Mundie Moms

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman / Book Review




By: Elanor Herman
Published by: Harlequin Teen
Released on: August 18th, 2015
Series: Blood of Gods and Royals, Book #1
Purchase from: The Publisher | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 5 stars - I loved it!
Source: arc from publisher / purchased book

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains, and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise. 
Alexander, Macedon's sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world, but finds himself drawn to a newcomer… 
Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while keeping hidden her own mission: kill the queen. But she doesn't account for her first love… 
Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.  
And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander's unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters. 
Weaving fantasy with the shocking details of real history, New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known, Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.
A thrilling start to an epic fantasy! This book has all the right elements; history, magic, mythology, romance, mystery, action, and betrayal. I couldn't put this book down. I loved it's mesmerizing world building, intriguing characters, and captivating story. This is an epic fantasy I enjoyed getting swept away in.

This story has a stellar cast of characters, that I really enjoyed getting to know. I really liked Alexander. I love the character he grows into. He wasn't what I was excepting, at all. Jacob is a character I immediately liked, but over the course of the story he changes in ways that really surprised me. Thankfully I liked Alexander much more than him. Heph is a character I really went back and forth on. In the end I'm torn on wanting to love him, and feel sorry for him. Then there's Zo. This girl makes some choices I don't fault her for making, but I'm left with concern for her future. 

Kat is a character I loved from the get go. She has unwavering strength and the courage that I really admired. She's what fueled this story line. I wanted to know what it was that she was trying to uncover. The magic, deception, and mystery that make up her back story, entwine her life with that of another. I loved the shocking twist she discovers at the end of the book. I love that this story is told from each of the character's points of views. It was flawless.


I love that this is a story about a young Alexander The Great. Not only was it fascinating getting a to read a story about this young historical figure, the history of the story in and of itself was mesmerizing. Herman is a master story teller, and historian. Her setting, and world building felt like a character in and of itself. I loved feeling like I was literally thrown back into time, while reading this book. This world is brutal, beautiful, and cunning. 


This book has everything I love in a well written fantasy. There's intrigue, romance, friendships that I simply adored, action, magic and so much more. I love how Herman effortlessly merges together fiction and nonfiction into this story. Her use of magic felt very natural in this story. A Legacy of Kings is a book I didn't want to end. I loved all this book gave me, and I'm eager to find out what happens in the next book. This book has set the bar high in what's to be a thrilling new series. Just be warned, once you start it, you'll quickly find yourself swept into a story you'll wish didn't have to end. 

100 Hours by Rachel Vincent / Cover Reveal / Giveaway


Hello and welcome to today's cover reveal! I am so excited to share the cover for 100 HOURS, the first book in a new trilogy by New York Times best-selling author Rachel Vincent, which releases on March 28, 2017 from Katherine Tegen Books. Along with a note from the author about her upcoming novel is an awesome giveaway! 


Check Out This Cover


By: Rachel Vincent
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
To Be Released on: March 28, 2017
Purchase from: Amazon
Add it: Goodreads 
Maddie is beyond done with her cousin Genesis’s entitled and shallow entourage. Genesis is so over Miami’s predictable social scene with its velvet ropes, petty power plays, and backstabbing boyfriends.

While Maddie craves family time for spring break, Genesis seeks novelty—like a last-minute getaway to an untouched beach in Colombia. And when Genesis wants something, it happens.

But paradise has its price. Dragged from their tents under the cover of dark, Genesis, Maddie, and their friends are kidnapped and held for ransom deep inside the jungle—with no diva left behind. It all feels so random to everyone except Genesis. She knows they were targeted for a reason. And that reason is her.

Now, as the hours count down, only one thing’s for certain: If the Miami hostages can’t set aside their personal problems, no one will make it out alive.

A Note from Rachel Vincent

In my upcoming YA suspense 100 HOURS, Genesis and her cousin Maddie come from opposite ends of the privilege spectrum, but when they wind up kidnapped for ransom during spring break in Colombia and have no one else to count on, they discover they have more in common than either of them thought.

If you’ve read any of my previous releases, 100 HOURS probably seems like a departure for a Rachel Vincent book. And that’s what I thought, back when it was just me and an idea. But as I wrote the story and got to know the characters, I realized that even though this book is set in the Colombian jungle and these characters have no supernatural abilities, 100 HOURS is very much a book about the themes that draw me in over and over. Survival. Family friction and loyalty. High-stakes pulse-racing action. Twists, turns, secrets, and revelations. Girls who can fend for themselves—and for anyone else who needs help.

About Rachel Vincent

Photo credit: Kim Haynes Photography
Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy—but social media is a close second.

Connect with Rachel online: 
Website | Blog | Twitter| Tumblr | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads


ENTER TO WIN

Thank you to Rachel, there is a blitz-wide giveaway for…
  • ONE (1) winner will receive a SIGNED SET of a paperback copy of THE STARS NEVER RISE + an ARC of THE FLAME NEVER DIES
Giveaway is US only. Must be 13 or older to enter. Giveaway ends on July 11th at 11:59 PM Pacific. 

Enter in the Rafflecopter below...

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OUT TODAY - New YA Releases For 6/28/16

Happy Book Birthday, to today's new releases!



 

  • The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes, Razorbill, June 28th
  • And I Darken by Kiersten White, Delacorte, June 28th
  • Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman, Harlequin Teen, June 28th
  • A Season for Fireflies by Rebecca Maizel, Harper Teen, June 28th
  • United As One by Pittacus Lore, Harper Teen, June 28th
  • Run by Kody Keplinger, Scholastic, June 28th
  • Winning by Lara Deloza, Harper Teen, June 28th
  • Never Missing, Never Found by Amanda Panitch, Random House, June 28th
  • Before We Go Extinct by Karen Rivers, Farrar, Strauss & Giroux, June 28th
  • The Head of Medusa by Michelle Meadow, Dreamscape, June 29th

  • Which new releases are you looking forward to picking up?


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