Month in Review: January 2017

It's weird to think that the first month of 2017 is over.  Our new year is off to a great start! Here's what the Weres were up to in January.

What We Reviewed

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Breath of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

The Rise of Io by Wesley Chu 

Phantom Kiss by Chloe Neill

The Truth About Cats and Wolves by Alethea Kontis

The Last True Hero by Bec McMaster

A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab
Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Theme Thursdays

This year we're going to try something new that we hope will help us tackle our TBR piles and keep us motivated. We started a new feature called Theme Thursdays! Each month, we'll review books from our respective TBRs that fit a theme we choose at the beginning of the month.

January's theme was MAGIC! 

Rose Red reviewed The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. Next month's theme is exciting! We're going to be reading PIRATE books!  

Our Posts That Weren't Reviews

We're doing something really exciting next month! Goldilox and the Three Weres is going to be hosting a February Bookstagram Challenge! You can check out info on the daily prompts in our blog post! There's even a giveaway! We look forward to seeing your awesome photos under the #G3WFebChallenge hashtag!

A new year means that we're participating in a new set of Reading Challenges for 2017. Wish us luck in our reading endeavors!

Rose Red has been thinking about her blogging goals for 2017 and wants your input on what Non-Review Posts you'd like to see more of on the blog. We're trying to diversify our content. To start, Rose Red did the New Year's Reading Resolutions Book Tag.

This year we've decided to switch things up a little so we replaced our beloved Waiting on Wednesday with the Top 5 Wednesday meme. It's been fun so far! We've talked about our 2017 Goals, our most anticipated 2017 Debuts, and our Favorite Underrated Books.

What We're Waiting For

Here are some of the February releases we're excited about:

February 7
Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleza
The Turn (The Hollows #0.1) by Kim Harrison
Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones 
King's Cage (Red Queen #3) by Victoria Aveyard

February 14
Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James
 
February 21
The Dragon's Price (Transference #1) by Bethany Wiggins 
A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V. E. Schwab 
Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas

February 28
Into the Fire (Night Prince #4) by Jeaniene Frost
The Ship Beyond Time (The Girl From Everywhere #2) by Heidi Heilig
Daughter of the Pirate King (Daughter of the Pirate King #1) by Tricia Levenseller

Books From My TBR I'm Finally Going to Read

Working On That TBR Pile!

How do you feel about your TBR pile?

or more like

We here at Goldilox and the Three Weres have talked a lot about tackling our TBR piles in 2017 so I made a video about some of the books that have been on my TBR for a while now that I plan to read in these first few months of 2017!

What books are on your immediate TBR? Have you been doing a good job clearing off that TBR shelf so far in 2017?

Books From My TBR I'm Finally Reading in 2017!

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Our Instagram Challenge Starts Today!

Did you hear we're hosting our first ever Instagram Challenge this month? If you want to participate, here are the first week's prompts. For the full list and giveaway details, check out this post.

Follow us on Instagram and we'll share our favorite photos from #G3WFebChallenge.

Top 5 Wednesday: Current Favorites That Aren't Books

Top 5 Wednesday is a group of bloggers, booktubers and bookstagrammers posting on a common topic every (you guessed it) Wednesday. You can find the lists by searching #T5W or Top 5 Wednesday. And you can join the group on Goodreads if you want to participate.

This week's topic is Current Favorites That Aren't Books.

We all go through reading slumps occasionally or just need to take a break to reset our brains between reads. Here are some of the things other than books we've been obsessing about lately.

5. Bookstagram

Okay, this one still involves books but I'm photographing them not reading them. We're hosting our first ever bookstagram challenge this month (It starts today!) and I've been trying to get some of my photos taken in advance. As the host, I'm kind of feeling the pressure to make them good. But I'm having fun looking around the house for props I haven't used before. For details on the challenge, check out this post. -Gretl

4. TV Shows

Has anyone else been watching Emerald City? I started it a few weeks late and halfway through the first episode I thought I didn't like it, but it grew on me. It's nothing like The Wizard of Oz we all watched as kids. It's dark and dystopian and I'm kind of loving it now. If you're into YA fantasy, you should check it out. It has that feel to me. The main characters are adults, but there are a couple of teens in there too.

 

I need a new Netflix show to binge! I recently finished The West Wing and I've been looking the last few weeks but nothing is jumping out at me. -Gretl

3. Adventures in Cooking

One of my personal New Year's resolutions this year is to eat more healthy and to not eat out as much. Both of those goals have required me to cook more than I was last year. I actually love trying new recipes and cooking but I just haven't had the time because of grad school craziness. It's been fun getting back into the swing of things. It's also been delicious! My favorite new dishes I've tried so far have been these Carne Guisada, Multigrain Bread, and Beef and Snow Peas recipes. -Rose Red

2. Video Games

I'm not much of a traditional gamer but I've been playing a lot of video and computer games lately. Mostly I've been playing my old school city-building game, Zeus, and its expansion, Poseidon. I found it in a box while I was cleaning last month and it's been so fun playing it again! I've also been playing Super Mario Run since it came out. I love it but I'm terrible at it! It's become my go to phone game when I have to wait somewhere. My poor phone battery isn't enjoying it as much though. -Rose Red

1. Anime 

In case you didn't know, I'm a huge anime fan! I got started on Sailor Moon as a teen and haven't looked back. When I find myself in a slump, like I've been in since November, I watch anime. During the holidays, I fell head over heels in love with the sports anime, Yuri!!! On Ice! It's amazing! It's a story about men's figure skating. But it's also about family, friends, and anxiety where the romance between the two main characters, Yuri and Victor, is considered normal. As I said, it's amazing and heartwarming. Each week's new episode was the highlight of my week. You can watch the whole first season for free on Crunchyroll. Yuri!!! on Ice isn't the only anime I've been watching. I highly recommend: Yona of the Dawn, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Haikyu!, and Snow White with the Red Hair. -Rose Red

What are your current non-book obsessions?

and

Release Day Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Caravan
Stephanie Garber
Release: January 31, 2017
Goodreads  Amazon
Book Depository

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.
Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Review: 

Caraval by Stephanie Garber is a highly anticipated young adult release for 2017. In the past six months, I've seen this book floating around the internet nonstop and I've seen this pop up on countless "Most Anticipated" lists. Now that I've read it, I can say that Caraval does deserve all the anticipation. It's a fun and intriguing read that's firmly in the YA Fantasy genre while also being different enough to stand out. I really enjoyed it and now I'm highly anticipating the next book!

Below is my spoiler-free review of Caraval! Let us know if you're one of those who can't wait to get your hands on a copy!

Caravan by Stephanie Garber | Spoiler-Free Review


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  4.5 / 5 stars

Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic
(Shades of Magic #1)
V. E. Schwab
Release: February 24, 2015
Goodreads Amazon

Kell is one of the last travelers--magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel universes connected by one magical city.

There's Grey London, dirty and boring, without any magic, and with one mad King--George III. Red London, where life and magic are revered--and where Kell was raised alongside Rhy Maresh, the roguish heir to a flourishing empire. White London--a place where people fight to control magic and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. And once upon a time, there was Black London. But no one speaks of that now.

Officially, Kell is the Red traveler, ambassador of the Maresh empire, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Review:
I'm going to be upfront with the fact that I loved this strange little book so much! It's diverse, unique, and compelling! Magic, adventure, and danger are found on every page and I loved it so much! I was hooked from page one even though this time I was rereading it.

A Darker Shade of Magic is a story about blood magic and parallel Londons, smugglers and cross-dressing thieves, power struggles and unlikely friendships, forbidden tokens and a truly fabulous coat. And a promiscuous prince that would give Jack Harkness a run for his money. It's a story about Kell, who's gifted (and kind of cursed) with the magical ability to travel between worlds, and Lila, a genderfluid wannabe pirate who wants nothing more than to escape her city for an adventure. They meet in Grey London where Kell is on the run after he makes a big mistake. I'm not going to going into detail about the plot but be reassured that shenanigans and mishaps then ensue.

For me, the story was engrossing from the first but the pace builds up slowly over the first 150ish pages until you couldn't put this book down if you wanted to. The worldbuilding is amazingly complex and intriguing with its four parallel Londons that each have their own personalities and varying magic levels. I enjoyed every moment of losing myself in this world of dingy taverns and pretty palaces and the simple yet complex workings of the magic system. Schwab takes familiar fantasy tropes and turns them on their heads to create something that's not quite like anything I've read before.

The characters are what truly makes ADSOM such an amazing book. The main characters are polar opposites. Kell is reserved, responsible, and surprisingly layered but slightly careless as well. Lila is bold, clever, and seemingly fearless but she has a fragileness to her when you take a closer look. I love them both so much! They balance each other out and make an remarkable team. I loved watching them meet, butt heads, and grow to care for each other. Prince Rhy, Kell's brother, is flamboyant and fabulous and an overall cinnamon roll that I want to protect at all costs. I honestly don't know what to think about Holland, the brooding magical equivalent of Kell in White London. I am torn on whether I want to dislike him or to protect him. The villains of this story are, in my opinion, truly masterfully done and hella scary. They are the kind of evil that makes your blood run cold. I'd never want to run into them. Ever.

Schwab's writing is something else. I have loved everything of hers that I've read and I can say without a doubt that she continues to get better and better with each book she puts out into the world. She has a gradual way of sharing details about the world and character's backstories that keeps you hooked without being info dumpy. I love how she always writes the stories of the characters that are outsiders and don't quite fit into the boxes people would like to shove them in. That's my favorite thing about her stories actually.

ADSOM is everything I want in a fantasy novel: adventurous, magical, immersive, and exciting with a diverse set of characters and awesome worldbuilding. I had high expectations going into this book the first time I read it and I'm happy to say that it exceeded them. In fact, it's one of those books that holds up upon rereading more than once. It's a wonderful adventure that I think everyone should read.

Bravo, Ms. Schwab! Bravo!

    

  5 /5 Stars

Book Tag: New Year's Reading Resolutions

Today, I'm going to be doing the New Years Reading Resolutions Book Tag. I originally saw this tag on Jesse the Reader and BooksandLala's channels. The tag itself was originally created by Charr Frears.

This tag is a fun way to share some of the books I want to read in 2017. I did put the additional restriction on myself that I had to use books from my TBR pile and no 2017 releases which is okay because I have a quite large pile of owned but unread books. So let's get on to the questions and I'll tell you about some of the books I want to get to this year.

 

1. An Author You'd Like To Read (That You've Never Read Before).

I'm kind of ashamed that I've never read anything by Alexandra Bracken before now especially since I've bought her books on kindle over the years as they've gone on sale. I even have her YA Star Wars book. But I'm going to remedy that this year by marathoning her Passenger duology. I've heard so many great things about these books that I'm excited to read them. Plus, they're time travel books!

2. A Book You'd Like To Read.

There's so many books I could use for this prompt. Truthwitch. A Gathering of Shadows. The Scorpio Races. Updraft. These Vicious Masks. I could keep on listing books but the one I'm going to use for this one is The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman. My best friend got it for me for Christmas and he sold it to me as a "Regency Buffy who hunts demons". I'm totally sold on that premise!

3. A Classic You'd Like To Read.

One of my favorite movies when I was a kid was The Last Unicorn. I adored it and wore out my family's VHS copy. I've never read the book it's based on. I've read the graphic novel with it's lovely illustrations but never the book. And I've owned it for YEARS. I'm hoping to finally get to this one in 2017.

4. A Book You'd Like To Re-read.

I started Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen's Thief series right after the fourth book came out in 2010. I loved everything about it and I've been waiting for book five ever since. And it's finally coming out! I'm planning on rereading the whole series before Thick As Thieves releases in May. I'm so excited to read these again! Eugenides, I have missed you!

5. A Book You've Had For Ages And Want to Read.

I have owned a copy of The Night Circus since it came out in paperback back in like 2012. I'm not sure why I haven't picked this up yet because I'm still excited for it years later. Hopefully, 2017 will be the year I get to mark this book as read on Goodreads. I recently picked up the audiobook on the recommendation of a friend who says it's fantastic. I can't wait to see what I think of it.

6. A Big Book You'd Like To Read.

Yeah... I still haven't read Winter. I know! I know! I've heard nothing but great things about it. I'm just not ready for the series to be over. I love it so much! That and it's been so long since Cress came out that I need to reread the first three books so I can remember everything. I tried to start this book last year and I was a bit lost because I had forgotten so much. This year I'm going to finally finish this series.

7. An Author You've Previously Read And Want To Read More Of.

I read my first Brian Selznick book last year and I adored it! If you haven't read The Marvels yet, you need to change that! I was so taken with that book that I immediately went and bought his other two books. I never got around to reading either of them but I'm planning on reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret for book club in April. I'm intrigued to see how his other books compare to The Marvels.

8. A Book You Got For Christmas And Would Like To Read.

I've heard nothing but excellent things about Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda so when I got in my #TBTBSanta exchange package for Christmas I was ecstatic! I can't wait to see why everyone loves this one! I hear it's adorable and it is a LGBTQ+ book. Yay! For diverse books! 

 

9. A Series You Want To Read (Start and Finish in 2017).

 One of my favorite movies in high school was Miyazaki's delightful and beautiful portrayal of Howl's Moving Castle. I adore it still. It was recently brought to my attention that the movie was based on a trilogy by Diana Wynne Jones. I got them for Christmas and I'm so excited to read them! I hope the book is as magical as the movie!

10. A Series You Want To Finish (That You've Already Started).

 I know I said I wasn't going to count 2017 releases in this tag but I'm going to make an exception for this tag. I read A Darker Shade of Magic when it came out in 2015 but haven't read A Gathering of Shadows. I've been waiting for the last book to come out before doing so thanks to some advice from some friends. I'm SO excited to finish this series this year! I want to know what happens!

11. Do You Set Reading Goals? If So, How Many Books Do You Want To Read In 2017?

 Officially, my Goodreads goal is set at 52 books which is a book a week but I'm hoping to read at least 150 books this year. Wish me luck!

12. Any Other Reading Goals?

I have two specific goals in mind. By the end of 2017, I want to have read every physical book I pre-ordered this year. I only have 16 so far and I've read two already so it shouldn't be too hard to do. My other goal is to reduce my physical TBR pile. As of this post, I have 233 unread books on my bookshelves. I'm hoping to get that number down to somewhere between 175 and 200. I'm participating in the #RockMyTBR reading challenge to help motivate myself to meet this goal.

What books do you want to read this year?