Top (Four) 10 Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke And The Bookish where each week there is a new topic for a top ten list. 

This week is Top 10 Books I've Enjoyed Recently That Weren't My Typical Genre/Type 

So I just went through what books I've read so far in 2016 and picked a couple that weren't my typical go to books. 

Right now I've read 28 books since the beginning of the year and I have 4 books that fit this topic. 

1. Me Before You

 Usually I leave the 'ugly cry' books up to Nicholas Sparks but when I saw the preview for the movie adaptation of this book I knew I needed to read it! I went out, bought it and read it all within about 24 hours of seeing the trailer.  

2. The Assassin's Blade 

 I love high fantasy but it's very intimidating! So even though I've already read Throne Of Glass I've been putting off reading the prequel which means I've been putting off all the other books in the series. Silly me these were some of my all time favorite novella's and I feel like it really helped me to get to know Celaena and her reasoning. 

3. Sword and Verse 

This is just a book that I don't normally gravitate towards but it was a very pleasant surprise! 

4. The Shadow Queen 

So if you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know I try very hard to stay away from re-tellings, but I've decided to change that this year and this book helped me do it! I loved everything about it and I can't say enough about how much I LOVED it! 

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A short post, but Top 4 is better than nothing! 

Happy Tuesday! 

Until next time,
Ginger

ARC Review of "The Shadow Queen"

The Shadow Queen   

By C.J Redwine   

Stars: 5

Source: EW

Release Date: February 16th 2016 

Lorelai Diederich has a plan to get her kingdom back. With the help of her little brother and a loyal friend, she's been training, growing more powerful everyday, getting one step closer everyday to killing the evil queen and reclaiming her rightful throne. 

But when Queen Irina creates the perfect huntsman to track down Lorelai and kill her it throws a wrench in her carefully laid out plans. 

Suddenly she has Kol to worry about. A new King, a Draconi (DRAGON!!!) forced to make a deal to save his people from a gruesome Ogre attack that will surely wipe out his kingdom. 

Lorelai will do anything to get her crown back, Kol will do everything to save his people and Irina, she'll kill anyone who gets in her way. 

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This was my first C.J Redwine book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! 

I was just on the edge of falling into a reading slump when I picked up this book. I made it about 6% into it and almost gave up and DNF it. Crazy! I know! But I'm so glad I kept reading. 

This book is pretty much everything you could wish for in a fantasy 're-telling'. 

I myself am not a fan of re-tellings because I always feel like you know where the story is going and there aren't any big surprises or plot twists. 

But I actually have a hard time calling this a re-telling because it is so unique and a story all it's own. 

I mean it has magic, dragons, family drama, revenge, did I mention dragons? 

Also, and I feel so dumb mentioning this, it has a gyrfalcon. Which up until, well today, I thought was a mythical creature... 

Thanks FaceBook for correcting me... 

Awkward. 

Anyway, Lorelai has a special telepathic connection with this (very real) gyrfalcon, Sasha, and honestly, their conversations were my absolute favorite. It added the perfect amount of... Lightness to the book without downplaying the darkness or the danger. 

I also adored Lorelai and Kol's slowing burning romance. It definitely wasn't your typical YA love story, what with him trying to murder her, and that's what I really enjoyed about it. 

It was refreshing to see a strong, powerful, female character who could stand on her own two feet and didn't go all 'damsel in distress' every time the love interest entered the room.

All in all this is one of my favorite books that I've read this year and I'm excited to get my hands on some more of C.J's books and discover some new favorites! 

Until next time, 

Ginger 

In compliance with FTC guidelines I am disclosing that this book was given to me for free to review. 

My review is my honest opinion.