Review: Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen

Beastkeeper by Cat Hellisen (Feb. 2015)
208 pages
Genre: Middle Grade/Fairy Tale Retelling
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Source: I received a free eARC from the publisher via Netgalley. This did not affect my honest review.
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: Sarah has always been on the move. Her mother hates the cold, so every few months her parents pack their bags and drag her off after the sun. She’s grown up lonely and longing for magic. She doesn’t know that it’s magic her parents are running from.

When Sarah’s mother walks out on their family, all the strange old magic they have tried to hide from comes rising into their mundane world. Her father begins to change into something wild and beastly, but before his transformation is complete, he takes Sarah to her grandparents—people she has never met, didn’t even know were still alive.

Deep in the forest, in a crumbling ruin of a castle, Sarah begins to untangle the layers of curses affecting her family bloodlines, until she discovers that the curse has carried over to her, too. The day she falls in love for the first time, Sarah will transform into a beast . . . unless she can figure out a way to break the curse forever.

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My Review

The cover of Beastkeeper is breathtaking. All of the tiny amazing details blew me away. This is why I decided to read this book. The second reason, it is a fairy tale retelling where the girl is the beast. It's different, and I love different.

I am so glad I chose to give Beastkeeper a chance. It was a sad story, yet very charming. It wasn't a story full of laughter or cute things, it was one full of sadness and pain. I was expecting more of a fun story since this book leans toward being middle grade, but I'm not complaining. It was well written and I had no trouble falling into the complex wonderful magical world that the author created.

The characters in Beastkeeper are rather interesting and enjoyable to read about. Sarah is a strong young girl who is doing her best to get by when her mother up and leaves her and her dad. Sarah then finds out what love means, what family should mean, and how far back curses and magic can go. Even though my time with her was short I grew really fond of her. The other minor characters in the story were great too, but Sarah was my favorite.

Full of family secrets, curses, and beasts, Beastkeeper is a unique fairy tale. It isn't all rainbows and unicorns, but much more. This was a nice magical tale that I think is worth reading. I apologize for the short review, but it was a short book. 

TTT #39: If I Was Going to the Beach...

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

These are the top 10 11 books I would bring with me this summer to the beach if I got the chance. I got the wonderful idea to pair them with cute beach bags from Danielle @ Love at First Page! Thanks Danielle! I had so much fun pairing cute beach bags with fun books I hope to read this summer.

Find the bag here!

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Find the bag here!

Find the bag here!

What is in your beach bag?

ARC Review: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot

Royal Wedding (Princess Diaries #11) by Meg Cabot (June 2, 2015)
448 pages
Genre: Adult/Romance
Publisher: William Morrow & Company
Source: I received a free ARC from Meg Cabot herself (and the publisher) at ALA Midwinter. This did not affect my honest review. Thanks Meg Cabot and William Morrow & Company!
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding--but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia's gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn't need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother's leaked "fake" wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia's father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone--especially herself--that she's not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

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My Review

When I found out that there was going to be another Princess Diaries book I looked a little something like this.

So was the wait worth it? Was it everything I thought it was going to be? Did Princess Mia still make me laugh and smile? 

It was everything I wanted and more! We jump right back into Mia's life and she is now an adult, just like her readers! I loved this. I never realized how much I had missed Mia and Michael and everyone until I started reading Royal Wedding. This book is a treat for all the Princess Diaries fans out there. I honestly probably don't even need to convince you to read this because you already plan on it. I'm guessing as soon as this baby comes out that this will be you. (It was how I looked when I was reading.)

I enjoyed every single second of my time reading Royal Wedding. I can't find a single thing that I didn't like about it. I welcomed back my beloved characters with open arms and they fell right in.

Royal Wedding was full of cuteness, realness, sweet moments, funny moments, and a whole lot of surprises.

You won't regret reading this. It was perfect. I have been a fan of the Princess Diaries series from the beginning and I couldn't be happier with this new addition. 

Now go get a copy and enjoy! (If you are not yet a Princess Diaries fan then you should become one!)

Library Loot #33

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Linda from Silly Little Mischief that encourages bloggers to share the books they've checked out from the library.

** This is my first library loot for the month of May! It has been a crazy few weeks so far. Anyway, this time I decided to try out a large variety of graphic novels! I have only ever really read one other graphic novel before (Through the Woods) and I did enjoy it. I decided it was time to broaden my reading.

My Library Loot

Do you have any graphic novel recommendations? I welcome any and all!

Review: Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon

Dragonfly in Amber (#2) by Diana Gabaldon (1992)
743 pages
Genre: Adult/Historical Fiction/Time Travel/Romance/IDK
Publisher: Dell
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: From the author of Outlander... a magnificent epic that once again sweeps us back in time to the drama and passion of 18th-century Scotland...

For twenty years Claire Randall has kept her secrets. But now she is returning with her grown daughter to Scotland's majestic mist-shrouded hills. Here Claire plans to reveal a truth as stunning as the events that gave it birth: about the mystery of an ancient circle of standing stones...about a love that transcends the boundaries of time...and about James Fraser, a Scottish warrior whose gallantry once drew a young Claire from the security of her century to the dangers of his ....

Now a legacy of blood and desire will test her beautiful copper-haired daughter, Brianna, as Claire's spellbinding journey of self-discovery continues in the intrigue-ridden Paris court of Charles Stuart ...in a race to thwart a doomed Highlands uprising...and in a desperate fight to save both the child and the man she loves....

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My Review

I was hesitant to read Dragonfly in Amber simply because I liked Outlander so much, and the synopsis of this one had me weary. I shouldn't have been worried at all.

Dragonfly in Amber may have had a different feel about it when I read it and may not have been exactly what I was expecting, but I did like it. I liked it a lot. I really loved the air of mystery surrounding Jamie and Claire's story.

Jamie and Claire are probably one of my all time favorite couples. There is just something about them that I can't help but love. I think I love how stubborn they both can be but how strong they are as well. I love them both, even if Claire and Jamie can both occasionally be a little frustrating. It just makes them seem even more real. I know I care about these character like they are real. It's too bad they have to endure so much hardship during their wonderful relationship. Not only did I enjoy getting more time with Jamie and Claire, but I did like all the new characters that were introduced in this second book as well.

There were serious moments, funny moments, and everything in-between. I liked all of them. I also now watch the Outlander television show so I kept picturing those actors while reading, and I didn't mind one bit. I am actually looking forward to see what the show does with regards to the second book. 

Although I had a little trouble getting into the story at first, Dragonfly in Amber was a delight to read. The ending made me even more excited for the next book in the series. I am so glad I am finally reading all of these.

I Feel Like Gabbing Today

** I have no idea how often I will post this feature. It is a work in progress. I do however know that I want to share with you the very random thoughts that pop into my head and chat with you about them. Many are bookish thoughts and many are not. I feel like I don't have enough discussion type posts on the blog so I am giving this a whirl. Some days I will talk about a specific topic and sometimes I will just throw some random thoughts at you. So please sit back, relax, and take a second to chat with me today.

Random Thoughts

1. I didn't read nearly as much (or participate in as many challenges and such) as I thought I would this week for Bout of Books. This saddens me. BUT I do have few really good reasons as to why... (See #2-3)

2. I got a new part-time job and I start Wednesday! I am so very excited! Guess what it is? The best ever... I will be the young adult assistant at a public library near where I live. I will still be keeping my other part-time job as a desk clerk at my home library because I love it so, and because the extra money doesn't hurt. I am very lucky to have two awesome library jobs. :D

3. It is official! My husband and I are house hunting. It is fun and nerve wracking. So far I love it.

4. This may seem like nothing compared to my other news, but I was able to sync my new phone to my car all on my own! I may have struggled at first, but the owner's manual helped a lot. I felt really good about the fact that I did this with no help from my husband.

5. I am trying and so far succeeding at drinking more water and less soda every day. Go me!

6. My husband and I saw The Avengers 2. It was really good! If I were to describe it in one word it would be, entertaining.

7. I have been trying so many new recipes I find off the internet lately. I am working on a blog post to share those all with you! What do you think of that?

8. Do you watch Grey's Anatomy? If you don't already then I suggest you never do. It would be easier that way.

9. Due to all the new crazy awesome kind of stressful things happening in my presonal life right now I feel like I am getting super behind on all things blogging. I have a stack of reviews I need to write (9 total). I have a million of my friends' blog posts to read and comment on, not to mention that I need to respond to the comments on my own blog. I think I may actually need to make more of a blogging schedule at least for a little bit while things are hectic, or until I find my new groove in my new schedule.

What's new with you?

Bout of Books: Cover Color Challenge

Cover Color Challenge

Hosted by Wishful Endings

The Challenge: Pick a color and find at least four books that are almost all of that one color. Share your findings with everyone!

Apparently most of the books on my shelves are red and blue. I had even more in those colors than what is pictured below but I thought I would stop making a mess and just stick with the ones I grabbed first. Have you ever noticed if you have a dominant book cover color on your shelves? What is your dominant cover color?