2020 Dystopia Reading Challenge: January-June Link-Up

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Welcome to the first half of the 2020 Dystopia Reading Challenge!! This will be the first of two bi-annual link-ups for your reviews! So this link-up will cover January, February, March, April, May & June! The link-up will always be easily accessible by hovering over Dystopia Reading Challenge tab and selecting Review Link-Up from the drop down menu. :)

HELPFUL LINKS:


LINK-UP GUIDELINES:

  • Link up your book reviews under "Review Link-up" as follows: Name of book @ Your blog name, Goodreads, Shelfari, Booklikes, etc.
  • Make sure to use an email you check, because if you win the giveaway, I'll be using that email to contact you. Remember, each review you link up is an entry into the giveaway! :) Giveaway is open international as long as the Book Depository ships to you! :)
  • Try and stop by some other reviews! Lets create a sense of community and get to talking with each other! :)

JANUARY-JUNE REVIEW LINK-UP


You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter


Stacking The Shelves #149/Sunday Post #81

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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality as a way to share all the books we got during the week!

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. Its a weekly post to showcase what books you got, recap the week, and talk about what will be coming up this week on the blog!


So obviously I had to get the B&N edition of The Queen of Nothing to go with my B&N editions of the first two! I also stumbled upon 50% off books when I went to buy Children of Virtue and Vengeance. So I might have indulged myself a little. I had some extra money from all the OT I did during peak. 


Thank you Scholastic!


Ok, so this is more like a month recap. Lol. I kinda disappeared again once OT started for peak at Amazon. Guys, it wiped me out. They constantly changed my shifts schedule (they only messed with certain shifts, not everyone's). I was doing 11 hour days with only one day to recoup before more work. It was exhausting. I literally just passed out after work most days cuz of how tired I was. I made some great money with all the OT, but it drained me. But I survived my first peak season with Amazon! But thank god schedules are back to normal. I still feel like I need a solid week off to fully recoup. 

But some good things happened. I finally got my own apartment again! God, I missed having my own place. I'm so happy! And its in the same complex I used to live in that I really liked and felt comfortable in. I moved mid December, yeah, that was fun to fit into my work schedule. Lol. But its so nice. I have a two bedroom apartment that's mine again. Ana has her own room again. I have a kitchen I can use more. I missed this. I feel like I can get back on track with how I used to get things done again. And I'm mostly unpacked. The biggest task I have still is organizing Ana's room.

How was everyone's holidays? Mine were good. Me and Ana had a great Christmas! She got some awesome toys, coloring books, puzzles. She was very happy with her gifts. And we built a paw patrol gingerbread house and made Frozen themed brownie bites. It was a blast! And New Years Eve we just had a quite evening watching the Ball Drop on my laptop. It was nice. We had a really great time over the holidays! 

Now that my schedule is back to normal, I'll be working on reading and blogging more. I got a bunch of books I've been looking forward to so I'm super excited to have time to read again. And I'll be updating my challenges page over the next few days for 2020's challenges. The page is already started, its just a work in progress so far. Lol. Also, make sure to sign up for the 2020 Dystopia Reading Challenge if you're interested! Share the link for it as well! Spread the word! 

2020 Dystopia Reading Challenge Sign-Up

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Welcome to the 6th annual Dystopia Reading Challenge! 2020 is my third year hosting it and I'm so excited about it! I'll be hosting some giveaways and of course we are still going to earn our fun badges from years past!

If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments!

THE GUIDELINES
  • This challenge will run from January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2020.
  • You can join at anytime before December 1, 2020.
  • Books must be read and reviewed in 2020.
  • Audiobooks, re-reads, short stories, and crossovers are fine.
  • You don't have to be a book blogger to participate! You can track your progress on Goodreads, Shelfari, Booklikes, Youtube, etc.
  • Sign up below with your post, shelf, etc. and leave a comment letting us know what your personal goal is.
  • Can be combined with other challenges! Cuz who doesn't like reading books that count for multiple challenges??
  • Link up your reviews on the bi-annual post we'll provide!
  • Use the hashtag #2020DystopiaReads to share your reviews and chat with others on Twitter (and Instagram if you use that as well) doing the challenge!



CHALLENGE LEVELS




Read and review 1-5 dystopian books to receive the Recruit badge.








Read and review 6-10 dystopian books to receive the Rebel badge.







Read and review 11-15 dystopian books to receive the Revolutionist badge.







Read and review 16+ dystopian books to receive the Leader badge.




My personal goal will again be Leader! Here's my TBR so you can see some of what I'm planning on reading!

UPDATE SCHEDULE:
  • March 15 - First Quarter Update
  • June 15 - Second Quarter/Mid-Year Update
  • September 15 - Third Quarter Update
  • December 15 - Fourth Quarter Update/Wrap Up

GIVEAWAY SCHEDULE:
  • July - Mid-Challenge Giveaway
  • December - End of Challenge Giveaway
To be entered in the giveaways, you have to link up reviews. Every review you link up equals a giveaway entry.

REVIEW LINK-UPS:
  • January-June Link-Up
  • July-December Link-Up
The Dystopia Reading Challenge has bi-annual link-ups. The first link-up for reviews will be open from January 1-June 30. And the second link-up will be open from July 1-December 31. To be entered in the giveaways, you have to link up reviews. Every review you link up equals a giveaway entry. Review link-ups will be linked in the main menu under Dystopia Reading Challenge for easy finding. :)


LISTS TO GET YOU STARTED:

HOW TO SIGN UP:
  • Enter your information in below as follows: Your name @ Your blog name (i.e. Brittani @ Hope, Faith & Books) or just your name if using something other than a blog.
  • If you are a blogger, grab the graphic, create a blog post or page letting us know you are participating in this challenge and what your personal goal is ― be sure to link back to this post!
  • If you are not a blogger, you can use Goodreads (or any other book tracking site) and create a shelf for the challenge and link to that
  • Lastly, Tweet about the reading challenge #2020DystopiaReads!


JOIN THE CHALLENGE

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Click here to enter


Stacking The Shelves #148/Sunday Post #80

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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality as a way to share all the books we got during the week!

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. Its a weekly post to showcase what books you got, recap the week, and talk about what will be coming up this week on the blog!


So this is what I've treated myself to since starting my job. I was super stoked to find The Cruel Prince B&N edition in stores again, so I grabbed a copy so it matches my Wicked King and soon to be released Queen of Nothing. 


I had to grab a copy of this and it was only $5.99 for kindle at release! 

Ok guys, I know I've been absent since I started my job essentially. It wasn't on purpose. It's just with my schedule its really thrown off things. I used to do all my blogging on Friday or Saturday and now I work both days so it's just hardcore thrown everything off. But on the brightside, working for Amazon is going really well. I'm one of the few people that's been cross trained multiple times. I know 6 things in my department now. most people only know 2, maybe 3. My manager has a lot of confidence in me since I learn really quick. So I'm one of the super versatile people for my shift. I actually spent Friday bouncing between 4 areas they needed help on. Honestly guys. I really love working for Amazon. They are giving me so much opportunity there to learn so many new skills and potentially move up. I've even trained people already. I'm actually gonna talk to my manager about becoming a learning ambassador after peak so I can train people more often. 

This job has also just been a huge help in general. They actually offer really good health insurance at a good price for me and Ana so I no longer have a huge stressor about our insurance. It covers a lot and the deductibles aren't super high either. So that's really nice. I was also able to replace my phone. My G6 was glitching hardcore and almost actually completely died twice. So I was able to just pay it off and get a new one. I ended up switching back to an iPhone. So I have an iPhone 11 now. But omg. Night and day with how well this phone works compared to the G6. Completely worth switching back. AND!!!!! I finally got a new car! After two years of not having a car I finally have my own car again. It's a 2013 Toyota Camry. I freaking love it! And it is AMAZING on gas. Which is great considering I drive 20 miles on the freeway to the other side of town for work, one way. So technically 40 miles both ways. I'm so happy this job has made it where I can afford to replace the things I needed now. The car thing especially has been a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders. 

Anyways, I'm hoping to get back to blogging more now that I'm more used to my schedule now and I don't need all the extra sleep on my days off. LOL. It still might be a bit sporadic between thanksgiving and Christmas with peak and mandatory OT for work, but I'm hoping to be on here more again. 

Stacking The Shelves #147/Sunday Post #79

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Stacking The Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews and Reading Reality as a way to share all the books we got during the week!

The Sunday Post is hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Reviewer. Its a weekly post to showcase what books you got, recap the week, and talk about what will be coming up this week on the blog!


Five Dark Fates Beacon Book Box:
  • Blanket with Quote
  • Signed Copy of Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4) by Kendare Blake
  • Book Sleeve (Naturalist Themed)
  • Pillow Case (Poisoner Themed)
  • Enamel Pin
  • 4 Art Prints
  • Tapestry with Mirabella, Arsinoe & Katharine
  • Signed & Numbered Poster
  • Queen Mirabella Candle: Rain, Fire & Woodsmoke Scented 
  • Gillespie's Bookshop Soap Bar 
  • Priestess Luca's Chamomile Tea
Ok guys, technically I paid for this back in April, but it came in last week. Seriously! It's amazing! The blanket is so soft and comfy. I loved the themed stuff. There were candles for each of the sisters and you randomly got one. So I got a queen Mirabella one and it smells so good. Everything thats scented in this box smells amazing! And the art prints, pin and poster are just gorgeous! I'm seriously so so happy I decided to get this box cuz everything in it is amazing! I'll post more pictures of everything up close on the blogs instagram. 


Thanks NetGalley, Inkyard Press & Sourcebooks Fire!


I'm so excited!!!! My hold finally came in!!!! I've been dying to read this! Freaking retelling of Robin Hood where Robin dies and Marian takes his place?? Hell yeah!! 

So I obviously haven't got any reading done this past week. But last Sunday was my birthday. I had a really great day. I also had my interview. And I got the job. I start in a week! I'm really happy about that. So its been a pretty good week!

August Wrap-Up & September TBR

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So August has been my best reading month so far. Not nearly close to where my reading is usually at, but its getting back there. I did enjoy most of the books I read this month. So that's some good news.

Books I Read In August:


I finally got caught up on the Miss Peregrine's series! And I really enjoyed books 3 and 4 more than the first two. I don't know what it was, but I was just super in the mood for them and really enjoyed them. I also finally read one of my ARCs. Guys, you know how far behind I am. So this is a good thing. Lol. 


I finally read Night of Cake & Puppets! This book has been on my kindle for years. So yeah. Kinda happy I finally got around to finishing the series out. Mik & Zuzana's story was freaking adorable!! I also finally got around to reading Red Rising, which we all know I picked up last year. And seriously. New fave series here, I can already tell. I LOVED it so much. Such a good story. And last but not least, Heart of Iron. Which I DNF'ed. I really wanted to like this. A retelling of Anastasia in space? Definitely sounded good. But when I actually got to reading it, I was incredibly bored. So I ended up DNFing it. First DNF of the year. But hey, it happens. 




New Releases: Week of September 3, 2019

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Five Dark Fates (Three Dark Crowns #4)
Author: Kendare Blake
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

After the battle with Katharine, the rebellion lies in tatters. Jules’s legion curse has been unbound, leaving her out of her mind and unfit to rule. Arsinoe must find a cure, even as the responsibility of stopping the ravaging mist rests heavy on her shoulders, and her shoulders alone. Mirabella has disappeared.

Queen Katharine’s rule over Fennbirn remains intact—for now. But her attack on the rebellion exacted a high price: her beloved Pietyr. Without him, who can she rely upon when Mirabella arrives, seemingly under a banner of truce? As oldest and youngest circle each other, and Katharine begins to yearn for the closeness that Mirabella and Arsinoe share, the dead queens hiss caution—Mirabella is not to be trusted.

In this conclusion to the Three Dark Crowns series, three dark sisters will rise to fight as the secrets of Fennbirn’s history are laid bare. Allegiances will shift. Bonds will be tested, and some broken forever.
The fate of the island lies in the hands of its queens.

Eclipse The Skies (Ignite The Stars #2)
Author: Maura Milan
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Ia Cōcha never thought she’d be working for the Olympus Commonwealth. But that was before she found out her trusted brother Einn was trying to tear apart the universe. Now, Ia, the Blood Wolf of the Skies, has agreed to help the Royal Star Force on one condition: when she finds him, she gets to kill Einn herself.

Brinn Tarver has just come to terms with her Tawny identity when the public lashes out against her people, crushing her family. At her breaking point, she starts to question everything she believes in—including Ia.

After the death of his mentor, Knives Adams is doing his best to live up to a role he didn’t ask for as Aphelion’s new headmaster. Still, with each new step deeper into war, he feels torn between his duties and the pull of Ia’s radical—sometimes criminal—ideas.

As they fight to keep darkness from eclipsing the skies, their unpredictable choices launch this breathtaking sequel to explosive new heights.

The Girl The Sea Gave Back
Author: Adrienne Young
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

The new gut-wrenching epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Sky in the Deep.

For as long as she can remember, Tova has lived among the Svell, the people who found her washed ashore as a child and use her for her gift as a Truthtongue. Her own home and clan are long-faded memories, but the sacred symbols and staves inked over every inch of her skin mark her as one who can cast the rune stones and see into the future. She has found a fragile place among those who fear her, but when two clans to the east bury their age-old blood feud and join together as one, her world is dangerously close to collapse.

For the first time in generations, the leaders of the Svell are divided. Should they maintain peace or go to war with the allied clans to protect their newfound power? And when their chieftain looks to Tova to cast the stones, she sets into motion a series of events that will not only change the landscape of the mainland forever but will give her something she believed she could never have again—a home.

Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1)
Author: Shelby Mahurin
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all.

Kingdom of Souls 
Author: Rena Barron
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: September 3, 2019

Explosive fantasy set in a world of magic and legend, where one girl must sacrifice her life, year by year, to gain the power necessary to fight the mother she has never been good enough for.

Perfect for fans of Sarah J Maas, Tomi Adeyemi and Black Panther

THERE’S MAGIC IN HER BLOOD.

Arrah is a young woman from a long line of the most powerful witch doctors in the land. But she fails at magic, fails to call upon the ancestors and can't even cast the simplest curse.

Shame and disappointment dog her.

When strange premonitions befall her family and children in the kingdom begin to disappear, Arrah undergoes the dangerous and scorned process of selling years of her life for magic. This borrowed power reveals a nightmarish betrayal and a danger beyond what she could have imagined. Now Arrah must find a way to master magic, or at least buy it, in order to save herself and everything she holds dear.

An explosive fantasy set in a world of magic and legend with a twist you will never see coming.

Other New Releases This Week: 
Darkdawn (The Nevernight Chronicles #3) by Jay Kristoff (9/3/19) [St. Martin's Press]
There Will Come A Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1) by Katy Rose Pool (9/3/19) [Henry Holt BYR]
Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee (9/3/19) [Marvel Press]
American Royals (American Royals #1) by Katharine McGee (9/3/19) [Random House BYR]
Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai (9/3/19) [Harper Collins]
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika & Maritza Moulite (9/3/19) [Inkyard]
Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters #2) by Rebecca Schaeffer (9/3/19) [HMH BYR]
She's The Worst by Lauren Spieller (9/3/19) [Simon & Schuster BYR]
Sword and Pen (The Great Library #5) by Rachel Caine (9/3/19) [Berkley Books]
Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi (9/3/19) [Simon & Schuster BYR]
The Lady Rogue by Jenn Bennett (9/3/19) [Simon Pulse]
Red Skies Falling (Skybound #2) by Alex London (9/3/19) [Farrar, Straus & Giroux BYR]