Beyond The Kingdoms (The Land of Stories 4) by Chris Colfer

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (7 July 2015)
ISBN-10: 0349124426
ISBN-13: 978-0349124421

Fairy tales are just the beginning.

The Masked Man is on the loose in the Land of Stories, and it's up to Alex and Conner Bailey to stop him...except Alex has been thrown off the Fairy Council, and no one will believe they're in danger.

With only the help of the ragtag group of Goldilocks, Jack, Red Riding Hood, and Mother Goose and her gander, Lester, the Bailey twins discover the Masked Man's secret scheme: He possesses a powerful magic potion that turns every book it touches into a portal, and he is recruiting an army of literature's greatest villains!

So begins a race through the magical Land of Oz, the fantastical world of Neverland, the madness of Wonderland, and beyond. Can Alex and Conner catch up to the Masked Man, or will they be one step behind until it's too late?

Fairy tales and classic stories collide in the fourth adventure in the bestselling Land of Stories series as the twins travel beyond the kingdoms!

Cover: As always- the cover to the latest installment in this series is stunning.  Simply perfection.
 
I love this series.  It is, hands down, one of my favourites.  Ever.
Ever snce reading The Wishing Spell, I've been captivated by the fairy tale world Chris Colfer has created.  Seeing all your favourite fairy tale characters in one place, as well as the adventures (and sometimes misadventures) of the twins as they try to navigate the world.
It's an incredible middle grade that anyone of any age can enjoy.
This is the fourth book in the series and I'm just as enchanted by it now, as I was by book one.
I loved in this one how Chris has seamlessly included characters and their worlds from 'real' world literature- Oz, Neverland, Wonderland, Camerlot and Sherwood forest.
Seeing these stories brought to life was wonderful, and seeing them blend with the fairytale world was brilliant.
I had theories going into this book, and it was much anticipated.
And not to sound big headed- but I loved being proved right on them.
This book leaves it on such an interesting note that I legitimately cannot wait for the next installment.
The wait is awful.

5/5 stars.  Hands down.

Read from July 13 to 16, 2015.

July 2015 Favourites

W...W...W...Wednesday 05/08/2015

To play along, just answer the following 3 questions:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading

What do you think you’ll read next?

 

I recently finished reading Kiss Me Like This by Bella Andre
                                    
I'm currently reading Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton which I've put on pause to read Souls Unfractured by Tillie Cole
                    

While I'm unsure, I think my next read will be Asa by Jay Crownover
                                                           

Teaser Tuesday 04/08/2015 'Guilty Pleasures'

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page

  Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser.

This week's teaser comes from the 65% mark of Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton.

"I locked the door to the bathroom and laid my gun on the top of the toilet.  I was beginning to get a little paranoid or maybe realistic was a better word.
I turned the water on until it steamed, then stepped into it.  I was no closer to solving the vampire murders now than I had been twenty-four hours ago. 
Even if I solved the case, I still had problems."

Rowdy (Marked Men #5) by Jay Crownover

• Format: Kindle Edition
• Print Length: 401 pages
• Publisher: Harper (23 Oct. 2014)
• ASIN: B00J1XVSA8

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling Marked Men series continues with this sizzling, sexy story of love, heartbreak, fate, and second chances.

After the only girl he ever loved told him that he would never be enough, Rowdy St. James knocked the Texas dust off his boots and set out to live up to his nickname. A good ol’ boy looking for good times and good friends, Rowdy refuses to take anything too seriously, especially when it comes to the opposite sex. Burned by love once, he isn’t going to let himself trust a woman again. But that’s before his new co-worker arrives, a ghost from the past who’s suddenly making him question every lesson he ever learned.

Salem Cruz grew up in house with too many rules and too little fun—a world of unhappiness she couldn’t wait to forget. But one nice thing from childhood has stayed with her; the memory of the sweet, blue-eyed boy next door who’d been head over heels in love with her little sister.

Now, fate and an old friend have brought her and Rowdy together, and Salem is determined to show him that once upon a time he picked the wrong sister. A mission that is working perfectly—until the one person that ties them together appears, threatening to tear them apart for good. 

Cover: Mmm what an appealing cover.

As with most series, there are some books in this one that I have liked more than others.  My favourite remains Rule.
But I've enjoyed all the books in this series so far.
And Rowdy was no exception.
I fell in love with Rowdy, and I hate to say it...but he rivals Rule for my affections.
Everyone he has ever loved has left or hurt him.  Until he finds solace with the other members of the gang, and finds purpose for himself and his art in tattooing.  He's shut out the damage the Cruz sisters did to his heart, but when Salem reappears, it forces him to feel things he's tried to forget.
I loved Salem and Rowdy.  Anybody with eyes could see they were made for each other.  How Rowdy could ever have thought that he loved her sister, Poppy, is beyond me.  They are two people, so in tune with the other.
Seeing them work their way back to each other was beautiful.  And their chemistry practically leapt off the page.
I also loved seeing what was happening with the rest of the gang.  Seeing their lives and loves progressing.  I like how they're not forgotten.
Over all, this was definitely one of my favourite books in this series.
5/5 stars.

Read from May 22 to 23, 2015

July 2015 Reading Wrap Up

Booking Through Thursday 30/07/2015 'Storage'

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Booking Through Thursday and a different question is posted every week.

"How do you store your books? On bookcases? In piles? In piles on bookcases? Are they sorted? Do you know where everything is? What’s the most creative storage you’ve seen or used for your books?"

I store my books on shelves- and I try to keep them as organised as possible- by author and genre.  

There are a couple of piles of books kept on my floor- but these are kept there so I know which books I need to show in my next book haul.  As soon as that is filmed- they get put away.

I don't have a physical To-Be-Read pile as I'm so fickle with what I 'feel' like reading next, that it would be a completely pointless exercise.

I also have several funky storage boxes in my room that have books in them.  While I don't like storing books this way- I simply don't have enough shelf space to do anything else.

I previously had such trouble with parting with books, even those I didn't like, that storage was becoming a problem.  But I've forced myself to get over that by having a massive book unhaul.

I unfortunately am just not creative when it comes to storing books.  I've seen some beautiful and unique shaped shelves but I simply do not have the space.  I'm all about storing the most books I can.