Top Ten Tuesday – Backlist Hall of Shame: 10 Books I’ve Said I’m Dying to Read for Years (but still haven’t)
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!
This week’s TTT topic is Backlist Books I Want to Read. I tweaked the topic a bit because I want to talk about those books that I’m embarrassed are still on my backlist because I’ve been saying for years now that I want to read all of them. I’ve lost track of how many backlist/TBR reading challenges I’ve put these titles on and yet somehow I still haven’t read them. Hell, most of you who have been following me since my earliest blogging days are probably shaking your heads and laughing that these books are still on my TBR, and I’m laughing/cringing right alongside you, lol.
The shame is real this time though and I’m determined to start putting a dent in this list because I really do want to read them all. Even if I only read one a month or so, my goal is that these ten books will finally be off my TBR by the end of 2019. For those who have read these, which one do you think I should start with? I’m leaning towards Tell Me Three Things or Lily and the Octopus, mainly because they’re standalones.
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10 Books I’ve Said I’m Dying to Read for Years (but still haven’t)
TELL ME THREE THINGS by Julie Buxbaum
LILY AND THE OCTOPUS by Steven Rowley
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS by Agatha Christie
AND I DARKEN by Kiersten White
REBEL OF THE SANDS by Alwyn Hamilton
THE CROWN’S GAME by Evelyn Skye
THREE DARK CROWNS by Kendare Blake
THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas
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What are some books from your backlist that you’ve been saying for years that you’re dying to read?
MIni Reviews: SEA WITCH & GOOD LUCK WITH THAT
Sea Witch by Sarah Henning 
Published by Katherine Tegen Books on July 31, 2018
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Retelling
Pages: 368
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
Everyone knows what happens in the end. A mermaid, a prince, a true love’s kiss. But before that young siren’s tale, there were three friends. One feared, one royal, and one already dead.
Ever since her best friend, Anna, drowned, Evie has been an outcast in her small fishing town. A freak. A curse. A witch.
A girl with an uncanny resemblance to Anna appears offshore and, though the girl denies it, Evie is convinced that her best friend actually survived. That her own magic wasn’t so powerless after all. And, as the two girls catch the eyes—and hearts—of two charming princes, Evie believes that she might finally have a chance at her own happily ever after.
But her new friend has secrets of her own. She can’t stay in Havnestad, or on two legs, unless Evie finds a way to help her. Now Evie will do anything to save her friend’s humanity, along with her prince’s heart—harnessing the power of her magic, her ocean, and her love until she discovers, too late, the truth of her bargain.
Review:
What always impresses me about fairytale retellings is how authors are able to take a beloved story that we all know so well and somehow manage to put their own completely unique spin on it to turn it into something fresh and new. Sarah Henning’s Sea Witch is the third Little Mermaid retelling I’ve read recently and I found myself wondering if Henning could really bring anything to the table that I hadn’t already read. Well, spoiler alert, she can and does! With Sea Witch, Henning offers up a compelling origin story for resident villain, Ursula the Sea Witch. It’s filled with memorable characters, a vivid and atmosphere setting, and a storyline peppered with mystery, secrets, and lies.
I was sympathetic to Evie, the main character, because of a tragedy that takes the life of her best friend, Anna. Evie and Anna were out swimming and while they were racing each other, Anna drowns. Evie survives but is shunned as an outcast by everyone in the small fishing town she lives in. They see her as a witch or curse. The exception to that is Prince Nik, who although he is royalty, has never cared what anyone thinks of him or Evie. She is one of his best friends and like a sister to him. Nik is a fantastic character for a lot of reasons. He’s handsome and kind, hilarious and somewhat of a dork at times, and really just downright loveable. Honestly, he was my favorite character.
I was also drawn in by both the worldbuilding and the storyline itself, which is a fairytale wrapped in a mystery. The story is set in Havnestad, a small fishing town, and the author paints such a vivid picture that I could practically hear the waves crashing and the wind whipping through the ships’ sails, and taste and smell the salt in the air. I also liked that the story had a dark, almost moody feel to it at times. It was so atmospheric that it was very easy to slip into the mystery and follow it until it leads to the “birth” of the Sea Witch.
Sea Witch is pretty well-paced overall, although I’ll admit it did lag a little for me during a festival early on in the story. However, once the mysterious Annemette, who bears an almost eerie resemblance to the drowned Anna, appears on the scene and unloads her secrets on Evie, the mystery intensifies and the pace quickens. The mystery of who Annemette really is, why she has come to Havnestad, and what she wants from Evie kept me eagerly turning the pages. Even with my slight issue with the pacing and my liking a secondary character a little more than the main character, I still quite enjoyed Sea Witch and think fans of The Little Mermaid will love it. 3.5 STARS
Good Luck with That by Kristan Higgins Also by this author: Always the Last to Know, Pack Up the Moon
Published by Berkley Books on August 7, 2018
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Pages: 480
Source: Library
Amazon
Goodreads
Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.
For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it's coming to terms with the survivor's guilt she's carried around since her twin sister's death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it's about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother's and brother's ridiculous standards, and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.
But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson's dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.
Review:
Wow, talk about a book that packs an emotional punch! Good Luck with That was my first time reading anything by Kristan Higgins and I was not at all prepared for how hard hitting this story was going to be. This is a story that tackles a tough but all too relevant issue for many of us – that of body image and how so many people have a tendency to define their sense of self-worth based on how they look and, especially in this story, how much they weigh.
The story follows three friends, Emerson, Georgia, and Marley, who have been friends since they were teens and met at a weight loss camp. When Emerson tragically passes away, her dying wish is for her two best friends to complete the tasks on a list they made as teenagers, a list of things they would do when they finally became skinny. While some of the items on the list now seem silly to Georgia and Marley, they make it their mission to fulfill Emerson’s last wish. This becomes an emotional and sometimes painful journey for both women as they not only strive to face their lifelong fears and complete the tasks on this list but are also forced to reflect on choices that they’ve made throughout their lives. Their perspectives are rounded out as we are also given Emerson’s thoughts as her life and health become increasingly fragile, as seen through the pages of the journal she kept. It was hard to read at times but I thought Higgins did an incredible job of making it all sound so real and so honest.
While Good Luck with That can be an emotionally draining read at times, ultimately I think it just has such an important message and it’s one that I hope will stick with me long after having finished this book. Emerson wants Georgia and Marley to come away from that list knowing that life is too short and it’s so important to just love yourself as you are. You can’t sit around and not live your life to the fullest just because you aren’t whatever your eyes or society’s eyes thinks is the ideal body shape and size.
This may not be a read for everyone as it does deal with such a tough topic, but I think Higgins handles it with great sensitivity and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone who is in search of a powerful read about body image and self-worth. 4 STARS.
About Kristan Higgins
Kristan Higgins is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of more than a dozen novels. Her books have been honored with dozens of awards and accolades, including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, the New York Journal of Books and Romantic Times. She is a two-time winner of the RITA award from Romance Writers of America and a five-time nominee for the Kirkus Prize for best work of fiction. She is happily married to a heroic firefighter and the mother of two fine children.
About Sarah Henning
Sarah Henning is a recovering journalist who has worked for the Palm Beach Post, Kansas City Star and Associated Press, among others. While in South Florida, Sarah lived and worked through five hurricanes, which gave her an extreme respect for the ocean. When not writing, she runs ultramarathons, hits the playground with her two kids and hangs out with her husband Justin, who doubles as her long-suffering IT department. Sarah lives in Lawrence, Kansas, which, despite being extremely far from the beach, happens to be pretty cool.
Review: THE DARKEST STAR by Jennifer Armentrout
The Darkest Star by Jennifer L. Armentrout Series: Origin #1
Published by Tor Teen on October 30, 2018
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Science Fiction
Pages: 368
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
With her latest novel The Darkest Star, Jennifer Armentrout pays another visit to the Luxens, the alien beings who are featured in her popular Lux series. When I first requested The Darkest Star, I actually had no idea that it was a spinoff of an existing series. I was just looking for a sci-fi read and thought the synopsis for this book sounded cool. Once I realized it followed another series, I was a little worried that I would be completely lost. Thankfully, however, Armentrout does a very nice job of providing enough background on the Luxens that I was able to jump right in and follow the story without issue.
When The Darkest Star opens, we learn that the story is set four years after a Luxen invasion has left many dead and many of the Earth’s cities in ruins. Not all of the Luxen were involved in the invasion, however, so some of them are now living right alongside the humans. That’s not to say that relations between the humans and Luxens are great though. While the two groups leave each other alone for the most part, there are definitely some humans who would rather have absolutely nothing to do with the Luxens. Armentrout creates a palpable tension in the air in most of the scenes featuring humans and Luxens because they ultimately don’t trust each other.
That mistrust is evident as soon as we meet the main character, 17 year old Evie Dasher, who is accompanying her best friend to a club which happens to be a known hangout for Luxens. Evie goes because she promised her friend, but she is definitely uneasy about it. Evie’s night then takes an unexpected turn when she meets and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a gorgeous Luxen named Luc. Something seems familiar about him, but Evie has no idea why since she’s never met him before. She’s about to get to know him a lot better though…
One of the things I really liked about The Darkest Star is that it really starts off with a bang. Armentrout hooked me immediately by not only having her main character wander into this Luxen club, but she then adds to the tension and the danger by having law enforcement raid the club, which of course sends everyone in a frenzy trying to get away.
At the same time she’s hooking me with such an exciting opening, Armentrout also introduces me to Evie and Luc, two characters that I immediately liked and wanted to get to know better. Evie is a great protagonist. It was easy to feel sympathetic toward her right away because we learn that her father was killed in the invasion and her mother is always working so Evie is on her own more often than not. I also liked watching her feelings about the Luxens evolve as she gets to know Luc and some of his Luxen friends better.
Speaking of Luc, he’s the one who really steals the show. Like all Luxens, he’s unnaturally hot. Luc is also an arrogant smart ass. He really gets under Evie’s skin from the moment they meet and most of the time she can’t decide if she wants to punch him or kiss him. He’s endearing in a really obnoxious way. I often found myself laughing out loud at some of the words that would come out of his mouth. He’s also immediately super protective of Evie, so that gives him some bonus points to offset the obnoxiousness.
The Luxens are fascinating too. As I mentioned earlier, they are ridiculously hot. Unless they are trying to disguise themselves, they always stand out as the hottest, most flawless people in the room. They also have an interesting array of powers, including being able to open locked doors, melt guns, and read minds, to name a few. I also found myself sympathetic to the Luxens because of how they are viewed by so many humans. Even though this is science fiction, there are many parallels between how the Luxens are treated and how immigrants are sometimes treated.
Last but not least, I liked that this is one of those books that has a little something for everyone. It’s a great action-packed sci-fi story, but it’s also got a great mix of romance and family drama. Throw in a few dead bodies, another species of aliens, a heavy dose of danger, and you’ve got yourself one heck of an entertaining story!
The only real issue I had while reading was that I did wish I knew a little more about the Luxens and their powers. That’s totally on me though for not having read the earlier series first. Even without that information, I still thought it was a great start to a new series.
Whether you’re already a fan of the Luxens or you’re new to this world, The Darkest Star has a lot to offer. It has left me not only wanting the next book in this new series, but also eager to backtrack and read the earlier series to fill my need for more information on the Luxens. If you’re looking for a great sci-fi read, check out The Darkest Star.
GOODREADS SYNOPSIS:
When seventeen-year-old Evie Dasher is caught up in a raid at a notorious club known as one of the few places where humans and the surviving Luxen can mingle freely, she meets Luc, an unnaturally beautiful guy she initially assumes is a Luxen…but he is in fact something much more powerful. Her growing attraction for Luc will lead her deeper and deeper into a world she’d only heard about, a world where everything she thought she knew will be turned on its head…
#1 New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns to the universe of the Lux in this brand new series, featuring beloved characters both new and old.
About Jennifer L. Armentrout
# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more. She is also the creator and sole financier of the annual Write Your Way To RT Book Convention, a contest that gives aspiring authors a chance to win a fully paid trip to RT Book Reviews.
Jennifer would love to hear from you. If you have questions about any of her books, would like to set up an interview, book signing, etc, please use the email address below. Please check out each book/series individual page for more information about each title and the FAQ section.
For rights information on any of her titles, please contact Kevan Lyon from Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. For interviews, please contact Kristin Dwyer at kdwyer@leoprny.com
If you are requesting an ARC please contact the publisher of that book.
To contact Jennifer directly, please email: jenniferlarmentrout@live.com