I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Geekerella by Ashley Poston
Release date: April 4th, 2017
Publisher: Quirk Books
Genre: Young adult, contemporary
Format: eBook
Goodreads | Amazon
Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise. But when she disappears at midnight, will he ever be able to find her again?
“Look to the stars. Aim. Ignite.”
*squeals* I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS STORY!!!!!!! The plot, the characters, the romance, the fandom….oh! It was perfect and I’m so glad that I picked it up. It was everything I adore about a story and more. My heart exploded and I had a permanent smile from start to finish.
Reasons Why I Loved It:
- It’s a modern retelling of Cinderella. Retellings are so much fun!
- It features a POC lead character who was all kinds of swoon worthy and adorable.
- I could totally identify with Elle, the main character. I’m obsessed with shows such as Firefly and Battlestar Galactica. Yes they are made up and perhaps I take them a little bit too seriously but they make me happy. They get me through tough times. Elle also used her love of a sci-fi show Starfield to help her deal with some difficult circumstances.
- Talking about Elle, she was one of my favourite parts of this book. She’s brave, honest and willing to take risks. My heart was fully invested in her journey. I was emotionally all over the place. I was smiley like crazy when she was happy and outraged when a certain character tries to upstage her. I want more characters like Elle!
- Fandoms are interesting things. The message of the book was perfect. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a fan for ages or are new to the TV show or movie or whatever. Fandoms are for celebrating our love of a particular show or character. Nobody should judge you on how “into” the fandom you are. THANK YOU!
- It also touched on how sci-fi is very male dominated. Gender doesn’t dictate your love of a particular genre or how much knowledge you have about a show. I always felt strange letting people know I was so nerdy or into certain shows. But guess what? I don’t care anymore. I’m a sci-fi nerd and proud of it! I wish I would have had this book when I was a teen.
- Sage, Elle’s friend, was simply kickass and amazing! She’s simply the best!
This book was so much fun to read! It brought be tons of joy, smiles, laughs. It had it all and I can’t recommend it enough.
I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Awakening by Lindsay Smith
Release date: February 8th, 2017
Publisher: Serial Box Publishing
Genre: Fantasy, historical fiction
Format: eBook
Goodreads | Amazon
The spies and sorcerers of Prague face hard questions and increased oversight in the wake of last season’s explosive events. On the Vltava, a Flame op goes up in literal flames when a mysterious interloper joins the fray.
Welcome to Prague, 1970: the epicenter in a Cold War of spies and sorcerers. The streets are a deadly chessboard on which the CIA and KGB make their moves, little dreaming that a deeper game is being played between the Consortium of Ice and the Acolytes of Flame, ancient factions of sorcery.
The Witch Who Came In From The Cold has quickly become one of my favourite series. The stories are super short (two or three chapters long) and take place during the Cold War. So forget about the whole CIA vs. KGB spy game, the real story here is a secret battle between the Consortium of Ice and the Acolytes of Flame, two magical factions. It’s hard to completely explain everything without giving so much away! You just really need to read “season one”.
Awakening, the first story in season two, was just as good or even better than its predecessors. So much happened near the end of the previous season and this story certainly started with a bang. It featured all of the things that I loved about the first set of stories and added in a couple of new items to keep me interested in finding out what will happen next. With such short stories, I’m always wanting more and more. It’s just this time around I’ll have to wait for the next part to be released. With season one I was able to read them all at the same time. Oh, the patience I’m going to need!
One thing I want to point out is that while the story does a good job of summarizing the main plot points of season one, it’s not for people who haven’t read the first set of stories. You’ll be very lost and unaware of minor plot details that pop up now and again. That said, I’m always amazed by how a series written by multiple authors can be so cohesive! Anyway, you really, really need to read this amazing series! You won’t regret a second of it.
