MY "DREAM CRATE" : THE GEN. XYZ AFFAIR

You have no idea how much I enjoyed "curating" this dream box! I consider myself a nerd and geek. I love Star Wars, math, science, anime, pop-culture and a bunch of other stuff. I was stoked when I learned about a project being run by Loot Crate. If you don't know, they do subscription crates for geeks and gamers, and they're looking for people to make up an extravagant box of their dreams.

Everything in here is something I love. Luckily, I grew up with a lot of wonderful people that influenced my weirdness. I grew up watching Pokemon, playing Street Fighter with my dad, and being glued to that GameBoy I had (I think I'm over-exaggerating how much of a nerd I am...) My cousins introduced me to Naruto and I talked to them about Dragon Ball. I am Generation Z but I love X and Y. The Affair part of the name is the result of AP history classes.

PRODUCT REVIEW

This week, I received a couple of packages in the mail. I received things from Society6, a small package from an author and a book. The last two items I mentioned were won from a giveaway. My Society6 packages were purchased by myself. I went a little crazy shopping after getting rewards from buying contacts.

STARTING A BLOG | PART II : RUNDOWN OF BLOGGER

This post will be dedicated to the whole Blogger interface. I'm only doing Blogger because I'm most familiar with it. It's rather easy for me to navigate and use. I am, by no means, trying to force you to use Blogger. Again, there are many hosting sites out there: weebly, wordpress, tumblr, squarespace, etc. 

STARTING A BLOG | PART I : THE OBVIOUS

Someone recently contacted me regarding my blog/my reviews and the exchange felt extremely déjà vu. It reminded of the day I first started my blog. So, I decided to write a mini series on my blog on blogging and designing things by yourself. This post will mainly be the "fundamentals"/101 post. Also, apologies for being gone for a month. I've been in a major book slump and not particularly inspired lately. 

PURE EPICNESS | THE MIDNIGHT STAR REVIEW

The Midnight Star (The Young Elites #3)

by Marie Lu

Putnam | October 11, 2016

Source: SocialBookCo

        There was once a time when darkness shrouded the world, and the darkness had a queen.
        Adelina Amouteru is done suffering. She’s turned her back on those who have betrayed her and achieved the ultimate revenge: victory. Her reign as the White Wolf has been a triumphant one, but with each conquest her cruelty only grows. The darkness within her has begun to spiral out of control, threatening to destroy all that she’s achieved.
        Adelina’s forced to revisit old wounds when a new danger appears, putting not only Adelina at risk, but every Elite and the very world they live in. In order to save herself and preserve her empire, Adelina and her Roses must join the Daggers on a perilous quest—though this uneasy alliance may prove to be the real danger.

DU MAURIER'S STUDY IN JEALOUSY | REBECCA REVIEW

Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
Victor Gollancz | 1938

       The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives-presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

CO-BLOGGER SEARCH!

APPROACHING BLOGGERS & REVIEWERS

Bloggers/Reviewers follow "rules" when requesting ARCs. There's this whole etiquette that my friend Alex from @The Books Buzz wrote on her blog, there are many posts about this topic on the interwebs. It's a great and insightful post, everyone should read it. I follow it to some degree, lol. Therefore, there must also be "author etiquette". Very similar to blogger etiquette and just as delicate. I'm not saying everyone is guilty of this. This is more of a PSA, so don't get offended. If you are . . . why?

UPROOTED | ALL THAT HYPE, WORTH IT?

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Del Rey | May 19, 2015
Source: Library

      “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”
      Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.
      Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.
      The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.
      But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

MOST ANTICIPATED THINGS

Hello there!

There are so many things - maybe, I'm doing this post without any thought - that I'm excited for. There are so many releases that I am absolutely DYING for! The number one is, and I doubt people are shocked by my choice:

DAY ZERO REVIEW

Before I dive into the actual review, I want to let you know that I partnered up/I am part of SocialBookCo' Book Review Programme, it's my first time working with them. SocialBookCo is a "mini company/website" that compares books from all vendors and it's supposed to help help you save money on books. They work with Amazon, eBay, Book Depository, Waterstones, etc. I do get a small commission-from 2-4%, depending on the retailer-every time you click on my link and purchase the book I'm reviewing.

Today, I'll be reviewing DAY ZERO by Kresley Cole

(Click on DAY ZERO ^ to purchase book)

MISCELLANEOUS MONDAY | BASICALLY 'WEEKLY OBSESSIONS'

This post should've been a Music Monday post, but I don't have a specific artist to feature this Monday. Like most youngsters in America, I have started school! Ehhh... I like school because it keeps me occupied and I learn, but it's boring to sit all day in the heat. It's super nice to see my friends again and awesome to meet new people. It's nice to meet new people, but I miss my "pack" [classmates] from last year because we traveled together and had almost every class together. It's scary not having familiar faces around.

While I was still on break, I watched two really great shows. I watched Penny Dreadful, which I have mentioned before. It's super dark, suspenseful, a lot of books combined, and set in Victorian England! It's an exciting paranormal, historical show with a diverse set of characters. I also watched Stranger Things, everyone probably watches or watched this show. Let me just say... IT'S FANTASTIC! It's a children's fantasy game gone wrong and what if E.T. phoned other people. It's retro, exciting, and super nostalgic. #winoforever Another show I'm really obsessed with is RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars. I think everyone knows my love for drag queens. I've never actually watched the first 8 seasons of this show because I don't have Logo TV. I love the drama, most of the queens on the show (all except Phi Phi and Coco), the humor and everything.

I've also started watching The Tudors... Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Natalie Dormer, Henry Cavill, and history!

Now to the music bit

WAS THE WAIT WORTH IT? | ARCANA RISING REVIEW

Arcana Rising (The Arcana Chronicles #4)
by Kresley Cole
Valkyrie Press | August 15, 2016

       When the battle is done . . .
       The Emperor unleashes hell and annihilates an army, jeopardizing the future of mankind - but Circe strikes back. The epic clash between them devastates the Arcana world and nearly kills Evie, separating her from her allies.
       And all hope is lost . . .
       With Aric missing and no sign that Jack and Selena escaped Richter's reach, Evie turns more and more to the darkness lurking inside her. Two Arcana emerge as game changers: one who could be her salvation, the other a seductive nightmare.
       Vengeance becomes everything.
       To take on Richter, Evie must reunite with Death and mend their broken bond. But as she learns more about her role in the future - and her chilling past - will she become a monster like the Emperor? Or can Evie and her allies rise up from Richter's ashes, stronger than ever before? 

COMPLETING THAT READING CHALLENGE

If you didn't know, Goodreads does this thing where you pledge to read x-amount of books in a year and it keeps track of everything you read. It's motivational, it's organized and it comes in handy when creating the best books of the year posts. I've been participating for two years and I've completed the challenge both years. I "read" - I DNFed A LOT of books - 131 books in 2015 and 100 books in 2016 (so far). That means I read, about, 200 books in 2 years! It's crazy seeing the numbers add up because it's a lot more than you realize. And because I want all of you to accomplish your challenge, here are some "tips":

LAST BOOK OF MY GOODREADS CHALLENGE!

The Collector
by John Fowles
Bay Back Books | August 4, 1997

       Withdrawn, uneducated and unloved, Frederick collects butterflies and takes photographs. He is obsessed with a beautiful stranger, the art student Miranda. When he wins the pools he buys a remote Sussex house and calmly abducts Miranda, believing she will grow to love him in time. Alone and desperate, Miranda must struggle to overcome her own prejudices and contempt if she is understand her captor, and so gain her freedom.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE

not actual cover-Behance. 

Pride and Prejudice
by Jane Austen
Barnes & Noble | March 14, 2011
First Published: January 28, 1813

       Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners-one of the most popular novels of all time-tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. "It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife." So begins the novel, that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-century drawing-room intrigues.

IN THE WICK OF TIME INTERVIEW

I had the honor of interviewing Kaylan, the owner of In the Wick of Time. I came across this store on Instagram and I fell in love with the candles. Gorgeous packaging and super creative candles! (I think I'm biased because I love candles). Check out her website and etsy store to purchase candles or candle melts. You should also follow her on: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for updates on new items and really pretty pictures. Now, for the interview...

NOT-YOUR-MAMA'S GRAPHIC NOVELS

Saga (Volumes #1-6)
by Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples (Artist)
Image Comics | October 23, 2012
I recommend this with a passion!  

        When two soldiers, Marko and Alana, from opposite sides of a never-ending galactic war fall in love, they risk everything to bring a fragile new life into a dangerous old universe.

 It's a 4.5 because I wasn't thrilled with the plot direction, but it's great nonetheless. I can't stop forcing this book unto people and saying it's great, really.

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED | AM I MAAS "TRASH" NOW?!

A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR #1)
by Sarah J. Mass
Bloomsbury USA Childrens | May 5, 2015
(oh look, my birthday)

      She stole a life. Now she must pay with her heart.
      When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only 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 over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.

POSSIBLY THE BEST COHO BOOK EVER

It Ends with Us
by Colleen Hoover
Atria Books | August 2, 2016
DON'T READ SYNOPSIS! Best to go in blind.

        Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up-she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
        Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
        As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan-her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

MY FIRST GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW | GORGEOUS

Monstress (Single Issues #1-6)
by Marjorie M. Liu & Sana Takeda (illustrator)
Image Comics | November 4, 2015

       Steampunk meets Kaiju-Japanese genre involving monsters [attacking cities]-in this original fantasy epic for mature readers.
       As young Maika risks everything to control her psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, placing her in the center of a devastating war between human and otherworldly forces.

Overall Rating:

 

WHAT KIND OF READER ARE YOU? | NARUTO EDITION

I made the decision to rewatch every episode of Naruto. Wish me luck because it's gonna take a while. Watching it gives me so much nostalgia. It sucks that I know what's going to happen, but it's so nice to meet the characters again. I never realized how much I hated Sakura, how the first season is mostly about Sasuke, and how HILARIOUS Guy & Lee are. If you've never watched or read Naruto, you should because the manga ended and it's a great series. If you don't know what Naruto is...

So, which Naruto character resembles your reading personality?

MUSIC MONDAYS: GLASS ANIMALS

ABOUT:

Glass Animals is an Oxford-based band consisting of members Dave Bayley, Drew MacFarlane, Edmund Irwin-Singer, and Joe Seaward.

Childhood friends since the age of 14, they formed the group once they finished school. While they were still at university they released their debut EP, Leaflings, in 2012. They captured the attention of acclaimed producer Paul Epworth, who signed them to his label Wolf Tone in 2013 and released the Glass Animals EP, which included the single "Black Mambo." In 2014, the band released their debut album Zaba, which they blended electronics with indie guitar music and was produced by both frontman Bayley and Epworth.

The very first song I ever listened to by this band was Gooey. (I listened to the song while watching the weird music video). Right from the start, the title grabs your attention because it's weird and kind of throws you off. The song is great and weird. It's very breath-y and light. There's a light twinkling/bell sound in the background too. It's funky, psychedelic and just GREAT. You just want to sway to the rhythm.

Their overall sound is psychedelic and slightly, and I mean slightly, tribal. All their songs make you want to move. When I heard the first song Flip on ZABA (DELUXE) ALBUM, I immediately thought of the ocean/water because it starts off with something that sounds like a big bubble bursting in water. Their music just transports you to a dream-like place.

You should also check out their song from their, yet to be released, album entitled How to Be Human.

Life Itself

SOCIETY6 SHOPS

I was surfing on Society6 and I saw amazing art/products from extremely talented artists. If you didn't know, Society6 is an online retailer (of sorts). It's more of a market for independent artists. Artists create pieces of art and they're sold as prints, home items and apparel through Society6, who produces it too. Hopefully the artists I share in this post appeal to you and you support them by buying their products. I'm not being sponsored in any way, as usual, I just want to showcase some artists. Apologies in advance for the lack of photos.

OASIS IN THE CLOUDS REVIEW

Oasis in the Clouds (When Worlds Collide #1)
by C. Esther

Self-Published | July 19, 2016

Status: Completed

       Niri wakes up in a beautiful garden, and finds that she has no memories. She is sure she will spend the remainder of her days there, until an unknown friend comes to her aide and reveals the truth about her personal paradise. Discovering that she is Wicca, she embarks on a journey to learn about her powers, the extent of which surprises her at every turn. She must ultimately retrieve her memories and help the higher order of witches imprison the Wicca who stole her memories before she takes the kingdom for herself. A mighty task for a woman of only twenty.

THE SCORPION RULES

The Scorpion Rule (Prisoners of Peace #1)

by Erin Bow

McElderry | September 22, 2015

DNF @ somewhere around 50%

       The world is at peace, said the Utterances. And really, if the odd princess has a hard day, is that too much to ask?
       Greta is a duchess and crown princess-and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.
       Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under-and to her own power.
       As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both-unless she can find a way to break all the rules.

NO. JUST, NO | DAUGHTER'S OF RUIN

Daughters of Ruin
by K.D. Castner
McElderry Books | April 5, 2016
DNF @ 56%

       Meet rumor with quiet, treason with cunning, and vicious with vicious.
       Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren have lived together since they were children. They are called sisters. They are not. They are called equals. They are not. They are princesses. And they are enemies.
       A brutal war ravaged their kingdoms, and Rhea’s father was the victor. As a gesture of peace, King Declan brought the daughters of his rivals to live under his protection-and his ever-watchful eye.
       For ten years they have trained together as diplomats and warriors, raised to accept their thrones and unite their kingdoms in peace. But there is no peace among sisters, and all plans shatter when the palace is attacked. As their intended future lies in ashes, Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren must decide where their loyalties lie: to their nations, or to each other.

 I wish I had less stars to give.

TRISTAN DE MONTIGNY TRASH | HIDDEN HUNTRESS REVIEW

Hidden Huntress (The Malediction Trilogy #2)
by Danielle L. Jensen

Angry Robot | June 2, 2015

       Sometimes, one must accomplish the impossible.
       Beneath the mountain, the king’s reign of tyranny is absolute; the one troll with the capacity to challenge him is imprisoned for treason. Cécile has escaped the darkness of Trollus, but she learns all too quickly that she is not beyond the reach of the king’s power. Or his manipulation.
       Recovered from her injuries, she now lives with her mother in Trianon and graces the opera stage every night. But by day she searches for the witch who has eluded the trolls for five hundred years. Whether she succeeds or fails, the costs to those she cares about will be high.
       To find Anushka, she must delve into magic that is both dark and deadly. But the witch is a clever creature. And Cécile might not just be the hunter. She might also be the hunted…

THE LAST OF IT | ALL IS SWELL

1Q84 (1Q84 #1-3)
by Haruki Murakami
Vintage International | January 22, 2013
Status: ALL 1,157 PAGES!

      The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
      A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - “Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
      As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
      A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s - 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

THE UNNECESSARY PART II | 1Q84

1Q84 (1Q84 #1-3)
by Haruki Murakami
Vintage International | January 22, 2013
Status: Part 1+2 complete

      The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
      A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - “Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
      As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
      A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s - 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

LET'S TALK ABOUT SHELVES, BABY

A bookshelf is the home to your precious little ones: your books. It is of the utmost importance to pick the right home for them. Let's explore your, many, options. (All pictures are from Google and belong to their respective owners, no copyright intended.)

RJ JONES' DEATH 2: THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL

It's a Wonderful Death
by Sarah J. Schmitt
Sky Pony Press | October 6, 2015

        Seventeen-year-old RJ always gets what she wants. So when her soul is accidentally collected by a distracted Grim Reaper, somebody in the afterlife better figure out a way to send her back from the dead or heads will roll. But in her quest for mortality, she becomes a pawn in a power struggle between an overzealous archangel and Death Himself. The tribunal presents her with two options: she can remain in the lobby, where souls wait to be processed, until her original lifeline expires, or she can replay three moments in her life in an effort to make choices that will result in a future deemed worthy of being saved. It sounds like a no-brainer. She’ll take a walk down memory lane. How hard can changing her future be?
        But with each changing moment, RJ’s life begins to unravel, until this self-proclaimed queen bee is a social pariah. She begins to wonder if walking among the living is worth it if she has to spend the next sixty years as an outcast. Too quickly, RJ finds herself back in limbo, her time on Earth once again up for debate.

THAT TOOK A WHILE... | PART I

1Q84 (1Q84 #1-3)
by Haruki Murakami
Vintage International | January 22, 2013
Status: Part 1 complete

      The year is 1984 and the city is Tokyo.
      A young woman named Aomame follows a taxi driver’s enigmatic suggestion and begins to notice puzzling discrepancies in the world around her. She has entered, she realizes, a parallel existence, which she calls 1Q84 - “Q is for ‘question mark.’ A world that bears a question.” Meanwhile, an aspiring writer named Tengo takes on a suspect ghostwriting project. He becomes so wrapped up with the work and its unusual author that, soon, his previously placid life begins to come unraveled.
      As Aomame’s and Tengo’s narratives converge over the course of this single year, we learn of the profound and tangled connections that bind them ever closer: a beautiful, dyslexic teenage girl with a unique vision; a mysterious religious cult that instigated a shoot-out with the metropolitan police; a reclusive, wealthy dowager who runs a shelter for abused women; a hideously ugly private investigator; a mild-mannered yet ruthlessly efficient bodyguard; and a peculiarly insistent television-fee collector.
      A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, a novel of self-discovery, a dystopia to rival George Orwell’s - 1Q84 is Haruki Murakami’s most ambitious undertaking yet: an instant best seller in his native Japan, and a tremendous feat of imagination from one of our most revered contemporary writers.

COVER REVEAL | THE ALCHEMISTS OF LOOM

I'm so excited to help Elise Kova reveal her new book's cover! If you've been following me for a while, you've probably seen my fangirling for Elise Kova/Air Awakens. (I really need to start Fire Falling XD) 

Elise will be publishing a brand new book for us called The Alchemists of Loom, which is part of The Loom Saga. The first book will be out on January 10, 2017. If you have a blog and want to include the countdown timer, you can go here: Alchemists of Loom Timer. If you want an ARC, you can contact Keymaster Press via Publicity@Keymaster.com. Without further ado...

FINALLY FINISHED | AND I DARKEN ARC REVIEW

And I Darken (The Conquerors Saga #1)
by Kiersten White

Delacorte Press | June 28, 2016

ARC courtesy of First in Line

       NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL.
       And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
       Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend-and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
       But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against-and what Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

I was quite surprised to receive this book and I was quite surprised by this book. Two of my favorite reviewers on goodreads loved this book; however, I found this book rather boring, long, and unnecessary.