tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29153597746600366852024-03-13T10:09:09.809-07:00thatgirlbookwormAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-29312151448900537262016-07-31T11:08:00.000-07:002016-07-31T11:08:26.875-07:00Book Review 49: Nevernight by Jay Kristoff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Cdwhbs0ULY/V54-AGDVYfI/AAAAAAAAApc/342VZrkCUp47t5RtTQUMAxYEYUMECSX7gCLcB/s1600/nevernight-by-jay-kristoff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6Cdwhbs0ULY/V54-AGDVYfI/AAAAAAAAApc/342VZrkCUp47t5RtTQUMAxYEYUMECSX7gCLcB/s320/nevernight-by-jay-kristoff.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">448 Pages</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">August 9th, 2016</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Thomas Dunne Books</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I want to start this review by saying that I asked the publisher Thomas Dunne for an Advanced Copy and they were nice enough to send it my way! </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>This was just <i>amazing!</i></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>So this book is written by an unknown narrator who is telling us the story of a girl named Mia and her journey through assassin school, where she wants to learn so she can avenge the death of her family.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The writing in this book is by far the best part. The first 11 or so pages were done in such a beautiful way that I was instantly hooked to this book. And the writing just continuously gets better. There are footnotes in this book and honestly at first I found them completely jarring. I would get so engrossed in the story but then I would have to jump to a footnote. But the thing I loved was that the footnotes involved little snippets about Mia's character or world building that I absolutely adored. It helped make the story a lot easier to read, but it didn't clog it down with info dumping.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The characters are fantastic as well. Mia is a character that I related to so well. She is easily relatable and has many qualities that people will see in themselves. Her wit, sarcasm, and humour were easy to read and made her a more enjoyable character to read about and her journey and character building was fantastic. </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>As for the side characters, I loved them all. Tric was easily my favourite character but I loved everyone, even the villains. They are all such believable characters and seem very realistic to what you imagine real assassins to be like. </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And the plot. Wow the plot was good. I really loved the whole idea of a school for assassins and the way the school operated and just the entire aspect of the world building. I will admit, there is a section midway through the book that I found a bit slower to read, just because it was like daily life and wasn't always super engrossing, but it was still interesting to read and absolutely key to the story.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The ending of the book though, that's where things went from really good to amazing. I did NOT expect anything that happened and I, on three separate occasions, actually yelled out "WHAT" when I was reading. There were 2 instances at the end of the book that will make the wait for book 2 so unbearable. </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Overall, just an amazing fantasy story that has a great plot, great character, and amazing writing. I recommend to all the lovers of fantasy because what's not to love. And really though, it's assassin's.. what could go wrong?!</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-73133970285725108332016-07-26T07:50:00.001-07:002016-07-26T07:50:28.609-07:00Book Review 48: That Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7ePhGFYPZ1w/V5d2KyUBYrI/AAAAAAAAApQ/6XSnmceojV4rr8KA4Dg49dUE-zk2fDkggCEw/s1600/31051559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7ePhGFYPZ1w/V5d2KyUBYrI/AAAAAAAAApQ/6XSnmceojV4rr8KA4Dg49dUE-zk2fDkggCEw/s320/31051559.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">320 Pages</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">July 26th 2016</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">St. Martin's Press</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fielding Bliss has never forgotten the summer of 1984: the year a heat wave scorched Breathed, Ohio. The year he became friends with the devil. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sal seems to appear out of nowhere - a bruised and tattered thirteen-year-old boy claiming to be the devil himself answering an invitation. Fielding Bliss, the son of a local prosecutor, brings him home where he's welcomed into the Bliss family, assuming he's a runaway from a nearby farm town. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When word spreads that the devil has come to Breathed, not everyone is happy to welcome this self-proclaimed fallen angel. Murmurs follow him and tensions rise, along with the temperatures as an unbearable heat wave rolls into town right along with him. As strange accidents start to occur, riled by the feverish heat, some in the town start to believe that Sal is exactly who he claims to be. While the Bliss family wrestles with their own personal demons, a fanatic drives the town to the brink of a catastrophe that will change this sleepy Ohio backwater forever.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>GUYS. This book was amazing.<br /><br />It's kind of funny because when I read the blurb for this book, all I read was that the Devil comes to this Southern USA town and I knew I wanted to read it. I don't read blurbs often so I didn't read the rest, but just that one or two sentences was enough for me.<br />But the book is about so much more than that. It's about a loss of innocence. It's about families and communities and friendship and sibling relationships and romantic relationships. It covers race issues and LGBT issues and even different than usual psychological issues. And the book does them all WELL. It does not overload you with content, it has a really nice balance.<br /><br />The characters in this book are absolutely so well written. Many times throughout the novel I found it impossible to believe that she was a debut author because this was so well written. Sal, Fielding, Grand, his parents, Elohim, all of them were just so fleshed out. They were complex and complicated, filled with so many feelings and backstories and conflict, and yet they were simple. Prone to human desires and human feelings that everyone feels. Throughout the novel it was hard to see who the villain was. There were obvious villains, but there were moments where I questioned who was bad and who was good. But then I realized that that was the brilliance of the way the author wrote these characters, they were human, they were flawed and could be both bad and good.<br /><br />I loved the setting of the story. I loved this small southern town where it was incredibly hot all summer. There were times when just the descriptions of the heat made me feel like I was experiencing it with them. I could picture this town and all its inhabitants perfectly because it was a simple, yet elaborate, setting.<br /><br />Overall, there's just not enough praise I could give this book. I may have had problems with the book, if I did I honestly don't remember them as by the end I completely had forgotten them. If I had issues, they clearly weren't important. This book broke my heart. It made me feel angry, upset, and even, although rarely, happy. I feel like I lived through this book with the characters and that's not a small thing for me to say. As a debut novel this is amazing, as a novel in general this is still amazing. Tiffany McDaniel definitely has a reader in me for life because I just loved everything about this book so much.</i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: center;">
<div style="background-color: transparent; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-81834407893060093302016-06-10T11:20:00.000-07:002016-06-10T11:22:30.160-07:00Book Review 47: You Know Me Well by Nina Lacour + David Levithan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AJxuSGoN2rs/V1sCJ3kA3OI/AAAAAAAAAow/VBWXAF23udozqH_fWflFcrPCXIWgaQS0QCLcB/s1600/27158835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AJxuSGoN2rs/V1sCJ3kA3OI/AAAAAAAAAow/VBWXAF23udozqH_fWflFcrPCXIWgaQS0QCLcB/s400/27158835.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">248 pages</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">June 7th, 2016</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">St. Martins Press</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Mark and Kate have sat next to each other for an entire year, but have never spoken. For whatever reason, their paths outside of class have never crossed.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">That is, until Kate spots Mark miles away from home, out in the city for a wild, unexpected night. Kate is lost, having just run away from a chance to finally meet the girl she has been in love with from afar. Mark, meanwhile, is in love with his best friend Ryan, who may or may not feel the same way.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When Kate and Mark meet up, little do they know how important they will become to each other--and how, in a very short time, they will know each other better than any of the people who are supposed to know them more.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/0B1zST3Y6S0RcG4maI2CcZoqhezTKddjQCKgB/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>My Thoughts:</b></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><br /></b></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I just want to thank St. Martin's Press for sending me a finished copy of this book to read and review! I absolutely LOVED this book so I am SO happy to have a copy I can display on my shelves!</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>It also gave me an excuse to pick this up right away when I might have put it off for a while.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>It is not every day that a contemporary YA gets put into my favourites shelf. It is actually my least read genre and now all I can wonder is why? Why don't I read more YA contemporary? Why don't I read more LGBTQ+ fiction? Why have I yet to read more David Levithan before now since I loved Every Day so much? And lastly, why have I not picked up anything by Nina Lacour? I don't know the answer to any of these questions, but I am going to be remedying this very quickly and going to look into this genre a lot more.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This book follows Mark and Kate and the way their life changes during Pride Week. They meet one night and find they both have things in common and they help each other deal with the things they need to deal with in their life.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I thought this book was going to be a love story/romance story. It started out to be that way. But this is not a love story. This is about coming to terms with the person you are, with the things you cannot change, with the feelings you have, or don't have, and it's about learning to be the person that you are. This is also not a story about being gay. It's not a story about coming out, or accepting your sexuality, or being uncomfortable in your skin. This is just a story about 2 LGBTQ+ characters who are dealing with the real world. And it's amazing. The messages in this story were amazing. I have never related to a book so much in my life. Both Kate and Mark are dealing with things that I am dealing with in my life right now, but especially Kate, and it was like I was getting a speech from a friend helping me through things I need to deal with.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I just loved this story. The characters were so well written. The writing was so poetic.</i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>It was also really refreshing. The concepts and plots in this story were not new. I have seen unrequited love, stress about graduation, etc., before, but it was all done in this really amazing setting of pride week that made everything so unique. </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Unlike most books, there is nothing in this book I didn't like. There is one small aspect with the way things turned out for Mark that made me really sad, but I think it was a really fitting ending for his story. </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I just loved this and I can't wait to come back to this story one day in the future because my heart is full of happiness (and a little bit of sadness at that one thing but I'll move on). </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Just a little end note: I read this book 3 days ago and I have finished 2 novels since then and I am still thinking about this book because I loved it so much. I absolutely recommend reading this as soon as possible. ESPECIALLY since it's pride month and a perfect time and excuse to get to this sooner rather than later. </i></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-16432223958345683482016-03-13T13:40:00.003-07:002016-03-13T13:40:30.075-07:00Book Review 46 - Killing Adonis by JM Donnellan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kC4JOxvROI4/VuXMhKT-jLI/AAAAAAAAAog/E9Njx3CcC_oih8cv2_T1lDR81OGejD1Pw/s1600/22892716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kC4JOxvROI4/VuXMhKT-jLI/AAAAAAAAAog/E9Njx3CcC_oih8cv2_T1lDR81OGejD1Pw/s400/22892716.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">448 Pages</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">October 1st, 2014</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher:<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Pantera Press</span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary:</div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">LIGHT DUTIES</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">LARGE PAY</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">NO QUESTIONS ASKED ... OR ANSWERED</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">After seeing a curious flyer, Freya takes a job caring for Elijah, the comatose son of the eccentric Vincetti family. She soon discovers that the Vincetti’s labyrinthine mansion hides a wealth of secrets, their corporate rivals have a nasty habit of being extravagantly executed, and Elijah is not the saint they portray him to be.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">As well, Marilyn Monroe keeps showing up, unaware she’s very much deceased. And there’s something very strange about the story that Elijah’s brother Jack is writing …</span></span></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Get A copy of the book:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> T</span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 21px;">his book is not really widely available outside of Australia yet, but you can access it on NetGalley! If you search for Pantera Press in the publisher section, you can get immediate access to the novel!</span></div>
<span class="readable reviewText" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br />As well for any Australian people you can purchase a physical copy on the publisher website at this page: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">https://www.panterapress.com.au/shop/product/621/killing-adonis</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwYzUmubVGo5GUi_tkPD7t_KQ/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>My Thoughts:</b></i></span></div>
<table border="0" cellspacing="1" id="myReview" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Lato, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><i>*I was provided this book by the publisher Pantera Press but all the thoughts in this review are my own.<br /><br />I really enjoyed this book! I had some minor issues, but they didn't impact my reading experience!<br /><br />To start, this book deserves props because this was one of the only books with a mystery aspect I've ever read that I didn't guess the ending. I mean I guessed SOME of it, but not all of it.<br /><br />To start, this book follows a girl, Freya, who gets a job working for a very wealthy family as the live in nurse for their son in a coma. She ends up finding out a lot of dark secrets about their family. They are a very powerful family and the things she learns has the potential to change many things about her world.<br /><br />I really liked the concept of this book. I liked the family dynamic, the mystery, the plot, the setting and the characters. It was really well done. I enjoyed how it was told and the pacing that the author set for all the various reveals in the book. Where I found this book a little bit lacking was that it seemed confused at times in some of the specific details.<br />For example, I personally did not understand the inclusion of Marilyn Monroe/that entire storyline. As well, Freya has a medical anomaly that was also something I was confused about. I understood the medical anomaly storyline a bit because it helped her connect to Jack, but otherwise it was a little bit confusing to me as to the reasoning for the inclusion. It by no means took away from the story though as they were minor points in the plot.<br /><br />I liked the characters honestly which surprised me since I didn't at first. Freya was a weird eccentric type who I just ending up loving. I liked Jack and all his angst and brooding. I just liked how each of them were developed. My one issue with the characters, particularly Freya, was that Freya at times did not act like she was in the mid 20s. I often times had to remind myself that she wasn't 17. She was just more immature than I thought she would be. I also had this issue with Jack but less so.<br />The romance was also a bit weird to me. Don't get me wrong, I liked them definitely, but I didn't feel the chemistry, and I don't feel like they had any progression to their relationship as we only saw a few scenes. But again, I do think this was almost intentional.<br /><br />I initially was quite bittersweet on the ending. It made me sad a little bit but I understood it. But now that I've had more time to think about what happened, I think it was a really fitting and well decided ending. It really made the novel come full circle.<br />As well, The reveal for everything made sense, I felt like there were no plot holes and the mystery part was by far the best aspect of this book for me. I kept reading and tearing through this book trying to figure out what was going on (but again I managed not to figure it out which still surprises me).<br /><br />Overall, a good entertaining read! I would recommend it to people who want a light easy mystery! </i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-66644843947569359842016-03-01T13:37:00.003-08:002016-03-01T13:37:24.294-08:00Book Review 45 - Truthwitch by Susan Dennard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qRaxBSNa4sY/VtYK2h3FmmI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/XoVDUAixbPg/s1600/truthwitch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qRaxBSNa4sY/VtYK2h3FmmI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/XoVDUAixbPg/s400/truthwitch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">412 Pages</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tor</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">January 5th, 2016</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.</span></span><div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>My Thoughts: </i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>4.25 stars </i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">This honestly is more of a 5 star book for me! I really enjoyed it, the story is great, I LOVE the friendships, especially of the female friendships and the complicated family relationships, and I just feel like this story was a breath of fresh air. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">But...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I cannot give this book 5 stars because there are some S E R I O U S issues with this book.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">There is ZERO world building in this novel. And I mean 0. You are thrust into a world and expected to know everything and it's really not enjoyable in that sense.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I wrote a list of questions that I had just in the first 50 pages (I wrote after if the question was answered):</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What is/are the Cahr Awen and why are they important? Wasn't answered, except we do know who they are and what they can do but not why or their purpose or why they didnt exist etc etc.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Where do people get their magic? Not even close to an answer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Does society accept the magic? Is it common knowledge that it exists? Nope. We know that they have tattoos now but nothing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Who has magic, why do THEY have magic? Does everyone have magic? How do they get it? No answer.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What are the threads for that Iseult sees? What makes them happen? Do they do something? nah.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What is cleaving and why does it happen? Are threadwitches the only ones who can see? Nope. This made the end super confusing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What kind of witches are there? We know of some but I would imagine not all.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What are the different kingdoms? What is Merik prince of exactly? Nope. We know WHERE he's prince of but telling me a city doesn't help when all I know is a city.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What is the 20 year truce stopping? What were the terms? What did it protect? What???? And no, once again, no idea.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">What makes Iseult different? Why so much racism? What does she look like in comparison to the rest of the people? We got "her dark skin" as an explanation so there's that. But based on what kind of life she comes from, I get the sense she's a Gypsy(Roma/Sinti) type of race.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I had another book I read recently with a sever world building issue and he said "sometimes the world building isn't important to the story" and while sure, I can maybe get that idea, that's never true. I cannot support Merik's decisions in the book regarding the trade he made because I DONT KNOW WHAT THE TRUCE IS. I don't know the history of their world, I don't know the extent to their suffering, so I cannot sympathize. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I really enjoyed this book at face value, but I cannot get immersed in this world, I cannot fully love and care for any character because I cannot connect to this story. So while it is a GREAT book, the lack of world building just ruins so much of the story.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">But clearly Dennard was going for a character driven story, rather than a plot/world driven story and it shows. Her characters are really well rounded. I love Safi dearly, I love Iseult less but I care for her more. Merik annoyed me but was really well written and I loved his adorable bromance with Kullen. Really just well rounded characters with some fantastic side characters. And while race is not something mentioned in this book (I mean it is, but not really) I do get a huge sense this is a diverse group of characters.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">So yeah. 4.25 because I truly enjoyed the book and I cannot wait to continue, but I can't give it more because of the really terrible world building done. </span></i></span></div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-27246730083220658002016-02-27T18:43:00.001-08:002016-02-27T18:43:19.342-08:00Book Review 44 - An Amber in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bds7WFJ07Rg/VtJd5nzRA1I/AAAAAAAAAoA/gIxs8Z1J-7M/s1600/tumblr_nprivkequh1upr3sxo1_540.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Bds7WFJ07Rg/VtJd5nzRA1I/AAAAAAAAAoA/gIxs8Z1J-7M/s400/tumblr_nprivkequh1upr3sxo1_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">464 </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Razorbill</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">April 28th, 2015</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Before I start, I need to state that my enjoyment of this book was more than 3 stars. At least in the beginning. I liked the concept, I liked the world, I liked the story. Despite some flaws in world building and some dislikable characters, the book was pretty good.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">My issues that caused me to lose interest and stop reading are two separate problems that sort of link together. There may be spoilers to specifics scenes so if you want to read the book really don't read this.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">The first reason: The author's lack of commitment. She introduced many many situations where the plot was going to GREAT situations, the climax was at a peak, and then she just let go. One prime example, and kind of the one that got me to stop reading in the end, was the third trial. Elias and Helene were to fight to the death, the winner moves on in the trials to the last one. After the disappointment I had been faced, I was excited. Something FINALLY would happen. Elias would have to kill Helene. But no, the moment it is about to happen, Helene conveniently happens to be wearing armour illegal in this trial. It was so disappointing. I didn't want Helene to die, not at all in fact since she is the only character left that I like, but I wanted the author to commit to something. Commit to a scene, commit to something she introduced. Helene could have still lived wearing the armour fighting Marcus, that would have been fine. But have Elias fight and kill Zak. Have something happen. You can't have a fight to the death and then let the other person live. It's a cop out. And it brings me to my second problem.....</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Which was the fact that I can see the outline of the book. This is hard to explain so it will take time. Brace yourselves. Often times when I read a book, I see something happen and I'm like WOW. Or I see something coming and I am like "yeah I knew that would happen." This book isn't predictable but it's not plot twisty either. My problem is that I can SEE why the author wrote the book the way she did. I can SEE why she included the fight to the death, she wanted Helene and Elias to fight and to show that Elias was a tough character not willing to back down, but she didn't actually want Helene to die because it didn't fit the plot, so she included the armour. I DO NOT like to be able to see why the author wrote scenes the way she did. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Another example of this is the scene when Laia almost gets raped by Marcus (again, I didn't want Laia or ANYONE to get raped, but if you're going to include things you have to go all the way with them). I could see why it happened where it happened. It happened near the secret entrance so that someone would realize she saw it and close it up, therefore ruining her plans. It happened in the middle of Helene and Elias' fight/kiss so the tension could build and so Elias could go and "rescue" her and be the knight in shining armour, it happened so it would give Elias and Helene another reason to fight, therefore spurring on the fight to the death. I just read the scene and instantly knew every reason the author chose to include the scene and I do not like this experience and this is the first time it's ever happened to me. I normally can predict things and maybe see them coming, but I do not like to know this basic foundation of the plot. I feel like I'm cheating and I know things I don't know. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">So there you have it, in the grand scheme I DO like this book. It's interesting, I want to know how it finishes and all that and even maybe read the sequel, but because of those 2 previous things, my actual reading experience has been really dampened and I am not enjoying myself.</span></span></i></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-14474612684784984932016-01-30T13:48:00.003-08:002016-01-30T13:48:26.906-08:00JANUARY 2016 NEW RELEASES Here's a list of all the popular book releases (and re-releases) of January 2016 incase you missed any! Click on the titles to be brought to the Goodreads page!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>January 5th</b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ySAy6h4mpaU/Vq0sGcG2N4I/AAAAAAAAAmA/wPrjEun1gpM/s1600/20983362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ySAy6h4mpaU/Vq0sGcG2N4I/AAAAAAAAAmA/wPrjEun1gpM/s320/20983362.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20983362-passenger">Passenger</a> by Alexandra Bracken</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYEws7heQ3A/Vq0sHpLrSjI/AAAAAAAAAmI/Ygzh2oLGSJ4/s1600/21414439.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eYEws7heQ3A/Vq0sHpLrSjI/AAAAAAAAAmI/Ygzh2oLGSJ4/s320/21414439.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21414439-truthwitch">Truthwitch</a> by Susan Dennard</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XND30WN_Fw0/Vq0sXljCZJI/AAAAAAAAAn0/tS5rvXecQss/s1600/25309770.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XND30WN_Fw0/Vq0sXljCZJI/AAAAAAAAAn0/tS5rvXecQss/s320/25309770.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25309770-curio">Curio</a> by Evangeline Denmark</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_RKi6qo4QQ/Vq0sRHKwr_I/AAAAAAAAAnE/B_-6jMewfX0/s1600/23480844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s_RKi6qo4QQ/Vq0sRHKwr_I/AAAAAAAAAnE/B_-6jMewfX0/s320/23480844.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23480844-firsts">Firsts</a> by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nh5X3M7SSPQ/Vq0sWulVO5I/AAAAAAAAAns/9_c91kN-5Y8/s1600/24529123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Nh5X3M7SSPQ/Vq0sWulVO5I/AAAAAAAAAns/9_c91kN-5Y8/s320/24529123.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24529123-this-is-where-it-ends">This is Where It Ends</a> by Marieke Nijkamp</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>January 11th</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TcJnw0_OVc/Vq0sKvFzSnI/AAAAAAAAAmc/wLCXYWsbN2c/s1600/27252717.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TcJnw0_OVc/Vq0sKvFzSnI/AAAAAAAAAmc/wLCXYWsbN2c/s320/27252717.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27252717-the-score">The Score</a> by Elle Kennedy</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">January 19th</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Ges_7N6Cns/Vq0sIcspblI/AAAAAAAAAmU/hzpUQd3oAhs/s1600/25454883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_Ges_7N6Cns/Vq0sIcspblI/AAAAAAAAAmU/hzpUQd3oAhs/s320/25454883.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25454883-never-never">Never Never Part 3</a> by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOicMVLOjcM/Vq0sMH0I4AI/AAAAAAAAAmk/70Jb6sjc4Fw/s1600/12444298.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cOicMVLOjcM/Vq0sMH0I4AI/AAAAAAAAAmk/70Jb6sjc4Fw/s320/12444298.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12444298-feverborn">Feverborn</a> by Karen Marie Moning</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OyMzt7lwH6c/Vq0sUAkG-SI/AAAAAAAAAnc/3KXjeyh_FW4/s1600/21018154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OyMzt7lwH6c/Vq0sUAkG-SI/AAAAAAAAAnc/3KXjeyh_FW4/s320/21018154.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21018154-bookishly-ever-after">Bookishly Ever After</a> by Isabel Bandeira</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">January 26th</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qpyXKKaZnm8/Vq0sPMBeddI/AAAAAAAAAm0/ucImLUTH6Q8/s1600/18739426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qpyXKKaZnm8/Vq0sPMBeddI/AAAAAAAAAm0/ucImLUTH6Q8/s320/18739426.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18739426-the-bands-of-mourning">The Bands of Mourning</a> by Brandon Sanderson</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc1nh446w3E/Vq0sQNohDQI/AAAAAAAAAm8/KxHcbPkbVhw/s1600/15993203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cc1nh446w3E/Vq0sQNohDQI/AAAAAAAAAm8/KxHcbPkbVhw/s320/15993203.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15993203-the-dark-days-club">The Dark Days Club</a> by Alison Goodman</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3pWZBCKEeeY/Vq0sSLdTYHI/AAAAAAAAAnM/fQ8LsNPFf6E/s1600/25817407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3pWZBCKEeeY/Vq0sSLdTYHI/AAAAAAAAAnM/fQ8LsNPFf6E/s320/25817407.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25817407-the-siren">The Siren</a> by Kiera Cass (Re-release)</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtHrpiWbq84/Vq0sTYlXstI/AAAAAAAAAnU/b6agWdvfraw/s1600/16130759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtHrpiWbq84/Vq0sTYlXstI/AAAAAAAAAnU/b6agWdvfraw/s320/16130759.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16130759-night-study">Night Study</a> by Maria V. Snyder</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DSGhhU1teDE/Vq0sVQWE4lI/AAAAAAAAAnk/J2iQxbNP9gI/s1600/11992012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DSGhhU1teDE/Vq0sVQWE4lI/AAAAAAAAAnk/J2iQxbNP9gI/s320/11992012.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11992012-the-prophecy-of-shadows">The Prophecy of Shadows</a> by Michelle Madow</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>January 31st</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-66C7dkLv_tQ/Vq0sNy2z_MI/AAAAAAAAAms/5K9xIGu86Fk/s1600/23714544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-66C7dkLv_tQ/Vq0sNy2z_MI/AAAAAAAAAms/5K9xIGu86Fk/s320/23714544.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23714544-beautiful-burn">Beautiful Burn</a> by Jamie Mcguire</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-77047442780695721592016-01-30T12:18:00.004-08:002016-01-30T12:18:55.458-08:00FEBRUARY 2016 NEW RELEASES Here's a list of popular books coming out in February 2016!! Click on the book titles to be brought to the Goodreads page for each book.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">February 2nd: </span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GzaOyhjDt8E/Vq0XRJqsNMI/AAAAAAAAAk8/K4Wpm3uFcFU/s1600/21793182.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GzaOyhjDt8E/Vq0XRJqsNMI/AAAAAAAAAk8/K4Wpm3uFcFU/s320/21793182.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21793182-starflight">Starflight</a> by Melissa Landers</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-_-m-yQUCw/Vq0XO2bbR3I/AAAAAAAAAkw/vXpa98ZHtVc/s1600/25689074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y-_-m-yQUCw/Vq0XO2bbR3I/AAAAAAAAAkw/vXpa98ZHtVc/s320/25689074.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25689074-stars-above">Stars Above: A Lunar Chronicles Collection</a> by Marissa Meyer</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>February 9th:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FkEMk6YWl1o/Vq0XMNTtrII/AAAAAAAAAkg/QUAs2yFoZyQ/s1600/23174274.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FkEMk6YWl1o/Vq0XMNTtrII/AAAAAAAAAkg/QUAs2yFoZyQ/s320/23174274.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23174274-glass-sword">Glass Sword</a> by Victoria Aveyard</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSguh1uz-M0/Vq0XTFN3EII/AAAAAAAAAlQ/7JBTvwy8k8Y/s1600/23688792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSguh1uz-M0/Vq0XTFN3EII/AAAAAAAAAlQ/7JBTvwy8k8Y/s320/23688792.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23688792-these-vicious-masks">These Vicious Masks</a> by Tarun Shanker and Kelly Zekas</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dQwV5gY93jc/Vq0XVt4N1II/AAAAAAAAAlo/cu9SYwifqNM/s1600/18966806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dQwV5gY93jc/Vq0XVt4N1II/AAAAAAAAAlo/cu9SYwifqNM/s320/18966806.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18966806-morning-star">Morning Star</a> by Pierce Brown</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>February 16th</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyM8Zm2D1EQ/Vq0XNC_PWpI/AAAAAAAAAko/7fJ_uPAQMq4/s1600/23430471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hyM8Zm2D1EQ/Vq0XNC_PWpI/AAAAAAAAAko/7fJ_uPAQMq4/s320/23430471.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23430471-riders">Riders</a> by Veronica Rossi</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lsm9V4n86qc/Vq0XUEgL_AI/AAAAAAAAAlY/R4fxbHv5fCI/s1600/23299513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lsm9V4n86qc/Vq0XUEgL_AI/AAAAAAAAAlY/R4fxbHv5fCI/s320/23299513.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23299513-the-shadow-queen">The Shadow Queen</a> by C.J Redwine</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hlXrn-vIdxM/Vq0Y97aYsrI/AAAAAAAAAlw/7vynGvzCKeY/s1600/21979832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hlXrn-vIdxM/Vq0Y97aYsrI/AAAAAAAAAlw/7vynGvzCKeY/s320/21979832.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21979832-the-girl-from-everywhere">The Girl From Everywhere</a> by Heidi Heilig</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>February 23rd</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYin0K283bE/Vq0XP_oN83I/AAAAAAAAAk4/0nod4IpTTjI/s1600/20764879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IYin0K283bE/Vq0XP_oN83I/AAAAAAAAAk4/0nod4IpTTjI/s320/20764879.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20764879-a-gathering-of-shadows">A Gathering of Shadows</a> by V.E Schwab</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Z8INA3r714/Vq0XR5tQXlI/AAAAAAAAAlI/0wHHI2HjLK0/s1600/21396155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6Z8INA3r714/Vq0XR5tQXlI/AAAAAAAAAlI/0wHHI2HjLK0/s320/21396155.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21396155-the-forbidden-wish">The Forbidden Wish</a> by Jessica Khoury</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1mqS_zGadVI/Vq0XU-2ee0I/AAAAAAAAAlg/ESTA0dxNjoc/s1600/25056628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1mqS_zGadVI/Vq0XU-2ee0I/AAAAAAAAAlg/ESTA0dxNjoc/s320/25056628.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25056628-the-power">The Power</a> by Jennifer L Armentrout</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-82988559312432621532015-12-31T19:10:00.001-08:002016-01-01T21:07:12.128-08:00FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>It's that time of the year again! The time to list my favourite books I read in 2015. It was hard to limit myself in this because I had an excellent reading year but I managed to limit the list! These are in an order so the last book in this list is the one I loved the most!</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#14 - Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake: </b>This book was an absolute surprise to me. It is about a boy who is a part of a family that hunts supernatural things so he and his mom move to Canada and he goes to an extremely haunted house where the ghost of a girl named Anna kills everyone that's ever gone inside her house... except for him. This was spectacular. It was just an amazing unique story and it's unlike anything I've ever read before. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ukvmyFUqCY/VoXjJR58pLI/AAAAAAAAAkE/tEzMMaJ9elw/s1600/9378297.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1ukvmyFUqCY/VoXjJR58pLI/AAAAAAAAAkE/tEzMMaJ9elw/s320/9378297.jpg" width="221" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">#13 - The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer:</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>This book is not something I ever planned to read. It came out when I was younger and a lot of people I know read it and I just never wanted to. In this world, really rich people in what was once Mexico can create clones of themselves that they use to harvest parts to allow them to live to be 200 years old. This plot was just fantastic and honestly the world building was incredible. It really shows the flaws in our world and was really just so well written. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uGxajGjVH9k/VoXjJ1D4lfI/AAAAAAAAAjg/AA7VnJaLd6s/s1600/TheHouseoftheScorpion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uGxajGjVH9k/VoXjJ1D4lfI/AAAAAAAAAjg/AA7VnJaLd6s/s320/TheHouseoftheScorpion.jpg" width="213" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b># 12 - These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meghan Spooner: </b>Wow. This book is described as Titanic in space and honestly that suits it. It's just amazing. There are only 2 characters in this novel and it's such a fast paced and beautiful story. The entire trilogy is fantastic but this one was the best of the three. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jjOCVt-DRwE/VoXjIwIaytI/AAAAAAAAAkA/A0I-dftGskY/s1600/13138635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jjOCVt-DRwE/VoXjIwIaytI/AAAAAAAAAkA/A0I-dftGskY/s320/13138635.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#11 - Reboot and Rebel by Amy Tintera:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>This duology made me wish every trilogy I've ever read was a duology. I LOVED this. It's basically a zombie story, but it sure as heck doesn't seem like it. In this story, when you die the "clock starts" so to speak. The longer you stay dead, the stronger you are when you come back to life. So everyone that dies and comes back to life as a zombie ends up going to this training camp for the army. These zombie's are stronger, healthier and less emotional than normal humans. The main character is number 118 (I think) and she trains a ton of new people because she's the highest number. Just absolutely fantastic well paced amazing character and world building and just a great fully developed story. Do yourself a favour and read this!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OMI7yYGyKbI/VoXjKtLf0zI/AAAAAAAAAjw/PteIpCP4C-k/s1600/tumblr_inline_n63hcr8Bn61s75nlc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OMI7yYGyKbI/VoXjKtLf0zI/AAAAAAAAAjw/PteIpCP4C-k/s1600/tumblr_inline_n63hcr8Bn61s75nlc.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#10 - All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>This book follows a boy and a girl who meet on the top of a bell tower. The girl is trying to get over the death of her sister, and the boy is obsessed with death, more by how he will die. This book is a poem basically. It's a beautiful amazing story with fantastic characters, amazing messages and a heartbreaking storyline. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly3H6ULfHbk/VoXjIjIs4YI/AAAAAAAAAjc/pYQ7k_Qii4E/s1600/18460392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ly3H6ULfHbk/VoXjIjIs4YI/AAAAAAAAAjc/pYQ7k_Qii4E/s320/18460392.jpg" width="210" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#9 - Confess by Colleen Hoover:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b> It's no lie that Colleen Hoover is one of my favourite authors and Confess is by far the best book by her. I can't even begin to describe this book because it has a mediocre blurb but an AMAZING execution. The artistic story in this novel is what put it over the top for me. I cried like a baby and didn't stop thinking about this long after I was done. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JyoM7FIYO-k/VoXkVKEOmAI/AAAAAAAAAkM/ARyAPw0Csc0/s1600/22609310.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JyoM7FIYO-k/VoXkVKEOmAI/AAAAAAAAAkM/ARyAPw0Csc0/s320/22609310.jpg" width="206" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#8 - Saga Volumes 1-5 by Brian K Vaughan:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>It hurts me to put this at #8. This is my first ever graphic novel series and it was outstanding. I have honestly no words. This story follows a world where a planet is in a war with it's moon and a soldier from the planet falls in love with a civilian from the moon and they have a baby. It's got so many side storylines and just a great cast of characters and it's hilarious and beautiful and yes so good. 18+ though guys, very graphic. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hk-GBTPkp_I/VoXjJcQVjbI/AAAAAAAAAj4/pP2LtuM2whs/s1600/250px-Saga1coverByFionaStaples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Hk-GBTPkp_I/VoXjJcQVjbI/AAAAAAAAAj4/pP2LtuM2whs/s320/250px-Saga1coverByFionaStaples.jpg" width="207" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#7 - The girl of Fire and Thorns series by Rae Carson:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>If you would have told me after I finished book 1 that this would be #7 on my favourites of 2015 out of the 164 books I read, I would have said you were nuts. But wow this series. It's such a complicated series to explain but the main relationship in this series and the characters in general are so well done and well developed that I've honestly never seen better character development in my life. Fantastic doesn't even cover it. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ae1YCVE8uPk/VoXjKgJ6vuI/AAAAAAAAAj0/nqY4OtD1SE4/s1600/untitled-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ae1YCVE8uPk/VoXjKgJ6vuI/AAAAAAAAAj0/nqY4OtD1SE4/s320/untitled-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#6 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>On the other side of The Girl of Fire and Thorns series is this, I can't believe this book only made #6. Not that it's not good, it's really really good. Amazing infact. But it's just I read too many good books this year. There is no way for me to really explain this to you in a way that will make you read it so I'll link you to my review: <a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/10/book-review-40-name-of-wind-by-patrick.html">http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/10/book-review-40-name-of-wind-by-patrick.html</a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XK8mnsKM5QA/VoXjJ6pPB_I/AAAAAAAAAjU/j0bqnWnk3wg/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XK8mnsKM5QA/VoXjJ6pPB_I/AAAAAAAAAjU/j0bqnWnk3wg/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#5 - Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta</b><b style="font-style: italic;">: </b>I can't believe this only made #5. This is probably my favourite contemporary. It's complicated and confusing to start but it's also beautiful and heartbreaking and almost haunting in the way it makes you feel. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Efz1kMBBN4/VoXjJZc4bOI/AAAAAAAAAjo/3-oVDBt8zb4/s1600/7042434.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Efz1kMBBN4/VoXjJZc4bOI/AAAAAAAAAjo/3-oVDBt8zb4/s320/7042434.jpg" width="212" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#4 - Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>Amie Kaufman has become an autobuy author after this year. She has NOT let me down and this book was no different. This is definitely the best fantasy book I've read this year and almost ever I would say. It's a story about space but it's told through IM's and psychology reports and program messages and just the most unique way to tell a story that I've ever seen and it worked. I just love this so much and the Hardcover is stunning.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UMSQkxYfafw/VoXjJJnOyRI/AAAAAAAAAjs/-yXCl-wDsKI/s1600/23395680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UMSQkxYfafw/VoXjJJnOyRI/AAAAAAAAAjs/-yXCl-wDsKI/s320/23395680.jpg" width="211" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#3 - Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli:</b><b style="font-style: italic;"> </b>This book. This is the most realistic portrayal of a teenage boy I've ever seen. It follows a boy named Simon who has been talking to someone named Blue. All he knows about Blue is he is also gay and that they both go to the same school, but that's it. Simon is being blackmailed by someone who is threatening to out his sexuality to the entire school. Wowie this book blew my entire mind. My number one hesitation when it comes to reading books about sexuality is that they are always so depressing, but this wasn't. This was lighthearted, unbelievably realistic and just flipping fantastic! I recommend this to everyone on earth literally and I was to see this hit the big screen so the beautiful messages in this story can be shared to everyone!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_nFjPSbQH_E/VoXjKPb6u7I/AAAAAAAAAjk/2VyE-8DkXic/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_nFjPSbQH_E/VoXjKPb6u7I/AAAAAAAAAjk/2VyE-8DkXic/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>#2 - Wonder by RJ Palacio: </b>This isn't going to make sense at all but bare with me.. This is by far the best book I read this year, but it's not #1. My real #1 is only in that spot because it's my favourite book I've ever read but it's not my favourite book I read this year. This is the best book I've read this year, perhaps in my whole 22 years of living. I just L O V E D this. I can't even begin to talk about it because I don't want you to have to be convinced to read it, I just want you to read it. It follows this 10 year old boy who was born with severe facial deformities and he goes to school for the first time ever. And wow it's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking in a beautiful way. It's honestly one of the most important books I've read because it has such powerful messages about beauty, true worth and how we see other people. Just fantastic. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hTXlObLvPxc/VoXjGcu92nI/AAAAAAAAAik/etygxhL8H6w/s1600/81zdSFzJh%252BL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hTXlObLvPxc/VoXjGcu92nI/AAAAAAAAAik/etygxhL8H6w/s320/81zdSFzJh%252BL.jpg" width="208" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>And finally... </i><span style="font-weight: bold;">#1 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern:</span><i style="font-weight: bold;"> </i>This is, as I said before, the top book I read in 2015 because it is my favourite book I've ever read. I've read Harry Potter and I love the wizarding world, but if you told me I could go to a fictional place in the world, I'd be heading to this circus. Stunning. This book is stunning. The imagery, the world building, the vividness of this story is just stunning. It's a puzzle and it fits together so well and wow I just honestly have no words. I want to have a Night Circus really exist more than I want anything else from a fictional book to exist. Just a phenomenal read for me!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--zVAMiyPGeI/VoXjIotpe1I/AAAAAAAAAj8/h7JHVcND2rM/s1600/13330943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--zVAMiyPGeI/VoXjIotpe1I/AAAAAAAAAj8/h7JHVcND2rM/s320/13330943.jpg" width="207" /></a></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-style: italic; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So that's all everyone!! That's my top 14 of 2015! I had a great reading year and I honestly cannot wait to see what amazing books I discover in 2016! Let me know what your favourite book of the year was!!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-63675942084658359362015-12-27T10:51:00.004-08:002015-12-27T10:51:56.569-08:00Book Review 43: Wonder by R.J. Palacio<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qD7NbXc9TCQ/VoAyn0cUgFI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/wJ-mj4C7HhA/s1600/winder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qD7NbXc9TCQ/VoAyn0cUgFI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/wJ-mj4C7HhA/s400/winder.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">315</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Corgi</span><br />
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">February 14th, 2012</span><br />
Summary:<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?</span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b>My Thoughts:</b></i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">"Sometimes you don't have to mean to hurt someone to hurt someone."</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I can honestly say that this book was so different than I expected. What I expected was some book with a guy who was extremely misfigured and that his life would be living hell and that he would be made fun of and picked on constantly. I pictured it being heartbreaking and really just the most depressing book ever. And in a way it was. But not in the way I imagined. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I've written and erased at least ten different ways to try to explain this book. This book is beautiful to start, not just the writing, which was SO well done I can't even comprehend how well done it was, but characters are beautiful. This is 100% a character driven story. There is a plot but the characters carry the plot. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">The characters are flawless. And I don't mean flawless like they have no flaws, but they are so flawlessly written that it's so hard to critique. The characters all have faults. All of them except Auggie's mom really. She was honestly the best character in this story. Her strength and love and just maternal instinct's were beautiful and there is no mom I would have preferred for Auggie. His dad is the same. He made me cry in the end and I just I loved his dad dearly. But the rest of the characters were flawed and that was the best. You could understand and relate to the side characters, the things they said and the things they did (except Julian, we hate that guy) but at the same time you wanted to hate them but you just can't. Perfectly done relatable and flawed characters.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">And then there's Auggie. My dear beautiful little Auggie. There's a certain speech in this book that made me cry, if you've read the book you know the one. Everything I want to say about this beautiful boy was said in that scene so I will just leave it at this. The strongest and most beautiful and relatable but unrelatable character and I honestly love him. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I just... this book is a book that lingers. I thought about it all day and it will stay with me for the rest of my life. This book has so many life lessons, it makes you appreciate what you have, "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">be kinder than necessary,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">" realize how strong some people can be, and just learn how to be a decent human being. I love that this is required reading for some schools and honestly should be mandatory for all humans to have to read this because it would make everyone just a little bit nicer. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 21px;">I wanted to write more, and more eloquently, but really this book left me speechless and this is all I can manage. I need to find myself a special place on my shelves for this book to be displayed because it's got a special place in my heart.</span></span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-46757246753176534032015-12-21T21:02:00.000-08:002015-12-21T21:02:27.579-08:00Book Challenge 2015<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><b><u>This year I did a 2015 reading challenge. I didn't complete it entirely, but I did almost all of them. I numbered them 1-52 (going down the left side followed by down the right side). Here is a list of the books, and my reviews for each book (click on the book title to be linked to the review)!</u></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ol>
<li>A Book with More than 500 Pages - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/07/book-review-6-love-rosie.html">Love, Rosie</a></i></li>
<li>A Romance - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-23-ugly-love-by-colleen.html">Ugly Love</a></i></li>
<li>A Book That Became/Is Becoming A Movie - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1084573473?book_show_action=false">Dark Places</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Published This Year - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-33-winners-crime-by-marie.html">The Winner's Crime</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With A Number In The Title - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1001533490?book_show_action=false">Ready Player One</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Written By Someone Under 30 - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1186575787?book_show_action=false">Four</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With Non-Human Characters - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1003199750?book_show_action=false">Opal</a></i></li>
<li>A Funny Book - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1202645281?book_show_action=false">Of Poseidon</a></i></li>
<li>A Book By A Female Author - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1183481630?book_show_action=false">The Jewel</a></i></li>
<li>A Mystery Or Thriller - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1084573464?book_show_action=false">Sharp Objects</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With A One Word Title - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/978660922?book_show_action=false">Reboot</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Of Short Stories - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1257809073?book_show_action=false">Trigger Warnings</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Set In A Different Country - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1223115304?book_show_action=false">Sapphire Blue</a></i></li>
<li>A Nonfiction Book - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1163599335?book_show_action=false">America and the Pill</a></i></li>
<li>A Popular Author's First Book - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-28-eragon-by-christopher.html">Eragon</a></i></li>
<li>A Book From Your Favorite Author That You Haven't Read Yet - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/364873766?book_show_action=false">Between The Lines</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Recommended By A Friend - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/07/pages-432-publisher-harper-teen.html">Jellicoe Road</a></i></li>
<li>A Pulitzer Prize Winning Book - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1338755691?book_show_action=false">All The Light We Cannot See</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Based On A True Story - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1295020462?book_show_action=false">John Wayne Gacy: Defending a Monster</a></i></li>
<li>A Book At The Bottom Of Your To Read List - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/797237144?book_show_action=false">The Longest Ride</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Your Mom or Dad Loves - My mom doesn't really read so this wasn't applicable. </li>
<li>A Book That Scares You - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/361425735?book_show_action=false">The Shining</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Over 100 Years Old - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1367562345?book_show_action=false">Madame Bovary</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Based Entirely On It's Cover - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1150566949?book_show_action=false">The Winner's Curse</a></i></li>
<li>A Book You Were Supposed To Read For School But Didn't - I actually always did my school readings so this isn't really applicable to me</li>
<li>A Memoir - I never got around to Anne Frank's Diary. </li>
<li>A Book You Can Finish In A Day - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1157898680?book_show_action=false">This Girl</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With Antonyms In The Title - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/626982468?book_show_action=false">Beautiful Disaster</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Set Somewhere You've Always Wanted To Visit - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1164185210?book_show_action=false">The Graveyard Book</a></i></li>
<li>A Book That Came Out The Year You Were Born - The only book I know of really is Voyager and I was not up for reading Voyager this year.</li>
<li>A Book With Bad Reviews - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-21-snuff-by-chuck-palahniuk.html">Snuff</a></i></li>
<li>A Trilogy: Book One - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1010479737?book_show_action=false">The Girl of Fire and Thorns</a></i></li>
<li>A Trilogy: Book Two - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1212478616?book_show_action=false">The Crown of Embers</a></i></li>
<li>A Trilogy: Book Three - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1212478877?book_show_action=false">The Bitter Kingdom</a></i></li>
<li>A Book From Your Childhood - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/09/series-review-inheritance-cycle-by.html">Eldest</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With A Love Triangle - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1002987929?book_show_action=false">The Sky is Everywhere</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Set In The Future - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-27-house-of-scorpion-by.html">The House of the Scorpion</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Set In High School - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1208409951?book_show_action=false">Don't Look Back</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With A Colour In The Title - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1223115710?book_show_action=false">Emerald Green</a></i></li>
<li>A Book That Made/Makes You Cry - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/07/book-review-13-confess.html">Confess</a></i></li>
<li>A Book With Magic - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/07/book-review-1-night-circus.html">The Night Circus</a></i></li>
<li>A Graphic Novel - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1384011351">Saga Volume 1</a></i></li>
<li>A Book By An Author You've Never Read Before - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1177068415?book_show_action=false">Fire and Flood</a></i></li>
<li>A Book You Own But Have Never Read - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/07/book-review-12-this-shattered-world.html">This Shattered World</a></i></li>
<li>*A Book With A Food In The Title - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1163599408?book_show_action=false">Bread Givers</a></i></li>
<li>A Book That Was Originally Written In Another Language - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1029366290?book_show_action=false">Ruby Red</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Set During Christmas - <i><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-34-my-true-love-gave-to-me.html">My True Love Gave To Me: 12 Holiday Stories</a></i></li>
<li>A Book By An Author With Your Initials - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1074729247?book_show_action=false">The Young Elites</a></i></li>
<li>A Play - I have never read a play for fun and I could not find any that I thought I would enjoy.</li>
<li>A Banned Book - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/523625700?book_show_action=false">Lolita</a></i></li>
<li>A Book Turned Into or Based on A TV Show- <i><a book_show_action="false" href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/904006831?book_show_action=false">The 100</a></i></li>
<li>A Book You Started But Never Finished - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/658158018?book_show_action=false">Linger</a></i></li>
</ol>
<div>
* I could not find a book that took place in my city so I changed it to A Book With a Food in the Title<br />
<br />
I'm pretty proud of my progress, despite not completing it! I branched out in my reading this year and some of the reason for that is due to this challenge!</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-88977125790144051452015-11-22T15:56:00.001-08:002015-11-22T15:56:19.280-08:00Book Review 42: Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRmnOSkhihA/VlH-f9tbscI/AAAAAAAAAhs/FEPqufUGxfE/s1600/betweenthelines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRmnOSkhihA/VlH-f9tbscI/AAAAAAAAAhs/FEPqufUGxfE/s400/betweenthelines.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">352</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Hodder</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">June 20th, 2013</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">A romantic and charming story, this companion novel to Off the Page will make every reader believe in the fantastical power of fairy tales.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I have to say, my rating for this one surprised me. It's no secret that Jodi Picoult is one of, if not my favorite author. I now own 21 of her books and my collection is only growing from here. But this one was not cutting it for me. 60% through the book this was still only a 2.5/5 star book for me. But it got so much better near the end and improved and I really enjoyed it to the point where it became a 4 star book.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>This book had a GREAT concept. It follows a character named Oliver and a character named Delilah. Delilah is reading a fairy tale book when one day the character inside her book reaches out to her for help. What we don't know is that characters in books have actual lives whey the book is closed and Oliver has spent his entire existence wanting to be outside the book. The novel follows them and also there are chapters of the actual fairy tale in the book (which were my favorite chapters)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I will say, as much as I loved the plot, I DO think that this concept could have been done better by someone else. Jodi Picoult is mainly an adult fiction writer. That's not to say she can't write young adult/middle grade books, I mean I know her daughter worked with her, but I just don't think this is the genre I would tell her to stick with. There were a lot of really cheesy and unbelievable moments that I just felt like the book could have done without. As well, I realize fairy tales ALWAYS have insta love and this book is meant to be read like a fairy tale, but the insta love was just not well done in my opinion in this one.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Oliver is a really great character. Actually Oliver's world inside the book with Frump and stuff were just the best parts. I loved all the characters. But Delilah was where the characters fell flat for me. She was really juvenile for a teenager. Just immature and young and extremely annoying. She gets mad at her mom because her mom is worried about her, but girl you're talking to a novel, of course she's going to worry. She also gets mad that other people can't hear Oliver but like again no one really expects a novel to talk to them so of course they can't hear him. She was just senseless for a character and I was never rooting for her. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Also the fact that she just dumps everyone in her life for a boy really disgusts me but that's just something that bothers me in general in life so I just gravitated towards anger when she did this.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Overall enjoyable. Best book ever? Definitely not. But cute, fun and easy to read. I can definitely see the appeal for little kids (and adults) who like fairy tales and they'd probably really enjoy this.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-5359189610288802182015-11-22T09:48:00.000-08:002015-11-22T09:53:05.368-08:00Book Review 41 - Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ieswLjuQgZI/VlH-ph5mDDI/AAAAAAAAAhw/S8YG5GJpo5M/s1600/illm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ieswLjuQgZI/VlH-ph5mDDI/AAAAAAAAAhw/S8YG5GJpo5M/s400/illm.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Pages: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">599</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Knopf</span><br />
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">October 20, 2015</span><br />
Summary:<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">This afternoon, her planet was invaded.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">swore</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"> she'd never speak to again.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<b><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Thoughts:</span></i></b><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>My first thought when I heard about this book was Yes I need to read it because Amie Kaufman. This book has been very hyped for a while now, I've seen it all over booktube and Goodreads and I didn't know much about it but one of the book hauls I watched had it featured, and they mentioned that it was written in a really unique but different style and I just wrote it off.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>I had no intention of getting this book. Honestly I didn't really plan to buy it because I did not think I would like it. Weird writing style never does it for me and I figured like okay well Amie Kaufman is great but that book won't be for me. Thing is, when I went to the bookstore to pick up November 9, I saw this book and when I was looking at it I noticed that one copy (one out of at least 30) had a 40% off sticker, so for some reason I just decided to buy it. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>I am SO GLAD I bought this book, and started it right away (something I also never do). This book was outstanding and the writing style wasn't hard to understand at all, like I imagined it being. It wasn't even something you need to get used to, you are just used to it when you start it. It was actually almost easier to understand this writing style than normal books. There was so long filler information, nothing boring or unnecessary. Every word, page, and moment was absolutely necessary to the plot. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>The plot itself was crazy. I honestly still don't even know or understand half of what I read. I mean I understand it, but I don't really <i>understand</i> what it all means for the world. The last 10 pages just changes everything and everything just got more crazy and confusing but in such a good way and I want the next book. There was never a dull moment. Like you know how most books have like the really big main event in the end and then there's like 20 pages of stuff after where you get a wrap up conclusion and chaos. Nah the main event of this book was like 40% through, followed by like 3 other main events that just turned this into a kick ass action packed story. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>The 3 main characters were great, even though 1 was <i>very weird</i>. Kady Grant was just this super kick ass awesome girl. She was everything I want in a female lead and more and just so empowering and brave and strong and talented and adored her character. Ezra Mason was such a cute adorable boy and he spent a large portion of the end worrying me slightly because I just wasn't sure what was going on with him because of everything I thought maybe something was iffy (you know what I mean if you've read this). And Aidan. The weirdest character in a book I've ever read. He's sort of the villain (not the official villain but a villain type character). He's just..... it's so hard to explain without spoiling. He's a very weird character I didn't imagine myself liking. I didn't imagine myself getting sad over him either. He was infuriating and most of the book's contents seemed to be his fault and yeah he was complex. (for real though if you've read it you know) </i></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>This book wins 10/10 for uniqueness for me. It was amazing, unique (oh.. I've said that already haven't I...), creative, full of action, amazing characters, great writing and is just aesthetically a stunning book! Really really worth the read and is now one of my favorite books ever!</i></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-30182151178203114592015-11-12T14:35:00.000-08:002015-11-17T08:36:59.748-08:00#antibullyreads readathon TBR <span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hi everyone! I am officially participating in the #antibullyreads readathon that is happening from November 16th-22nd! I don't have a ton of time to read and a few priority books for school BUT I am going to make an attempt to read at least 3 books!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The first book I will be reading is Trouble by Non Pratt. All I know is this is about a teenage pregnancy and a girl meets a guy who decides to help her out to deal with everything. I'm looking forward to getting to this.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RdAYv_M_Xlc/VkUSpjdCcsI/AAAAAAAAAhM/GBHcQgtL4Ho/s1600/51vzrqrPkXL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RdAYv_M_Xlc/VkUSpjdCcsI/AAAAAAAAAhM/GBHcQgtL4Ho/s320/51vzrqrPkXL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The second book I plan to read is Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I've owned this book for a while and I don't know what it's about but I want to read it! I have not had good luck with Lauren Oliver so I am hoping I enjoy this.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtOK_RgC47o/VkUSpo3PzvI/AAAAAAAAAhI/WFVg80voPfk/s1600/6878216.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WtOK_RgC47o/VkUSpo3PzvI/AAAAAAAAAhI/WFVg80voPfk/s320/6878216.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The last book I plan to read is Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I've owned this for SO LONG and I've never read it so I think it's about time I get to this and this is the perfect opportunity!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32nC7PGaA8Q/VkUSpoFvyMI/AAAAAAAAAhE/EHF7MaipULk/s1600/Hate_List_cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-32nC7PGaA8Q/VkUSpoFvyMI/AAAAAAAAAhE/EHF7MaipULk/s1600/Hate_List_cover.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That's all I have planned to read for this readathon! I don't have a ton of unread books about bullying but this is good. If you want to participate click <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqJPVIOqsZw&feature=youtu.be">HERE</a></b> for a link to the original information video, and click <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/147983-anti-bullying-week-readathon">HERE</a></b> for the Goodreads page which is the "headquarters" for the readathon and you can find a list of bully reads if you want to participate and make yourself a TBR! Happy reading to everyone participating!</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-77864057055795502532015-11-11T16:09:00.000-08:002015-11-11T16:09:04.515-08:00NOVEMBER TBR - 2015This is a little late, I made a YouTube video with all this in there, (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TW4FIq0sv8">click here to watch that</a>) but here is just a list of the books I am HOPING to get read in November.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-prf9HrQlNaU/VkPXh9nDb1I/AAAAAAAAAfE/M-YS2rVPTbQ/s1600/41sX7TqKwVL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-prf9HrQlNaU/VkPXh9nDb1I/AAAAAAAAAfE/M-YS2rVPTbQ/s320/41sX7TqKwVL.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Death With Interruptions is my November TBR jar pick. If I do not get it read I have to unhaul it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kr9wt0tpg8k/VkPXh-mkWWI/AAAAAAAAAfM/4A_C2Usb1hQ/s1600/51K2TTcZ5zL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Kr9wt0tpg8k/VkPXh-mkWWI/AAAAAAAAAfM/4A_C2Usb1hQ/s320/51K2TTcZ5zL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wizard of Oz is for class</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UYZ3dRbdbg8/VkPXiT3FF7I/AAAAAAAAAfY/R4u0nUn-1us/s1600/51tGsgJIANL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UYZ3dRbdbg8/VkPXiT3FF7I/AAAAAAAAAfY/R4u0nUn-1us/s320/51tGsgJIANL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rfl1Ua8kiKo/VkPXiYnGixI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/As5UbnXlecU/s1600/61zmazDWFLL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rfl1Ua8kiKo/VkPXiYnGixI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/As5UbnXlecU/s320/61zmazDWFLL._SY344_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heart of Darkness is for class.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PS1u0WfvMCE/VkPXhxLSSNI/AAAAAAAAAfI/aeTNJjIQje0/s1600/23437156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PS1u0WfvMCE/VkPXhxLSSNI/AAAAAAAAAfI/aeTNJjIQje0/s320/23437156.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HGPnkcWWYJI/VkPXiXU6f9I/AAAAAAAAAfU/DBrU7dEO29I/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HGPnkcWWYJI/VkPXiXU6f9I/AAAAAAAAAfU/DBrU7dEO29I/s1600/download%2B%25281%2529.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yOGv4YxmoG4/VkPXiqMnDeI/AAAAAAAAAfc/aHU9WLSnYN8/s1600/download%2B%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yOGv4YxmoG4/VkPXiqMnDeI/AAAAAAAAAfc/aHU9WLSnYN8/s1600/download%2B%25282%2529.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vyz_G-M9dg/VkPXimMTcxI/AAAAAAAAAfg/3oXe4htl-nI/s1600/download%2B%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vyz_G-M9dg/VkPXimMTcxI/AAAAAAAAAfg/3oXe4htl-nI/s1600/download%2B%25283%2529.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wide Sargasso Sea is for class.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SPdvDhcSvRE/VkPXi3HC8jI/AAAAAAAAAf0/hHPaSnVSKlQ/s1600/download%2B%25284%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SPdvDhcSvRE/VkPXi3HC8jI/AAAAAAAAAf0/hHPaSnVSKlQ/s1600/download%2B%25284%2529.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X2BFP1VIOsg/VkPXi1TlFJI/AAAAAAAAAfw/iCf05i0pcp4/s1600/download%2B%25285%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-X2BFP1VIOsg/VkPXi1TlFJI/AAAAAAAAAfw/iCf05i0pcp4/s1600/download%2B%25285%2529.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1HVd6iyqXqA/VkPXi4ZXtEI/AAAAAAAAAfs/cMOa0Zy6v0g/s1600/download%2B%25286%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1HVd6iyqXqA/VkPXi4ZXtEI/AAAAAAAAAfs/cMOa0Zy6v0g/s1600/download%2B%25286%2529.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
This is my Goodreads book club pick for November. <a group="" href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2915359774660036685" https:="" show="" the-breakfast-book-club="" www.goodreads.com="">Click here to join us!</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_CtVTkMfzM4/VkPXjTfNnyI/AAAAAAAAAgA/hLqccwqzYqY/s1600/download.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_CtVTkMfzM4/VkPXjTfNnyI/AAAAAAAAAgA/hLqccwqzYqY/s1600/download.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XQZWouJ8B78/VkPXjeD0XDI/AAAAAAAAAgM/PDY1277GW4c/s1600/hw_anne_of_green_gables_cover3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XQZWouJ8B78/VkPXjeD0XDI/AAAAAAAAAgM/PDY1277GW4c/s320/hw_anne_of_green_gables_cover3.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anne of Green Gables is for class (and I am enjoying it so much so far)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wrE73W3ckM/VkPXjQzHFcI/AAAAAAAAAgI/vpqA0uDfZUg/s1600/tumblr_m1oxu8ZIWK1rqkjy0o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4wrE73W3ckM/VkPXjQzHFcI/AAAAAAAAAgI/vpqA0uDfZUg/s320/tumblr_m1oxu8ZIWK1rqkjy0o1_500.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Grain of Wheat is for class.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-9972516216451556042015-10-06T19:50:00.001-07:002015-10-06T19:50:49.215-07:00Book Review 40 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EfCqsupRvlc/VhSIH5UDoQI/AAAAAAAAAek/l1x_G9ZSgvQ/s1600/notw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EfCqsupRvlc/VhSIH5UDoQI/AAAAAAAAAek/l1x_G9ZSgvQ/s400/notw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">722</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">DAW Books</span><br />
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">January 1st 2007</span><br />
Summary:<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">MY NAME IS KVOTHE</em></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.</em> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em>You may have heard of me.</em> </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 1.4; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-top: 18px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature--the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man's search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My Thoughts:</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">How does one review a book that has been reviewed almost 20,000 times? Is there anything I can say to convince people to read this book that hasn't already been said? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">I'll try anyways (I might ramble so I apologize in advance)...</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">So to start: background on me. I am not into epic fantasy. I've read Game of Thrones and honestly it was good but it's not a series I can connect with or love and I usually find them tedious. So why did I like The Name of the Wind so much? Because it's not epic fantasy.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">I mean it's labelled as epic fantasy, but it's really not. It's realistic fantasy. The world that this takes place in could 100% be the world we live in right now (well, middle ages maybe). There's no weird tyrant ruler or war between good and evil, this is really just the story of one boy's life. The writing is also really simple. None of that complicated fancy shmancy writing you get in Tolkein, but plain simple straightforward to read writing. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">"But Mel, wouldn't that be slow and boring?" The answer is no. Despite the fact that there is not a ton of action in this book, there was never a slow or boring moment. Every single word brings something new to the plot whether it's world building, character building or plot building. I am sure there are so many very specific moments that I might find insignificant now but shaped the story entirely. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">The thing is, this story is told from the present, and is talking about the past. So there are things you know about the character in the present that makes you understand a bit more about his past. But it's nothing "spoilery" since you are learning about 12 or so years of this guys life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">So, to conclude a point I got very off topic from, this is not epic fantasy. This book makes fun of epic fantasy. The whole "hero saves the girl" trope and "hero battles the dragon" trope and all those epic fantasy tropes that you know so well are completely satired (new words) in this book. The whole point of this book is for the main character to disprove all the rumours about him.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Talking about the main character, Kvothe is the best. I absolutely adore him. He grows so much as a person that I just am completely smitten with him. He's such a gentle innocent beautiful person who would never cause anyone harm, who just wants to defend the things he think is right and stay out of trouble (yet trouble always finds him). He wants to believe the best in everybody even when there is really nothing there for him to believe in. I care for him and all I really want in the world is for him to be okay, for him to be happy and have the "happily ever after" trope (except he probably won't right since this series satires those tropes).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">There are other important characters, but Denna is really the only character that is important enough for me to mention here, and I am only mentioning her because I don't like her. I don't trust her, I don't trust Kvothe's heart with her. I don't think she's a great person and I don't understand her appeal (must be the whole you have to see her to understand thing). I'm excited to read a bit more about her but I really don't trust her.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Some side facts that I think might be super interesting to know about the series if you STILL don't want to read it (might convince you): This story is not 3 books, it's 1 giant book split into parts. So what I mean by that is the author wrote beginning to end a story about a young boy from childhood to adulthood and then when he was done split it into sections so it could be printed. This is not the type of story where the 2nd or 3rd book are going to be entirely different or crazy or anything.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">Despite the fact that the third book has been highly awaited for 4 years with no visible end in site (no cover???) I'm hearing rumors that it's looking like 2016 (I think he's friends with GRRM so it's probably why it's taking so long). </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">If you're still like "I don't know Mel, I don't know if this is for me" then take it from me: I didn't think this was for me at all and I am so happy I read it. I wish there was more epic fantasy that was like this because I would probably start reading it all the time. But really, if you don't believe me, just read the other 20,000 5 star reviews. (Also, lets be real here how many books have almost 300,000 ratings and still average a 4.55 rating? The simple answer is: none.)</span></i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-10751925880815299512015-09-26T18:19:00.000-07:002015-09-26T18:19:06.930-07:00Review 39 - Stolen by Lucy Christopher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PM3aPFKZs3I/VgdD4W6q77I/AAAAAAAAAeU/Zj9mYQFFghg/s1600/tolen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PM3aPFKZs3I/VgdD4W6q77I/AAAAAAAAAeU/Zj9mYQFFghg/s400/tolen.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">301</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Scholastic; Chicken House</span><br />
Published on: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">May 4th, 2009</span><br />
Summary:<br />
<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It happened like this. I was stolen from an airport. Taken from everything I knew, everything I was used to. Taken to sand and heat, dirt and danger. And he expected me to love him.</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">This is my story.<br />A letter from nowhere. </em><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">Sixteen year old Gemma is kidnapped from Bangkok airport and taken to the Australian Outback. This wild and desolate landscape becomes almost a character in the book, so vividly is it described. Ty, her captor, is no stereotype. He is young, fit and completely gorgeous. This new life in the wilderness has been years in the planning. He loves only her, wants only her. Under the hot glare of the Australian sun, cut off from the world outside, can the force of his love make Gemma love him back? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">The story takes the form of a letter, written by Gemma to Ty, reflecting on those strange and disturbing months in the outback. Months when the lines between love and obsession, and love and dependency, blur until they don't exist - almost.</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>Review:</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>This book goes down in History as my favorite book of all time. There is not a scene, a moment or a word I don't like. From the first sentence... "you saw me before I saw you" to the last sentence this book had be captured. This book follows a girl named Gemma and is a letter that she is writing to the man who kidnapped her. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I think the first thing I loved about Stolen was the mystery. I wanted to know why her? Why was she getting kidnapped? I just wanted answers. Then gradually I lost interest in answers and I wanted to just know. I wanted to know what was going to happen. How would this story end? Would it be a happy ending or a sad ending, and for who? The pacing in this book is perfect. Not too fast where you are overwhelmed with information, but not too slow where you just want it to be over. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The second thing I love about Stolen is the characters. There are only 2 of them, but they are so good. Gemma is this beautiful heroine, so accurately written. She reacts how I would react, how anyone would react in her position. She never gives up, she just keeps on fighting. And Ty. The villain of the story. The villain that I couldn't help but fall in love with. Lucy Christopher wrote Ty in this way that you either love him or you hate him and I just fell in love with him. I never justified what he did, but I couldn't bring myself to hate him.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The third thing I love about Stolen, and the reason this book still linger with me almost 2 years later, is the ending. Like Ty, the ending is something you either love or you hate. I loved it, I thought it was beautiful, but it broke my heart. </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>This book lives on with me. I think about this book all the time. Sometimes at random moments, sometimes when other things remind me of it. It's become one of those books that touches you in ways you never imagined they would, and I think if you relate to this feeling in any way, you should definitely read this book, if only to see what about it affected me this way.</i></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-5517295515401241572015-09-05T15:30:00.000-07:002015-09-06T21:10:51.260-07:00BUDDYATHON TBR LISTThe #Buddyathon is starting Monday and runs from the 7th-13th of September! Click <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBx3s8P5VgI">HERE</a> to watch the video for all the info!<br />
<br />
The challenges are as follows:<br />
<br />
1. Choose 3 books and get your Buddy to choose 1 for you to read!<br />
<i>For this I chose: </i><br />
<i>We Were Liars by E Lockhart</i><br />
<i>The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings</i><br />
<i>Uprooted by Naomi Novik</i><br />
<i>My buddy chose <b>We Were Liars</b> for me to read</i><br />
2. Choose a book to buddy read with your buddy.<br />
<i>For this we chose to read <b>The Knife of Never Letting Go </b>by Patrick Ness</i><br />
3. Read a book that your buddy rated 5 stars.<br />
<i>For this I chose to read <b>Room</b> by Emma Donoghue</i><br />
4. Read a book with your buddy's favourite colour on the cover.<br />
<i>For this my buddy told me her favourite colours are blue and yellow. I am not yet sure what I plan to read for this but either Uprooted by Naomi Novik or The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller</i><br />
<i>For this I<b> have not set a book</b> to read. I don't know if I will be able to get to it, and I will be in school so I might just read the required novel for school for this. If I do have the time for this though, I will read The Miserable Mill by Lemony Snicket</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So there's my list for the #buddyreadathon!<br />
For anyone wondering, my buddy is Sabrina and she is one of my Goodreads friend! You can find her <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/44581509-sabrina">here</a> :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-33675967405634628912015-09-04T10:22:00.000-07:002015-09-04T10:28:20.732-07:00Book Review 38 - This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pWzxtOGSnOs/VenFV58oTXI/AAAAAAAAAaw/UreZwX_B1ZU/s1600/thisiswhereitends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pWzxtOGSnOs/VenFV58oTXI/AAAAAAAAAaw/UreZwX_B1ZU/s400/thisiswhereitends.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">292</span><br />
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">January 5, 2016</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sourcebooks Fire</span><br />
Summary:<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">10:00 a.m.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">The principal of Opportunity, Alabama's high school finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">10:02 a.m.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">10:03</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">The auditorium doors won't open.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">10:05</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">Someone starts shooting.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">Told over the span of 54 harrowing minutes from four different perspectives, terror reigns as one student's calculated revenge turns into the ultimate game of survival.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My Thoughts:</span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*</span></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Sourcebooks was kind enough to send me an advanced papercopy of this book for review</b></span></span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">*</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>"Death brings life, life brings death."</b> </span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A simple quote, that perfectly sums up the book. This book is about a school shooting. It follows the story of 4 students who tell the story of what happens, and the why it happens. It's a story about people coming together through the death of their friends/classmates, and people getting torn apart by those deaths. </span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have always been interested in the psychology behind school shootings. I want to know why, what makes someone decide to take all their anger at the world out on their fellow students. Most school shooters end up dead by the end of everything, so I've never been able to read anything on why it happens. In fact, the only school shooting I know of where the shooter survived happened at my school many years ago. All this being said, I've done quite a bit of research on school shootings, have read many books written on it (Newtown and Columbine being just 2 of them) and therefore was immensely excited about reading this.</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When you approach a topic like this in writing, a book that will no doubt be controversial because of its subject matter, you have to do it well, or not at all. I am so glad to say that Nijkamp did this topic justice in my opinion. She creates these characters and this atmosphere and situation that you feel to be real. It was gripping and suspenseful and the entire time you read you just wait to see who else will die, and how this will end. It was an intense journey and I found myself needing frequent breaks to just take everything in and not get overwhelmed with the topic. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had a few issues with the book. (And before I start with this section I just want to add a bit of a disclaimer. I find it much easier to discuss things I don't like, rather than things I do. Not because I enjoy "hating" things (which I don't hate anything in this book) but because when I talk about things I love I get very repetitive and redundant, whereas I find the words flow better when I am discussing why I didn't enjoy something. )These issues aren't things I would necessary change about the book, or things that really impacted my reading at all, they are just little things that I feel like could have been excluded without impacting the entire story. The primary one was the romance aspects of the book. This is a spoiler free review so I won't give details, but there were a few romantic moments or developments during the events of the school shooting that I found to be out of place. This story felt incredibly real and realistic but during those romantic moments there was a feeling in me of "hey, this wouldn't happen if there was a real school shooting." I wouldn't really know if that's true because I've never experienced it, but it's how I saw it. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another small issue, and this issue isn't actually anything about the book specifically, it's actually just me not seeing the purpose of its inclusion and those are the twitter/blog posts between each chapter. It helps to create a sense of chaos because no one knows what is going on and the helplessness of not knowing anything, but because the characters in them were not recognizable to me, I just wasn't sure if I liked them. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It's very clear what the is trying to portray with this story, which is a story of a school shooting, how it affects various people and the things leading up to it. The thing is though, I feel like to get that fully, especially the "why" it happens, it I would have liked just one point of view in the shooters POV. Perhaps the last one, just to get a sense of why. There are a lot of different things that happen in their life and I would have liked to really know what it was specifically that happened because I felt like the other few characters were unreliable in telling me, and the only person really capable of doing that was the shooter themself. Again, not an issue with the book, I adore everything included, I just would have liked that (perhaps the author will release something in the future of that sort).</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Things that I absolutely adored in this book was the emphasis on the positive ways social media has impacted our world today. In this horrible time of crisis, this is the only way that some people are able to contact their family. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As well, the characters are stunning in this novel. Tomas was my favourite character, along with his friend Fareed, and while some of what they do I felt to be a tad unrealistic, I loved their bravery and overall attitude in this story. Sylvia was another favourite, I adored her story and her background and her part in everything. Claire and Chris were an interesting take in the story. I adored that their story was a bit different than everyone else's and I liked to see this angle of the school shooting story. Autumn was a character I just could not connect with. She was incredibly real, and her part in the book was probably the most important, but I just found myself not liking her like maybe I should have. I didn't hate her, at all, but I didn't love or adore her like I did the other characters. </span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The end was beautiful. Yes it was also heartbreaking definitely, but also beautiful in its own way.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I feel like regardless of anyone's thoughts on this book, you have to admit it is a powerful story that makes you think. It makes you wonder how you would react in this situation, it makes you think about the hundreds of people who have been through the same thing, and it makes you realize that this could happen anywhere at any time. This is going to be a must read book of 2016 and I hope that everyone takes the opportunity to read this book because it's so worth your time.</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-52958191177104521942015-09-01T09:15:00.000-07:002015-09-01T09:15:58.984-07:00Series review - The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rL-GaTv1Uho/VeXKMEaQ43I/AAAAAAAAAZU/AzjO8OaYAGw/s1600/the_inheritance_cycle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rL-GaTv1Uho/VeXKMEaQ43I/AAAAAAAAAZU/AzjO8OaYAGw/s400/the_inheritance_cycle.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div>
Books: </div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eragon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eldest</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Brisingr</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Inheritance</span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
Publisher:<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> Knopf </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Overall, this was a great series. I am not a huge fan of high fantasy so I put this off many many years, but it was well worth reading. Christopher Paolini created this absolutely amazing world with these 4 books. He left no detail behind. The world of the Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Urgals, Werecats and Dragons all were described in vivid details, even including histories, languages and customs of each species. I spent many moments during this book wondering how he came up with this series because of the incredible detail. It was like viewing a movie in my head because I could picture everything so vividly.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">His characters were outstanding. Eragon grew so much as a character throughout the series. We watched him start as a young boy into a man. He grew into himself with the help of those around him and I love how he developed. Roran was another character that grew. To go from a farm boy to the commander of an army was a great thing for Roran and his character was great and so well developed considering he was a secondary character. The best thing about this series though is that it is full of powerful women. Nasuada was a great leader to the Varden and I love how it ended with her being queen. I love that Paolini chose to include women into the fighting as well, not just leaving battles for the men. Arya was another character. I will admit, she took some time to warm up to but I love her character dearly. Saphira was my favourite character, and despite hating her in the last 100 or so pages, I really love how she grew into a strong female dragon. I love that she was vain and cared about vanity, and I love how she loved Eragon. </span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Despite my love of the series, I still only rated it overall 4 stars because of the last 100 or so pages of the end of the last book. The battle with Galbatorix was quite early in the book in comparison to many other final battles in books and I will admit I thought it was quite anti-climatic. I wanted some intense battle, not for Galbatorix to essentially kill himself. And the things after that is where I lost interest entirely. Dangling Murtagh and Nasauda relationship in our faces and having it not happen was disappointing. Having Arya and Eragon not happen was a greater disappointment. Having Eragon leave everyone behind forever was very disappointing but the greatest disappointment was the lack of any Saphira and Eragon interaction. This 4 book series had so much interaction between them, I really grew to love it dearly. It was my favourite part of the books. But as soon as Saphira meets Arya's dragon, she completely disappears from the book. Eragon and her only speak once and it's to make sure he's doing okay. The thing was, he wasn't doing okay and instead of having the normal cute comforting moments between them 2, Paolini decided to write about how much sex Saphira was having with the green dragon. It was very irritating and it completely tarnishes my views of Saphira and their relationship and really the entire end of the book. However, despite the fact that I gave book four only 2 stars, I did love the series enough to give it a 4 star rating overall.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I do recommend this book to anyone looking to have a simple introduction into high fantasy. It's really a great series, despite my problems with it, and I think it's easy enough for all ages to enjoy. I am glad I decided to read this series eventually, but I am glad I waited for all the books to be released before I did so.</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-45030831665890507432015-08-30T12:16:00.001-07:002015-08-30T12:16:55.332-07:00September TBR PileI start my last year of University this month so my TBR pile is a bit of an over achiever's list because I really don't see myself getting all of these read by the time I start school but here's my tentative list!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0NrDlkDFMs/VeNU3ROUj-I/AAAAAAAAATY/DCbJ-y2dqbY/s1600/7631105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A0NrDlkDFMs/VeNU3ROUj-I/AAAAAAAAATY/DCbJ-y2dqbY/s320/7631105.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Scorch Trials - </b>This will be a reread for me to have the story fresh in my mind when I go see the movie this month.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pp-0mh4rTlc/VeNU3y032MI/AAAAAAAAATg/WiZsHWuydZc/s1600/186074.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pp-0mh4rTlc/VeNU3y032MI/AAAAAAAAATg/WiZsHWuydZc/s320/186074.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Name of the Wind - </b>I started this in August, but as it's quite huge and so amazing I am taking my time with this one but I will be finished with it this month.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bdCr3lCzd08/VeNU4gmIOMI/AAAAAAAAATk/aj-SNa4s_yk/s1600/7664041.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bdCr3lCzd08/VeNU4gmIOMI/AAAAAAAAATk/aj-SNa4s_yk/s320/7664041.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Inheritance - </b>I am listening to this as an audiobook and I am nearly done so I will definitely have this finished by the end of the month.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NWydNB2IJ3k/VeNU5Yr0krI/AAAAAAAAATw/LoRCNT8LzK0/s1600/13000748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NWydNB2IJ3k/VeNU5Yr0krI/AAAAAAAAATw/LoRCNT8LzK0/s320/13000748.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Born of Illusion - </b>This is my TBR takedown book. If I don't read this by September 27th I have to unhaul it so I am praying I get this finished quickly so I don't have to do that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CQ-c53GLnBs/VeNU6Fvu-OI/AAAAAAAAAT4/Xm6HfRPDVdU/s1600/13063098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CQ-c53GLnBs/VeNU6Fvu-OI/AAAAAAAAAT4/Xm6HfRPDVdU/s320/13063098.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Such Wicked Intent - </b>This is a book I started in June and I never completed it. It's the second book in this duology and I am in the process of finishing it now so I don't have any currently reading books when I start classes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OobgBAB6iGQ/VeNU7GPjJvI/AAAAAAAAAUA/r3F9eG3Cux4/s1600/13623848.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OobgBAB6iGQ/VeNU7GPjJvI/AAAAAAAAAUA/r3F9eG3Cux4/s320/13623848.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Song of Achilles - </b>This is my book club's September book. We have a pretty light schedule so this shouldn't be too hard to complete.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FtDx4TR2pHs/VeNU7v0vWEI/AAAAAAAAAUI/BQFPbiRFns8/s1600/23344750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FtDx4TR2pHs/VeNU7v0vWEI/AAAAAAAAAUI/BQFPbiRFns8/s320/23344750.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Cuckoo Song - </b>I started this today. I am hoping to get into it and read quickly before school starts.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ezO3EqJljZ8/VeNU8vn68bI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/jbmYB9iCABo/s1600/24529123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ezO3EqJljZ8/VeNU8vn68bI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/jbmYB9iCABo/s320/24529123.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>This Is Where it Ends - </b>I was sent this in the mail by Sourcebooks as an advanced readers copy to review and I hope to read it in September. However, this is last priority on this list so if I don't get to it in September it will get pushed over to October TBR. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Not pictured here: </b>I have 8 books for one of my English classes and another 2 for another English class. I don't know when in the semester they will be read so I didn't picture them but they will be in my September wrap up at the end of the month!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-6718870065956576612015-08-30T11:39:00.001-07:002015-08-30T20:29:26.602-07:00August Wrap-up!This was a pretty successful reading month! I read a total of 10 books in August. Click on the star rating to get redirected to my review for that particular book!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xnFnpwMsJ08/VeNKXwJg4mI/AAAAAAAAASA/NmiBRgrHuU4/s1600/311512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xnFnpwMsJ08/VeNKXwJg4mI/AAAAAAAAASA/NmiBRgrHuU4/s320/311512.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1338129394?book_show_action=false" target="_blank">Eldest = 4 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EgCtBH4smL8/VeNKfJhuogI/AAAAAAAAASw/HhZQA8ScKlM/s1600/19547856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EgCtBH4smL8/VeNKfJhuogI/AAAAAAAAASw/HhZQA8ScKlM/s320/19547856.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-26-simon-vs-homo-sapiens.html" target="_blank">Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda = 5 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mMR3mq5-XGA/VeNKg9ZgkLI/AAAAAAAAATE/BzyuEjPf22A/s1600/22571663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mMR3mq5-XGA/VeNKg9ZgkLI/AAAAAAAAATE/BzyuEjPf22A/s320/22571663.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1354610381?book_show_action=false" target="_blank">Captive Prince = 3.5 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kRWJt6jJA3w/VeNKfTjEdcI/AAAAAAAAAS0/tD_uKfaSygA/s1600/20617636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kRWJt6jJA3w/VeNKfTjEdcI/AAAAAAAAAS0/tD_uKfaSygA/s320/20617636.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-30-heir-of-fire-by-sarah-j.html" target="_blank">Heir of Fire = 4 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vmd6WmGMjgo/VeNKd1O5HmI/AAAAAAAAASk/m5ezHJYasYw/s1600/17202253.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Vmd6WmGMjgo/VeNKd1O5HmI/AAAAAAAAASk/m5ezHJYasYw/s320/17202253.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/361432864?book_show_action=false" target="_blank">Safe Haven = 5 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChTywsOegmQ/VeNKaa2fHdI/AAAAAAAAASM/F_t1au9LGOg/s1600/2248573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ChTywsOegmQ/VeNKaa2fHdI/AAAAAAAAASM/F_t1au9LGOg/s320/2248573.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1338129409?book_show_action=false" target="_blank">Brisingr = 4 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geLdQzzst38/VeNKgbF_w2I/AAAAAAAAATA/WY645cXkXJY/s1600/20309175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-geLdQzzst38/VeNKgbF_w2I/AAAAAAAAATA/WY645cXkXJY/s320/20309175.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.com/2015/08/book-review-34-my-true-love-gave-to-me.html" target="_blank">My True Love Gave To Me = 3 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gkpy7nqHd-s/VeNKcEWaEKI/AAAAAAAAASU/pEkdnxyQGT4/s1600/13644055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gkpy7nqHd-s/VeNKcEWaEKI/AAAAAAAAASU/pEkdnxyQGT4/s320/13644055.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-35-opposition-by-jennifer-l.html" target="_blank">Opposition = 4 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhHm8G9sKAQ/VeNKhq0LVYI/AAAAAAAAATM/YxBNOi8ZXxM/s1600/23357458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hhHm8G9sKAQ/VeNKhq0LVYI/AAAAAAAAATM/YxBNOi8ZXxM/s320/23357458.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://thatgirlbookworm.blogspot.ca/2015/08/book-review-36-all-bright-places-by.html" target="_blank">All The Bright Places = 5 stars</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdiscgt3uhw/VeNKdOdGh8I/AAAAAAAAASc/RxboCRc95p0/s1600/16429619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdiscgt3uhw/VeNKdOdGh8I/AAAAAAAAASc/RxboCRc95p0/s320/16429619.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1211719070?book_show_action=false" target="_blank">The Kiss of Deception = 3 stars</a></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-64635995970018810332015-08-27T18:03:00.000-07:002015-08-27T18:03:01.395-07:00Book review 36 - All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDkVOfBiStY/Vd-yclFHx0I/AAAAAAAAARw/G8LjFiWAjKc/s1600/tumblr_npriwh99pM1upr3sxo1_540.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fDkVOfBiStY/Vd-yclFHx0I/AAAAAAAAARw/G8LjFiWAjKc/s400/tumblr_npriwh99pM1upr3sxo1_540.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1963309347"></span>Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">378</span><br />
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Knopf</span><br />
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">January 6th, 2015</span><br />
Summary:<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister's recent death.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it's unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the 'natural wonders' of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It's only with Violet that Finch can be himself - a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's not such a freak after all. And it's only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My Thoughts:</span></i></b><br />
<table border="0" cellspacing="1" id="myReview" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="line-height: 1.4;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Boy oh boy, where to start with this book.<br />First we have Violet, who lost her sister 9 months ago and is trying to find herself and put herself back together, and we have Finch, who thinks about death a lot but doesn't want to die. Their story begins on the top of a bell tower.<br /><br />Every since I saw this cover (I'm a judge a book by its cover person) I knew I wanted to read this. I knew I would like it, I just never pictured it being this much.<br />The writing was so addicting. I couldn't put it down and I found myself at 3 in the morning going "okay just one more chapter" because I just couldn't stop reading. The story flows so smoothly and captivates you from the very first page. It's beautiful and descriptive and I loved every word on every page.<br />Their story is beautiful. This book made me want to wander and discover new things and I just love that Finch saw the beauty in everything no matter how small and minuscule it was. He has this really positive outlook on almost everything, which is sad because when you read more you see that he doesn't always have the most positive thoughts.<br /><br />Speaking of Finch, he's really hard to picture in my head. He's described as this really lanky tall guy who likes music and has a ton of sex, but I cannot stop picturing him as a scrawny dorky kid who isn't comfortable in his body (even though he is). He's such a beautiful and complex character and he made the book for me because I loved him so much. Violet was not my favourite character in the beginning. I found her confusing and very hard to relate to (I haven't lost anyone close to me *knock on wood* so I couldn't understand her) so it took me about 3/4 of the book to really start to warm up to her. And them romantically, well I didn't feel for it, until it happened and then I really liked it. I still don't think it was a romance that they needed or should have gotten into, but I am so happy that they did.<br /><br />I really dislike that this book gets the "fans who like The Fault in our Stars and Eleanor and Park will like this" label because it's really nothing like either of those books, and really this deserves to stand on its own. It's a beautiful book that deals with a tough topic (and does very well) and should not be compared to other books that it doesn't relate to at all.<br /><br />The end though, the end hit me hard. It was beautiful and heart breaking and I love that it came full circle.<br /><br />A definite must read book and it really does deserve all the praise it got.</i></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-77945923598043634672015-08-22T12:50:00.000-07:002015-08-23T11:36:06.546-07:00Book review 35 - Opposition by Jennifer L Armentrout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gtcQ3b3ENQE/VdjReFj0cqI/AAAAAAAAARg/wdcRZGBrQW4/s1600/oppostio.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gtcQ3b3ENQE/VdjReFj0cqI/AAAAAAAAARg/wdcRZGBrQW4/s400/oppostio.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Pages: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">352</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Entangled Teen</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Publication Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">August 5th 2014</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Summary:</div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText12782063820224497112" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Katy knows the world changed the night the Luxen came.<br /><br />She can't believe Daemon welcomed his race or stood by as his kind threatened to obliterate every last human and hybrid on Earth. But the lines between good and bad have blurred, and love has become an emotion that could destroy her—could destroy them all.<br /><br />Daemon will do anything to save those he loves, even if it means betrayal.<br /><br />They must team with an unlikely enemy if there is any chance of surviving the invasion. But when it quickly becomes impossible to tell friend from foe, and the world is crumbling around them, they may lose everything— even what they cherish most—to ensure the survival of their friends…and mankind.<br /><br />War has come to Earth. And no matter the outcome, the future will never be the same for those left standing.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DbHUp2RO21M/VaimjbGlpEI/AAAAAAAAAFI/o8ZakilMSwY/s1600/fafa.gif" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><i>My Thoughts:</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Such a well done conclusion to one of my favourite series of all time!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It was action packed and so fast paced that the ending came all too quickly. I could honestly have spent another 5 books with these characters in this world.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Daemon and Katy have a relationship to admire. It's a really cute selfless beautiful love that I have always admired because you just know that it's not something they'll ever lose. I will admit, at times in this book their sexual relationship was very irritating because I found it unnecessary. I mean a sex scene here and there would have been okay. But there was such a heavy focus on them having sex and making out and in the worst times. It got to be a little bit tedious to read and I do admit I skipped the last 2 sex scenes entirely just because I didn't find them necessary.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The one other little thing that bothered me has to do with the copious amount of sex is I would have preferred not to have Daemon's POV. I saw the necessity of it in book 4, but I do not see why in this one. This story has always been Katy's story and I wanted to read it all from her point of view. I actually love Daemon LESS in his points of view because they are so heavily filled with sexual content. Getting erections when he sees Katy fighting, thinking about having sex with her in the back of the car, in the middle of the woods... it just got to be excessive. Like when they were having a serious discussion as a big group and Daemon is like sticking his hands in the back of her pants, I just didn't understand the purpose. I adored the book but really unnecessary addition to the plot and it took away from the story at times.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /></i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>One other problem I had, that I forgot really until I discussed the ending more, was how anti-climatic it was. So Katy kills the leader of the Luxen in a sort of "wait, what just happened?" moment. Then the Arum come and kill all the Luxen while Katy and Daemon and all the other people just walk away. Like Katy and Daemon have been fighting this since the first page and yet they aren't even in the final battle? It was a little disappointing to me.</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-style: italic; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I will say though, the epilogue is the best part of this story to me. To see how the world went back to normal. To see that their lives were okay. I love seeing domestic Katy and Daemon so it's nice to know they live together, go to college together, and that she has a library and book blogs again. They both deserve the happiness. As well as seeing Archer and Dee happy, and Beth and Dawson with their adorable baby. I love that they named her Ashley after Ash, and just thought that the epilogue was such a beautiful conclusion to this amazing series!</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2915359774660036685.post-43663729013003243742015-08-20T09:37:00.000-07:002015-08-20T09:37:18.463-07:00Giveaway!! - The Girl From the Well + The Suffering - Rin Chupeco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzIgzY6JhEU/Vax7xmhVUCI/AAAAAAAAAG0/dyr6xacfYBo/s1600/24789796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JzIgzY6JhEU/Vax7xmhVUCI/AAAAAAAAAG0/dyr6xacfYBo/s640/24789796.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Title: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Suffering</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Author: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Rin Chupeco</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Release Date: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">September 1, 2015</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">Publisher: <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Sourcebooks Fire</span></span></div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The Suffering is the highly anticipated sequel to "The Girl From the Well" by Rin Chupeco.</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span id="freeText11097629100940724558" style="background-color: white; color: #181818; display: inline; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It’s been two years since Tark Halloway’s nightmare ended. Free from the evil spirit that haunted him all his life, he now aids the ghostly Okiku and avenges the souls of innocent children by hunting down their murderers. But when Okiku becomes responsible for a death at his high school, Tark begins to wonder if they’re no better than the killers they seek out.<br />When an old friend disappears in Aokigahara, Japan’s infamous ‘suicide forest’, both must resolve their differences and return to that country of secrets to find her.<br />Because there is a strange village inside Aokigahara, a village people claim does not exist. A village where strange things lie waiting.<br />A village with old ghosts and an ancient evil – one that may be stronger than even Okiku…</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18509623-the-girl-from-the-well">Click here to read more about the first novel in the series: The Girl From the Well</a>
<br />
<br />
<b>***Enter here to win a copy of <i>The Girl From the Well and The Suffering***</i></b><br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="54ca7af7149" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7149/" id="rcwidget_irem7msp" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03975056500037030674noreply@blogger.com0