Another Year Bites The Dust! (And I'll be back...in August)

 

Studio Reads is turning two!  Studio Reads had turned two at the end of June but I'm only getting around to this post now, but whatever, it counts. Either way, the blog is two! Which, in blog years, is kind of old when you think about it. Two years of consistently blogging (let's forget that long Christmas hiatus.) and I've been thinking about what's changed since the last year of blogging and about my two year "experience" of blogging, and all I came up with is, it's hard. Blogging is hard, I thought the first year would be the worst, and in a way it is, but in another way it's not, because though it has been hard to post something every week, I've also been the most active and actually getting myself out there and commenting and talking with other bloggers, and it's been fun.

Review: The Escape

The Escape
Author: Hannah Jayne
Publication Date: July 7th 2015
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

When two boys walk into the woods, and one comes out covered in blood, what would you believe?
Fletcher and Adam venture into the woods for an afternoon hike, but when day turns into night and neither boy returns, their town is thrown into turmoil. Avery, the detective's daughter, is the one to find Fletcher—dishelved, disoriented, and covered in blood. He has no memory of what happened, but Avery can't shake the feeling that something's off. When Adam's body is finally found, Avery is determined to uncover the truth. But if she stands by her gut, and Fletcher, is she standing by a friend, or a murderer? The answer might cost her her life

I officially think I need to step away from thrillers/psychological thrillers for a while, because I think I'm at the point where I've read so many they all seem to be running on the same formula. That's not to say The Escape wasn't good-because it is-but makes it more predictable-which it was-but I'll go more into that in a minute. 

Review: Lorali

Lorali
Author:Laura Dockrill
Publication Date: July 2nd 2015
Publisher: Hot Key Books
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

Colourful, raw, brave, rich and fantastical - this mermaid tale is not for the faint-hearted.

Looking after a naked girl he found washed up under Hastings pier isn't exactly how Rory had imagined spending his sixteenth birthday. But more surprising than finding her in the first place is discovering where she has come from.

Lorali is running not just from the sea, not just from her position as princess, but her entire destiny. Lorali has rejected life as a mermaid, and become human.

But along with Lorali's arrival, and the freak weather suddenly battering the coast, more strange visitors begin appearing in Rory's bemused Sussex town. With beautifully coiffed hair, sharp-collared shirts and a pirate ship shaped like a Tudor house, the Abelgare boys are a mystery all of their own. What are they really up to? Can Rory protect Lorali? And who from? And where does she really belong, anyway

Here's the one thing I learned after reading Lorali, it isn't as sweet, clean or as fluffy as it looks, and I'll be honest, some parts of Lorali were...weird, and were, well, a little eccentric so it was hard to follow, but the one thing I absolutely loved about it? It's unique. 

Waiting on Wednesday (#102)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

Pretending to be Erica by Michelle Painchaud

Expected publication: July 21st 2015 by Viking Books for Young Readers

We Were Liars meets Heist Society in a riveting debut!

Seventeen-year-old Violet’s entire life has revolved around one thing: becoming Erica Silverman, an heiress kidnapped at age five and never seen again. Violet’s father, the best con man in Las Vegas, has a plan, chilling in its very specific precision. Violet shares a blood type with Erica; soon, thanks to surgery and blackmail, she has the same face, body, and DNA. She knows every detail of the Silvermans’ lives, as well as the PTSD she will have to fake around them. And then, when the time is right, she “reappears”—Erica Silverman, brought home by some kind of miracle. But she is also Violet, and she has a job: Stay long enough to steal the Silverman Painting, an Old Master legendary in the Vegas crime world. Walking a razor’s edge, calculating every decision, not sure sometimes who she is or what she is doing it for, Violet is an unforgettable heroine, and Pretending to be Erica is a killer debut

I recently read the Heist Society series and got a major book hangover from them, so bring it on.


What're you waiting on?

Review: Ink and Bone (THISTHISTHIS)

Ink and Bone
Author: Rachel Caine
Publication Date: July 7th 2015
Publisher: Allison and Busby
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…

Excuse me, blabbering review that might not be coherent and might not make much sense because holy damn, Ink and Bone. And well, you too, Rachel Caine. 

Ever wondered what would have happened if the Great Library of Alexandria had survived? Rachel Caine has, and has rewritten history in the form of Ink and Born, and can I just say how freaking brilliant it is? The world-building, to the characters, to the slow plot and slow romance and that ending.  I think I mentioned in my review for Prince of Shadows (if you haven't read it, it's a retelling of Romeo and Juliet from Benvolio's perspective) that it was unlike anything I've read from Rachel Caine before, and once again, Ink and Bone is unlike anything I've read from Rachel Caine. 

Review: The Lost and the Found

The Lost and the Found
Author: Cat Clarke
Publication Date: July 2nd 2015 by
Publisher: Quercus Childrens
~A copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review~

LOST.
When six-year-old Laurel Logan was abducted, the only witness was her younger sister. Faith’s childhood was dominated by Laurel’s disappearance – from her parents’ broken marriage and the constant media attention to dealing with so-called friends who only ever wanted to talk about her sister.
FOUND.
Thirteen years later, a young woman is found in the garden of the Logans’ old house, disorientated and clutching the teddy bear Laurel was last seen with. Laurel is home at last, safe and sound. Faith always dreamed of getting her sister back, without ever truly believing it would happen. But a disturbing series of events leaves Faith increasingly isolated and paranoid, and before long she begins to wonder if everything that’s lost can be found again…

I've read a few of Cat Clarkes now, and know what I love about them? The way Cat Clarke takes touchy subjects and writes them honestly, realistically, and always has a voice that is easy to get into, and it's no different with The Lost and the Found.

The Lost and the Found tackles the tough subject of child abduction. If you watch the news or read newspapers or really anything, you should have heard of a few famous cases throughout the years, some that are still open and some that are, for all intents and purposes, Cold Cases. Or ones that didn't end well. On the outside, The Lost and the Found is a story that every family wants to hear, that their child has been found and safe. On the inside, The Lost and the Found is anything but.

Waiting on Wednesday (#101)

"Waiting on" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases.

The White Rose by Amy Ewing

Expected publication: October 6th 2015 by Harper Teen

Violet is on the run. After the Duchess of the Lake catches Violet with Ash, the hired companion at the Palace of the Lake, Violet has no choice but to escape the Jewel or face certain death. So along with Ash and her best friend, Raven, Violet runs away from her unbearable life of servitude.

But no one said leaving the Jewel would be easy. As they make their way through the circles of the Lone City, Regimentals track their every move, and the trio barely manages to make it out unscathed and into the safe haven they were promised—a mysterious house in the Farm.

But there’s a rebellion brewing, and Violet has found herself in the middle of it. Alongside a new ally, Violet discovers her Auguries are much more powerful than she ever imagined. But is she strong enough to rise up against the Jewel and everything she has ever known?

The White Rose is a raw, captivating sequel to The Jewel that fans won’t be able to put down until the final shocking moments.

I did like The Jewel, but let's not talk about that romance, okay? But that twist at the end? Did not see it coming, so please live up to expectations,The White Rose.

 What're you waiting on?