Book Review: Spin The Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

Author: Elizabeth Lim
Series: The Blood of Stars #1
Audience:  Young Adult
Genre: High Fantasy, Fairy tale retelling
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 9th 2019
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Netgalley

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.

Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.

Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.

And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.

Steeped in Chinese culture, sizzling with forbidden romance, and shimmering with magic, this young adult fantasy is pitch-perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Renée Ahdieh.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

Spin The Dawn is one of the books I've been deathly afraid to read. The more of my friends were reading it and loving it, the more I was afraid of reading it. Thankfully ARC August happened and Soph @ Bookwyrming Thoughts had been lovingly and gently pestering urging me to add this book to my TBR, and since I also had the sequel, I decided this was the time. I did not expect to love this book as much as I did, and if you take nothing else from my review, know that I am very tempted to double my rating into a 10-cups rating, which I've never done. EVER. In 10 years of blogging. So there you have it. Let's get to it, shall we?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved but Never Reviewed

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Hello my dear readers! We've all done it. We've all read book we loved but never reviewed them on our blogs. I'm guilty of this. There's no real reason why some books end up reviewed on my blog while others don't. It's usually a matter of time. If I read a book just to read it, I usually move on to the next book and then the next, and by the time I remember to review certain books, I end up not remembering the finer details of the first book enough to write a proper review. It doesn't mean I completely forget about it, it just means I don't have enough material to write more than "omg I loved this". Let's start with the post though.

Comic Book Tuesday: Blackbird by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, Triona Farrell

Author: Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel (Artist), Triona Farrell (Colourist)
Series: Blackbird #1-6
Audience: +16
Genre: Graphic Novel
Publisher: Image Comics
Release Date: May 14th 2019
My Rating: 3 Cups
Source: Image Comics
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Nina Rodriguez knows a hidden magical world run by ruthless cabals is hiding in Los Angeles. When a giant magic beast kidnaps her sister, Nina must confront her past (and her demons) to get her sister back and reclaim her life. Don't miss the first collection of the smash-hit neo-noir fantasy series from fan-favorite writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Harley Quinn, Nightwing) and red-hot artist JEN BARTEL (Mighty Thor)!

Collects BLACKBIRD #1-6

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Image Comics in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Trigger warning: substance abuse

Aside from books, I've collected some comic book ARCs over the last few months and I thought that it's finally time to read them. First up is this really interesting story by Sam Humphries, Jen Bartel, and Triona Farrell. Let's dive right into it.

Book Review: Chasing Bliss by Lexi Blake

Author: Lexi Blake
Series: Nights in Bliss, Colorado #7
Audience:  +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: DLZ Entertainment, LLC
Release Date: April 23rd 2019 (first published August 10th 2012)
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Social Butterfly PR

Blurb (from Goodreads):

Re-released in a second edition with new content.

Gemma Wells came to Bliss, Colorado, after a scandal cost her everything. Utterly lost, the disgraced attorney built walls so high that she thinks no one can get through them. She’s given up on love, friendship, and all matters of the heart.

Jesse McCann and Cade Sinclair have floated through life, enjoying the world around them, but never allowing themselves to become a part of it. One look at the pretty attorney and Jesse realizes he’s finally found a reason to stay put. Cade isn’t so sure. He’s crazy about her, but he also knows he doesn’t deserve her.

As they begin to find their way together, a dark secret from Gemma’s past threatens to wreck their futures. Her ex-fiancé is back, bringing danger with him, and their time is running out. Jesse and Cade have to melt this Ice Queen’s heart, or she might not leave Bliss alive.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review in any way.

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

I finally got to read Gemma's story, guys!! I'm so happy! I truly feel like my month is complete, and this is not me exaggerating. I come back to the world of Bliss, Colorado with a giant smile on my face each and every time, and with each book I finish, my smile gets bigger. This series has become sort of like my "reset" series: whenever I need to read something I know I'll love, I go to Bliss. Gemma's story is no different. Let me tell you all about it!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Colors In the Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

Hello my dear readers! Today's prompt is very interesting. It also erm...proved to be very difficult. Because you wouldn't believe how much I had to scroll through my read shelf on GR to find books with colors in the titles. I found out that way that I read so many books with "dark", "shadows", and "blood" in the title, and those should count as colors. Anyway. After much searching I found the books. So here we go!

Book Review: Sinner by Sierra Simone

Author: Sierra Simone
Series: Priest #2
Audience: +18
Genre: Contemporary Romance, Erotic Romance
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: March 15th 2018
My Rating: 5 Cups
Source: Freebie
Blurb (from Goodreads):

I’m not a good man, and I’ve never pretended to be. I don’t believe in goodness or God or any happy ending that isn’t paid for in advance.
What do I believe in? Money. Sex. Macallan 18.
They have words for men like me—playboy. Womanizer. Skirt chaser.
My brother used to be a priest, and he only has one word for me.

Sinner.

***Sinner is a standalone companion to Priest about Father Bell's brother Sean. You do not have to read Priest or Midnight Mass to read Sinner***

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from an author newsletter. This does not influence my rating or the content of my review

**Disclaimer: This book contains mature content. As a result, my review may contain references to content intended for mature audiences only.

You know those books that you read and you love, but you have to wait to write a review, because you just don't know how to put your feelings into words? This was me with Sinner. I read this book back in January, but it took me 8 months to get over my love for it to be able to form intelligent words and sentences about it. Because Sinner is more than just a taboo erotic romance, so much more.