Book Review: Head Above Water by Hailey Edwards

Author: Hailey Edwards
Series: Gemini #2
Publisher: CrushStar Multimedia LLC
Release Date: April 30th 2016
My Rating: 5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

Camille Ellis has tracked many killers during her career,but this time it's personal. Cut off from conclave resources, she won't let a small thing like a suspension keep her from accepting Cord Graeson's offer of help.

Pretending to be mated to him is one way to secure allies, but the best that can be said of the Chandler Pack is they haven't killed or eaten her. Yet. Between the alpha's displeasure and the pack's distrust of fae, she's working overtime to keep her head above water.

Just when the fur starts to fly, a tip cracks her case--and her life--wide open.

*Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley and CrushStar Multimedia LLC for free, in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or my review of the book.

Picking up right where Dead in the Water ended, this book was amazeballs. I love it when authors manage to make it seem like no time has passed between books, which is what I felt now.

More and more is revealed about Cam's backstory, which I love. She's still heartbroken by her twin sister's death, years ago, but I got the feeling she is mending. She's on the road to becoming the woman she should've been all along, had her sister lived, which makes me equally sad and happy. Happy, because Cam deserves it. Sad, because poor Lori. I love the risks Cam is taking in this book, I love how fiercely protective she gets of the people she cares about, and I love how she manages to let people in, to make friends.

Graeson is still hot. Infuriating too, which is something I'll admit I forgot about him. It was interesting to see the dynamic between the two of them, just as it was interesting to see Graeson become stronger and go towards a more dominant role in the werewolf pack.

Speaking of werewolves, I'd love to see the dynamics within the pack, the bonds, the mental connection, from Graeson's point of view. I saw how Cam experienced it, but I can only imagine that Graeson has a stronger, more defined experience with all of those aspects.

I'm curious if certain characters will get together, just as I'm curious to see if they'll have their own series. Just as I'm curious to finally find out who the killer is. I'm suspecting a certain someone, which would be mindblowing if that person is the killer, but I'm not yet 100% sure.

As with the previous book, this installment ended with a biiiig cliffhanger, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. I am keeping my fingers crossed that there are more spin-offs in the work, because this is a world I am not yet ready to say goodbye to.

Comic Book Tuesday #9: White Sand by Brandon Sanderson

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: White Sand
Publisher: Dynamic Forces
Release Date: June 21st 2016
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):

A brand new saga of magic and adventure by #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. On the planet of Taldain, the legendary Sand Masters harness arcane powers to manipulate sand in spectacular ways. But when they are slaughtered in a sinister conspiracy, the weakest of their number, Kenton, believes himself to be the only survivor. With enemies closing in on all sides, Kenton forges an unlikely partnership with Khriss -- a mysterious Darksider who hides secrets of her own. White Sand brings to life a crucial, unpublished part of Brandon Sanderson's sprawling Cosmere universe. The story has been adapted by Rik Hoskin (Mercy Thompson), with art by Julius Gopez and colors by Ross Campbell. Employing powerful imagery and Sanderson's celebrated approach to magical systems, White Sand is a spectacular new saga for lovers of fantasy and adventure.

*Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley and Dynamite Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my opinion or rating of the book

As a lover of all things fantasy, I've heard a lot of great things about Brandon Sanderson. I have been interested in trying out his work, so when I saw this comic book on Netgalley, I was ecstatic.

The story itself is pretty good. The book starts with Kenton having pretty much a fight with his dad, the ruler of a group called Sand Masters. At first, Kenton came off as a spoiled boy who just wanted attention, but as the story progressed, it turned out he was way smarter than it seemed at first, much more loyal and not as spoiled. I also loved that at a certain point of the story, more characters, from different countries and societies, are introduced. I really enjoyed learning more about them, their backstories.

I do hope that the second volume, if there is going to be one, will explore how the Sand Masters were formed, why they were so hated by other people, as well as the other societies that have a connection with the Sand Masters.

Since this is a comic book, I have to talk about the art. I don't know if this was an issue with the file uploaded on the website, or just something with the copy I received, but the pictures looked very, very pixelated. Not in an intentional way, but in a distorted, grainy, blurry way. A lot of times that managed to pull me out of the story a little bit, because it was quite distracting. If you manage to ignore the imperfections, the art is quite beautiful. I also had some issues with how the panels themselves were distributed on page. It felt a bit confusing, having to figure out for some pages which panel comes next and where I should read. A few times the artist indicated the order of the panels, other times the reader is left to figure it out for himself/herself.

I would love to read the next volume, because I did enjoy the story, overall. And, like I said, I'd like to see a finished physical copy of this book, to enjoy the art a little bit more, as well as the story itself.

Obsessed With Covers #35: The Kingdom of Little Wounds, Carve The Mark, The Many Lives of John Stone

Y'all know how much I love a pretty cover. I think about...40% of the books that end up on my shelves (be they physical or digital) do so because of the covers. Call me shallow but you have to admit that a pretty, shiny cover will catch your eye faster than a dull, boring one. Two, simple rules that I'll follow:

• 1, 2 or 3 (no more than 3, though) covers per week;
• books should be new-ish; no more than 2 years old.

Oh, before I share the covers that made me drool or want to stare at them for hours and hours, I have to say something. This is a semi-original idea. Why semi? Because almost every book blogger has something similar. The only thing I came up with was the title. If by any chance there's another blogger with a similar feature with the same title, I assure you I'm not stealing your idea. I'm just THAT bad with titles. Believe me, I'd love to be smarter and have a witty name for this feature, but I don't. So, no copyright infringement/theft/steal or anything of the sort was desired. All I can say is sorry :P

So, here are the prettiest covers I've seen this week.

This cover looks like a photo inside a photo. It's easy to notice the castle and the beautifully colored sky first, or at least it was for me. But then I looked at the frame and OMG so many things to see there, so many creatures, so many hidden details that make me wonder if those aren't part of those "Little Wounds". Also, I had the chance to see this book IRL and let me tell you, it is just as stunning, if not more.








The Kingdom of Little Wounds - Susann Cokal

I have to say, this cover is absolutely gorgeous. I would love to have this book in my shelves, it's so pretty. I'm actually expecting the finished copy to have some nice effect, like maybe the gold liquid that bleeds through those cuts to shimmer or something similar. I can't help but wonder what the title and cover have to do with the actual story though. Because the cover does not lead me to think "Dystopia", and yet that's how the book is shelved as on Goodreads. All of that said, I kinda see some stars in there, so maybe that's a wall that's carved into? I am now very curious about the book.

Carve The Mark - Veronica Roth

There are so many things going on in this cover, I don't even know where to start. I love how the mirror is broken and how it shows different portraits of what seems to be different people. I also love how there seem to be shards missing, which makes me wonder what happened to them? The fact that the background is black though makes me think that maybe that's not a mirror. The camera that the girl is holding makes me wonder if that's not actually a broken lens? There are some strange symbols reflected in one of the shards and that also make me wonder about the story, and also there's an incomplete image there, with the shard that's nearest to the colored reflection of the guy. I could go on and on, but basically I am obsessed with this cover. A lot!


The Many Lives of John Stone - Linda Buckley-Archer