Welcome to the next discussion of the read-along. We started a new series this month! I hope you're reading (or re-reading in some cases) along with us! Listen to this podcast episode as Nicola, Casey and I share our thoughts on Poison Princess!
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Find out if we all loved the book or not! Even hear our individual ratings at the end of the episode. Plus don't miss Casey pointing out plot holes!
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Let us know if you read the book or listened to the audiobook and share with us what you thought of Poison Princess.
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​Participate in 3 easy steps.

• Join in and get the details of the read-along here. 
• Join the Shelf Addiction Facebook Group and let's talk about the series!
• Tweet with us about the series on Twitter using the hashtag #3Bloggers1Series or call in and leave a Speakpipe Voicemail! We will respond to voicemails on an upcoming episode!

Welcome to the next discussion of the read-along. I hope you're reading (or re-reading in some cases) along with us! Listen to the latest read-along podcast episode as Nicola, Casey and I share our thoughts on the last book in The Grisha Trilogy, Ruin and Rising.

Find out if we all loved the book or not! Even hear our individual ratings at the end of the episode. 
​
Learn more about the read-along here! I hope you enjoy the episode!

​Participate in 3 easy steps.

• Join in and get the details of the read-along here. 
• Join the Shelf Addiction Facebook Group and let's talk about the series!
• Tweet with us about the series on Twitter using the hashtag #3Bloggers1Series or call in and leave a Speakpipe Voicemail! We will respond to voicemails on an upcoming episode!

A read and listen book review consist of time spent both reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook.  

I admit that I'm one of the Rhys character fan girls, so I jumped on this book the day it was released and finished it pretty quickly. Was I happy with the book? Generally yes. ​Was it perfect? No. Read on to find out if  A Court of Wings and Ruin lived up to the hype. 

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​Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens /Recorded Books
Release Date: May 2, 2017
Format: Kindle, Audio MP3
Pages: 699 | Audio Length: 25 hours 8 mins
Narrator:​ Amanda Leigh Cobb​
Source: Kindle, Audible
Genre: Fantasy,  YA, New Adult
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis:  A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

This book had lots of buzz leading into it's release date. Being that I just fell in love with this world in book two, I had high expectations. This installment was essentially a war story. The art of subterfuge and war.  The secondary story-line revolved around family and love.  It's a complex tale and I think that Maas did a good job with this installment. 

​A read and listen book review consist of time spent both reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook. I personally think that this is the best way to read books when you're short on time!  

Read on to find out why the first installment of this YA retelling earned a three bookmark rating.  Before I get into the review, full disclosure, at the time that I'm writing this review, I've already finished book two. The hype is true, book two is so much better than the first book, so just keep that in mind.

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens /Recorded Books
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Format: Kindle, Audio MP3
Pages: 626 | Audio Length: 22 hours 16 mins
Narrator:​ Jennifer Ikeda
Source: Kindle, Audible
Genre: Fantasy,  YA, New Adult
Review Date: February 13, 2017
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis:​ 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.

A read and listen book review consist of time spent both reading the physical book and listening to the audiobook. I personally think that this is the best way to read books when you're short on time!  

Read on to find out why the first installment of this YA retelling earned a three bookmark rating.  Before I get into the review, full disclosure, at the time that I'm writing this review, I've already finished book two. The hype is true, book two is so much better than the first book, so just keep that in mind.

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens /Recorded Books
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Format: Kindle, Audio MP3
Pages: 416 | Audio Length: 16 hours 7 mins
Narrator:​ Jennifer Ikeda
Source: Kindle, Audible
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, YA, New Adult
Review Date: February 6, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: ​When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever. 

I'd heard lots about this title and it's been on my TBR list since it was first published in 2015. It probably would have sat on my list for much longer if it wasn't for book club! This was one of my many book club reads, so of course I wanted to read it to discuss it, and boy am I happy that I did. I did some research on the future of this series and it looks like six books are planned so far, so I'm excited to see how this story transforms as the books go on.

While I didn't fall in love with the first installment of this series, I liked it well enough.  The first half of the book was pretty slow and it took a bit for things to get going. Initially it was a pretty dry and predictable retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Then suddenly around the 60% mark or so, things got very interesting and I was fully vested in finding out what was going to happen with Tamlin and Feyre.  Balancing the slow start with a good ending settled my rating at a solid three bookmarks.  

The second installment of The Illuminae Files trilogy delivered just as much punch as the first installment. Read on to find out why Gemina scored a 5 bookmark rating!

​Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | Listening Library​
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Hardcover: 659 pages | Audio Length: Approx 12.5 hours
Narrators: Carla Corvo, Steve West , full cast , P.J. Ochlan
Source: Publisher
Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy
Review Date: November 30, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks

Synopsis: Moving to a space station at the edge of the galaxy was always going to be the death of Hanna’s social life. Nobody said it might actually get her killed.

The saga that began with Illuminae continues on board the space station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of BeiTech’s assault. Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter, Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.

When an elite BeiTech team invades the station, Hanna and Nik are thrown together to defend their home. But alien predators are picking off the station residents one by one, and a malfunction in the station’s wormhole means the space-time continuum may be ripped in two before dinner. Soon Hanna and Nik aren’t just fighting for their own survival. The fate of everyone on the Hypatia—and possibly the known universe—is in their hands.

But relax. They’ve totally got this. They hope.

Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to see where Kady and Ezra were in the scheme of things after the end of the first book, so I was ecstatic to return this world. I loved Illuminae so much that I jumped right into Gemina without even reading the description. When I started Gemina I was a bit surprised because while for the most part it picks up where Illuminae left off, there were two major differences. We now have different characters and a whole new setting. Of course because I was expecting one thing and got another, I was a tad confused for the first 8% or so trying to figure out what was what.  Note to self: read the book synopsis!

Meet Hanna Donnelly and Niklas Malikov. They are sort friends and end up along with Nik's cousin Ella Malikova trying to take back control of their space station.  Nik and Ella are from a notorious crime family and Hanna is the daughter of station captain’s daughter. Clearly they are an odd team, so the interactions between the three of them are priceless.

I completed Illuminae a while back and I finally have some time to tell you why this was so much more than an audiobook. So much more. It's a full cast audio production. Not only is the book presented in a unique way, it's prepared so artfully that it's turned into one amazing audiobook. Read on to find out why this unique story earned a 5 bookmark rating.

​Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers | Listening Library​
Release Date: October 20, 2015
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: Hardcover: 600 pages | Audio Length: Approx 11.75 hours
Narrator: Olivia Taylor Dudley , Lincoln Hoppe , Johnathan McClain
Source: Audible
Genre: YA Science Fiction, YA Fantasy
Review Date: November 16, 2016
Rating: 5 bookmarks

​Synopsis: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.

This afternoon, her planet was invaded.

The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes. 

At first when I found out how this book was written - through dossier of documents, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy the format of the book so I put it off for a while. Several months later, I was still interested in this story and by then I'd heard that the audiobook was just amazing, so I thought, why not?  The Audiobook version it is. That was the best choice I made.  While I seriously love how the physical  book looks and I appreciate how unique this story is told, I was more than happy the full cast audiobook.