Down the TBR Hole: How deep does this thing go???

This hole seems to be rather deep, doesn’t it! Since I was only able to get rid of 3 books in last week’s Down the TBR Hole, I’m hoping for a bit more this week! Let’s just get right into the action, shall we?

Down the TBR Hole is a (very) bookish meme, originally created by Lia @ Lost In A Story. She has since combed through all of her TBR (very impressive) and diminished it by quite a bit, but the meme is still open to others! How to participate:

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
• Order by Ascending Date Added
• Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or let it go?

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she’s ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle—a shifting maze of magical rooms—enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex’s secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

I’ve read Crimson Bound (also by this author) and enjoyed it, although it was rather forgettable. However, this one is a Beauty and the Beast retelling (yes please!), and most people say this one is better. And speaking of which, EVERYONE HAS READ THIS BOOK. Where have I been? I… Don’t know. In the dark depths of this thing I call a “TBR”, perhaps? Keep!

*la la la, spoilers for The Young Elites!*

I read The Young Elites two years ago and quite enjoyed it. Honestly, thinking back on it, I think that I would actually enjoy it more now than I originally did. And it sounds like The Rose Society is actually better! I loved the Legend series, so clearly I like Marie Lu as a writer. Wait, did I finish that? Uh… NO??? Sheesh! Plus, I believe the series is a trilogy, and as the third book came out towards the end of 2016, I can just binge the whole thing! Therefore, I think I’ll keep this one.

 

 

Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life.

Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood.

The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows—everyone knows—that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn’t, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her.

But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose.

I have (obviously) been wanting to read this book for AGES, and for whatever reason, it’s not at my library. However, I finally got a copy of it, and there’s no longer any reason for me to put it off! This is a definite keep!

Sydney is living in an idyllic bubble—she’s a dedicated student with a steady job on the side. She lives with her best friend, has a great boyfriend, and the music coming from the balcony opposite hers is fast becoming the soundtrack to her life. But when Sydney finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her, the bubble bursts. The mysterious and attractive man behind the music, Ridge, gives Sydney hope that she can move on and they begin to write songs together. But moving on is harder than she expects, Sydney can only hope….

Maybe someday…

Colleen Hoover draws you in to this passionate tale of music, love and betrayal…

This book sounds interesting enough, but I’m really not into this genre, especially right now. I have no need to leave it on my TBR. The whole reason it’s on there is because I LOVE THE NEVER NEVER SERIES OMIGOSH. Which reminds me… I NEVER READ THE THIRD ONE WHAT. I MUST DO THAT. NOW. (But I also know that those books are completely different from the rest of Colleen’s books, and a lot of people who like one don’t like the other) Anyhoo, all that to say this one can go!

What do you do with your last day on earth?

Just over twenty-four hours are left until an asteroid strikes North America, and for Emerson and everyone else who didn’t leave, the world will end. But Emerson’s world already ended when she ran away from home. Since then, she has lived on the streets, relying on her wits and on her friend Vince to help her find places to sleep and food to eat.

The city’s quieter now that most people are gone, and no one seems to know what to do as the end approaches. But then Emerson and Vince meet Carl, who tells them he has been granting people’s wishes—and gives them his wallet full of money.

Suddenly, this last day seems full of possibility. Emerson and Vince can grant a lot of wishes in one last day—maybe even their own.

This book seems to be about 50/50 on hate and love for it. And no one I know has read it! The synopsis still seems intriguing to me, though, so I’ll tentatively say I’m going to keep this one.

When the Princess of Nova accidentally poisons herself with a love potion meant for her crush, she falls crown-over-heels in love with her own reflection. Oops. A nationwide hunt is called to find the cure, with competitors travelling the world for the rarest ingredients, deep in magical forests and frozen tundras, facing death at every turn.

Enter Samantha Kemi – an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent. Sam’s family were once the most respected alchemists in the kingdom, but they’ve fallen on hard times, and winning the hunt would save their reputation. But can Sam really compete with the dazzling powers of the ZoroAster megapharma company? Just how close is Sam willing to get to Zain Aster, her dashing former classmate and enemy, in the meantime?

And just to add to the pressure, this quest is ALL OVER social media. And the world news.

No big deal, then.

I used to be SUPER excited about this book. I thought it would be so fantastic. But it honestly sounds like one of those “middle-grade-y” YAs, and I’ve seen some reviews saying that as well. Don’t get me wrong, I like middle grade. Correction: LOVE it. When done well, it can be just as good or better than YA or any other genre. Not so long ago, I read The Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby and completely fell in love with it. It’s probably one of my favorite reads of the year thus far! But it’s just not fair to the book or to the genre if it’s parading as something it’s not. I don’t know, my gut just says no to this. I’ll say this one can go!

Lenzi hears voices and has visions – gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can’t help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she’s a reincarnated Speaker – someone who can talk to and help lost souls – and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn’t make a decision soon.

AGH WHY. I don’t mind these kinds of books… Occasionally. The first five times. When done very well. As far as I can see, it is not any of those scenarios. I’ll pass on this one. Go!

Theia Alderson has always led a sheltered life in the small California town of Serendipity Falls. But when a devastatingly handsome boy appears in the halls of her school, Theia knows she’s seen Haden before- not around town, but in her dreams.

As the Haden of both the night and the day beckons her closer one moment and pushes her away the next, the only thing Theia knows for sure is that the incredible pull she feels towards him is stronger than her fear.

And when she discovers what Haden truly is, Theia’s not sure if she wants to resist him, even if the cost is her soul.

I own this… *shrugs* It sounds like people who DNF or one-star it hate it immediately, and everyone else… Loves it! Since I own it, I’ll definitely give it a shot, and just see what happens. I mean, it is gorgeous, am I right? Keep!

It’s been two six-days since a falling star crashed into the marshes beyond Port Sapphire, putting the wilds of Kuldor off-limits to fifteen-year-old Hadara. She feels this loss deeply and is eager to join her mother beyond the city limits to gather illegal herbs and throw off the yoke of her tedious religious schooling. Medicines of any sort are heresy to the people of Port Sapphire, who must rely on magic provided by the god Nihil for aid. And if people die from that magic, their own lack of faith is surely to blame. At least, that’s what Hadara has been taught—and has so far refused to believe.

Hadara and her mother have ignored the priests’ many warnings about their herb gathering, secure in knowing their tropical island is far from Nihil’s critical gaze. Then two powerful high priests arrive from Nihil’s home city to investigate the fallen star, insisting it harbors an unseen demon. This sets off speculation that an evil force is already at work in Port Sapphire and brings one of the holy men to Hadara’s doorstep. When he chooses Hadara as a guide into the wilds, she sets off a chain of events that will upend everything she’s been taught about the sacred and the profane.

This book definitely sounds interesting, but upon inspecting the reviews, it sounds like it has some serious issues. As in, not okay, trigger warning, what-do-you-think-you’re-doing issues. Um, no thanks? I’ll let this one go.

She has only seen the world through maps. She had no idea they were so dangerous.

Boston, 1891. Sophia Tims comes from a family of explorers and cartologers who, for generations, have been traveling and mapping the New World—a world changed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when all the continents were flung into different time periods.  Eight years ago, her parents left her with her uncle Shadrack, the foremost cartologer in Boston, and went on an urgent mission. They never returned. Life with her brilliant, absent-minded, adored uncle has taught Sophia to take care of herself.

Then Shadrack is kidnapped. And Sophia, who has rarely been outside of Boston, is the only one who can search for him. Together with Theo, a refugee from the West, she travels over rough terrain and uncharted ocean, encounters pirates and traders, and relies on a combination of Shadrack’s maps, common sense, and her own slantwise powers of observation. But even as Sophia and Theo try to save Shadrack’s life, they are in danger of losing their own.

Maps??? YES PLEASE. You need not say any further. I think I’ll keep this one.

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After counting, it appears that I have done slightly better than last week, having gotten rid of 4/10 books! That’s not too shabby, but I’m still hoping I can get back up to 5 next week! Wish me luck! 😉 Make sure to let me know if I desperately need to read a book I decided to let go, or vice versa! I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of these books. And if you do decide to try this meme, make sure to let me know! I’d love to see it. 🙂

Lots of Love, Amy ❤

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