January 2017

Hello Fellow Bookworms!
       As you can see, having an "Announcements" post is something I haven't done before on the Royal Review but I wanted to give it a try. As a lot of you know, I have announced in December of 2016 that there was going to be changes in the new year, well... here is the first one! I have decided to make a monthly "Announcements" post in which I can keep my viewer up to date on:

1. New books that I (and the book community) am excited for
2. Giveaways, Quizzes and Question of the Month
3. Spotlight Book of the Month
4. ARC's received from publishers/authors
5. others

I will probably revise and edit my plan as time goes on but this is the basic idea. I am really excited for this new update and I hope you are too!

This is where I list the book releases that I am looking forward to in the next month.
Coming Soon In February:

Release date Febuary 7th:

     YA 1. King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard
     YA 2. Trapped in Silver (Eldryn Chronicles #1) by Emily Sowden
Release date February 28th:
     YA 1. Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King #1) by Tricia Levenseller
     YA 2. Lifeblood (Everlife #2) by Gena Showalter

~QUESTION OF THE MONTH~

Q: Would you rather: 

A) live in the world of your favorite book OR 

B) have your favorite character(s) live in your world?

~BOOK OF THE MONTH~

Title: Introductions (book 1)
Author: C.L. Stone
Genera: YA, Romance
Publisher: Arcato Publishing

My rating: 5 STARS
(Review will be posted shortly)

~Advanced Readers Copies (ARC's)~

This month I was very fortunate to have received ARC copies of some of my most anticipated 2017 reads.

Here are the ARC's that I have received this month:

Release date March 14th:

     YA 1. These Ruthless Deeds (These Vicious Masks #2) by Tarun Shanker

Release date March 28th:

     YA 1. A Crown of Wishes (The Star-Touched Queen #2) by Roshani Chokshi

     YA 2. Blood Rose Rebellion (Blood Rose Rebellion #1) by Rosalyn Eves

Release date September 5th:

     YA 1. Mask of Shadows (Untitled #1) by Linsey Miller
*All of the books listed above will be reviewed 1-3 weeks before the release date*

~OTHER~

Well, that's it! What do you guys think? If you have any suggestions or concerns, please let me know! I hope everyone likes this update and that it can make my blog more engaging. Because this is my first time doing this, there will be some mistakes and it won't be perfect but please be patient, I am trying my best. Hopefully, after a few more posts, I will get the hang of this. Thanks for taking the time out to read this announcement! 

Happy Reading!
Natasha Morristion

An Ember in the Ashes By Sabaa Tahir

Facts:
Title: An Ember in the Ashes (Book 1)
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Genera: YA, Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Razorbill

Opinions: 
My Rating: 5 STARS

          So I was at my local library the other day browsing through the books in the young adult section when I came across An Ember in the Ashes. I remember hearing about it a while back and how everyone was super excited to read it. I thought "what they hey" and grabbed it and proceeded with my checkout. I finished the book within 2 days and its been weeks but OH MY GANDALF was it amazing. I wasn't expecting this book to be that good but it was, it truly was. You see, what I look for in a book are: a interesting but not overwhelming plot line, characters I don't end up hating, suspense and/or romance but not too much that it clouds the main idea, a believable setting and story and last but most important (to me) depth. 
          Lately, I've been reading books that has a good story and good characters and the right amount of suspense/romance but there was no depth, no bigger meaning. Reading is suppose to teach you something, even fictional novels. Sure, we might overlook the whole idea/lesson but there is a point the author is trying to get across, just a lot of us choose to overlook/ignore it. In An Ember in the Ashes, the main idea is expressed through many things. The masks for example are to represent the masks that people put on everyday. If we don't show who we truly are and hide behind the masks, one day the mask will become apart of you (just like in the book). There are other examples but I don't wish to spoil the book for any of you that are interested in reading it. 
         All in all, An Ember in the Ashes exceeded my expectations and truly lived up to the hype that it was given. I highly recommend this book to all who wish for a fun and exciting YA read that also has some deeper meaning behind it. 

Happy readings to you all,


~Natasha Morriston~

NEW CHANGES COMING SOON!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas is a time for being with your friends and family and reflecting on all your blessing that year. Since you guys are my family, I wanted to let you all know how blessed I have been to have you guys, my fellow Royal bookworms. I started my blog over a year ago, thinking it wasn't going anywhere. No one would view my content, no one would care but that wasn't the case! You guys have been so supportive of me since the beginning, I can't thank you enough. You all have shown me that hard work and passion can take you anywhere. I have always loved reading, ever since I was little; however, I never expected to start a blog and have people support me, but here I am. So as a small thank you, I will be hosting a giveaway in the New Year, so stay tuned! Also, due to the growth of this blog, I am planning a new 2017 update for The Royal Review.

2017 Royal Review Update:
Because of the amount of support I have been getting from my viewers and from authors/publishers, I have decided to be more dedicated to this blog. So there are going to be some changes. I will still continue to write reviews and post them on here but instead of having it be a Book of the Month type of review (where I only review one book a month that I really enjoyed and all the other books I read will be reviewed elsewhere), I have decided to post ALL of my reviews on here (I will still post on my other review sites too). A lot of people have told me that they wanted me to review a certain book but sometimes, I already have! A lot of people don't realize that I also post my reviews on other sites which lead to a lot of confusion (and DMs) and basically, it made it hard for a lot of my viewers. I want my blog to be an easy and fun environment for fellow book lovers so starting from January, I will start posting all of my reviews here.

Another (small) update:
Because I want my blog to be a fun and interactive place, I have decided to start posting Quizzes, Q&A and Giveaways so that we can interact with one another. I've seen a lot of other bloggers so these and they seem like a lot of fun! I hope you guys will like them too :)

I hope you guys will like the new update and I hope it makes it easier on everyone. If there is anything you would like me to change, feel free to contact me! I am always willing to answer questions and listen to your advice!

I wish you all a blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

Happy Reading,
Natasha

PS: December's Book of the Month book will be posted tomorrow, so please look forward to it :)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Facts:
Title: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (book 3)
Author: J.K. Rowling
Genera: Fantasy, Children Fiction, YA Fiction
Publisher: Scholastic

Opinions:
My Ratings: 5 STARS

*This review contains spoilers*

      When I first read Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I was about 10 years old. So I can honestly say that it has been a while since I touched this book. I decided to re-read this series because this is my all-time favorite series. I wanted to re-experience the excitement from when I first read this series. The great thing about the Harry Potter series is that no matter how many times you read it, it never gets old! I have already read Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone (book 1) about 4 times and each time something new stands out to me. I also love how ageless this series is. People both young and old can enjoy it. Now, enough said about this series, it's time for my review of this book.

     I don't know why Harry Potter and the Prisoners of Azkaban was not memorable to me. Maybe it was because I waited so long to re-read it that I forgot all the details. I mean yes, I remember the main stuff: Sirius being Harry's godfather and that he escaped from Azkaban; Herminone's time turner thingy; Professor Lupin being a werewolf. This stuff is hard to forget. But everything else left my mind. That's why I decided that it was time for me to re-enter this world of Harry Potter.

     What I loved about this book was that it was really well-thought out. Now, don't get me wrong. All of the Harry Potter books are well-thought out but I guess my 10 year old self never appreciated the details and effort Rowling put into her books. I love how Rowling (like many authors) have a plan and purpose for each thing she places in her books. For example: the Weasly's photo in the newspaper and the small detail about Sirius getting a newspaper from the Prime Minister when he was in prision should have given us a red flag but it was such a minor detail and so well crafted into the story that we just overlooked it! I understand that is how people usually write a story; however, I truly believe that Rowling is the best at it. She uses our expectations against us in a way that we don't even see it coming. This book was truly a great example of how great of a writer Rowling is.

     I would highly recommend this series to fantasy lovers. This series is a classic in the fantasy world; it literally change the whole YA fantasy game. I believe that everyone should at least give this series a chance. rust me, you won't regret it.

Happy Reading!

~Natasha Morriston~

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

Facts:
Title: Sarah's Key
Author: Tatiana de Rosnay
Genera: Historical Fiction, WWII
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Opinions:
My Rating: 4.9 STARS

     This is for someone who loves history and the WWII era. This book was amazing. I loved the story, the plot, the conclusion, the connection between the past and present etc. It was just so well written! I wish there was a book 2!

    Okay so one really cool thing about this book that I want to share is that it is written in 2 people pov. The first character is a child from the time of the war while the second character is an adult from the present. It was really interesting to see how the author connected both people from different time periods and still was able to make a heart-wrenching book.

     This was truly a powerful book that changed and touched my heart. I'm not the biggest fan of historical fiction but this changed all that, now I love them. I highly recommend this to all historical fiction lovers and those interested in WWII. Even if you don't like history, still give this book a chance. 

     I'm not going to mention anything else from the book because I want you to go into this book without knowing too much about it. I want you to experience the feels that I felt when I read this book. 

    This book changed me. It made me cry and feel emotions I didn't expect to feel from reading. It was truly a page turner and I highly recommend this book to everyone. 

Happy Reading!

~Natasha Morriston~

The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons

Facts:
Title: The Glass Arrow
Author: Kristen Simmons
Genera: YA, Fiction, Dystopian, Sci-Fi
Publisher: Tor Teen

Opinions:
My Rating: 4.5 STARS
       
          I have read The Glass Arrow about a month ago and wasn't planning on writing a review on it, however, I have noticed that I couldn't quite get the book out of my head so I was hoping that writing a review might help.
So, here we are. First off The Glass Arrow is a standalone novel (according to the author but that can change) so if I manage to convince you to read this book, just keep in mind that its a standalone book and the fact that the ending could have made it a trilogy kills you, I warned you.
So my thoughts on this book. To be honest, I actually liked this book more because of the idea not the depth. I usually like my books with a lot of depth and a meaning and sure this one had it, but it wasn't what made me like it. To start, I didn't hate the main character! YAY! Most of times, the main characters usually gets on my nerves with just how silly they are and how ignorant they are of some really obvious things. Sure its not the characters fault, its the authors for making them that way but still, its really annoying.
Another reason I liked the book was the depth (even though it was the best part). The main point of this story is freedom and how we have no idea how lucky we are that we have it until it's taken away. I really liked how the whole story revolves around the main character keeps trying to regain her freedom, going to certain lengths to get it.
All in all, the story was a great and easy read with a meaning behind it all that I think YA fans would enjoy.

Happy reading!

~Natasha Morriston~

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Facts:
Title: Three Dark Crowns (Book 1)
Author: Kendare Blake
Genera: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen

Opinions:
My Rating: 4.7 STARS

          An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

Its not easy being Queen

This book...ugh..it was amazing. I don't even know how to put it into words, but i'll try.

Three Dark Crown is about these three triplet queens who each have different powers. One is a naturalist, one is a elemental, and the other is a poisoner. When these queens reach the age of 16, they each must use their powers to kill the other queens and the last one standing will become the queen of the whole land. 

Okay, if that didn't draw you right in then IDK what will because that just sounds awesome. Three queens with powers fight to the death? SIGN ME UP!

Throughout this book, we get to meet each queen and to see each of their personalities. We get to see their secrets, fears, and hopes. What I liked was that I wasn't rooting for just 1 queen, but I was rooting for them all. They all are so different and unique, it made it hard to have a favorite queen.

I think the cool thing about this book is that it isn't written in just the 3 queens' POV, but also in the POV of their friends (secondary characters). Its nice to be able to get inside the the heads of other characters besides the main ones and see what they think about ___(fill in the blank)__.

The book was a bit slow in the beginning but its that good kind of slow. The kind that is placed there for the purpose of building the world and the characters. I think if an author makes the beginning slow, then they need to know how not to lose the readers interests. Mrs. Blake did that. She wrote this book in a way that I didn't mind the slow parts, because I knew what they were leading to something big. It think it takes a lot of skills to write like this. So way to go Mrs. Blake!

All in all, I think people who enjoy books that takes place in a magical kingdom, with fight-to-the-death plots will enjoy this book. It was a really fun read for me and I can't wait for yall to give it a try! 

Happy Reading!

~Natasha Morriston~

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Facts:
Title: Dumplin' (Book 1)
Author: Julie Murphy
Genera: YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Blazer + Bray

Opinions:
My Rating: 4 STARS

         An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review

     Originally, I wasn't really planning on reading this book. It wasn't even on my TBR list. I had no idea what it was about or really cared. BUT after going on a vacation, I came back home with a GIANT box on my door step. Seeing that its from one of my favorite publishing companies, I dropped everything and ran to the kitchen and ripped the box right open. Okay, maybe not ripped, more like using-a-knife-super-fast-to-murder/open-the box. Anyways, inside the box was oh so many goodies. And right at the bottom was Dumplin' by Julie Murphy. To be honest, I wasn't really freaking out over the book, I was more "oh okay cool". But since Harper sent it to me, I wanted to read it and review it because that's what you do when people send you books, you read and review  them. And wow was I surprised by how much I liked it. I read this book from 2 AM to 8 AM and didn't want to stop until I finished. However, my stomach is a prick and so after eating, I ran back to my room and finished this book.

     I think what I enjoyed most about this book was that I was able to relate to a lot of the stuff going on inside the book. I understand having a huge crush on a hot jock, growing apart from friends and being insecure about myself and my weight. There really wasn't any plot twists or OMG moments but the story and the writing made up for that. 

     All in all, I think it was a really fun, enjoyable light read that I'm glad I got to read. So thank you again Harper/Epic Reads for your great gift!

Happy Reading!

~Natasha Morriston~

Ruined by Amy Tintera

Facts:
Title: Ruined
Author: Amy Tintera
Genera: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Harper Teen

Opinions:
My Rating: 4.5 STARS

     To be honest, I have been in a reading slump since my 1 month vacation in February. I started some books but never finished any of them, I almost gave up on reading for a while. But then one day, I was on Goodreads, looking at yall completing your 2016 Challenge and feeling bad for myself when this book caught my eye. I don't even know why it did. The cover isn't THAT fab or anything but I was drawn to it. And here I am, finally read a book from beginning to finish. 

To be able to get me out of a reading slump is quite impressive. I even turned down 2 of my most anticipated new releases because I wasn't "feeling" it. So to me, I have to be thankful for this book. The bad thing is that this book just came out not so long ago and now I have to wait A WHOLE YEAR for book 2. I hate that because I forget what the fudge I read in book 1 and I am one of those people who can't re-read books. I just can't, I always skim over them but never really READ them again. But I hope I don't forget much from this book because I want to know what happens next. 

The author left the story at a climax. Not a resolution, haha no. How common is a resolution? Why don't we just leave the readers hanging at the effing CLIMAX?! <--- Cruel. Just Cruel. But the good thing about that is this makes the readers anticipate book 2. We want to know what happens after _(blah blah blah)_ did _(blah blah blah)__. 

All in all, I enjoyed this book. Yes, this is the typical "a girl who is 'different' goes out to seek revenge but then meets and falls in love with her enemy" type of book (that's not a spoiler, its literally in the book description) but if you look past that, since all books of this genera are basically the same, it was still a fun read. Because even though you know that the girl will fall in love with her enemy, you still want to see HOW and WHY, etc. Also, I though the Ruined powers in this book were cool and the story was interesting. I mean it did get me out of a slump so....

Well, I hope you like this book, if and when you read it! Maybe it can get you out of a reading slump too. 

Happy Reading!

~Natasha Morriston~

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Facts:
Title: Shadow and Bone (Book 1)
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genera: YA, Fantasy
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company

Opinions:
My Rating: 4.8 STARS
  
** spoiler alert ** This is more of a rant than a review, sorry in advance*

     Oh my gosh, I LOVED this book! I read the whole thing in less than a day! And for once in my life there was a book where my shipping actually came true! Team Mal all the way! I was rooting for him and then the Darkling kissed her and I'm like "dang it!" But then he turned all evil and I'm like yesss! But not yes cause ya know evil...bad... Anyways I am so glad she ended up with Mal cause I loved him from the beginning and it makes me happy that an author pick the best friend and not the hot new mysterious guy that ALL other love triangle books pick. Because it's just so common like for example the hunger games, and the selection, the girl picks the new guy and not the best friend which just KILLS me! I'm like "he KNEW you longer and UNDERSTANDS you and you pick another guy?! Ugh!!" 
Oh I'm soooo happy that she ended up with Mal and not The Darkling! 
    I loved the plot and the characters and the storyline, basically the whole book. What a plot twist when we found out the bad guy was the Darkling! Like Omg! I did not see it coming (and I usually do)! Can't wait to get my hand on the second one! Yeeeeeeep! A MUST READ!

~Natasha Morriston~