow, #1) by Catherine Fisher

Synopsis (via Goodreads): A magical story of snow and stars by Catherine Fisher. The Clockwork Crow is a mysterious gothic Christmas tale set in a frost-bound Victorian country mansion. When orphaned Seren Rees is given a mysterious package by a strange and frightened man on her way to her new home, she reluctantly takes it with her. But what is in the parcel? Who are the Family who must not be spoken of, and can the Crow help Seren find Tom, before the owner of the parcel finds her? The Clockwork Crow is a gripping Christmas tale of families and belonging set in snowy Wales from a master storyteller.

𑁋𑁋𑁋

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I really enjoyed Catherine Fisher's Incarceron when I read it several years ago, although I couldn't tell you anything about it today. Maybe if I re-read the synopsis and it jogged my memory? Regardless, The Clockwork Crow promised to be mysterious and magical, so I couldn't resist reading it with my monster. Unfortunately, the story was too short and the characters sadly underdeveloped. 

I really think The Clockwork Crow has the potential to be an amazing story, however, the book itself was only 179 pages and not very tall (so the pages were short and didn't have very many words on them). I feel like the author should have spent more time developing the world, the people, and the creatures that inhabited it. She introduced a lot of interesting characters, yet we hardly know anything about them by the end of the book.

Initially, the Crow was my favorite character because he's grouchy and short-tempered. He's also a mechanical crow that comes to life, so he had that going for him too. His interactions with Seren were interesting, although I didn't appreciate him calling her stupid, or how easy it was for her to manipulate him. It's obvious he has secrets, but his motives weren't always believable. Why was he firmly against something one minute, and then happy to help the next? Why did he lie about how he was turned into a crow? Also, when he does finally tell Seren the truth, she acts like she's always known despite the author never hinting at her awareness. There were no clues to indicate what he actually was, and we never see Seren mulling over the possibilities.

Additionally, if he used to be a man before he was a crow (whether a prince or something else), him always being in a little girl's room really rubbed me the wrong way. I know the author probably didn't mean anything by it, but it wasn't just a talking crow watching her change clothes and bathe, it was a man in a crow's body. It made everything feel gross.

Seren herself is a mystery, as are the rest of the people in her life. I'm not sure why everyone felt compelled to keep Tomos's disappearance a secret from her, but the revelation wasn't all that surprising. The housekeeper's behavior towards her was harsh as well, especially since any child would want to know why they'd been brought to live in a cold, dark home with no one her age to interact with. Captain Jones being her godfather was barely touched on, and none of the adult interactions were all that believable. 

They, Them, The Family - - they were a constant throughout the book. The humans were scared of them, their bells (something else that wasn't explained or elaborated on), the coldness they would leave in the house, yet Seren had no trouble finding her way to Them. She conveniently finds a diary with pretty specific instructions, and the timing was just oh-so-perfect. Also, the snow globe (which is very important apparently) just happened to be there? She just instinctually knew what to do with it? How? How did she know it would do anything at all? There was nothing in the story that indicated it held any value to Them or their world.

Oh, and their voices? Apparently their singing was supposed to compel humans to stay, but one of the crow's feathers kept Seren from being affected. Why didn't Tomos need one? Why weren't they supposed to look at the faeries? If they were cold, intelligent beings, shouldn't it have been harder for two kids to navigate their way into and out of their world? How did the Crow know the things he did? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS. 

I'm really disappointed because I feel like The Clockwork Crow could have been so much more than it was. The mystery and intrigue were there, but it was like the author decided to be as vague as possible, while making everything extra convenient for the characters. There was very little struggle on their part, and I hate when a story comes together perfectly. Life is never that easy, so a story shouldn't make breaking into a faerie world look like a piece of cake. I hope the published version of this book has more depth and hard decisions. (★★⋆☆☆)