Category: Highly Recommend

Posted in Uncategorized

Kindle Deal | Soulless (Parasol Protectorate, #1) by Gail Carriger

Posted on by Jess (The Cozy Reader)

Just had to share this Kindle deal!

One of my most favorite fantasy/historical fiction/paranormal series.

Check out my review and then go get yourself a copy! for only $0.99, why not!?

Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate) by Gail Carriger
Published: 2009-09-04 by Orbit

Pages: 388 | Price: $7.99 | Kindle: $0.99

Summary (Goodreads)

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.
Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire — and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.
With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London’s high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?
SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Posted in Books To Read

Cover Art: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Posted on by Jess (The Cozy Reader)

If you haven’t heard about this book yet, allow me to please introduce you to THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas!

Summary (Goodreads)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

This was originally a writing on Fictionpress.com as Queen of Glass. It will be released on August 7th. Until then Bloomsbury is releasing novellas for $0.99 each. I highly recommend the novellas. I’m actually liking them slightly more than the book itself, which is available on NetGalley.

Novellas

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (01/13/12)

The Assassin and the Desert (02/30/12)

The Assassin and the Underworld (05/01/12)

Throne of Glass (08/07/12)

Posted in Book Reviews, Books To Read, Highly Recommend, Must Read, Read in 2011

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Posted on by Jess (The Cozy Reader)


Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

272 pages, Knopf Books for Young Readers, (2012-02-14)

$11.46 (Amazon.com)

Procurement

eARC from publisher via NetGalley

My Grade

Plot: 5

Setting: 5

Writing: 5

Originality: 5

Characters: 5

Romance: 5

Overall: 30/30 So swoon-worthy it’ll burst your heart!

Title/Cover Bonus: 3

Overall

So much swoon I nearly died by heart bursting! An epic tale of finding love, acceptance, painting, and broken noses.

Continue reading “Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley” →

Posted in Best of 2011, Highly Recommend, Read in 2011

2011 Favorite Reads

Posted on by Jess (The Cozy Reader)

Just a quick post to highlight some of my favorite reads this past year.

If you’ve done a post too please link me to it in the comments!

In no particular order here are a few of my favorite books this year. I’ll link to my review, if I’ve written one and I’ll take my “Overall” thought from each review so you don’t “have” to read the whole review if you don’t want to! 🙂

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

352 pages, Candlewick Press, (2011-08-09)

$12.40 (Amazon.com)

My Review

Overall

An emotionally charged sci-fi of a young girl traumatized by her unfit parents who left her in stasis for 62 years; awoken to a new, unknown world full of technology and unending traumatic stress.

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

272 pages, Knopf Books for Young Readers, (2012-02-14)

(Amazon.com)

My Review: Coming 02/13/2012

Overall

So much swoon I nearly died by heart bursting! An epic tale of finding love, acceptance, painting, and broken noses.
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini

501 pages, HarperTeen, (2011-05-31)

(Amazon.com)

My Review

Overall

Action packed romance with teenaged, flying Greek demigods trying to cheat the Gods of their prophecy.
Legend by Marie Lu

pages, Putnam Juvenile, (2011-11-29)

(Amazon.com)

My Review

Overall

Action packed dystopia of a corrupted government uncovered by two strong willed teens who overcome it all together in both body and soul.
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

357 pages, HarperCollins, (2011-11-15)

(Amazon.com)

I’m a bad blogger and haven’t reviewed this yet!

Overall

A beautifully written story of one strong willed girl and a boy who gives her the only helping hand she can accept.

Birthmarked

(2010-04-01)and Prized

(2011-11-08)   by Caragh M. O’Brien

No review yet!

Overall

One of the best dystopias I’ve read! Gaia and Leon make one hell of a pair. The premise of turning over babies to the government was shocking. I loved the second book just as much as the first and can’t wait for the next book!
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

384 pages, HarperCollins, (2012-01-03)

$11.98 (Amazon.com)

My review is to come!

Overall

Another great dystopia. I LOVED these characters so much! Perry was  hunk of a male and Aria was thrust into his world with no life jacket to keep her afloat but she is super strong willed. The setting of this book was just amazing.

Touch of Power (Healer) by Maria V. Snyder

396 pages, Mira, (2012-01-01)

(Amazon.com)

My Review

Overall

An amazing epic journey of one girl and several young men, all with the intent to save one King’s life, by Kerrick’s forceful hand at least.
Stats

Books Read: 60 (2010: 61 | 2009: 58)

Pages Read: 19,655 (2010: 21,420 | 2009: 20,265)

These are according to Goodreads. I’m wondering if I have some editions set as Kindle and if they convert into pages. Not sure.

148 posts (including this one!)

I hope 2011 was a good reading year for you! I’m looking forward to many more great reads in 2012!

Posted in Awesome Authors, Book Reviews, Books To Read, Highly Recommend, Must Read, NetGalley, Read in 2011

A Must Read Preview: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Posted on by Jess (The Cozy Reader)

So, I started this book last night and finished it this afternoon. I’ve written my full review for it already. (Aren’t you proud!?)

The problem I’m having is that IT WAS SO FREAKING GOOD! I have to share it with you now. A little bit any way. The other problem is that it doesn’t come out until Valentine’s Day 2012!

It’s available on NetGalley so if you’re a member go grab this now and read it!

So, read this little bit of my review that’ll post in full on Feb. 13, 2012. You will love this book if you love YA Romance at all. Think Simone Elkeles.

Graffiti Moonby Cath Crowley272 pages, Knopf Books for Young Readers, (2012-02-14)

$11.46 (Amazon.com)

Overall

So much swoon I nearly died by heart bursting! An epic tale of finding love, acceptance, painting, and broken noses.

Summary (Goodreads)

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she’s going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He’s out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy’s stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she’s managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they’re suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

Most Memorable Scene

Goodness me! There are way too many. The scene where Malcolm finds Ed and Lucy in the park is one of the best! Lucy sure knows how to handle herself.

“Why don’t you give it to Leo? Wait, I know, it’s because you’re scared of him, you cockroach-eating-coward motherfucker.”

I look at her. “Motherfucker?”

“Motherfucker,” she says.

“The next one to call me a motherfucker takes the message,” Malcolm says.

“Motherfucker“, Lucy and I say together.

Romance

Gah! This book is so packed with so much swoon it’s not even funny! I thought for sure my heart was going to burst a few times with the amount of “Awwww” that came pouring out of some of these scenes! I was a giddy teenaged girl all afternoon! Yes, I read this in only one afternoon! It’s amazing and you have to know what happens and it’s so easy to read the words just flow into you and fill you with pure joy.

Preorder this book. I promise you won’t regret it!