Taylor Fenner's Blog, page 79

Writer Thursday: Monthly Book Update

Hey readers! This #WriterThursday I'm giving you updates on all my bookish projects...
Monsters & Mist I'm about 1/3 of the way through my editing process for Monsters and Mist. I wrote most of the first draft on Scrivener which is a great tool for writers... but I have to admit, it wasn't the best tool for catching typos. Also because of the length of time it took me to write Monsters I'd forgotten some minor details the further I got into the writing. I'm hoping to have these first few sets of edits done by mid-month and a more polished copy on its way to beta readers by end of March, early April.
Titania Project I started plotting the Titania Project, which is a sci-fi project inspired by Titanic, late last year. I can't tell you much yet but I can give you a peek at the visual inspiration for my main character Rozy from my secret Pinterest board... Photo Credit: Art Ignition / Pinterest
Untitled Retelling/Romance/Mystery As it always happens when I'm gearing up to really get into a new project a new idea pops into my head and demands to be written down, developed, probed until it becomes something. I don't have a title for this newly forming story and I can't really describe the genre because it's a mashup of two gothic classics with a dash of mystery and intrigue, and forbidden love.
Goals For March 2020:- Monsters & Mist editing- Add 5k words to the Titania Project- Outline untitled project

I Can't Wait For... Cinderella is Dead

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.
I kept hearing about this book in ARC trader groups but I didn't know what it was about and finally ended up looking it up and adding it to my TBR...

Cinderella is Dead
by Kalynn Bayron
YA, Fantasy, LGBT, Retelling
eBook, Hardcover, 400 Pages
July 7, 2020 by Bloomsbury


Blurb
It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Snowbound Books (Support My Favorite Indie)

What do you think? Will you be checking this one out?

Book Review: HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD

House of Earth and BloodCrescent City Book 1
by Sarah J. MaasPublisher: BloomsburyRelease Date: March 3, 2020Genre: Adult, Fantasy
Blurb:#1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas launches her brand-new CRESCENT CITY series with House of Earth and Blood: the story of half-Fae and half-human Bryce Quinlan as she seeks revenge in a contemporary fantasy world of magic, danger, and searing romance.
Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths.
Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthrow. His brutal skills and incredible strength have been set to one purpose—to assassinate his boss’s enemies, no questions asked. But with a demon wreaking havoc in the city, he’s offered an irresistible deal: help Bryce find the murderer, and his freedom will be within reach.
As Bryce and Hunt dig deep into Crescent City’s underbelly, they discover a dark power that threatens everything and everyone they hold dear, and they find, in each other, a blazing passion—one that could set them both free, if they’d only let it.
With unforgettable characters, sizzling romance, and page-turning suspense, this richly inventive new fantasy series by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas delves into the heartache of loss, the price of freedom—and the power of love.
Review:
Before I dive into my review of the contents of House of Earth and Blood I would like to make one comment on the cover of the book. While the illustration is pretty and the cover eye-catching, the fact that the actual title HOUSE OF EARTH AND BLOOD is in such small font it's barely noticeable on the cover and the name of the series Crescent City is in large, prominent font it makes it very confusing for the reader to distinguish which is the actual title of this first volume of the series without looking it up. The cover design department should really rethink that when tweaking the cover for the paperback edition likely to come.

Moving to the book itself, I was unsure if I would like this one based on other authors crossing over to other age groups with underwhelming attempts. But this book, if you've read any of the author's other works is easy to get engrossed in. 

In fact, as I sit here a week and a half after finishing the book I realize the reason it's easy to see similarities between House of Earth and Blood and her previous works is because they all have similar themes: a main character who seems to be nothing special at first glance but who possesses an immense, incomparable power, strong friendships, hate-to-love romance, and villains you'd really like to slap. 

So it's a safe bet if you liked the Throne of Glass books or the ACOTAR books you'll probably enjoy this adult debut... which is not really all that different content-wise from her other books. 

House of Earth and Blood is billed as epic fantasy but I actually would categorize it more as urban fantasy. While yes, the world in which Bryce lives is not based on any real cities it has a much more urban setting than what I consider high/epic fantasy. Plus there is modern technology... smartphones and computers and other advanced tech you wouldn't see in a high fantasy that always seems more inspired by the medieval era. 

While I can get behind the Bryce/Hunt ship my favorite character by far was Ruhn. And Ruhn's friends were pretty awesome. I hope they get more of a role in the books to come. The character  that made me scratch my head was Bryce's boss, who I couldn't tell if she had actual friendly affection for Bryce or not because the ending would lead you to believe so but before that she's constantly threatening to turn her into an animal of some sort if she steps out of line.

The other thing I couldn't get behind was Bryce's name. To me Bryce has always been a guy's name, not a gender neutral name so every time I came upon it I had to remind myself Bryce was a girl.

And last, while the world of House of Earth and Blood is filled with diverse species there's nothing readers haven't seen before... fae, mermaids, vampires, werewolves, witches, shifters, and more all crammed into one city with a smaller human population. And anyone versed in mythology will note the nods to Norse mythology throughout.

Overall, while this was a good read, I wouldn't say it was anything unique that blew me away. I honestly felt like the ending could be the stopping point and you wouldn't even need any further books but I'm sure there will be at least 6-7 more books if Crescent City follows the mold of the author's other two series. 

My Rating:

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books With 1-Word Titles

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Tuesday: Books with 1-Word Titles

 This week's TTT is all about short titled books... one word titled to be exact.

1. IT by Stephen King
2. You by Caroline Kepnes
3. Slayer by Kiersten White
4. Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
5. Winterwood by Shea Ernshaw
6. Sadie by Courtney Summers
7. Repeat by Kylie Scott
8. Ten by Gretchen McNeil
9. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
10. Freeks by Amanda Hocking

What are some of your favorite one-word titled books? Have you read any of the ones on my list?
 Let me know  in the comments & drop me a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 2 March 2020

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.
Hey Bookdragons! New month, new TBR. I've been in a thriller mood lately so that is mostly what I'll be reading for the foreseeable future.
What I Read Last Week: I finished this one at the end of last week and while I didn't like it as much as My Plain Jane it was a really humorous read and an interesting twist on history. 
What I Am Reading Now: I hadn't heard of this book before I saw it in a discount book catalog and thought it sounded interesting. After most of the weekend not having time to get into it I finally had some reading time today and I actually hated to put it down. It's chilling and tense and even though I can surmise a few of the upcoming plot points I can't wait to get back to it.

Up Next:
I watched the miniseries of this a few weeks ago and immediately picked up a copy of the book. I've been wanting to start it but I was delayed by the monstrosity that is House of Earth and Blood for most of February.

50/50 Friday: Favorite-Least Favorite Sci-Fi of 2019

50/50 Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader.
What is 50/50 Friday?
Everyone has a favorite and then we also have something we dislike. Like a coin, there are two sides to every question. Example: best sequel you've read/worst sequel you've read. So that's what 50/50 Friday is all about. Carrie posts a new topic every Friday so be sure to check out her post to see the topic for the following week!
Topic for the WeekFavorite/Least Favorite Sci-Fi of 2019
I really got into sci-fi last year and I know I read more than a few. Here's looking back on my favorite and not-so-favorite
Favorite The Kingdon by Jess RothenbergThe Kingdom was one of my favorite books last year and I love this futuristic, sci-fi take on amusement parks!
Least Favorite Heart of Iron by Ashley PostonGranted I listened to this book on audio instead of outright reading it but this book just didn't do it for me. Not only because last year seemed like the year of the Anastasia retelling... in a variety of genres... but I can think of at least one other sci-fi attempt besides this one.
Next Week’s Theme: Best/Worst Read of February 2020

Writing Thursday: A Peek At the Desk of Taylor Fenner

As a writer living in a small space, I make a desk out of whatever's handy. I recently purchased a puzzle table which is perfect for me to use since I do most of my writing while sitting on my bed. It's sturdy and big enough to keep the manuscript I'm editing and a few other items close at hand.
Let me give you the tour of my portable writing desk...
Here's a breakdown of what I keep on my desk...
- Succulents -I love succulents but even though they are one of the most low maintenance plants out there I can't keep them alive for the life of me. So I picked up a few artificial ones on Amazon.
- Bookish Candles - Apartment living isn't the most conducive for lighting candles but luckily for me I've always been more into popping the cap and letting the fragrance fill the room over burning them. This Sleepy Hollow one from Get Fictional transported me to the setting for Headless...
- Funko Pops - I love collecting Funko Pops and I think it's really cool how diverse their selection of Pops are; from musicians to tv and movie characters, ad icons, and now even writers. I couldn't resist the Edgar Allan Poe and B&N exclusive Stephen King funko pops. They're a great motivator staring back at me when I feel like procrastinating and shopping online instead of writing.
- Bookish Signs - I was inspired by a Derry, Maine (the setting for IT by Stephen King) sign that I saw on Etsy recently. Not wanting to shell out for something I knew I could do myself and put my own spin on I bought some craft supplies and made my own. I love how it turned out, don't you?
- Pens, Sticky Notes, Notebooks - While I use Scrivener for my writing projects (which is a lifesaver, trust me!) it's always handy to keep paper and writing utensils at hand for those spur of the moment ideas that need to be put down on paper.
- Print Manuscripts & Finished Novels -I've found that changing the format of a draft is easier to edit than just scrolling through it on a computer screen. For my upcoming release, Monsters & Mist, I had a bound manuscript printed so I can easily read, edit, and make notes in the margins. I also like to keep copies of my novels handy so if I need a quote for a Bookstagram post or a promo post I can flip to a random page and find something to use.
Headless- Laptop - Since the onset of my carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis in my thumbs my laptop has replaced my handwritten WIPs and become my number one writing tool for working on my projects, blogging, and general everyday online stuff. 
✦✦✦What do you keep on your desk? Dictionaries? Thesaurus? Knickknacks? Let me know in the comments!
Happy writing! 

I Can't Wait For... The June Boys

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released.
Despite the title, this book releases next week and I can't wait to grab a copy. It sounds really good!

The June Boysby Courtney C. Stevens
YA, Thriller, Mystery
eBook, Hardcover, Audiobook, 368 Pages
March 3, 2020 by Thomas Nelson


Blurb
The Gemini Thief could be anyone. Your father, your mother, your best friend’s crazy uncle. Some country music star’s deranged sister. Anyone.

The Gemini Thief is a serial kidnapper, who takes three boys and holds them captive from June 1st to June 30th of the following year. The June Boys endure thirteen months of being stolen, hidden, observed, and fed before they are released, unharmed, by their masked captor. The Thief is a pro, having eluded authorities for nearly a decade and taken at least twelve boys.

Now Thea Delacroix has reason to believe the Gemini Thief took a thirteenth victim: her cousin, Aulus McClaghen.

But the game changes when one of the kidnapped boys turns up dead. Together with her boyfriend Nick and her best friends, Thea is determined to find the Gemini Thief and the remaining boys before it’s too late. Only she’s beginning to wonder something sinister, something repulsive, something unbelievable, and yet, not impossible:

What if her father is the Gemini Thief?

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository | Snowbound Books (Support My Favorite Indie)
What do you think? Will you be checking this one out?

Top Ten Tuesday: 4 Characters I'd Follow on Social Media

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish and currently hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.
Top Ten Tuesday: Four Characters I'd Follow on Social Media

 This week's TTT is about the characters we'd follow on social media. I could only think of 4 characters but I could envision the first posting photos of food and expensive things and friends on Instagram, the second one would hopefully post some shirtless selfies, the third would probably be on bookstagram and the last would add a huge dollop of humor and sexy tattooed man to my feed...

1. Aelin (Throne of Glass Series)

2. Rhysand (ACOTAR Series)

3. Katy (Lux Series)

4. Mal (Stage Dive Series)

What characters would you follow on social media? Which platforms do you think they'd be most likely to use?
 Let me know  in the comments & drop me a link to your TTT!Happy Reading Bookdragons!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? - 24 February 2020

#IMWAYR is a weekly meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at The Book Date.
Hey Bookdragons! I finally finished a book this month and I'm nearly finished with a second! 
What I Read Last Week: I finally finished reading House of Earth and Blood! I loved it but lately it takes me forever to finish massive tomes like this one. HOEAB took me 17 days!
What I Am Reading Now: I'm trying to read a few of the books I plan to take to ApollyCon next month that I haven't already read so I started My Lady Jane while I was in a lull with House of Earth and Blood and I'm about 100 pages away from finishing it. I've had a copy on my kindle for several years but I never got around to reading it but I figured since I read and loved My Plain Jane I should go back and read it. It's so good and so funny.

Up Next:

The next book on my "Read Before ApollyCon" list is Malice by Pintip Dunn. I received a finished copy from Entangled Teen which was great since I was planning on getting a copy for the author to sign anyway.