Diary of a Book Maniac

Know more about The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova + join The Guild Games

About the Book

Title: The Alchemists of Loom (Loom Saga #1)
Author: Elise Kova

Publication date: January 10, 2017

Publisher: Keymaster Press

Pre-order it now on: Amazon / Book Depository / Barnes&Noble / Books a Million / iBooks

Add it on: Goodreads

Summary:

Her vengeance. His vision.

Ari lost everything she once loved when the Five Guilds’ resistance fell to the Dragon King. Now, she uses her unparalleled gift for clockwork machinery in tandem with notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market. There isn’t a place on Loom that is secure from the engineer-turned-thief, and her magical talents are sold to the highest bidder as long as the job defies their Dragon oppressors.

Cvareh would do anything to see his sister usurp the Dragon King and sit on the throne. His family’s house has endured the shame of being the lowest rung in the Dragons’ society for far too long. The Alchemist Guild, down on Loom, may just hold the key to putting his kin in power, if Cvareh can get to them before the Dragon King’s assassins.

When Ari stumbles upon a wounded Cvareh, she sees an opportunity to slaughter an enemy and make a profit off his corpse. But the Dragon sees an opportunity to navigate Loom with the best person to get him where he wants to go.

He offers her the one thing Ari can’t refuse: A wish of her greatest desire, if she brings him to the Alchemists of Loom.

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I can't wait to read this book. It really sounds interesting. Also, the author organized guild games. What is it, you ask? Well, in order to participate in the guild games, you have to choose and join a guild and then you perform certain tasks in order for you and your guild to gain points to unlock giveaways, swag and other exclusive. It's really fun! You can check here for more in depth explanation about it. By the way, I'm in the Rivets Guild. You guys should totally join our guild! ;)

2 comments

, by Alyssa

Readathon

I'm joining #IndieReadathon2016!

Last 2013, I joined an event called Indie-Self Published Author Event hosted by Say It With Books. Through that event, I discovered some hidden gems. So because of that I decided to look for an event that's about indie authors/books for this year because I want to widen my scope of reading. I just don't want to focus on those traditionally published books, indie books need some love and recognition too. So I contacted the people behind Say It With Books and asked if they're planning to do the Indie-Self Published Author Event again, but unfortunately they can't since they're too busy to organize the said event. I was disappointed to be honest. And so I get on with my life. Few months later, I read a tweet about an indie read-a-thon. I was ecstatic and so here I am, informing the world about it.

Indie Readathon is a read-a-thon hosted by Lacey from Booklovers for Life, Angie from Angie and Jessica's Dreamy Reads and Sarah from Words with Sarah. The rules are simple. You read an indie book. It can either be by an self-pub/indie author or a hybrid author (an author who publishes both traditionally and independently), but the books you read should be published independently. What's good about this readathon is that there's no pressure as to how many books you will read. It's all up to you! The readathon will begin on August 28 and ends on September 12. If you want to know more about it, just go visit the blogs of the lovely hosts of this readathon.

My goal for this readathon

-To read and review as many indie books as I can

I won't give a specific number of books because that's just a failure waiting to happen. I'm bad at setting a reading goal for myself. I always end up not reading anything because I get overwhelmed by the goal that I set myself up. So yeah, I'll basically just read as many as I can and enjoy the reading experience. I hope I'll discover some hidden gems along the way. I really hope you guys will join this readathon because there are a lot of awesome indie books that are just waiting for you to discover. Who knows, you might find your next favorite book through this readathon. ;)

P.S. I added a new shelf on Goodreads named #indiereadathon2016. The books in that shelf are the ones that I'm hoping to read for this readathon. You can check that out if you're not sure as to what books to read for this readathon.

4 comments

, by Alyssa

4 stars

Review: The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1) by Lindsay Cummings

Title: The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex #1)
Author: Lindsay Cummings
Format acquired: ARC

Source: Received from the author (thank you, Lindsay!)

Publication date: June 10, 2014

Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary:

Meadow Woodson, a fifteen-year-old girl who has been trained by her father to fight, to kill, and to survive in any situation, lives with her family on a houseboat in Florida. The state is controlled by The Murder Complex, an organization that tracks the population with precision.

The plot starts to thicken when Meadow meets Zephyr James, who is—although he doesn’t know it—one of the MC’s programmed assassins. Is their meeting a coincidence? Destiny? Or part of a terrifying strategy? And will Zephyr keep Meadow from discovering the haunting truth about her family?

Action-packed, blood-soaked, and chilling, this is a dark and compelling debut novel by Lindsay Cummings.

Review:

This is a long overdue review. I was given an ARC of this book last 2014 but because I went into a long reading slump and blogging hiatus, I haven’t had the chance to read it. But it’s better late than never, right? ;)

This book is set in a Dystopian world where the death rate is higher than the birth rate. It’s also told in dual POVs—Meadow’s and Zephyr’s. Meadow, one of the main characters of this book, is a total badass female character. I liked how she doesn’t second-guess herself and that she’s not whiny (which was so refreshing for me because most Dystopian novels that I’ve read always have whiny main characters). And we also have Zephyr, the other main character of this book. Well, I have an on-off relationship with him. Sometimes I liked his character, but sometimes I do not. He’s quite the opposite of Meadow. If Meadow is all rough and headstrong, Zephyr is kind and mellow. But I find his character more intriguing and interesting than Meadow’s because his character is very mysterious. In the book, Zephyr would have this occasional blackout. He would suddenly find himself with blood on his hands and a dead body beside him and he would have no idea how he got there or why he’s there. And that’s one of the mysteries in this book.

I also liked how fast-paced this book was. Lindsay did a great job in explaining the world in this book. It’s very natural and it doesn’t drag the story. It’s easy to digest the world-building of this book. One of the things that I always look for in a Dystopian novel is that I shouldn’t have a hard time understanding it. It should be easy to dive into its world. Because when I read books, I always imagine myself in that world. It helps me understand and appreciate more the characters in the book. So I always look for that characteristic in a book especially in Dystopian novels because I love Dystopian novels. And I could say that The Murder Complex has that.

I gave this book a 4 stars rating because I did have a problem with it. And the reason why I only gave it 4 stars was because of the insta-love. Don’t get me wrong, I’m okay with insta-love (I guess? Haha) but it depends on its execution. I liked their characters individually, but I hate it when they’re together. They would turn into these bumbling idiots whenever they’re together. Honestly, I would prefer if the author didn’t add a romance in this book. It can survive without it.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. The Murder Complex is a gritty and gory novel that will make you cringe (and enjoy in my case) at its gruesome scenes. If you’re looking for an action-packed and full of badassery book, then this is the perfect one for you.

2 comments

, by Alyssa

5 stars

Review: New World: Ashes (New World #2) by Jennifer Wilson

Title: New World: Ashes (New World #2)
Author: Jennifer Wilson
Format acquired: Ebook

Source: Bought

Publication date: June 7, 2016

Goodreads / Amazon

Summary:

After Phoenix, a 17-year-old orphan rogue, sacrifices herself for her loved ones, her world again takes an unexpected turn. She may have forgotten her past, but it hasn’t forgotten her. A war is coming and her role in it will be pivotal.

That is... if she survives.

Review:

It is the day after I read this book and the euphoria after reading this is still within me. I’ve tried to type up a proper review (this will be my 4th attempt) but I just can’t because FEELINGSSS. So instead, I’ll write the top 5 reasons why you need this freaking amazing book in your life.

FIVE REASONS WHY YOU NEED TO STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING AND READ NEW WORLD: ASHES (That was a mouthful. Heh)

1. First book was UHH-MAAAY-ZIIIING! This is the second book in the New World trilogy so you have to read New World: Rising first before reading this beauty because duh, the first book was just as good as this one. You surely won’t regret it! So go buy your copy and read the first book first and then go back here so we can discuss the gloriousness of this sequel.

2. Villains Surprise I included that? Haha. The villains in this book ignited so much hate from me. Seriously. If I can just kill fictional characters, I already did that. I want to strangle them. Wring their necks. Torture them. Majority of the book was me thinking several ways on how to kill the villains in this book. And I’m saying that in a positive way because if a book incited so many emotions within you then that means the author did a good job in creating them. So job well done, Jennifer Wilson! Fandrin and Gage just made it into my most hateful book villains list. Hahaha. :D

3. Pacing I couldn’t relax while reading this book. Honestly. It has a fantastic pacing that you don’t want to even blink your eyes because you don’t want to miss anything.

4. Action This is even better than watching an action film. Every scene was well-plotted and so thrilling. When I was reading this book, it felt like every scene was real. Every time the characters sneaked out, my heart would pump so fast because I felt like I’m with them.

5. Romance SO MUCH FEELS!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN’T EVEN. WHAT IS LIFE. WHAT IS AIR. TRIVEN, GIVE ME BACK MY HEART.

There’s a lot more things this book can offer you, but those 5 things I listed were the ones that made me love this book so much. New World: Ashes was even better than the first, and considering how I loved New World: Rising, that says a lot. I can’t wait to read the next book!