Mini Panda's Book Reviews

Review: Crown of Midnight  by Sarah J. Maas Format (That I Read It): Book Summary: From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up ...

Review: Outcast Vol.  1: A Darkness Surrounds Him (Outcast #1-6) by Robert Kirkman Format (That I Read It): Comics Summary: Kyle Barnes has been plagued by demonic possession all his life and now he needs answers. Unfortunately, what he uncovers along the way could bring about the end of life on Earth as we know it. Initial Thoughts: I have been watching the TV show and now that the season finale is coming up I decided that I wanted to read the comics because I'm dying to know what is going to happen! Review: ★★★ This volume was good. It was almost exactly like the show which I found really nice. Nothing really happened in this volume it was more of a build up of the world and the characters. I really was surprised by the art style. It was different from others I've read. I loved the boxes that were in between some of the sections like this: Also, just the art style is something I enjoyed. I'm glad they didn't do the same art style from th...

Review: Throne of Glass  by Sarah J. Maas Format (That I Read It): Book/Audiobook Summary: In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world. Initial Thoughts: Everybody and their cousins are reading or have read this series. I bought it quite a while ago and finally decided to pick it up. I just needed something kickass after my Lady Mi...

My Most Anticipated Summer Shows (June/July) Sunday June 5th: Outcast (Cinemax) Series Premiere   I didn't know this was going to be a show or anything about it until I saw an interview with Robert Kirkman (the creator of The Walking Dead). He was talking about starting this new show called Outlast and I had no idea what he was talking about. I'm a HUGE fan of The Walking Dead so I checked out the trailer and I instantly fell in love! I'm a sucker for horror and creepy demonic possession sort of stories so this is gonna right up my alley.  Sunday June 12th: Ride With Norman Reedus (AMC) Series Premiere I've been excited for the show since I heard it be announced. Norman Reedus is one of my favorite actors, from The Walking Dead to Boondock Saints (even though his accent was quite bad). I'm also really happy to see it's about motorcycles too. I have a fascination with them so putting both Norman and motorcycles together is going to be rea...

Review: All The Missing Girls  by Megan Miranda Format (That I Read It): Ebook, ARC (Advance Reader Copy) Summary: Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda’s novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse. It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched. The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne’s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter...

Review: The Passenger by Lisa Lutz Format (That I Read): Ebook, ARC (Advance Reader Copy) Release Date: March 1st, 2016 Summary: From the author of the New York Times bestselling Spellman Files series, Lisa Lutz’s latest blistering thriller is about a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past: you’ll want to buckle up for the ride! In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it... Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone and flees town. It’s not the first time. She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous...

#TBRTakedown Jan. 4th (12:00 am) - January 10th (11:59 pm) I took part in the TBRTakedown 3.0 Challenge. It is hosted by @leaninglights . It is a week long read/tweet-athon  that encourages people to take on their To Be Read shelves.  TBR Challenges: Read a book from your most recent book haul Read a book on your TBR shelf over a year (for longest) Read a non-novel item: poem, verse, novella, short story, etc. Read a book outside your comfort zone! (Genre, content, etc.) Read the first book in a series Complete series/Read a sequel in a series Read a FIRE colored book (Such as shades of red, pink, purple, etc.) Lucky colors for 2016 *MINOR SPOILERS BELOW* Day 1: Read a non-novel item: poem, verse, novella, short story, etc. Read a book on your TBR shelf over a year (for longest) The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me by Roald Dahl   ★★★★★ The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me is just what the title says. It's about a boy who stops by this old sweet sh...

Review: Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes Format (That I Read It): Ebook/Arc Summary: Charmingly murderous anti-hero Joe Goldberg continues his twisted quest for the perfect love in this thrilling follow-up to the “deeply dark yet mesmerizing” You. When Joe follows the woman he wants to marry to the West Coast, he never imagines that his obsession will lead him to such tragedy. Initial Thoughts: I wanted to read this novel as soon as I finished You. Ever since I read it back in September I kept thinking back to the story. The characters haven't been forgotten. I would even randomly pick up the book and flip around the pages wondering what would happen next to Joe. Then one day I was updating my Goodreads page when someone I follow mentioned NetGalley. NetGalley is the website for professional readers that allowing reviewers, booksellers, blogger, etc. to request and read brand new titles then provide feedback for publishers and other readers. I signed up and ...

Review: You by Caroline Kepnes Format (That I Read It): Physical Book, Audiobook Summary: When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card. There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting. As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder. Initial Thoughts: I heard about this book on Booktube. The whole...