september book haul – 2018

well hello. hi. how are ya? it’s been a very long time since i’ve done a book haul. i actually haven’t been buying books because i don’t read. i’ve been in a huge reading slump since i started this whole author thing. i don’t remember the last fictional book i read tbh. but umm i’ve been wanting to read again so here we are =) let’s get started okuuuurrrrrr


26856502Vengeful (Villains #2) by V.E. Schwab

Genre: Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Synopsis: The sequel to VICIOUS, V.E. Schwab’s first adult novel.

Sydney once had Serena—beloved sister, betrayed enemy, powerful ally. But now she is alone, except for her thrice-dead dog, Dol, and then there’s Victor, who thinks Sydney doesn’t know about his most recent act of vengeance.

Victor himself is under the radar these days—being buried and re-animated can strike concern even if one has superhuman powers. But despite his own worries, his anger remains. And Eli Ever still has yet to pay for the evil he has done.

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2


29386918Wildcard (Warcross #2) by Marie Lu

Genre: YA Sci-Fi

Synopsis: Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo’s new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she’s always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo’s grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone’s put a bounty on Emika’s head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn’t all that he seems–and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2


35403058City of Ghosts (Cassidy Blake #1) by Victoria Schwab

Genre: Middle Grade, Paranormal, Fantasy

Synopsis: Cassidy Blake’s parents are The Inspectres, a (somewhat inept) ghost-hunting team. But Cass herself can REALLY see ghosts. In fact, her best friend, Jacob, just happens to be one.

When The Inspectres head to ultra-haunted Edinburgh, Scotland, for their new TV show, Cass—and Jacob—come along. In Scotland, Cass is surrounded by ghosts, not all of them friendly. Then she meets Lara, a girl who can also see the dead. But Lara tells Cassidy that as an In-betweener, their job is to send ghosts permanently beyond the Veil. Cass isn’t sure about her new mission, but she does know the sinister Red Raven haunting the city doesn’t belong in her world. Cassidy’s powers will draw her into an epic fight that stretches through the worlds of the living and the dead, in order to save herself.

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2


39088508Fierce Fairytales: Poems and Stories to Stir Your Soul by Nikita Gill

Genre: Poetry, Short Stories

Synopsis: Traditional fairytales are rife with cliches and gender stereotypes: beautiful, silent princesses; ugly, jealous, and bitter villainesses; girls who need rescuing; and men who take all the glory.

But in this rousing new prose and poetry collection, Nikita Gill gives Once Upon a Time a much-needed modern makeover. Through her gorgeous reimagining of fairytale classics and spellbinding original tales, she dismantles the old-fashioned tropes that have been ingrained in our minds. In this book, gone are the docile women and male saviors. Instead, lines blur between heroes and villains. You will meet fearless princesses, a new kind of wolf lurking in the concrete jungle, and an independent Gretel who can bring down monsters on her own.

Complete with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations by Gill herself, Fierce Fairytales is an empowering collection of poems and stories for a new generation.

***thanks you Hachette Books and Nikita Gill for sending me a finished copy

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2


41154741Lemon Acuarelas by Chyenne Raine

Genre: Poetry

Synopsis: cheyenne raine explores the themes of culture, faith, love, and more in a bilingual collection of poetry. lemon acuarelas is soaked in light and things that feel both sweet and sour.

 

 

 

 

 

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2


42141361By The Thread of My Heart: A Poetry Collection by Nicki Naomi

Genre: Poetry

Synopsis: ‘By the Thread of My Heart’ is self-love, honesty and the beauty of what it is to be a woman. It is the belief in the magic that happens when we stop hurting and begin healing. The shift changing occurrences that happen when we begin to own exactly who we are. This collection of prose and poetry also contains a series of letters written to Love. Personifying it and speaking to it in its truest form. This is a collection based on the personal life experiences of Nicki Naomi as she continues to remain vulnerably open to growth.

 

goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2


and done! i am excited for all these books. i keep eyeing vengeful though because vicious was an ultimate fave and i have been waiting YEARS for this second book. i had received the owlcrate special edition and schwab wrote a note for the readers, she mentioned some new characters that i cannot wait to read more about. any of these books on your tbr or to be hauled pile? let’s chat in the comments!


instagram: @chicnerdreads
twitter: @chicnerdreads

maroon daydreams by Cheyenne Raine Poetry Review

Title: maroon daydreams
Author: Cheyenne Raine
Publisher: CreateSpace
Format: Paperback
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

35558311Synopsis:

maroon daydreams is a collection of poetry that dives into experiences of healing, living life, daydreaming and all the aftermath of decisions we make and wishes we chase after.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Untitled

loved this short poetry collection! i thought it was vivid with imagery and the words flowed together beautifully. cheyenne raine divides maroon daydreams into four different sections which are healing, experience, daydreaming, and aftermath. each section has poems centered around the sectioned themes.

what i love most about this collection is the way i felt while reading it and how i felt afterwards. cheyenne raine left me with feelings of hope, love, and self-reflection. she took her emotions and wrote them down with every ounce of her soul.

i thought this collection was very dreamy and magical. i cannot wait to read more by this author!


some of my personal favorites from the collection:

pressed flowers have dried up in between the journal
entries i created, they have the faintest scent of life. i
once wrote about you and how you managed to create
a resounding echo of bliss in my life. i once found the
words that embodied your untamed spirit and
described your captivating smile. once. now, there
are dead flowers that smell like the rain and small
entries that cannot grasp who you are.

– scent of life


i choke on cigarette smoke. i want to leave these
strangers, yet, their stories are so wild and unique.
so, i stay and listen. their eyes close as they
remember who they were and why they were rebels.
my eyes are wide with curiosity, waiting to hear their
words fabricate a tale of good and old times.

– they were rebels


i will rise,
my fists full of flowers
and my soul full of light.
isn’t is the gentlest of things
that show the most strength?
where the blossoms push through dirt
and the sun illuminates the dark–
there, you will find me.

– fists full of flowers


you make it easy to
believe in magic and light.
your smile is a million
ocean waves crashing
into my small soul.

easy to believe


goodreads-badge-add-plus-71eae69ca0307d077df66a58ec068898-2 amazon-logo

that is all for this review! cheyenne raine is a self-pub author, please remember to cross review on amazon! it helps us out. let’s chat in the comments!


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

Friday Reads and other things

It’s a super weird Friday for me. However, that’s not going to stop me from posting a Friday Reads. I really love this meme because it gives me a chance to catch up with you all and talk about what’s been going on.

22055262

I finished A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab and I loved all of it! I should’ve had my review out for today but I had decided to blog hop instead on Wednesday night and yesterday came out of nowhere. Chester Bennington’s death has hit me really hard and therefore the plans to finish the review were off the table. I’m not sure when I will have my review up but I am really aiming for this weekend or latest, Monday.

 

 

 


35558311I also finished Maroon Daydreams by Cheyenne Raine. It’s a poetry collection and this is another review that I will be tackling sometime in the next coming week. This collection was great and I cannot wait to read more by this author in the future.

 

 

 

 

 


Let’s talk about my new blog feature coming in August! In June I ran a poll asking about doing this new feature and 90% voted YES!! I am excited to announce that coming the second or third Thursday of August, Conspiracy Theory Thursday will be the name of my new blog feature. Conspiracy Theory Thursday will only happen once a month and if you have not guessed it, it’s all about conspiracy theory’s…yes I love conspiracy theories, I am a firm believer that there is more than what media/gov’t tells us. I am going to dedicate a post to one topic and the different theories surrounding that topic. So far I’ve thought of posting on aliens, mermaids, deja vu, area 51, the bermuda triangle, the lost world of atlantis..among other ones.


the actual purpose of friday reads:

I am reading Black Bird of the Gallows by Meg Kassel who I met during BookCon and she was a super sweetheart! I obtained an ARC of this beautiful book and it releases September 5th. Once I read the synopsis with my twin Lilly@LairOfBooks I knew I was going to like it. And let me tell you, I am loving this book! It definitely has some LUX vibes going on (without the aliens) but it’s set in a small town during winter and there are a bunch of crows everywhere. This is the perfect read for me since I despise summer and would love Autumn and Winter to get here.

33509076synopsis:
A simple but forgotten truth: Where harbingers of death appear, the morgues will soon be full.

Angie Dovage can tell there’s more to Reece Fernandez than just the tall, brooding athlete who has her classmates swooning, but she can’t imagine his presence signals a tragedy that will devastate her small town. When something supernatural tries to attack her, Angie is thrown into a battle between good and evil she never saw coming. Right in the center of it is Reece—and he’s not human.

What’s more, she knows something most don’t. That the secrets her town holds could kill them all. But that’s only half as dangerous as falling in love with a harbinger of death.

 

 


that is all for today’s post! have you heard of the books mentioned above? i would love to know your thoughts on my conspiracy theory thursday blog feature. any specific theory request you have? i would love to know! let’s chat in the comments!


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

June Wrap-Up 2017

Hello everyone! I hope you are all doing well! I must say that I am very proud of my reading month in June. I feel like I definitely got my kick back in the reading game lol! So without further ado, let’s get started!

What I Read:


31451174A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas
 ★★
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
I have a full RANT review here. The review has a lot of spoilers so I wouldn’t recommend it if you haven’t read the book. Let’s just say that I was very disappointed and will not be reading more from this author.

 

 

 

 


32075662Our Dark Duet (Monsters of Verity #2) by Victoria Schwab ★★★★★
Genre: YA Paranormal, Fantasy
Amazing conclusion to the Monsters of Verity duology. I am still in my feelings and can’t quite believe it’s over. I have a non-spoiler review for it here. The review does however contain spoilers from the first book, please be cautious.

 

 

 

 


elizaEliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia ★★★★★
Genre: YA Contemporary
Ugh I absolutely loved this book and will recommend it for days to come! It is contemporary but it talks about some very important things like mental health, family dynamics’s, and friendships. I also loved how the author inserted some of the webcomic in the book. I have a non-spoiler review here.

 

 

 

 


27207807soft magic. by Upile Chisala ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
I’m not sure if I’m going to do a review on this one. But definitely a FOREVER FAVORITE!! Wow this book should be read by all women, especially Women of Color. This one was amazing.
Goodreads Synopsis:
‘soft magic.’ is the debut collection of prose and poetry by Malawian writer, Upile Chisala. This book explores the self, joy, blackness, gender, matters of the heart, the experience of Diaspora, spirituality and most of all, how we survive. ‘soft magic.’ is a shared healing journey.

 

 


1088164160;recovery by Jasmine Smith ★★★★
Genre: Poetry
For anyone who likes break-up poetry, I would recommend this one. The author takes us through the ups and downs of a relationship and her thought process.
Goodreads Synopsis:
a collection of modern poetry surrounding the most vulnerable time – post-breakup. follow the journey of hurt on the road to recovery

 

 

 

 


35062842lavender petals and a wild heart by Cheyenne Raine ★★★★★
Genre: Poetry
Such a beautiful written collection. filled with curiosity, color, and wonder. I cannot wait to read more by this author!
Goodreads Synopsis:
A lavender sky of words, thoughts, poetry and prose written with love and curiosity. A collection inspired by the emotions that flow from the heart due to the gentle presence of a wild and adventurous soul. This book dives into the mixture of warm and lovely feelings that blossom when adoring another’s heart.

 


Poetry Posted in June:
a letter to the moon
some kind of self-love

for my short poetry, you can check out my instagram! link is at the end of this post ❤


I did a few memes this past June but the two that I will be featuring are the Top Ten Tuesdays since the others were WWW’s and Friday Reads.

TTT: Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start But Haven’t
TTT: Best Books You’ve Read in 2017 So Far


that is all for this monthly wrap-up! have you heard and/or read any of these books? let’s chat in the comments!


Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads