Friday Finds | #1

Hello! So this is going to be my own take on well, Friday Finds. I would like to say that there will be some quirky stuff on here, but I think that for the majority of the time, there will only be books. And since I seem to be on GoodReads all the time, I thought why not show you what books I come across? These books could be newly published, or have been published for a few years. That’s the fun of this! So here are 5 books that I found on GoodReads that have caught my eye. Lets gooo!!!

‘“I used to be one of those girls. The kind who loved to deliver bad news. When I colored my hair, I imagined it seeping into my scalp, black dye pooling into my veins.

But that was the old Lacy. Now, when I cast spells, they are always for good.”

16-year-old Lacy believes that magic and science can work side by side. She’s a botanist who knows how to harness the healing power of plants. So when her father dies, Lacy tries to stay with her step-mother in Chico, where her magic is good and healing. She fears the darkness that her real mother, Cheyenne, brings out, stripping away everything that is light and kind.

Yet Cheyenne never stays away for long. Beautiful, bewitching, unstable Cheyenne who will stop at nothing, not even black magic, to keep control of her daughter’s heart. She forces Lacy to accompany her to Sacramento, and before long, the “old” Lacy starts to resurface.

But when Lacy survives a traumatic encounter, she finds herself faced with a choice. Will she use her powers to exact revenge and spiral into the darkness forever? Or will she find the strength to embrace the light?‘

When My Heart Was Wicked, drew me in by the cover. I mean, it’s soooo pretty I could stare at it forever. And the synopsis is interesting enough; an added bonus that this book is a Young Adult Fantasy novel. Another added bonus is that When My Heart Was Wicked is a stand alone! The hard cover is about 192 pages, so when I borrow it from the library, reading the story shouldn’t take me too long. — I’m actually really interested in what will take place in the novel. And I don’t really want to make any predictions, because there are so many directions in which the story could go, you know?

–

‘From master of suspense Paula Morris comes a tale of gods and goddesses, thrilling romance, and mystery set in present-day Rome.

Laura Martin is visiting Rome on a class trip, and she’s entranced by the majestic Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon. . . . Everything in this city seems magical.

That is, until the magic seems to turn very dark.

Suddenly, statues of Cupid and ancient works of art come to life before her eyes. Earthquakes rumble and a cloud of ash forms in the sky. A dark-eyed boy with wings on his heels appears and gives her a message. Laura soon realizes she is at the center of a brewing battle — a battle between the gods and goddesses, one that will shake modern-day Rome to its core.

Only she and her group of friends can truly unravel the mystery behind what is happening. As tensions mount and secret identities are revealed, Laura must rely on her own inner strength to face up to what may be a fight for her life.

Acclaimed author Paula Morris brings the ancient world to vivid life in this unstoppable tale of friendship, love, and the power of the past.‘

The Eternal City is a book that I never thought I would want to read. I just came across it today on GoodReads actually. I haven’t heard much about this book and I dont think many bookish people know about this book, either. The Eternal City was published back in May of 2015! I may have heard about this book over on tumblr, but I highly doubt that. I for one am really looking forward to reading this book. There are few book synopsis’ that actually get me smiling but I found myself smiling at this synopsis. Which really threw me for a loop. So I’ve requested it from the library!

–

‘Dolce is a monster. A giant, a freak.

Dolce is a princess. She walks like royalty—until dark shimmers make her fall.

Dolce is a mamma. She has found her true family.

Dolce is beautiful. But beauty can’t hide the monster inside.

Dolce is the Wicked One.

Set in medieval Venice, this captivating fairy tale retelling by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli explores belonging, beauty, and the transformative power of love through the eyes of a teenage girl. Dolce has grown up hidden away on an island in a lagoon. She is a giant, a freak, tormented by everyone but her loving mother. She spends her time learning the valuable secret of making mirrors. Following a tragedy, Dolce swims away and lands on an island where people see her as normal, even beautiful. Marin, a kind widower, and his little daughter bring Dolce to live with them in their grand palazzo. Eventually, Dolce and Marin marry. She secretly continues to make mirrors, not realizing that quicksilver endangers her . . . and so evil begins in innocence.‘

Dark Shimmer drew me in by the cover; doesn’t the girl look like Anne Hathaway? I thought that’s who it was. At least from far away. What has intrigued me about this story is that Dark Shimmer’s main character is a giant. I obviously won’t know for sure until I actually get to read this book, but I’m captivated by any and all fairy tale retellings. I’m trying to think of any fairytale retellings that sound like the synopsis, but I’m not coming up with anything. The closest thing that comes to mind is the Wicked Witch from the Snow White and the Seven Dwarves story.

–

‘Bad girls burn hot…

Red is the color of Kia Alcott’s hair.
It’s her temper, which blazes hot and always gets Kia into way too much trouble.
And it’s the color of fire. Fires that Kia can start…just by thinking about them.

When her latest “episode” gets her kicked out of school, Kia is shipped off to her grandmother, who works for the wealthy Blackwoods. It’s an estate shrouded in secrets, surrounded by rules, and presided over by a family that is far from normal…including the gorgeous and insolent Ethan Blackwood.

Ethan knows far more about the dangers of the forest surrounding the estate than Kia can ever imagine. For this forest has teeth, and Ethan is charged with protecting the outside world from its vicious mysteries.

But inside, even the most vibrant shade of red doesn’t stand a chance against the dark secrets of the Blackwood family…’

Well with a synopsis like that, how can one not(?!) try to get this out of the library. I looked at all my libraries online and they sadly don’t have any copies of this book. Which is upsetting to me personally because that means I have to buy this book myself, and I know, I KNOW, I sound like a snob. When you’re unemployed though, libraries are your best friend. Nonetheless though, Red seems like a great book and whenever I get my hands on it, I’m going to be so excited because there is just so much potential that this story has. That, and I love stories that take place in forests. They’re just so… great.

–

‘Return to the darkly beautiful world of The Sin Eater’s Daughter with a sequel that will leave you awed, terrified . . . and desperate for more.

Ever since her brother Lief disappeared, Errin’s life has gone from bad to worse. Not only must she care for her sick mother, she has to scrape together rent money by selling illegal herbal cures. But none of that compares to the threat of the vengeful Sleeping Prince whom the Queen just awoke from his enchanted sleep.

When her village is evacuated as part of the war against the Sleeping Prince, Errin is left desperate and homeless. The only person she can turn to is the mysterious Silas, a young man who buys deadly poisons from Errin, but won’t reveal why he needs them. Silas promises to help her, but when he vanishes, Errin must journey across a kingdom on the brink of war to seek another way to save her mother and herself. But what she finds shatters everything she believed about her world, and with the Sleeping Prince drawing nearer, Errin must make a heartbreaking choice that could affect the whole kingdom.‘

I am literally so excited for this book. I reviewed The Sin Eater’s Daughter, and I love that book. So I’m going to request this book from the library ASAP!!!! Reading the synopsis though leaves me a little disappointed. It seems like the view has shifted to Errin. And although I’ll be ecstatic to be in the Sin Eater’s World again, I’ll miss Twylla’s point of view.

–

That’s all for today’s Friday Finds! I’m going to try to keep these short, since not everyone will enjoy these, or if they do (I sincerely hope you do) won’t have time to read them? It’ll be fun to do these every Friday. I enjoy scouring GoodReads for any books that I might enjoy, so if you have any recommendations, please (!) tell me in the comments! I would love to hear what you have to say! Also, what do you think of these books?

If you’re interested in any of these books, click on the covers, and you’ll be taken to that book on GoodReads!

Thanks so much for reading!

Until next time,
Adele