Book Confession: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Name: City of Stairs
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Number of Pages: 464 in Paperback
Published: September 9th 2014
by Broadway Books
Genre: Fantasy, Adult, Science Fiction, Mystery

“Years ago, the city of Bulikov wielded the powers of the Gods to conquer the world. But after its divine protectors were mysteriously killed, the conqueror has become the conquered; the city’s proud history has been erased and censored, progress has left it behind, and it is just another colonial outpost of the world’s new geopolitical power. Into this musty, backward city steps Shara Divani. Officially, the quiet mousy woman is just another lowly diplomat sent by Bulikov’s oppressors. Unofficially, Shara is one of her country’s most accomplished spymasters-dispatched to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly harmless historian. As Shara pursues the mystery through the ever-shifting physical and political geography of the city, she begins to suspect that the beings who once protected Bulikov may not be as dead as they seem-and that her own abilities might be touched by the divine as well.”

This is not a book review if you’re thinking it is. Book Confession. Yeah. Sort of. I just made it up for the sole purpose of explaining why I’ll have a new book to read. I’ve been reading for God knows when and this is the first time. First. Time. That I haven’t finished a book and not wanting to continue reading it. I must admit that I set aside Shatter Me after reading a couple of chapters, but I’m really finding time to pick it up again, but this? I tried, but failed. This. Is. Not. For. Me. I felt the need to explain why though since a lot of readers loved this. I feel like a villain, but still, I don’t want to go back reading this. I don’t normally read Adult books, but this book pulled me right into it because of the good reviews, book cover and the blurb. Yeah. The book cover is gorgeous. The reviews were promising. To be honest, I’ve mistakenly assumed the blurb for something else and yeah, that’s my fault.

Book Beginning│Currently Reading : City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Currently Reading #30

Name: City of Stairs
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Number of Pages: 464 in Paperback
Published: September 9th 2014
by Broadway Books
Genre: Fantasy, Adult, Science Fiction, Mystery,

“Years ago, the city of Bulikov wielded the powers of the Gods to conquer the world. But after its divine protectors were mysteriously killed, the conqueror has become the conquered; the city’s proud history has been erased and censored, progress has left it behind, and it is just another colonial outpost of the world’s new geopolitical power. Into this musty, backward city steps Shara Divani. Officially, the quiet mousy woman is just another lowly diplomat sent by Bulikov’s oppressors. Unofficially, Shara is one of her country’s most accomplished spymasters-dispatched to investigate the brutal murder of a seemingly harmless historian. As Shara pursues the mystery through the ever-shifting physical and political geography of the city, she begins to suspect that the beings who once protected Bulikov may not be as dead as they seem-and that her own abilities might be touched by the divine as well.”

I’m not really certain if this falls under Young Adult so I’ve researched and found out that this inclines more to the Adult genre. A bit hesitant in reading this since I don’t really enjoy adult books (I don’t want to feel an adult really. I want to stay young. LOL), but then again when I’ve read its blurb it triggered my curiosity to get the book. I’ve also checked reviews:

There is a lot of fantasy fiction out there and unfortunately, much of it is just a rehashing of the tired old tropes of wizards and elves and swords and onwards. City of Stairs was like nothing I have ever read before. I could praise Robert Jackson Bennett on his world building alone. I could read a history about the lands and cultures he created in this book and be incredibly entertained. And yet, despite all these new foreign locations and strange sounding character names, the whole fantastical story felt incredibly grounded in real human characters. They were tortured and lovable and funny. Overall, the book definitely lived up to the hype.
— Amanda Steinhoff, author of Lily and the Golden Lute

Swag and Book Giveaways + Book Tours : A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Name: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Number of Pages: 368 in Hardcover
Published: November 4, 2014 by Harper Teen
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery

“Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined. A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

I just heard today that Claudia Gray is here in the Philippines and I just died. It was yesterday and I didn’t know. Oh my freaking God. 😦

Waiting on Wednesday #19

Waiting on Wednesday was started by Breaking the Spine and serves to showcase those books that aren’t released yet, but that we’re eagerly awaiting!

Name: A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1)
Author: Claudia Gray
Number of Pages: 368 in Hardcover
Published: November 4, 2014 by Harper Teen
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance, Mystery

“Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined. A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.

I’ve found this book just this September and I can really say that this is something worth waiting for. The cover really pulled me in. So gorgeous! I think everybody would agree with me about that and a lot of my friends are eagerly waiting for its published date too. The rundown is equally interesting. Intriguing enough to make me want it more. I guess there would be a lot of complications and thrilling adventures throughout the book. I can’t help not to get so excited.

I’ve looked for giveaways and this is what I found:

Newly Owned to Read! #3

.. and my new books kept on coming. I’m such a happy camper! 😀

I’m going to be sooo busy in the next few weeks since I’ve got tons of books line up to read! I swear, I will try to read as fast as I can and post book reviews as soon as possible. Bear with me here.

Happy Reading To Me! 😀

Linking this up with Stacking the Shelves and The Sunday Post

Book Recommendation: Don’t Look Back

I’ve checked Goodreads for new reads today and I found this on my recommendation list. I always check that so I can have something new to look forward to since there are times that I’m getting tired of series so I look for fresh reads. Here’s what I’ve found.

Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all-popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.

Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her-even if the old Sam treated him like trash.

But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory-someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?

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