MARCH BOOK HAUL!

So I didn't do too bad this month, nor did I go crazy. I spent more of my time reading than buying books, because of Spring Break. I just stayed inside and read. LOL. I am kind of looking forward to next month's book haul just because it's my birthday month, and I'm hoping to get some gift cards for my birthday.

So the books I got are:

• Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
• Slated by Teri Terry
• Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
• Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
• Lockstep by Karl Schroeder

So as always, I have some stories about getting these books. (LOL. I forgot about Lockstep when I took the pictures for this post.)

I won Never Fall Down from an Epic Reads Tea Time! They were clearing out their shelves for an office move and I was one of the lucky people who won a book from them. I honest to god have no idea what this book is about, and it seems from the back, it takes place in Cambodia and child soldiers.

I also won an ARC of Lockstep from GoodReads. I was lucky enough to win my first ARC ever! My logic for giveaways, is just to enter a lot of them and at some point, I'm bound to win one of them. I've read Lockstep already and you can read my review here.

I already own a copy of Throne of Glass, and it's the paperback version with the new cover. So when I was researching what I wanted to get on Indigo.ca, I saw that the hardcover of Throne of Glass was $5 CAD, so I just couldn't resist. And besides, I wanted to get a copy of Crown of Midnight anyways. So now I own two copies of Throne of Glass!

I got my copy of The Book Thief at Costco. I love Costco. Hardcover books will be at the price of a paperback at Costco, even new releases! Ugh. Love.

So anyways, Happy Reading, Y'all! 

Review . . . Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Wow! The sequel is incredible! I'm not going to post the synopsis of this boo since its a sequel, but I have reviewed the first book here. Though my review isn't spoiler free.

Five flakes! 

Review . . . The Graceling Series by Kristin Cashore

The Graceling series is a fantasy series written by Kristin Cashore. It is about a world where people who are born with heterochromia, or two different coloured eyes, have special powers, whether it be singing, fighting or balancing one one food. These people are called Gracelings and depending on the country, they become property of the king. 

Here's the synopsis for the first book, Graceling:: 

Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight - she's a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king's thug.

When she first meets Prince Po, Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.

She never expects to become Po's friend.

She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace - or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away..

I really adore this series and it's one of my favourites of all time for sure. It has a richly imagined fantasy world and cultures. And I just can't with Katsa and Po and Bitterblue. They're all so adorbs and amusing and hilarious. Aughhh! The series is so good!

Katsa is one of those strong female characters that I just want to root on, like Tris, Celaena, Rose and Katniss. Po is very different from the typical male protagonist in a good way though! There is a slight love triangle in this series, but not anything like the love triangle in the Infernal Devices series.

In order to understand the third book, the second book must be read first, though Fire is not a direct sequel. Fire is more of a companion book. I love Fire. I understand that some people don't like Fire because they want more of Katsa and Po, but I thought Fire was just as good.

Anyways, I, Ri, fully endorse this series! Read it!

Review. . . Lockstep by Karl Schroeder

Thank you Tor Books and Goodreads for sending me the ARC!

Synopsis::

When seventeen-year-old Toby McGonigal finds himself lost in space, separated from his family, he expects his next drift into cold sleep to be his last. After all, the planet he’s orbiting is frozen and sunless, and the cities are dead. But when Toby wakes again, he’s surprised to discover a thriving planet, a strange and prosperous galaxy, and something stranger still—that he’s been asleep for 14,000 years.

Welcome to the Lockstep Empire, where civilization is kept alive by careful hibernation. Here cold sleeps can last decades and waking moments mere weeks. Its citizens survive for millennia, traveling asleep on long voyages between worlds. Not only is Lockstep the new center of the galaxy, but Toby is shocked to learn that the Empire is still ruled by its founding family: his own.

Toby’s brother Peter has become a terrible tyrant. Suspicious of the return of his long-lost brother, whose rightful inheritance also controls the lockstep hibernation cycles, Peter sees Toby as a threat to his regime. Now, with the help of a lockstep girl named Corva, Toby must survive the forces of this new Empire, outwit his siblings, and save human civilization.

Wow! Four flakes!

Review . . . The Archived by Victoria Schwab

I own the ebook version, so I don't have an actual picture of my copy. 

Wow this book was really great! I really enjoyed it and got a kick out of the action scenes. Really well written!

Synopsis::

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

Wanderlust. . . Paris, France

So a little while ago, I had the fortune of visiting Europe, and one of my destinations was Paris, France, the city of lights. Though Paris isn't all it's cracked up to be, it is one beautiful city. Enjoy the photos!

Review. . . Allegiant by Veronica Roth [SPOILERS]

I understand heavily why people dislike Allegiant so much. The end was devastating and heartbreaking, but that’s just exactly why the ending is perfect.

Do not read on unless you have read the book! I don't want to spoil the ending and this is NOT a spoiler-free review.