"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is A Court of Mist and Fury by  Sarah J. Maas. I'm sure you must be already tired of hearing me (well, it's more reading than hearing) talking about this novel. I'm always mentioning how much I want it; how much I'm afraid of reading it because I love(d) A Court of  Thorns and Roses; how I'm praying that Rhysand doesn't become a love interest (the first novel would be pretty pointless if it happened). I wanted to promise this will be the last time you hear of this book, but I can't make such promise...But I'll try not to be too annoying. The book will be released on May 3rd.

"Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights. "

From Goodreads

Review 13. A Study in Charlotte by Britanny Cavallaro

Title: A Study in Charlotte
Author: Brittany Cavallaro
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: March 1st 2016
Pages: 336 pages

"The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.

From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other."

In A Study in Charlotte Sherlock Holmes and John Watson are more than fictional characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Holmes and Watson were real people and a century later, their descendants, Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson, find themselves being framed for murder and must find the true killer before he finds them...

Plot: After winning a rugby scholarship, Jamie Watson finds himself in Sherringford, a prep school in Connecticut; the same school where Charlotte Holmes studies. Jamie always imagined living great adventures with Charlotte as his great-great-great-grandfather lived with Sherlock in the past. But Charlotte's peculiar temperament (just like her great-great-great-grandfather's) keeps Jamie at bay. One night, one of their classmates is found dead - the same boy with whom Jamie brawled and who Charlotte despised. Being accused, Jamie and Charlotte must work together and discover who the real culprit is.

I found the idea of a YA modern day retelling of Sherlock Holmes very intriguing. The adventures of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson brought to the 21st century? I had to read it (even if I'm not a big Sherlock expert). I was even more intrigued when I learned that the Holmes in this novel was a girl.   

A Study in Charlotte is told in Jamie's POV and Britanny Cavallaro made a great job at not making Jamie sound like a girl (a few authors struggle at writing a male perspective). The story is well-written and the mystery is entrancing. I couldn't wait to know who the culprit was (which I didn't have a clue of who was until the very ending). I enjoyed the story's pace - one moment it was slow and on another something major was happening. I simply couldn't put the book down.

Characters: I liked Jamie, even though I was not fond of the you-make-me-angry-so-I-hit-you-attitude and his initial "obsession" with Charlotte. He is a loyal friend to Charlotte. As a good Holmes, she keeps him in the dark and yet Jamie stays by her side. But Charlotte, I can't say I liked her. I've read a couple of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories about Sherlock before and of what I can remember, I didn't dislike Sherlock or his actions (he could be an idiot, but was a likeable idiot). Charlotte acted like Sherlock in every way, but she always came across a spoiled brat - perhaps I felt it because she is a teenager. I didn't connect with Charlotte (even after learning what she went through).

Downsides: For me, two themes weren't handled properly: Charlotte's drug addiction and the theme of rape. About the first point, everyone acted as Charlotte's addiction to oxy was normal. "She's a Holmes. Of course she is doing drugs. Let her keep doing it". Only Jamie tried to do something to stop her. It was a very unreal situation. I will not address the second point too much because I don't want to spoil the plot, but rape was dealt in very lightly way. Why mention something so serious and write it as it's nothing?  If it was not for the way these subjects were approached and Charlotte's lack of charm, this novel would have been without doubt one of my favorites.

A Study in Charlotte is an entrancing mystery that brings the adventures of Sherlock Holmes to the 21st century.

Happy Easter! Boa Páscoa!

Waiting on Wednesday - The Star-Touched Queen

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is The Star-Touched Queen by  Roshani Chokshi. For those who don't know, I love mythology and it seems this novel is inspired by Indian mythology. So, I can't wait to read it. I REALLY can't wait to read it! Also, this novel has been receiving amazing reviews (if you don't believe me, just go to Goodreads - between, if you have a Goodreads account, here is mine) and the cover is to die for. The book will be released on April 26th.

"Cursed with a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, sixteen-year-old Maya has only earned the scorn and fear of her father's kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her world is upheaved when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. But when her wedding takes a fatal turn, Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Yet neither roles are what she expected. As Akaran's queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar's wife, she finds friendship and warmth.

But Akaran has its own secrets - thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Beneath Akaran's magic, Maya begins to suspect her life is in danger. When she ignores Amar's plea for patience, her discoveries put more than new love at risk - it threatens the balance of all realms, human and Otherworldly.

Now, Maya must confront a secret that spans reincarnated lives and fight her way through the dangerous underbelly of the Otherworld if she wants to protect the people she loves."

From Goodreads

Review 12. The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

Title: The Love That Split the World
Author: Emily Henry
Publisher: Razorbill 
Published: January 26th 2016
Pages: 396 pages

"Natalie Cleary must risk her future and leap blindly into a vast unknown for the chance to build a new world with the boy she loves. 

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start... until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” They’re just momentary glimpses at first—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right. That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

Emily Henry’s stunning debut novel is Friday Night Lights meets The Time Traveler’s Wife, and perfectly captures those bittersweet months after high school, when we dream not only of the future, but of all the roads and paths we’ve left untaken."

After reading The Love That Split the World, I had to take a moment to breath and let the story sink into my heart. A part of me was touched by the beautiful writing of Emily Henry and the unusual adventure of Natalie Cleary. 

“Sometimes the most beautiful moments in our lives are things that hurt badly at the time. We only see them for what they really were when we stand at the very end and look back.” 

Plot: Natalie Cleary's last summer in her hometown starts with the visit of the "Grandmother". Natalie doesn't know who or what this woman is. All she knows is that she has been seeing her since she was a child and that three years ago she vanished. But now she was back. The "Grandmother" tells her that she has "three months to save him". Then the everyone vanishes, leaving only one boy standing in the football field. His name is Beau. Natalie's quest to discover herself and why the town she knows keeps vanishing or changing right in front her of her eyes begins - as well as a great romance. 

Writing: Emily Henry's writing is perfect. I could hardly believe that this was her author's debut. The enticing and poetic writing made me fall in love with The Love That Split the World. The novel has a few twists that captivate the reader's attention. One of them, I'm proud to say that I figured out and I was so eager to know if I was right or wrong that I simply couldn't put the book down. 

“Love is giving the world away, and being loved is having the whole world to give.” 

I adored the inclusion of Native American folklore (Natalie is Native American) and how the short-stories told by the Grandmother were so alluring and magical. The author did an exceptional research in the psychological field -I've learned a few things about hypnopompic visions- however, I must confess, there were a few times that I found it confusing to follow. The psychological themes were very interesting and did make me question if what was happening in Natalie's life was magic or if it was her mind playing tricks. 

Characters: Natalie is a strong and likable character. She has a huge heart -she still cares about her ex-boyfriend, she is unable to hate a snide friend, she has a free of hate and envy relation with her best friend and she loves her family to death (even if sometimes she feels out of place for being adopted)- and is willing to sacrifice herself for those she loves. But she does have a few flaws like everyone else. I wish there were more protagonists like Natalie. On the other hand, Beau is a lost soul. I felt bad for him because his family was awful and the parents of his best friend kept blaming him for his their son's actions. Beau has this kind of tragic aura around him. Emily Henry created a world where every character felt real and far from one-dimensional (another reason why Natalie grew so much on me; she learned with her actions and every lesson made her a better person).

• Relationship: I fell in love with the love between Natalie and Beau. Their love traveled through parallel worlds. How more romantic could it be? I did ignore the insta-love (something I usually feel annoyed by). But sometimes love at-first-sight is all you need; it's what makes a novel fascinating. Also, through the story and its development, I got the feeling that Natalie and Beau were meant to be together. Of course they would fall in love as soon as their eyes met.

The Love That Split the World is a beautifully-weird blend of romance, science-fiction, time-traveling, psychology and beliefs.  

Waiting on Wednesday - Love, Lies and Spies

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week on WoW is Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey. I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't the cover that made me take a look at this novel. Isn't the cover beautiful? Then I read its summary and found a mention to Jane Austen. It was then that I knew I had to add this book to my wishlist. Perfect cover, interesting plot/summary and Jane Austen. Must have it! The book will be released on April 19th.

"Juliana Telford is not your average nineteenth-century young lady. She’s much more interested in researching ladybugs than marriage, fashionable dresses, or dances. So when her father sends her to London for a season, she’s determined not to form any attachments. Instead, she plans to secretly publish their research.

Spencer Northam is not the average young gentleman of leisure he appears. He is actually a spy for the War Office, and is more focused on acing his first mission than meeting eligible ladies. Fortunately, Juliana feels the same, and they agree to pretend to fall for each other. Spencer can finally focus, until he is tasked with observing Juliana’s traveling companions . . . and Juliana herself."

From Goodreads

TTT. Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by  The Broke and the Bookish

I can't believe in a few days it's officially Spring. There are so many books I want to read - but, as usual, so little time. I'll be dividing this list in two: five books that I already own and five books that are released during this Spring. 

Books I Already Own

A Little Something Different, Sandy Hill. This is the book I won in a Bout of Books 15 challenge (I still don't have it, but I'll have it on my hands pretty soon; so it's like I already own it). It just seems such a cute love story, which makes it a perfect Spring reading. 

Assassin's Heart, Sarah Ahiers. I received this book yesterday - don't you love going to pick the mail and find a book waiting for you? The cover is gorgeous! *.* It's a Romeo & Juliet kinda-of retelling. But, hopefully, the ending won't be so tragic.  

Fire Touched, Patricia Briggs. An obvious choice on my list. I waited for this novel for two years. How did I spend two years without Mercy Thompson? I'll never know...

The Forbidden Wish, Jessica. A retelling of Arabian Nights. You know how much I love retellings (I keep mentioning it, right?), so I have to read it. Also, Sarah J. Maas said some nice things about it, which is one more reason to read it.

The Weight of Feathers, Anna-Marie McLemore. Another romantic novel with a little bit of Romeo & Juliet. It will be a Spring full of love for me.

Upcoming Releases

A Court of Mist and Fury, Sarah J. Maas. One of my most obvious choices for this list. I can't wait to put my hands on this novel -even though I'm dreading the fact that Rhysand will probably become a love interest for Feyre. Am I the only one who can't stand the idea?  

Love, Lies and Spies, Cindy Anstey. "In "Love, Lies and Spies" Cindy Anstey's hilarious homage to Jane Austen, a lady with a penchant for trouble finds a handsome spy much more than merely tolerable". One single mention to Jane Austen and I know I have to read it. Also, it seems a really good spy novel. 

The Crown's Game, Evelyn Skye. This novel takes place in Imperial Russia and has enchanters battling for their life. Fantasy and history are always a perfect match. Another book that I can't wait to put my hands on.

The Star Touched Queen, Roshani Chokshi. This novel is inspired by Indian mythology. Of course I've to read it. I probably love mythology more than I should.

This Savage Song, Victoria Schwab. I haven't read any of Schwab's previous novels. I loved the summary of this one (violent acts that summon real monsters? A bloodsucking Malchai; a clawing Corsai; and soul-stealing Sunai ) and if I love it, I'll check her other works.