Sunday Post. The Cat Strikes Again & Stranger Things Is Back

Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviews.

Remember me saying last week that I would only participate on the Sunday Post in the middle of every month? Well, after such a warm welcoming (thank you for being so kind), I decided that I can join the Sunday Post every time I have a week with a lot to share. And, this was one of those weeks. 

What happened in my life this week:

🌻 Received my first Fairyloot. I feel this villainous box was made for me. 😈
🌻 Finished reading Hunted by Meagan Spooner. This book is PERFECTION! I don't even have words to describe how perfect it is.  
🌻 Binge watched Stranger Things. So many feels!!!! 😭 I don't know what to do with my life now... Any ideas? I saw this article from Goodreads, 16 Books to Read After Binge Watching "Stranger Things". I haven't read any of the books mentioned, but if you did, which one resembles the series even if only a little bit?
🌻 I finally ordered Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone box set (old covers, but I'm planning getting the new ones too). I read there were a few extras, so I'm very excited about it. Please tell me there are some extras and that I will not have my heart broken. 
🌻 Last Friday (27th) my blog celebrated it's 7th Anniversary. I didn't make it a special occasion since after eight years of blogging on and off, it still seems my blog was only created a few months ago. 
🌻 Just yesterday, my cat spilled milk all over my laptop and the next hours were very critical -I didn't know if the laptop was going to make it. Now, I'm not one hundred percent sure everything is okay with it, but the technician opened it and even used blow dryer, so *fingers crossed*  

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOG...

• This week I shared my review of The Canary Club by Sherry D. Ficklin. If you love the roaring twenties as much as I do, this book may be for you. I don't know how you feel about romance, so here's a warning: the plot centers a lot on the romance between Benny and Masie. Also, take a look at the trigger warning.   

• New Halloween Book Bingo post. If you want to learn all about Halloween -do you know why pumpkins came to be associated with this holiday?- take a quick peek if you dare. 

📚 MINI BOOK HAUL 📚

I'm probably going to spoil Fairyloot for someone (apologies in advance... but in my defence one of the books had already been announced and the other I really thought it was easy to guess). As mentioned, this week I received my first Fairyloot and inside there were two books: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao and another beautiful special edition of The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo -I love this woman, so I'll get all the special editions I can. After unboxing Illumicrate, I'll also unbox Fairyloot and you will see how gorgeous this edition is. Worth going bankrupt.

This week I also received from Blue Moon Publishers via NetGalley Paramnesia by Brian Wilkinson. So happy to get my hands on this book that will only be released on 2018 after being denied at least four requests. Does anyone have any tips to increase the chances of your request being accepted?

How was your week? Which books arrived at your bookshelf? Did you binge watched Stranger Things?

Review 32. The Canary Club by Sherry D. Ficklin

Title: The Canary Club
Author: Sherry D. Ficklin
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing [I received a review copy via NetGalley]
Published: October 16th 2017
Pages: 325 pages

"“Bad Luck” Benny is a fella from the wrong side of the tracks. Recently released from jail, he has vowed to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But he also needs to care for his ailing sister and the rest of his struggling family, and he’ll do anything to make that happen—even if it means taking a position with a notorious crime boss. He soon finds himself in over his head—and worse still—falling for the one dame on earth he should be staying away from.

Masie is the daughter of a wealthy gangster with the voice of an angel and gun smoke in her veins. Strong-willed but trapped in a life she never wanted, she dreams of flying free from the politics and manipulation of her father. A pawn in her family’s fight for control of the city, and with a killer hot on her heels, she turns to the one person who just might be able to spring her from her gilded cage. But Masie is no angel, and her own dark secrets may come back to burn them both.

Two worlds collide in this compelling story of star-crossed lovers in gritty prohibition-era New York."

Have I ever told you that the roaring 20s is one of my favourite times? All the Jazz and bright lights and flappers. Oh, and the Lost Generation! I love the Lost Generation –I’ve a soft spot for Zelda Fitzgerald who is very misunderstood. Anyway, in The Canary Club, Sherry D. Ficklyn brought the twenties back to life with all the good and bad.

Plot: After three months in jail for a crime he didn’t commit, Benjamin “Benny” Fleisher is back on the streets of New York. He wants to stay away from trouble, but his family is going through difficult times –and to make everything worse is little sister is very sick and in need of special medical care. When no respectable business gives Benny an opportunity to earn an honest salary, Benny finds himself working for a notorious crime boss, Dutch Schultz. Quickly climbing through the ranks after saving Dutch’s life, Benjamin has to struggle to keep his integrity while losing his heart of gold to the only girl he shouldn’t, the daughter of his boss, Masie Schultz, a flapper with the voice of an angel whose only desire is to set free from her father’s bloody schemes and gang war. When the world of Benny and Masie collide nothing ever will be the same again…

Writing: I enjoyed the vivid descriptions of New York during the prohibition time. The use of slang from the time made the story seem ever more real. I’d like to stress that it is clear the author did a lot of research –from the language to the medical procedures for mental illness.

"Prohibition has turned good people into criminals, and criminals into modern gods."

I must confess that the ending felt a little bit rushed –the author could have taken a little bit more time to develop it since it was the big finale. But since there is going to be a sequel, I’m not going to complain much. 

Characters: Benny has a golden heart. He wants to do what is right, but his bad luck always drags him to very complicated situations. One of Benny’s characteristics that I enjoyed the most was how far he would go to protect those he loved –no matter how difficult was the path he had to follow to do it. Masie was a flapper in every sense of the world. Although a few times I found her insufferable, and a little bit entitled, I did warm up to Masie when it was revealed how much she had suffered (and still was suffering) at the hands of her father. Also, I enjoyed how she understood the world isn’t black and white and how she walked in those grey areas.

Romance: As it can be read in the synopsis, the plot of the The Canary Club centres very much on the romance between Benny and Masie. I must confess I'm a sucker for stories about forbidden love. And, although I don’t mind instalove as much as I mind love triangles, I was disappointed when it happened. I wanted Benny and Masie to slowly fall in love in world of crime and mobsters. Moreover, I felt it was out of character for Masie to fall instantly in love with Benny because, as she pointed out, she had never loved anyone before. It would shown character growth if the relationship between them had grown slowly.

TRIGGER WARNING! There is mention of rape as well as of physical and physiological abuse.

Waiting on Wednesday. Unearthed

"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 Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. When I heard these two ladies were writing a new book together, I couldn't be more excited. The Starbound series is one of my favourite trilogies. Love it so much! 😍 Kaufman's and Spooner's writing is flawless (I finished Hunted last night and it's a beautiful written novel) as well as their characters and worldbuling. I know my expectations are very high but that's because these two authors will never disappoint me. The book will be released on January 9th 2018.

"When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race..."

From Goodreads

Halloween Book Bingo. Haunting Origins 👻

Welcome to one more Halloween Book Bingo post. How many boxes have you already filled? I confess I'm really far behind, but today I started reading Chosen by R.S. Broadhead and it's giving me very creepy vibes.

Before introducing today's theme, let me do a brief summary of what you may have missed.

• Join a fun Halloween and Pokémon inspired book tag, Pokémon Halloween Book Tag. Don't forget to tag your friends.
• Let's discuss the most terrifying book MONSTERS!

I hope you like reading 😜 because today is all about how Halloween became to be such a spooky and cherished holiday.

"Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth."

From History

"The practice of decorating “jack-o’-lanterns”—the name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack—originated in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as an early canvas. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities."

The Legend of Stingy Jack

"According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.”

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o’lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack-o’-lanterns."

From History

Does anyone know a Stingy Jack retelling? I would love to read one. Anyway, if you were too lazy to read this post, I leave you with a three minutes video about  Halloween.

Sunday Post. Monsters, Cats & Magic

Sunday Post is a meme hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviews.

Welcome to my first ever Sunday Post! Why did I decide to participate on this meme? For me, it can be difficult to keep track of the books I receive and of all the posts I want to share with you when my schedule is chaotic (and as far as I can tell, my schedule will be chaotic for a very long time). So, in the middle of every month, I'll be participating on this meme to make sure I don't forget anything bookish I'd like to share and discuss. Of course, today, this will be a very short post because I'm very forgetful and disorganized.

What happened in my life this week:

🌻 Existential question: What is free time? Does it even exist?
🌻 Almost finished reading Hunted by Meagan Spooner. 
🌻 Monsters are taking over my life (and that isn't a bad thing; I will later explain why).
🌻 FINALLY finished the first season of Blacklist.

🌻The House Cup Reading Challenge has finally began and I haven't finished a single book yet. I'm being an awful Gryffindor.
🌻 After debating a lot with myself and my bank account, I ordered V.E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic Collector's Edition. 

LAST WEEKS ON THE BLOG...

• A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a discussion post on reviewing ARCs where I talked about how sincere can a reader be when she/he is reviewing an ARC that a publisher or author send.

• I wrote my second The Nerdy Corner post. This time the nerd in me discussed nostalgia and video games. If you are interested, I'd love to read your opinion on which video games you would like to be brought back.

• So far this month, I've shared two Halloween Book Bingo related posts -Pokémon Halloween Book Tag and Book Monsters. Later today,  a new post will be released. Don't forget to take a look at it.

📚 MINI BOOK HAUL 📚

So far, only two books arrived at my doorstep. One of them was The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. The edition I bought was on sale on Book Depository. Last Friday, I received my special edition from Illumicrate of The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo -I'll show you the unboxing but I'm waiting since I don't want to spoil anyone (you can still order The Grisha Edition box if you want to).

The Nerdy Corner. Nostalgia & VideoGames 🎮

Besides books I have another obsession, VIDEO GAMES! 🎮 While I do read every day, even if it's just a few pages per day, I can't play every day since I can't take  PS4 with me everywhere I go as I take an e-Reader. Yes, I'm a proud PlayStation girl. but today I'm not talking about the all those amazing graphics from a new generation of consoles. This post is all about nostalgia -how I wish more PlayStation mascots were brought back as Crash Bandicoot back in June.

The Spyro original Trilogy (let's pretend all those bad sequels/remakes never came out). Who misses this adorable purple dragon full of sass? 

That's right Spyro, I do!

The world of  Spyro is magical -the settings, the colours, the plot, the missions/puzzles, the gems, the characters and Sparx. Everything is PERFECTION! There is nothing wrong with these games. Spyro invokes my childhood -and probably my teenage years too since it was when I was finally able to beat the three games. 🙈 One of my biggest achievements! When Insominiac Games sold Spyro nothing was perfect ever again... I hate Activison for using Spyro to promote Skylanders and then dropping him as he was nothing! 😡

What Spyro should do to Activison...

Currently, my hopes are high for a remaster since next year it's Spyro's 20th anniversary. Well, my hopes for a remaster have been high since Skylanders... I'm impatiently waiting for December 9th since it's when Playstation Experience takes place and I'm hoping a Spyro remaster to be announce announced because I need more adventures of this purple dragon in my life.  Just look at this setting. 💖

Klonoa. Another game that reminds me of my childhood is without a doubt Klonoa. If I'm not mistaken, it was my first PlayStation game (I was four/five and my memories of that time are a bit fragmented, but I'm one hundred per cent sure this was my first game).

[Remastered Version] Where it all begins...

Although Klonoa was remastered a few years ago for Nintendo Wii -the reason why I got one-, sadly the sales were so low that the sequel was not remastered too. 😭 I don't know what is wrong with this generation (I actually do since this generation only cares about shooting and blowing stuff up; it's a generation that doesn't know how to appreciate the beauty of a platform game unless there is lots of gore), but how could you not like Klonoa?! It is such a whimsical world. 

The settings are gorgeous and the puzzles aren't as easy as they firstly seem. And, the soundtrack? The soundtrack is simply splendid. After all these years, I still have the tunes in my head and I'm pretty sure a commercial stole one of the game's songs. Anyway, even today the ending brings tear to my eyes. 

Tombi! (or Tomba). I had so much fun playing this game and fulfilling all the missions -and it has so many missions! 😱 Tombi with his purple hair and his all-you-can-eat stomach, travelling through whimsical worlds was a delight.

I was really happy when I found the digital version could be bought online (however, it's a little bit expensive compared with the other PlayStation games being sold). I also got the sequel, Tombi! 2: The Return of the Evil Swine, since I never had the chance to play it before. But sadly, in my opinion, it is not as good at the first game. I was so disappointed...

Honourable Mentions

Tomb Raider & Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey. I'm giving these two video games an honourable mention. Although they were part of my childhood, not only they were both remastered but also Tomb Raider has received innumerable sequels -and even a new beginning with The Rise of the Tomb Raider.

How far Lara has come since her PlayStation days.

Ps. Was I the only one who would die out of the blue when playing these two games?

Feeling nostalgic? Which video games would you like to me remake/remastered?

Waiting on Wednesday. Shadow Rise

"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 Shadow Rise by Audrey Grey. Once again (it seems like a tradition now) I still haven't read the first book, Shadow Fall, even though I've it. 🙈 Anyway, although I've heard some blurb about a love triangle (which I can't stand since most times the main character's feeble heart annoys me to no end), I'm still excited for this series. I always enjoy a good dystopia and I've read wonderful things about this one. Hopefully, my expectations aren't too high. The book will be released on November 14th.

"Terrorist. Rebel. Traitor.

One rash decision during the Shadow Trials led to unspeakable horrors that left innocents dead, friends injured and hunted by the Empire, and Maia Graystone imprisoned in the Tower at the Archduchess’s mercy.

Unsure if Riser Thornbrook survived, Maia must find a way to battle the Empire from within its own walls and escape so she can fulfill the promise to her father and stop the asteroid. But when she breaks free and joins Nicolai's Rebel army, she discovers she’s been branded a traitor. With war between the Rebels and the Empire looming, old alliances shifting, and suspicion hanging over her head, she must fight in the Rebel Blood Courts—and win command—to regain their trust.

Only problem is, first she has defeat the reigning champion, someone she knows all too well. Will Maia’s emotions lead to her defeat, or will she rise up and claim her victory"

From Goodreads