tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62453780719151747332024-03-14T03:44:02.446-04:00Queen Ella Bee ReadsA Royal Review of YA BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.comBlogger462125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-27088395692413964762014-10-10T22:15:00.004-04:002014-10-10T22:15:52.240-04:00So Long and Farewell, Poppets!<div style="text-align: center;">
Yup. That's right, babies, I'm outta here. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mb5fdkzw8T1r5jtugo1_500.gif" height="229" width="400" />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I know, it seems like a CRAAAAAZY thing to say, but the days of Gaby blogging here, at Queen Ella Bee Reads, are over. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b>WHY? </b><br />
<b>(You might ask.)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Well, some of you may have noticed that I've been hardcore slacking recently. Very busy Gaby = very few posts. And I <b>KNOW </b>it doesn't matter and blogging is for fun and all that good stuff, but I can't help but feel like I've let you all down anyway. So instead of dragging along and feeling like a terrible person throughout, I've decided to change the game. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>THAT'S RIGHT, I'M NOT GONE, I'M JUST CHANGING THE GAME. </b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<center>
<img src="http://media1.giphy.com/media/wOTijsQlvocKs/giphy.gif" height="232" width="400" /></center>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Lisa (my beloved Epic Recs brain twin who still kinda blogs over at <b><a href="http://www.lisaisbusynerding.com/" target="_blank">Lisa is Busy Nerding</a></b>) and I started thinking about combining our super-blogging-powers last Spring but we were never very serious. Then, in August, we were like "UGH BLOGGING ALONE IS HARD" and decided it was time to merge and do it up.<br />
<br />
So, basically, now I get to formally introduce my new blog to all my old blog readers:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://bookishbroads.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-P1B2QSv8chg/VCtRAcMy-rI/AAAAAAAAJhU/3yxGkANpn8g/s1600/button1.png" /></a><br />
<b><br /></b>
Bookish Broads is run by Lisa and me. We figure two blogging slackers smushed together makes for one not-so-slackery blogger. We might be wrong, but we intend to have plenty of fun working together, y'know?<br />
<br />
So. Yeah.<br />
<br />
That's the big news.<br />
<br />
<b>To Recap: </b><br />
<b>No more Queen Ella Bee Reads</b> (although I think I'll always be Queen Ella Bee).<br />
<br />
<b>BUT </b>I'll still be blogging, so you should probably go follow Bookish Broads. Y'know, because you all love me so much and want to continue reading all the crazy words I decided to publish about books and other things I love.<br />
<br />
<b>You can do that one of many ways:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/bookishbroads/Cuyo" target="_blank"><b>CLICK HERE for RSS/E-Mail</b></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12954033" target="_blank"><b>CLICK HERE (or on that fun widget below) for Bloglovin'</b></a><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<script src="https://widget.bloglovin.com/widget/scripts/bl.js" type="text/javascript"></script><a class="bloglovin-widget" data-blog-id="12954033" data-img-src="http://www.bloglovin.com/widget/bilder/fashionchalet.gif?id=12954033" href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12954033" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.bloglovin.com/widget/bilder/fashionchalet.gif?id=12954033" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://twitter.com/bookishbroads" target="_blank">CLICK HERE for Twitter</a></b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://instagram.com/bookishbroads" target="_blank">CLICK HERE for Instagram</a></b><br />
<br />
Those are the four major things. Now, go, follow Bookish Broads on all of the platforms and don't miss a word.<br />
<br />
<b>And remember:</b><br />
You guys are all the <b>very best </b>blog supporters a girl could ever ask for.<br />
Hugs and kisses forever.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/21600000/Goodbye-Michael-gif-the-office-21672764-300-169.gif" height="224" width="400" /><br />
<br />
But, for serious, bye now. See you guys not here.<br />
<br /></div>
<center>
<img src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/332/2/4/goodbye_gif_by_beatlesbug-d4hlygh.gif" height="248" width="400" /></center>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-85898306180938359472014-09-29T19:02:00.000-04:002014-09-29T19:04:38.723-04:00Fierce Reads Interview + Giveaway!<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F8c-4CyBgaI/VCmpBHta5aI/AAAAAAAAEDg/CHNn4lrwbKc/s1600/BoWevent.PNG" height="319" width="320" /><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTaogfiv9c0/VCmpDOska8I/AAAAAAAAEDs/JZEfLUgEQjY/s1600/photo%2B(1).JPG" height="320" width="320" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love when the Fierce Reads tour comes to town, so when I was asked to be the designated tour stop blogger, I was over the moon! Why wouldn't I want to interview the incredibly talented Ann Aguirre, Caragh M. O'Brien and Marie Rutkoski?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Of course, the event itself was brilliant, as well. <b><a href="http://www.booksofwonder.com/" target="_blank">Books of Wonder</a> </b>brought Emmy Laybourne (author of yet another brilliant Macmillan title, <i>Monument 14</i>) in to moderate and, as always, she brought the laughs. There was a quiz and those who took part in the quiz won ARCs. There was also the one prepared participant who asked a question with the word "moth" in it, and she won a coveted ARC of <i>The Winner's Crime</i>, the sequel to Marie Rutkoski's <i>The Winner's Curse</i>. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But let's circle back to the interview I did with the lovely Fierce Read ladies. We had such a great time and everyone gave such fantastic answers... </div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">This is the Fierce Reads 2014 Tour. Let's do a quick ice breaker: Your name, where you're from and once fun fact about you.</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Caragh:</b> I'm Caragh O'Brein, I'm from Connecticut and I'm really excited to be in New York. We just had a toast, up in the Macmillan building. It was really nice. We got to meet all of the people involved in making our books.<br />
<b>Marie: </b>I am Marie Rutkoski and I'm a really good thumb wrestler.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Hi I'm Ann Aguirre and I'm here. I'm here!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What's the elevator pitch for your book?</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Marie:</b> So I don't have a short thing -<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Young girl buys hot boy.<br />
<b>Marie:</b> That's probably the best way to describe it. It takes place in a world where there an empire that's taking over territories and enslaving populations they conquer and it's a story of a young girl who ends up buying a slave at an auction. She has no idea that the hope is that the slave is a member of the rebellion and he's been planted as a spy in her household.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Young girl buys hot boy who's actually a spy.<br />
<b>Caragh: </b><i>The Vault of Dreamers </i>takes place at a boarding school, a school for the arts that also doubles as a reality TV show and nobody's dreams are safe.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Imagine a world where, if you believe in a nightmare, it becomes real.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Would you want to be friends with your main character now and would you have been friends with your main character when you were a teen?</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Marie:</b> We'd be friends. I'd be friends with both Kestrel and Arin, I think. At both periods of my life. Though, I think it would be hard to be just friends with Arin. Because, he's hot.<br />
<b>Caragh: </b>I would be friends with Rosie. We would sort of circle each other warily for a while and then we would really connect with each other and we would be good friends. But, now, she's a teenager and she wouldn't have any interest in me because I'm a grown up. She's really interested in her own world and people her own age.<br />
<b>Marie:</b> Oh, I guess I didn't really think about the fact that they wouldn't grow with us. I would respect her enough to do her own thing now. She's her own thing.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Probably not. We were both weird and awkward and we didn't have friends, so, no.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdYcHj_w3wI/VCmpFtmTI7I/AAAAAAAAEEE/vNEagaL_ExI/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdYcHj_w3wI/VCmpFtmTI7I/AAAAAAAAEEE/vNEagaL_ExI/s1600/photo.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo taken after the interview by the lovely Ksenia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Do you think your novels would be as effective written for a different age group, say Adult or Middle Grade? Or do you think your story is distinctly YA?</b></span></div>
<br />
<b>Caragh: </b>There's no way. Mine's absolutely a Young Adult novel because the issues that Rosie is dealing with are so wonderful for a person who's 15 so if she was 25 you would just wonder why she didn't have things together more and if she was younger it just wouldn't work. There's a different sophistication that's going on with all the layers of the novel and what's evil and everything. I don't think I could have pulled it off at all in a Middle Grade novel.<br />
<b>Ann:</b> What she said.<br />
<b>Marie:</b> I think the themes in the book are too mature for Middle Grade readership. I think that it could conceivable age up, but the characters would still have to be very young, in their 20s. I think it could move up, but it's best that it doesn't. I think, especially because Kestrel's relationship with her father is so fraught and she really wants to please him and that's something that really suits someone in their teen years.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">You're all in, at least, your second series. What's the shift between series been like? </span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Ann:</b> It's always a struggle to start something new because, just because you have a bunch of devoted readers from one thing, it doesn't automatically mean that they will follow you and so it kind of feels like your'e reinventing the wheel every time. I guess if I wrote the same sort of thing - like all my books were fantasy or all my books were science fiction then it might be a little easier but I can't seem to commit like that. It's tough, especially when you're doing something as bizarre as what I'm doing, I think I was hoping that there would be more of a follow through from the <i>Razorland</i> series, but it is a pretty big leap to this strange YA horror fantasy mash-up that I'm doing. It's pretty far from dystopian, but hopefully a lot of readers will give it a shot.<br />
<b>Caragh: </b>I feel like it was really important to write the next idea that was exciting to me and I wanted to stay in science fiction because it's such a huge area that it wasn't a limiting thing at all to want to stay there. And then I had this idea that I was completely intrigued by and I just trusted, or hoped, that people who had enjoyed the <i>Birthmarke</i>d trilogy because of what I did with character and plot, I hoped that those readers would be interested to see what I could do with a new idea. And I also don't think people want the same thing, even if it's from me. I think that they're expecting me to challenge myself as much as I can, and this book was definitely a huge challenge to write. I feel like I've kind of jumped off a cliff and I'm chasing myself down the gravity into the abyss. That's where I'm going, into the abyss. But it's my abyss.<br />
<b>Marie:</b> I think that it was really exciting. My first trilogy was set in an alternative version of Europe in the Renaissance, but in my world there was magic and that was really fun. It was fun to add to a world that I already knew and to change the rules of a world that I already knew. But it was much more liberating to create my own world, and I liked not having any fantasy in it. It's a fantasy because it's made up but it's a very realistic story and I enjoyed that. I love world building. It's once of the greatest pleasures to me in writing.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Djq_N59yvwY/VCmpFNw6scI/AAAAAAAAED4/8EZZLzVy4TA/s1600/photo%2B(2).JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Djq_N59yvwY/VCmpFNw6scI/AAAAAAAAED4/8EZZLzVy4TA/s1600/photo%2B(2).JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken during the event itself - you can just see Emmy Laybourne, a moderator, on the right!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">In fantasy and all it's subcategories, there's a lot of world building that goes into it. Do you have a process or outlining technique to keep track of all of the world building? What's it like building a whole world like that?</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Caragh:</b> For me, the world, the setting, is a combination of the physical setting of the book and the societal expectations, which are connected to the physical setting. So in the case of <i>The Vault of Dreamers</i>, it's set at a boarding school with all these cameras and the way the kids have to survive being seen all the time. For some it's invigorating and it charges them up and enhances their creativity and for other students like Rosie, it's an oppressive things. So developing the novel meant imagining the physical place with all of the cameras at the boarding school but also imagining what that does to everybody. As Rosie was developing in the book I had to figure out where the cameras were and what the rules were - how long they would have to sleep and whether they could use their cellphones so they could get around the limits of the place.<br />
<b>Marie:</b> Patricia Wrede has a site online that asks a lot of different question about the world you've created. It's a <b><a href="http://www.sfwa.org/2009/08/fantasy-worldbuilding-questions/" target="_blank">site</a></b> I'd recommend to anybody. It's full of really great questions that a writer can ask themselves: What is the religion of this world? What is the currency? All of the things we might take for granted in our own world and I don't know that I would necessarily say that that was a huge part of my process but it was super helpful. I did do that at the beginning of writing <i>The Winner's Curse</i>.<br />
<b>Ann:</b> Everything I know about the world I find out from my characters. It's not that I sit down with a piece of paper or an index card and start arbitrarily making rules. My character divulge everything to me about the world that they live in and I just make sure I'm consistent with everything they tell me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okNMJ-We81s/VCni-UXLeqI/AAAAAAAAEEw/Ar4ZT-J46kA/s1600/Twitterchat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-okNMJ-We81s/VCni-UXLeqI/AAAAAAAAEEw/Ar4ZT-J46kA/s1600/Twitterchat.jpg" height="400" width="399" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't forget! The Twitter Chat is happening tonight!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What are some of your childhood favorites and what are your favorite books you're reading now that you would recommend?</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Marie: </b>As a kid, the books that made an impression on me were Katherine Paterson's books. <i>Jacob Have I Loved</i> and <i>Bridge to Terebithia </i>especially as well as the Susan Cooper <i>The Darkness Rising</i> series. And Jane Austen's <i>Pride and Prejudice</i> and L.M. Montgomery's <i>Anne of Green Gables </i>books - all of her books, especially <i>The Blue Castle</i>, which is her romance novel. As for books I've read recently - there are so many. I love <i>The Scorpio Races</i> by Maggie Stiefvater. I love Caragh and Ann's books. I keep wanting to recommend underrated books like Megan Whalen Turner's The Queen Thief books, or Franny Billingsley's <i>Chime</i>.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>That's beautiful.<br />
<b>Marie:</b> It really is. It's so poignant.<br />
<b>Caragh:</b> When I was a kid I really like <i>A Little Princess </i>by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was just a really magical story for me. I really liked the Edgar Rice Burroughs <i>Tarzan </i>series. Those were really incredible stories to me too, that someone could be growing up in a jungle and then find a way to create language. And there's a book by Rafael Sabatini called <i>Captain Blood </i>and there was an Errol Flynn movie made out of it but I thought the book itself was really great. These days I've been reading a lot of different stuff. I really like <i>The Gospel of Winter</i> by Brendan Kiely, which is about a boy who's abused by a Catholic Priest and he has to figure out a way to deal with that. That was a really powerful book. I liked <i>Shadow and Bone </i>by Leigh Bardugo. I also liked <i>The Goldfinch</i>.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>When I was a kid, probably the most important book to me was <i>A Wrinkle in Time </i>by Madeline L'Engle because the heroine was smart and weird and awkward and she wasn't at all concerned by it. She didn't care about fitting in. All she cared about was her family and what happened to her dad and taking care of her brother and she went on amazing adventures and she eventually met a cute boy who liked her even though she was weird and awkward and all of that really spoke to me. More recently I would really highly recommend <i>Of Metal and Wishes </i>by Sarah Fine. It's wonderful. I very highly recommend <i>Gates of Thread and Stone</i> by Laurie M. Lee, also very gripping. I just started, on the train in from Boston, <i>Jackaby</i> by William Ritter. I'm about 70 pages in and I'm really enchanted. My plan for tonight is to go curl up in bed with it and hopefully finish it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">What's the biggest takeaway you want your readers to get from you book?</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Buy book two!<br />
<b>Marie: </b>That's a good message.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Mine is, at the end of book three, haha you totally read the whole trilogy!<br />
<b>Caragh:</b> Mine is that you should trust in your art. <br />
<b>What about you Marie?</b><br />
<b>Ann: </b>Be really careful when buying hot boys.<br />
<b>Marie: </b>It's hard for me to choose just one message. I think one would be that smart is sexy. I think it's also about the difficulties of being true to yourself. How it's all very well and easy to say be true to yourself but what happens when being true to yourself hurt somebody else and how do you negotiate your own desires with the desires of other people.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">So here's the last question: A lot of authors have been asked recently to sort their characters in Hogwarts houses. Where would you sort your characters and where would you be sorted?</span></b></div>
<br />
<b>Ann: </b>I have been officially sorted as Hufflepuff and Edie would be Ravenclaw.<br />
<b>Caragh: </b>I have been told by people who have been sorted that I am a Gryffindor.<br />
<b>Marie: </b>I think that I'm a Ravenclaw. I think it's because I'm not brace enough to be a Gryffindor.<br />
<b>Ann: </b>Are you not sneaky and mean?<br />
<b>Marie: </b>You mean Slytherin? I think I would be Slytherin so I could use their pool. Don't they have that amazing bathhouse? I wouldn't like to hang out with Slytherins, though. I'd just want to use their bathhouse, wherever that thing is.<br />
<b>Caragh: </b>That's ambitious of you. Maybe you are Slytherin.<br />
<b>Ann:</b> I think you are Slytherin.<br />
<b>Marie: </b>No, I'm kind of nerdy, so I think I'd be at home in Ravenclaw. And I think that Arin is definitely Gryffindor. Kestrel's, well, Kestrel's manipulative, so maybe she's a Slytherin.<br />
<b>Caragh: </b>And I think Rosie's a Gryffindor. She's very brave. She's just very brave. There's something straightforward about her. She can be manipulative too, but then she realizes she's manipulative so at least she's honest with herself about what she's done.<br />
<br />
And this point in the interview, we sort of incoherently dissolved into a conversation about fanfic terms. Terms mentioned? Woobie and Lemon, but let's keep this post PG, shall we?<br />
<br />
Thanks so much to Ann, Caragh and Marie for sitting down with me and answering all of my questions!<br />
<div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">BUT THAT'S NOT ALL</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTVDFyTBfsk/VCnZyD0L56I/AAAAAAAAEEY/u-6AWDeYahg/s1600/FierceReads.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTVDFyTBfsk/VCnZyD0L56I/AAAAAAAAEEY/u-6AWDeYahg/s1600/FierceReads.png" height="315" width="640" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
One lucky winner will receive a copy of <i>Mortal Danger</i>, <i>The Vault of Dreamers & </i><i>The Winner’s Curse!</i><br />
<br />
~To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. DO NOT enter using the comments.<br />
~ You must be <b>13 years or older</b> or have a guardian's permission to enter.<br />
<div>
~ Prize will be fulfilled by Macmillan.<br />
~ The winners will be chosen randomly. Once chosen, the winners will be emailed. They will then have <b>48 HOURS</b> to respond, otherwise another winner will be chosen.<br />
~ The giveaway is <b>US ONLY</b>.<br />
~ I reserve the right to disqualify anyone who tries to cheat the system. I <b>WILL</b> be checking the winning entry.<br />
<div>
~ Giveaway ends October 7th 11:59 EST<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/cec5931217/" id="rc-cec5931217" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>
<br />
Be sure to check out the other Fierce Reads bloggers for more recaps, interviews and giveaways!<br />
<br />
Downers Grove, IL: <a href="http://yabibliophile.com/" target="_blank">YA Bibliophile</a> | @HMZ1505<br />
Exeter, NH: <a href="http://www.loveisnotatriangle.com/" target="_blank">Love is Not a Triangle</a> | @LaurayJames<br />
Cambridge, MA: <a href="http://www.tickettoanywhere.net/" target="_blank">Ticket to Anywhere</a> | @Irisheyz77<br />
Collegeville, PA: <a href="http://www.perpetualpageturner.com/2014/09/fierce-reads-interview-giveaway.html" target="_blank">Perpetual Page Turner</a> | @BrokeandBookish<br />
Charleston, SC: <a href="http://readingunderground.org/" target="_blank">Reading Underground</a> | @andriaamaral<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">And don't forget about the second leg of the tour.... </span></b></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Atrv8Z81CI/VCnk0DX1lyI/AAAAAAAAEE8/UYES4Si7Pio/s1600/Leg2.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Atrv8Z81CI/VCnk0DX1lyI/AAAAAAAAEE8/UYES4Si7Pio/s1600/Leg2.PNG" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Djq_N59yvwY%2FVCmpFNw6scI%2FAAAAAAAAED4%2F8EZZLzVy4TA%2Fs1600%2Fphoto%252B" with "https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Djq_N59yvwY/VCmpFNw6scI/AAAAAAAAED4/8EZZLzVy4TA/s1600/photo%2B" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F-RdYcHj_w3wI%2FVCmpFtmTI7I%2FAAAAAAAAEEE%2FvNEagaL_ExI%2Fs1600%2Fphoto.JPG&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RdYcHj_w3wI/VCmpFtmTI7I/AAAAAAAAEEE/vNEagaL_ExI/s1600/photo.JPG" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-70489896110573583842014-09-23T00:45:00.005-04:002014-09-23T00:47:19.799-04:00Top Ten Books On My Fall To-Be-Read List (63)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct0o8TipDEc/Ujewee6MX4I/AAAAAAAACYs/Q4CYwJJoVUY/s1600/TopTenTuesday.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Broke and the Bookish</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So this week I went through my stacks of ARCs, expired and unexpired and was like, hey, maybe if I moved the ones I really, really want to read ASAP off the spare bookshelf in my older sister's now-empty room (some people have the smarts to get married and, y'know, have a new home with their spouse) to my nightstand. Of course, this has led to a tower of books on my nightstand, but this move forced me to clean off the stuff that was there before? Y'know, just a little bonus. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Anyway, here are the books I intend to read this fall. It's more than 10 but less than 20 so let's call it a wash. And let's hope that their presence on my nightstand will help make sure I get through each and everyone. (Everyone, form a prayer circle now. Maybe that'll help.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv167bxQk2c/VCD3uIVrpWI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/8C93r4TYQc4/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rv167bxQk2c/VCD3uIVrpWI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/8C93r4TYQc4/s1600/photo.jpg" height="593" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm not doing titles and links this week. I'm super uber mega duper lazy. SUE ME.<br />
<br />
Also, if you've read and loved ANY of these, let me know, I'll bump them up the list.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-4729457314333084322014-09-22T01:02:00.002-04:002014-09-22T01:03:36.964-04:00Blog Tour Review + Interview: Rooms by Lauren Oliver<br />
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/jpNeARlxXed8ZFMDLjdnEW-hgnAHkPZGdShfUmI9Nsdzp9dQWdSDybW-0btL73bkQNxQm09SbkA8Uy1xXYb-WC-fk32HFK654Q" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400856745l/13579626.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><br />
<b style="font-weight: bold;">Title: </b><i>Rooms</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>Lauren Oliver<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>September 23rd, 2014 <b><br />Publisher: </b>Ecco<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>320<br />
<b>Source: </b>ARC from the Publisher<br />
<i>(I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest</i><br />
<i>review. No favors were exchanged, my opinions are my own.)</i><br />
<div>
<b>Target Audience: </b>Adults/Lauren Oliver fans/People who like good (slightly more mature) fiction<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rooms-lauren-oliver/1117907041?ean=9780062223197" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rooms-A-Novel-Lauren-Oliver/dp/0062223194/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062223197" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Delirium-Lauren-Oliver/9780062112439" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>The New York Times bestselling author of Before I Fall and the Delirium trilogy makes her brilliant adult debut with this mesmerizing story in the tradition ofThe Lovely Bones, Her Fearful Symmetry, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane—a tale of family, ghosts, secrets, and mystery, in which the lives of the living and the dead intersect in shocking, surprising, and moving ways.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Wealthy Richard Walker has just died, leaving behind his country house full of rooms packed with the detritus of a lifetime. His estranged family—bitter ex-wife Caroline, troubled teenage son Trenton, and unforgiving daughter Minna—have arrived for their inheritance.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>But the Walkers are not alone. Prim Alice and the cynical Sandra, long dead former residents bound to the house, linger within its claustrophobic walls. Jostling for space, memory, and supremacy, they observe the family, trading barbs and reminiscences about their past lives. Though their voices cannot be heard, Alice and Sandra speak through the house itself—in the hiss of the radiator, a creak in the stairs, the dimming of a light bulb.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>The living and dead are each haunted by painful truths that will soon surface with explosive force. When a new ghost appears, and Trenton begins to communicate with her, the spirit and human worlds collide—with cataclysmic results.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Elegantly constructed and brilliantly paced, Rooms is an enticing and imaginative ghost story and a searing family drama that is as haunting as it is resonant.</i></blockquote>
<div>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Lauren Oliver has written yet another book I couldn't put down.<br />
<br />
To clarify, I'd say <i>Rooms</i> is most like <i>Before I Fall</i> or <i>Panic</i>. It's not <i>quite </i>the same, as it's written for an older audience, but it has a paranormal aspect, like <i>Before I Fall </i>and has all the introspection of both <i>Before I Fall </i>and <i>Panic</i>.<br />
<br />
And I say <i>Rooms </i>is for an older audience <b>not </b>because there are themes in the book that someone younger can't comprehend, but because of the mature content. Sex, drugs, and other non-youth friendly elements are woven through the book. So, buyer beware.<br />
<br />
Mature elements aside, <i>Rooms </i>is a <b>wow</b> kind of book. It's never quite clear what's going to happen next and, as the story unfolds from multiple points of view and in 11 different parts, you can't help but wonder who or what's going to show up next. The mysteries, murders, ghosts (both the ones haunting the house and the ones metaphorically haunting the individual characters) paint a picture so vivid and creepy I can't help but continue thinking about these characters<br />
<br />
Finally, of course, no one can really mimic or match Lauren Oliver's prose. If you want to read a book so well written you'll want to underline every other sentence, this is the one.<br />
<br />
Now, since this is a blog tour post <b>and</b> I'm very lucky, here's a brief interview with Lauren Oliver!<br />
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Gaby: </span></b>Three of your books (<i>Leisl & Po, Before I Fall, </i>and <i>Rooms</i>) are about ghosts. Is there a reason you keep returning to this theme?<br />
<b>Lauren Oliver: </b>Oh, I don't know. I guess I'm just fascinated by the afterlife and our sense of it. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with any standard religion.<br />
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Gaby: </span></b>In the same vein, what's your favorite ghost story?<br />
<b>Lauren Oliver: </b><i>The Turn of the Screw</i>, by Henry James, definitely. Also, although it isn't technically a ghost story, <i>We Have Always Lived in The Castle</i>, by Shirley Jackson. It's a breathtakingly strange and suspenseful, creepy novel about a family's decay in the aftermath of an enormous tragedy.<br />
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Gaby: </span></b>If Rooms were a YA novel, what would it look like?<br />
<b>Lauren Oliver: </b>That's a great question. For one, there would be no adult POVs, which means the structure would have to completely change. And then it couldn't be ROOMS at all. Or maybe the ghost would be a hot teen girl and she and Trenton would end up snogging, as the British say.<br />
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Gaby: </span></b>Rooms is written from multiple perspectives. Which is your favorite perspective and why?<br />
<b>Lauren Oliver: </b>I loved writing from Trenton's POV. It's so fun to think like a boy, and I just really felt like he was my little brother: I sympathized with him and felt sorry for him and was annoyed by him at the same time.<br />
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="color: #8e7cc3;">Gaby: </span></b>If Rooms had a theme song, what would it be?<br />
<b>Lauren Oliver: </b>Ooooo, I don't know! It's hard to pick just one. I did a great playlist of ROOMS-themed songs. You can check it out <b><a href="http://lauren-oliver.tumblr.com/post/93124592240/rooms-playlist-1-summer-gothic" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VGs_ylOx0VE/VBx-QNDQP_I/AAAAAAAAEDA/jtio8TZIxYQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-09-04%2Bat%2B2.04.21%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VGs_ylOx0VE/VBx-QNDQP_I/AAAAAAAAEDA/jtio8TZIxYQ/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2014-09-04%2Bat%2B2.04.21%2BPM.png" height="200" style="cursor: move;" width="138" /></a><b> ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lauren Oliver is the author of the New York Times bestselling YA novels Before I Fall, Panic, and the Delirium trilogy: Delirium, Pandemonium, and Requiem. Her books have been translated into thirty languages. She is also the author of two novels for middle-grade readers, The Spindlers and Liesl & Po, which was a 2012 E. B. White Read-Aloud Award nominee. Lauren's first adult novel, Rooms, will be published in September 2014. A graduate of the University of Chicago and NYU's MFA program, Lauren Oliver is also the co-founder of the boutique literary development company Paper Lantern Lit. </div>
<br />
<b><b> <a href="http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/" target="_blank">Website</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13579626-rooms" target="_blank">Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/oliverbooks" target="_blank">Twitter</a></b></b></blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you to Lauren Oliver for joining me on the blog today! <i>Rooms </i>comes out TOMORROW so if you like what you read here, make sure to grab your copy ASAP!</span></b></div>
</div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fd.gr-assets.com%2Fbooks%2F1400856745l%2F13579626.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/jpNeARlxXed8ZFMDLjdnEW-hgnAHkPZGdShfUmI9Nsdzp9dQWdSDybW-0btL73bkQNxQm09SbkA8Uy1xXYb-WC-fk32HFK654Q" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-89577926335710531282014-09-19T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-19T00:30:59.254-04:00Blog Tour + Excerpt: Hook's Revenge by Heidi Schulz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wf06vUxa5Is/VBdCmHrX9nI/AAAAAAAAECg/vtg1QJN86Hk/s1600/HOOKSREVENGE_TOUR_V2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wf06vUxa5Is/VBdCmHrX9nI/AAAAAAAAECg/vtg1QJN86Hk/s1600/HOOKSREVENGE_TOUR_V2.jpg" height="236" width="640" /></a></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-size: large;">AHOY ME HEARTIES!</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Welcome to (Pirate) Queen Ella Bee Reads' day on the HOOK'S REVENGE blog tour!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393265331l/20454626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393265331l/20454626.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
<div style="font-style: italic;">
<b>Title:</b> <i>Hook's Revenge </i>(Hook's Revenge #1)</div>
<b>Author: </b>Heidi Schulz<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>September 16th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Disney-Hyperion<br />
<b style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9781423198673-0" style="font-style: normal;">Powell’s</a><span style="font-style: normal;"> | </span><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781423198673" style="font-style: normal;">IndieBound</a><span style="font-style: normal;"> | </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hooks-revenge-heidi-schulz/1118064659?ean=9781423198673" style="font-style: normal;">Barnes & Noble</a><span style="font-style: normal;"> | </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hooks-Revenge-Heidi-Schulz/dp/1423198670" style="font-style: normal;">Amazon</a></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Twelve-year-old Jocelyn dreams of becoming every bit as daring as her infamous father, Captain James Hook. Her grandfather, on the other hand, intends to see her starched and pressed into a fine society lady. When she’s sent to Miss Eliza Crumb-Biddlecomb’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, Jocelyn’s hopes of following in her father’s fearsome footsteps are lost in a heap of dance lessons, white gloves, and way too much pink.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>So when Jocelyn receives a letter from her father challenging her to avenge his untimely demise at the jaws of the Neverland crocodile, she doesn’t hesitate-here at last is the adventure she has been waiting for. But Jocelyn finds that being a pirate is a bit more difficult than she’d bargained for. As if attempting to defeat the Neverland’s most fearsome beast isn’t enough to deal with, she’s tasked with captaining a crew of woefully untrained pirates, outwitting cannibals wild for English cuisine, and rescuing her best friend from a certain pack of lost children, not to mention that pesky Peter Pan who keeps barging in uninvited.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>The crocodile’s clock is always ticking in Heidi Schulz’s debut novel, a story told by an irascible narrator who is both dazzlingly witty and sharp as a sword. Will Jocelyn find the courage to beat the incessant monster before time runs out?</i></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Heidi Schulz sent me an excerpt (message in a bottle style, of course) to share with all of you, but FIRST I have to tell you why I'm <b>SO EXCITED </b>today.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a>The <b>main </b>reason I'm <b>SO EXCITED</b> is because I <b>love</b> HOOK'S REVENGE so very much. It's a tale about family, friends, loyalty, overcoming your fears, pirates, silliness, crocodiles, fairies and a hundred other perfect things. And who wouldn't love all that, I ask you?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But I'm also so very excited because today is <b>INTERNATIONAL TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/myb106.com/files/2013/09/goonies.gif" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://38.media.tumblr.com/52477bd3071f3bbc220225e6667b8407/tumblr_mnxsuhEUzn1r1mr1po1_r1_500.gif" height="287" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://31.media.tumblr.com/2adb809539937a57a40b49f52a13f3dd/tumblr_mq5k1kIQJK1sqe407o1_500.gif" height="270" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/f86d2d131b019aacc7e5b133824a3deb/tumblr_mexem3hlXt1re4kzho1_500.gif" height="223" width="400" /><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm not sure pirates are as polite as that last gif might lead one to believe, but perhaps it's some kind of pirate trickery - <b>always be on the look out for pirate trickery!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Anyway, you're all probably about to make me walk the plank for making you wait to read this excerpt from HOOK'S REVENGE so, without further ado, I turn it over to Heidi!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
</div>
<br /></div>
Hi Gaby! I am thrilled to making a tour stop here! I thought you might like to read about the best not-so-fierce pirates the Neverland has ever seen. <br />
<br />
Captain Hook’s daughter, Jocelyn, has been charged with avenging his death on the Neverland’s crocodile. In order to do so, she’ll need to help of an able crew. Instead, well… how about you see for yourself?<br />
<div>
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Jocelyn stood at the top of the gangplank as her men boarded the ship. Smee was on hand to make introductions and provide commentary. The first to arrive was One-Armed Jack.</i><br /> <br /><i>The girl wondered at his unusual name. Unless her eyes were deceiving her, he had two good arms (though under her gaze he quickly tucked one inside his shirt), yet here he was introducing himself and saying, “Happy to meet you, Cap’n. I’d offer to shake your hand, but as I’ve only got the one, and it being full o’ me gear...”</i><br /> <br /><i>Jocelyn thought to question his strange behavior, but she noticed Smee shaking his head. Instead she said, “Welcome aboard, Jack. You may stow your things below deck.”</i><br /> <br /><i>As One-Armed Jack walked away, carrying his trunk in one hand and scratching his hindquarters with the other, Jocelyn tuned to Smee and demanded, “What was that about?”</i><br /> <br /><i>He ducked his head and replied, “Begging your pardon, miss, but your men have some . . . how shall we put this, Johnny? Some unusual characteristics. You see, they’ve not had much experience. Not like your regular crews. None of them have even been in a real battle, but that doesn’t stop them from wishing they had, so they, ah, pretend.”</i><br /> <br /><i>“That’s ridiculous. Anyone with eyes could see that that man has two arms. How can he get away with pretending he doesn’t?”</i><br /> <br /><i>Mr. Smee looked away, watching another pirate limp his way up the gangplank. “Ridiculous, yes, well, it might be a mite ridiculous—yet they all go along with it. You see, if, say, Jim McCraig with a Wooden Leg here,” he motioned to the man boarding the ship, “was to point out that Jack had two arms, then Jack could say that Jim doesn’t really have a wooden leg; he’s only got a corroded old sliver in his big toe. See there, that’s what causes the limp. So aye, it may be silly, but, begging your pardon, it works, see.”</i><br /> <br /><i>At this point Jim McCraig with a Wooden Leg reached the deck. When he addressed his new captain, though, Jocelyn was hard-pressed to decipher much of what he said. His words appeared to be a delinquent cousin of English—faintly familiar, but mostly jumble and noise. She leaned over to Smee and whispered, “Is he pretending to have something wrong with his tongue as well?”</i><br /> <br /><i>Smee whispered back, “No. In this case something really is wrong with his tongue: he’s Scottish. I believe he just introduced himself.”</i><br /> <br /><i>Jocelyn turned back to Jim, considering. “Mr. McCraig, I see that you are missing one of your limbs. I hope its absence will not cause you to be lax in your duties, for I plan to run a tight ship and have no room for those who are unable to pull their own weight. You will be required to do as much as a sailor with two good legs.”</i><br /> <br /><i>The man replied with another enthusiastic string of gibberish. Smee translated: “He says it won’t hold him back. Matter of fact, might be dead useful at times. Jim can tell when a storm is brewing by the phantom itch where his meat leg used to be.”</i><br /> <br /><i>“Very good, Jim. Be sure and let me know if that happens.”</i><br /> <br /><i>The crew was rounded out by the arrival of Nubbins, the cook, and Blind Bart, the ship’s lookout. Nubbins was the only crew member with a real battle wound. Smee explained that the man had lost his left thumb in an unfortunate cooking accident, but claimed that it had been bitten off by a giant squid. Nubbins liked to brag that he’d gotten his revenge by transforming the creature into a delicious dish of calamari with capers—served cold, of course.</i><br /> <br /><i>Blind Bart seemed an unusual choice for lookout, as he wore patches over both eyes. His reasoning here was elegantly simple: if one eye patch made a pirate look fierce and dangerous, two would make him look doubly so. (The man also had a fear of drowning—an unfortunate quality in a sailor—but as even the stupidest toddler knows, covering your eyes makes you invisible. Thus, if the ocean couldn’t see him, it couldn’t get him.)</i><br /> <br /><i>Though her pirates were certainly odd, Jocelyn was in no position to turn even a single one away. She was running with a skeleton crew as it was. Her ship would need every man to do his part.</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
These guys were such fun to write. I can’t wait for you to see what kind of trouble they get up to!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GImHy0mP-CY/VBtNqS_TkNI/AAAAAAAAECw/-lOi1Da9xfU/s1600/Heidi.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GImHy0mP-CY/VBtNqS_TkNI/AAAAAAAAECw/-lOi1Da9xfU/s1600/Heidi.PNG" height="200" width="200" /></a><b><b> ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Heidi Schulz is a writer, reader, and giraffe suspicioner. She lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband, co-captaining a crew made of their teen daughter, a terrible little dog, and five irascible chickens. Her debut novel for middle grade readers, HOOK’S REVENGE, will be published by Disney•Hyperion on September 16, 2014. A sequel, HOOK’S REVENGE: THE PIRATE CODE, will follow in fall 2015. Bloomsbury Kids will publish her picture book debut, GIRAFFES RUIN EVERYTHING, in 2016.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="http://heidischulzbooks.com/">Website</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/HeidiSchulz">Twitter </a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchulzBooks">Facebook </a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7245339.Heidi_Schulz">Goodreads</a></b></div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">If you want to check out the rest of this blog tour...</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/12 - <a href="http://readingwithabc.com/">Reading with ABC</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/15 - <a href="http://fireflyreadit.blogspot.com/">Paperback Princess</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/16 - <a href="http://theirishbanana.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Irish Banana</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/17 - <a href="http://mundiemoms.blogspot.com/">Mundie Moms</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/18 - <a href="http://jenuinecupcakes.blogspot.com/">Jenuine Cupcakes</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/19 - Queen Ella Bee Reads</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/22 - <a href="http://allodoxophobia.wordpress.com/2014/07/09/waiting-on-wednesday-hooks-revenge-by-heidi-schulz/">Allodoxophobia</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/23 - <a href="http://kissedbyink.com/">Kissed by Ink</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/24 - <a href="http://www.whorublog.com/">Who RU Blog</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>9/25 - <a href="http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com/">Supernatural Snark</a></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">And with that, I bid thee ARRRRRRRRdieu. </span></b><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/myb106.com/files/2013/09/pirates-of-car.gif" /></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-15614634691943453852014-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-18T15:33:28.343-04:00Review by Alex: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/74HIeipPpkJP-oqoQDiAEpXEL0fMzY_hWfOrGUemp-Uvc-E-lSx62syfGGC5ijOgSH5rq2qdAYGdOY__TpUETvfHe8ww6qpCquChLP-g3l556rKkh7ItJ0s" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/sjmaas/709898/72897/72897_original.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>Title:</b> <i>Heir of Fire </i>(Throne of Glass #3)<br />
<b>Author:</b> <a href="http://sarahjmaas.com/">Sarah J. Maas</a><br />
<b>Release Date:</b> September 2nd, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>565<br />
<b>Source:</b> Purchased<br />
<b>First Reaction:</b> You'll have to ask Alex, my guest reviewer for the day!<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heir-of-fire-sarah-j-maas/1118427652?ean=9781619630659" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heir-Fire-Throne-Glass-Sarah/dp/1619630656/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1410891121&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619630659" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Heir-Fire-Sarah-Maas/9781619630659" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?</i><br />
<br />
[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613470-heir-of-fire?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
<div>
<a name='more'></a>Like every other<i> Throne of Glass</i> fan, waiting for September 2nd to stroll around at its leisurely pace was excruciating. I don’t know about anyone else, but I had this elaborate plan to sheet-fort myself in my room and not come out until I finished every last page of <i>Heir of Fire</i>. But then the mail man delivered it... and it was in my hands... and I couldn’t do it.<br />
<br />
You see, I devoured <i>Crown of Midnight</i> in a grand total of 12 hours. And that was a mistake for me, because that book pretty much threw my body into shock and I was kind of like this for a week or two after:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/digimon-Favimcom-230800_zpsf28e2fb5.gif" height="190" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">For every non-digimon-nerd, that’s Kari being pulled into oblivion. So apropos.<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Racing through it so quickly was neither good for my poor poor heart and soul nor my memory. While I remember the feel and emotions of <i>Crown of Midnight</i> and I remember what happened, I can’t for the life of me remember the details. So I decided to take <i>Heir of Fire</i> slow. AND I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID. Hell, the sheer size of it told me that it was PACKED with extremely important details that would be crucial in the next three books (I was right), so I needed to be able to remember the details this time around.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Folks, this book took my breath away. If <i>Crown of Midnight</i> hadn't already done it, <i>Heir of Fire</i> has firmly put Sarah J. Maas into the ranks of the best fantasy writers this world has seen. There was no fear in her writing, she told Celaena's story without holding back one bit of truth. Sarah was not about to lessen Celaena and Co.'s glory, the majesty of their world, to soften the blow for us readers. The writing, in short, was stunning. It's bringing tears to my eyes right now as I recollect what I read. For all aspiring fantasy writers out there like me, THIS is the book to study and learn from. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Honestly, the advanced reviews pouring out for this book had me scared shitless. I was dead certain that it would leave me traumatized and whimpering in a puddle of my own tears. Aaaaaand I guess I worked myself into such a frenzy that I don't think I'm nearly as traumatized as other readers seem to be. I actually feel genuine relief. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I mean, by all accounts, Sarah has set the stakes so high that I am fully aware that everything set up in Heir of Fire could end in a bath of blood and darkness... and yet I feel this radiating hope. That's what Celaena gives me. That's why she is hands down my favorite heroine that I've met.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
I think a lot of my anxiety stemmed from seeing a lot of negative opinions of Chaol in his third of the storyline... and I simply can't understand it. I fell in love with Chaol for the same reasons Celaena did - his unyielding, innate goodness, loyalty, solidity. He stumbled terribly in COM and his footing is still unsure in HOF, but he is still the same Chaol. He had his own journey to take in this book, very different - and yet still similar - to that of Celaena's journey. They both had to figure themselves out, decide what is worth fighting for and how far they are willing to go. But Chaol also had to decide on which side of the line he stood. And I think in our heart of hearts we always knew which side he would take, because he's Chaol. I don't think that was ever really a mystery to us. But watching him make the journey to that decision... that's what matters. Sarah doesn't let us assume anything. She makes every choice matter. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Plus, let’s be honest, I WILL GO DOWN WITH MY SHIP. Chaolaena to the grave! <br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/miranda-funeral-o_zps3f4a2ac3.gif" /></center>
<br />
Okay then.<br />
<br />
Now. Dorian. I don't know what to say about Dorian, except that I'm ashamed to have written him off after I read <i>Throne of Glass</i>. I knew he was important then, but I still wrote him off as a character who wouldn't struggle as much as the others. Nope. Once again Sarah raised the stakes even higher and I am in total awe of who Dorian is, and I completely understand why Chaol is so fiercely loyal to him. Dorian's fate at the end of HOF... I can't even begin to imagine what Sarah has in store for him. All I know is that Dorian's worth has been handed to me and I'm not so sure I can handle it.<br />
<br />
The part that's most exciting about this book is the host of new characters introduced. Rowan, Aedion, Manon, Sorcsha, Ren. The Ironteeth witches, the Thirteen, the Fae and demi-Fae, the wyverns, and some new insidious creatures threatening every inch of the world. I can't even... I just can't. I never thought I could love new characters as much as the old, but apparently I CAN. The bond forged between Celaena and Rowan is breathtaking. It's like she is more Celaena because of him. Aedion, with all his strength and force of will, was like a pillar in this book, because Chaol and Dorian's storyline could have easily crumbled without his challenging presence. And Manon was downright fascinating to read. She’s pretty much April Ludgate, fantasy edition.<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_ml6gvyhgkk1r8veato1_400_zps237d74ea.gif" height="179" width="320" /></center>
<br />
AND THE WORLD BUILDING. OH MY GOD. Can the ALL CAPS speak for itself, please? Once again I am stunned speechless by the ever escalating grandeur of Erilea. And can I please live there? Even during all this hell, I still want to be there, because it is glorious.<br />
<br />
<b>I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't want to read this series. </b>If I'm being completely honest, I think Sarah Maas may be surpassing the authors on my favorite authors list - Daphne du Maurier, Melina Marchetta, and, dare I say it, J.K. Rowling. I'm a little stunned because I didn't think my love for these three could be surpassed. But then... if I really think about it, I'm not all that surprised. Mostly because I know Sarah, from limited personal experience, to be an incredible human being, capable of this kind of greatness. Saying "I look forward to the rest of her career" is a ghastly understatement. Speaking of which, the first book in her new fantasy series, A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES, is now available to pre order on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Court-Thorns-Roses-Sarah-Maas/dp/1619634449/ref=sr_1_1?1&keywords=a+court+of+thorns+and+roses"><b>Amazon</b></a> and the <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Court-Thorns-Roses-Sarah-Maas/9781619634442"><b>Book Depository</b></a>, and I am of the belief that you should partake in that opportunity!</div>
</div>
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Alexandra Ray is an aspiring Young Adult Fantasy writer. She is currently working on a high fantasy, very loose retelling of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/little-red-wip/"><b>Little Red Riding Hood</b></a>. She is a former poster on fictionpress.com and the livejournal community The_Write_Away. She loves all things Disney, first gen Digimon, Pokemon, and crime shows that don’t take themselves too seriously and often finds herself daydreaming of pirates, mermaids, and faeries. You can follow Alex on her <a href="https://twitter.com/lazulli21" style="font-weight: bold;">Twitter</a><b>, </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10447205-alexandra-ray" style="font-weight: bold;">Goodreads</a>, and<b> <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/">Pinterest</a></b>.</blockquote>
<br />
<center>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></center>
<center>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>And with that, THRONE OF GLASS week comes to an end and Alex says ciao for now! I'll miss her, you'll miss her, and, maybe if we beg, she'll come back and tell us more about the books she loves! </b></span></center>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-_WhcmafOwWY%2FVBUNzkXRjNI%2FAAAAAAAAECQ%2Fp3NdYDstGbM%2Fs1600%2Fprofilepic.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fic.pics.livejournal.com%2Fsjmaas%2F709898%2F72897%2F72897_original.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/74HIeipPpkJP-oqoQDiAEpXEL0fMzY_hWfOrGUemp-Uvc-E-lSx62syfGGC5ijOgSH5rq2qdAYGdOY__TpUETvfHe8ww6qpCquChLP-g3l556rKkh7ItJ0s" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-20551303949622729322014-09-17T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-17T00:00:06.876-04:00Review by Alex: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Cq-QxF57YQP6yi40x1XZE5GEfeZvMcbyR08y3m8NVzSUnwcZ2jjn750vSdzNIjgn-Au4RllwBnn92YUCNgFR0OlbBzJLnKSiPqmRl1v-_o_AKQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/91A9UsHFeXL._SL1500_.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Crown of Midnight </i>(Throne of Glass #2)<b><br />Author: </b><a href="http://sarahjmaas.com/" target="_blank">Sarah J. Maas</a><br />
<b>Release Date: </b>August 27th, 2013<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>420<br />
<b>Source: </b>Purchased<br />
<b>First Reaction: </b>You'll have to ask Alex, my guest reviewer for the day!<b><br /><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/crown-of-midnight-sarah-j-maas/1114317571?ean=9781619630628" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crown-Midnight-Throne-Glass-Sarah/dp/1619630621/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1410672015&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619630628" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Crown-Midnight-Sarah-Maas/9781619630628" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>
[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167166-crown-of-midnight?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
This may be the most difficult review I ever write. Mostly because I have SO MANY FEELS, and I’m like GET IT TOGETHER, LEX!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="act normal" src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_mqg36fInBs1s7v3ojo5_500_zpsfab9ba12.gif" /></div>
<br />
And that is simply impossible.
<br />
<br />
Let me tell you about my Crown of Midnight reading experience. I started crying around the 35 page mark and didn’t stop until halfway in, at which point my conscious mind sort of blacked out and my subconscious read the rest. Maybe that’s a bit overdramatic, but it’s not far off.
<br />
<br />
Granted some of the crying was joyful tears. The first half of the book is pretty much everything my hearted ever wanted for my loves. Celaena, Chaol, Nehemia, and Dorian were doing their thing, with a wonderful mix of mystery and struggle and happy moments and heart-melting relationship development, and only Dorian wasn’t getting a reprieve from his hardships. Then, in one moment, it all went to hell. <br />
<br />
The second half of Crown of Midnight changed EVERYTHING I thought I knew about this story, about the characters, about the world. Everything changed. And it was supposed to! We’ve all read those books that blind side us because the author lost control or wanted to add cheap shock value. There was NOTHING cheap about how Sarah maneuvered the narrative. She made it very clear, through the actions of one character in particular, that this had to happen to kick-start Celaena into action. Because she could not continue down the path she was on, doing the King’s bidding and earning her freedom in a few years. Like every hero/heroine, Celaena has a purpose (otherwise, what’s the point of reading about them?), and she can’t escape it no matter how much she wants to. <br />
<br />
Thinking about it now, this whole book reminds me of an Anberlin song, “Never Take Friendship Personal,” that I think emotes a lot of what happens to Celaena. <br />
<br />
<center>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/B7ujpjCsMJE" width="420"></iframe></center>
<br />
Reading Crown of Midnight… obliterated me, because the emotions were all so real and strong and personal. Every single character goes through life changing moments, and Sarah shows those changes and the mere beginnings of the repercussions therein. And she does it all… perfectly. There is no better word for how well she wrote this book. <br />
<br />
In fact, this book should come with a 21 and over warning label, because after I finished reading…<br />
<br />
Well...<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="alcohol" src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/thank-you-alcohol_zps2ed5e8e7.gif" />
</div>
<br />
I thought the world building in Throne of Glass was incredible, but Erilea EXPLODES to life in Crown of Midnight. There is so much more going on than we originally thought. It’s the growth that we see in this book that pushes this series beyond the realm of ordinary high fantasy story-telling.
<br />
<br />
Regardless of all the hell that occurred, I can’t properly express how much I LOVE every single word Sarah wrote. And, Sarah, THANK YOU. Thank you for what you have given me and every other reader that your words have touched.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Alexandra Ray is an aspiring Young Adult Fantasy writer. She is currently working on a high fantasy, very loose retelling of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/little-red-wip/"><b>Little Red Riding Hood</b></a>. She is a former poster on fictionpress.com and the livejournal community The_Write_Away. She loves all things Disney, first gen Digimon, Pokemon, and crime shows that don’t take themselves too seriously and often finds herself daydreaming of pirates, mermaids, and faeries. You can follow Alex on her <a href="https://twitter.com/lazulli21" style="font-weight: bold;">Twitter</a><b>, </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10447205-alexandra-ray" style="font-weight: bold;">Goodreads</a>, and<b> <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/">Pinterest</a></b>.</blockquote>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-_WhcmafOwWY%2FVBUNzkXRjNI%2FAAAAAAAAECQ%2Fp3NdYDstGbM%2Fs1600%2Fprofilepic.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F91A9UsHFeXL._SL1500_.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/Cq-QxF57YQP6yi40x1XZE5GEfeZvMcbyR08y3m8NVzSUnwcZ2jjn750vSdzNIjgn-Au4RllwBnn92YUCNgFR0OlbBzJLnKSiPqmRl1v-_o_AKQ" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-41523224294074411622014-09-16T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-23T00:33:14.673-04:00Top Ten Tuesday by Alex: Throne of Glass Edition (62)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct0o8TipDEc/Ujewee6MX4I/AAAAAAAACYs/Q4CYwJJoVUY/s1600/TopTenTuesday.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gaby has given me the opportunity to do this week’s top ten, and since I’m guest blogging on behalf of the Throne of Glass series, guess what this week is going to be about! Yes, my fangirling and how/why you should fangirl with me! YAAAAAAYYY<br />
<br />
Actually, Gaby gave me a couple of suggestions on what to do and I’m stealing them. Instead of a traditional 10, today I am going to split it up and do TWO Top 5s!<br />
<br />
First of all, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah for the Throne of Glass series landing at #4 on the New York Times Best Seller List!<br />
<br />
Which is a perfect segue into...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Read the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas: </b><br />
<br />
<b>1) Celaena Sardothien </b><br />
She’s like the love child of Aragorn and Legolas; with Aragorn’s heart and honor and general bad-assery and Legolas’s fabulousness (and Sarah has told me that Celaena also inherited some of Gandalf’s sass, which upon further consideration I have to agree with). And, to spice things up with a crazy fandom crossover, Celaena also has the cleverness of Stiles and allure? of Derek from Teen Wolf (because I just watched the season 4 finale and ohmygod).<br />
<br />
Seriously though, you know how in some books, the heroine validates her awesomeness and feminism by comparing herself to the rest of the sniveling, subservient female population? It really pisses me off when story-tellers do that because I think it completely undermines the heroine’s strength, and in most cases just makes her look like an ass to me. Sarah does not do that. Celaena stands out, not because every other female is weak, but because she’s earned it. THAT is true strength.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Pure EPICNESS </b><br />
So much is going on! The grandeur of the plot is unbelievable, and Sarah weaves it together flawlessly. She continually sets the stakes higher and higher with each passing book.<br />
<br />
And makes you feel like this:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/5fc1ae945b7721309e912be8f1ecabf0_zpsf72a3823.gif" height="263" width="320" /></div>
<br />
My sanity almost can’t handle it.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Character Depth </b><br />
Every.single.character is so damaged and real and human (except, ya know, for the Fae, who are Fae) and my heart cries for them. Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, Nehemia, Rowan, Manon, Aedion, Sorscha, Ren. In the hands of a lesser author, all of that “damage” could be considered over the top, but Sarah has crafted the world and the conflict so well that it’s not. All of their struggles feel real, personal. No character, no person, is perfect. We’re all damaged in some way, and life is about putting those pieces back together and figuring ourselves out. These characters go through love, hate, grief, despair, hope, and so many more emotions that I can’t list because that would absurd. Same as us. We have the pleasure (I use that term loosely) of seeing them journey through all these varying trials and emotions. We see the bonds they forge on this journey, the breakable and unbreakable kind, and how precious and vital those bonds are in life.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Intricate World Building </b><br />
Adarlan, Terrasen, Wendlyn, all the lands, cities, forests, deserts, creatures, cultures, <i>magic</i>. I WANT TO LIVE THERE. ‘nuff said.<br />
<br />
<b>5) The Author – Sarah J. Maas</b><br />
She is literally the coolest person on earth.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/rs_250x152-140109091048-literally_zps390dd999.gif" height="194" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Fans can’t ask for a better person, a more deserving one, to shower praises on. Gracious and humble and a fellow raging fangirl, she’s not above making each fan experience personal and special. Plus, she loves puzzles, and I love puzzles, and I don’t really know why that is so amazing to me, but it is.<br />
<br />
<b>Top 5 Book Recs for Throne of Glass Fans <img src="" /></b> <br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/top5books_zps78261a84.png" height="187" width="640" /> </center>
<center>
</center>
<br />
<b>1) Something Strange and Deadly series by Susan Dennard</b><br />
Susan is Sarah’s critique partner, and therefore they each have a hand in the other’s work (notice: Sarah dedicated both COM and HOF to her. THIS MEANS SOMETHING!). And while this fact is awesome, Susan is amazing all on her own. Both of these series have kick-butt heroines and action packed adventures. For those not so interested in paranormal, Susan has a high fantasy series coming out next year, the 1st TRUTHWITCH.<br />
<br />
<b>2) Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta</b><br />
Anything Melina Marchetta writes is golden, and the three books in the Lumatere Chronicles are no exception. Much like Throne of Glass, the stakes in this trilogy are high, death and tyranny are part of everyday life. Courage and the bonds formed between characters are the only things that can save them all. Every fantasy fan NEEDS to read this series.<br />
<br />
<b>3) Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo</b><br />
Incredible world-building with its own brand of high fantasy lore. This book as everything a <i>Throne of Glass</i> fan loves – incredible characters, adventure, romance, magic, girl power. But the thing I think these two series have most in common is how good and evil are not always easily discerned, and how important it is to question... everything you think you know.<br />
<br />
<b>4) Shadowfell trilogy by Juliet Marillier </b><br />
Where <i>Throne of Glass</i> is raging rapids, Shadowfell is a steady but strong flow. This series is slower paced and many may find that tedious, but if you don’t mind a slower pace, then this series will blow your mind. Juliet Marillier is a master at blending fantasy and classic folklore.<br />
<br />
<b>5) The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken</b><br />
Again, Alex and Sarah are critique partners, and yes, there is a pattern here. The writing in this series is downright incredible. While it’s not fantasy (it’s paranormal-dystopian), Alex has crafted a complex world of her own out of our real one. It shares some similar themes with TOG, namely a corrupt government and certain young adults who find that they have the power to bring about change but must find the hope and courage inside themselves. If THAT doesn’t sound awesome to you, Ms. Bracken also has a standalone high fantasy book, BRIGHTLY WOVEN, that is definitely worth reading. Plus, we share a name!<br />
<br />
And<b> *BONUS* </b>all of these series are complete (well, The Darkest Minds will be complete on Oct. 28th . That’s close enough)!!!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-17666822341457713962014-09-15T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-16T14:19:14.788-04:00Review by Alex: The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/-CtNjzmh7nZqvB2QoBJj991bZg25OZrrW_FweVSprhGf0UUcBvYNMDonZqQ5_JOAh0hcBylC-zkhMtqttMFQazrjlXCnw-n8NoMIzlmFO0jBS9iNdUOh7IGDnKLfxRJ6Ubkw-ZrLvoc" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/16/3e/d1/163ed178e195986472b56310add33be8.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>The Assassin's Blade </i>(Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5)<br />
<b>Author: </b><a href="http://sarahjmaas.com/" target="_blank">Sarah J. Maas</a><br />
<b>Release Date: </b>March 4th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>448<br />
<b>Source: </b>Purchased<br />
<b>First Reaction: </b>You'll have to ask Alex, my guest reviewer for the day!<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-assassins-blade-sarah-j-maas/1117011690?ean=9781619633612" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Assassins-Blade-Throne-Novellas/dp/1619633612/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1410666918&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619633612" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Assassins-Blade-Sarah-Maas/9781619633612" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18243700-the-assassin-s-blade?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
The Assassin’s Blade is a compilation of <b>five novellas</b> – <br />
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord <br />
The Assassin and the Healer <br />
The Assassin and the Desert <br />
The Assassin and the Underworld <br />
The Assassin and the Empire <br />
<br />
Together they detail the events that led up to Celaena Sardothien’s arrest and imprisonment in Endovier. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_inline_mx9lgq78ws1qm55py_zpsb11af826.gif" height="244" width="320" /></div>
<br />
There is some debate on whether to read these novellas before or after Throne of Glass, because it is not technically in the main line up of the Throne of Glass series but it is still an important part of Celeana’s story. I, for one, read it after I read Throne of Glass and am glad that I did. By reading Throne of Glass first, I felt like I was already connected to Celaena, so her backstory hit me THAT much harder. Also, I could absorb myself into the mysterious persona that Celaena gave off throughout Throne of Glass. She didn’t want people to know about the broken assassin with too many scars to count, and I’m glad I could journey along with Chaol and Dorian wondering what had happened in her past.<br />
<br />
Either way, the novella’s are full of adventure and intrigue and show you the true ASSASSIN side of Celaena that we don’t get to see a lot of in TOG. We get to see how she earned the all- important “Adarlan’s Assassin” title. But I think the most important part of the novellas was meeting two of the most influential people in Celaena’s life – Sam Cortland and Arobynn Hamel.<br />
<br />
Arobynn is the King of Assassin’s and the person who trained Celaena to be the best assassin in the land. He’s scheming and manipulative, but holds a certain place in Celaena’s heart. She feels indebted to him, and in a way she does since he saved her life when she was 8 yrs old. The relationship and dynamics between these two is nothing short of fascinating.<br />
<br />
And Sam. Oh Sam. He quickly became one of my favorite characters in the series. Celaena mentions Sam in Throne of Glass and in every other book so far. So in the novellas, you get to know Sam personally and see just how much he means to Celaena, and that relationship is crucial to defining her. He is another reason why I was glad to have read TOG before. Without having known Chaol and Dorian first, I’m not sure I would have recovered from Sam’s fate enough to continue on *insert dramatic faint*. In TOG, Celaena says what happened to him, so you can mentally prepare yourself for the maelstrom of tears that await you in the novellas.<br />
<br />
But even with that preparation I was still like:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/giphi_zps3ef5754b.gif" height="222" width="400" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
All in all, each part of the Assassin’s Blade is a stepping stone to figuring out the girl we meet in Throne of Glass. It is an exciting and emotional roller coaster, and no Throne of Glass fan should miss it.<br />
<br />
P.S. – whether you choose to read The Assassin’s Blade before or after Throne of Glass, DEFINIETLY read it before Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire. Otherwise, you will be seriously missing out.</div>
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Alexandra Ray is an aspiring Young Adult Fantasy writer. She is currently working on a high fantasy, very loose retelling of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/little-red-wip/"><b>Little Red Riding Hood</b></a>. She is a former poster on fictionpress.com and the livejournal community The_Write_Away. She loves all things Disney, first gen Digimon, Pokemon, and crime shows that don’t take themselves too seriously and often finds herself daydreaming of pirates, mermaids, and faeries. You can follow Alex on her <a href="https://twitter.com/lazulli21" style="font-weight: bold;">Twitter</a><b>, </b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10447205-alexandra-ray" style="font-weight: bold;">Goodreads</a>, and<b> <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/">Pinterest</a></b>.</blockquote>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-_WhcmafOwWY%2FVBUNzkXRjNI%2FAAAAAAAAECQ%2Fp3NdYDstGbM%2Fs1600%2Fprofilepic.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" --><!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia-cache-ec0.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F16%2F3e%2Fd1%2F163ed178e195986472b56310add33be8.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/proxy/-CtNjzmh7nZqvB2QoBJj991bZg25OZrrW_FweVSprhGf0UUcBvYNMDonZqQ5_JOAh0hcBylC-zkhMtqttMFQazrjlXCnw-n8NoMIzlmFO0jBS9iNdUOh7IGDnKLfxRJ6Ubkw-ZrLvoc" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-71682802843463584152014-09-14T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-14T00:04:23.414-04:00Review by Alex: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/p_yWocV2sg4FDkPnL3KsQVI3ClfliFXR39rKyKyiDXkeg0toryKn_2A3vNhBZNnhKr6rYpPwm-uHPP3-1dwV1GxItqSRCRmjpQ" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81RKm-7NmqL.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a>
<br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Throne of Glass </i>(Throne of Glass #1)<br />
<b>Author: </b><a href="http://sarahjmaas.com/" target="_blank">Sarah J. Maas</a><br />
<b>Release Date: </b>August 7th, 2012<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Bloomsbury<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>404<br />
<b>Source: </b>Purchased<br />
<b>First Reaction: </b>You'll have to ask Alex, my guest reviewer for the day!<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/throne-of-glass-sarah-j-maas/1108077808?ean=9781619630345" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Throne-Glass-Sarah-J-Maas/dp/1619630346/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1410665336&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781619630345" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Throne-Glass-Sarah-Maas/9781408832332" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.</i><i><br /></i><i>Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.</i><i><br /></i><i>Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7896527-throne-of-glass?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
I've already reviewed this book, but my friend Alex doesn't blog and loves THRONE OF GLASS very, very much and when she asked me if she could review said book on my blog I said, "Hey! Why don't we make this a <b>THING</b>. Why don't you review all of the books and even write a THRONE OF GLASS themed Top Ten Tuesday this week?" And so we are. I hope you all adore Alex as much as I do!<br />
<br />
<b>A HEART OF ICE. A WILL OF STEEL. MEET THE ASSASSIN.</b><br />
<br />
It’s been two years since I personally met Celaena Sardothien. I’d heard about her before, since I found the then titled Queen of Glass on Fictionpress.com in 2008 and started following Sarah’s blog, waiting anxiously for this book’s release. Unfortunately, I did not find it before she removed it from fictionpress, and therefore had no clue what I was in store for. All I knew was that it started as a Cinderella retelling, where Cinderella was an assassin, and that everyone who read it loved it. That’s pretty much it.<br />
<br />
Now, I can honestly say that Throne of Glass changed my life. I stand by my feeling that it was divine intervention that put that book in my hands on August 7th 2012. My life was in shreds… then in struts Celaena Sardothien with so much swagger and arrogance that I was shocked that I found a kindred spirit in her. But that’s the thing about Celaena. She is not your typical hardcore, sword wielding, heroine. Just as Throne of Glass is not your typical young adult fantasy series.
I don’t know what I was expecting from a Cinderella assassin story, but it was not this. For one, Throne of Glass is NOT a retelling. It opens as Celaena Sardothien is pulled from the slave mines of Endovier after spending a year there for her assassin crimes. Crown Prince Dorian has a proposition for her – compete in his father’s competition to become the King’s Champion, aka private assassin, and after spending a few years doing that she will have earned her freedom. It’s an offer she can’t refuse. Upon arriving at the Glass Castle of Adarlan, Celaena finds herself in the midst of something far greater than the trials of court life and a King’s competition.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EPTvg5I_4y8/VBUGuloSjQI/AAAAAAAAECA/xsHrwHtcreY/s1600/Stiles.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EPTvg5I_4y8/VBUGuloSjQI/AAAAAAAAECA/xsHrwHtcreY/s1600/Stiles.gif" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
That was pretty much my reaction after just reading the words “glass castle.” You don’t want to see the unabashed fangirl dance that occurred when I finished reading.<br />
<br />
The world of Adarlan’s Assassin swept me up immediately. Sarah writes about the places and people of Erilea with such vivacity and color. I felt like I was there while reading. Her descriptions are rich and full, but she didn’t bog down the narrative with them. Instead, Sarah shows us the world as Celaena sees it, as she experiences it, so it felt present instead of historic. <br />
<br />
The narrative is full of twists and turns, some predictable, others not at all. It was predictable enough that I wasn't blown away by the revelation of who the bad guys were. But the depth of the evil was shocking! That is what kept my eyes wide and the pages turning faster and faster. Like all fantasy books, there is a constant struggle between good and evil, but Throne of Glass takes that concept a step further, exploring the good and evil in the world as well as within each character. <br />
<br />
Celaena is an assassin and everything that implies. But she is so much more than that. She is the heart and soul of this book, and not because she’s the MAIN main character. It’s because without her being exactly who she is, this book would be nothing more than your average YA fantasy novel, no matter the world building and extremely attractive male cast. And you will either hate her or love her for it.<br />
<br />
What made me fall in love with Celaena is her soul. She has this real duality about her that makes her relatable. She’s not all good and she’s not all kick-ass, darkness, and struggle. She relishes the strength of her weapons and the adrenaline of the fight, but she’s also compassionate and loves pretty dresses and candies and books. There is no one word to describe her, in any language, and that’s the way it should be! Celaena taught me, and continues to teach me now, to keep going when everything feels like it’s going to hell. GET UP and KEEP GOING. <br />
<br />
Plus, if there’s ever a movie, Celaena will pretty much look like the female version of this.
<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_motltpH3Ph1s4taw1o1_500_zps8e7460dc.gif" /></center>
<br />
Which can only be considered fabulous.<br />
<br />
And Celaena isn’t the only fab, strong, female character. We also have… <br />
<br />
Nehemia – Princess of Eyllwe, who asserted her strength so much when we first meet her that I was a little turned off by her. But first impressions are rarely ever correct, and we learn so much about her as she befriends Celaena. <br />
<br />
Kaltain – the resident mean girl and starlet in Adarlan’s Court. You know this girl means social-ladder-climbing business, but there is another side to her that we see as the book unfolds.
and Elena – who, if we’re thinking about the Cinderella motif, is sort of the fairy godmother of the story, except so much more awesome. <br />
<br />
Okay, NOW we can talk about the extremely attractive male cast.
<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_m67ujiP2dq1qbbs8oo1_250_zpsedfe6649.gif" height="233" width="320" /></center>
<br />
First we meet Chaol Westfall, the serious, brooding Captain of the Royal Guard, then Adarlan’s charming and handsome Prince Dorian Havilliard. I don’t want to repeat my first impressions spiel, but it’s true. Chaol is not just a brooding Captain and Dorian is not just a charming Prince. Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian can each stand on his/her own, but the three of them complement each other. Their relationships are the highlight of this book for me, especially between Celaena and Chaol. That one in particular felt… earthy to me, like it grew from deep within, slowly and surely.
<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_mjzxc0Deuc1rk6l6qo1_400_zps7a21b00c.gif" height="237" width="400" /></center>
<br />
Honestly, I was shipping them loyally from about chapter 4 (but I also shipped Matt/Sora from Digimon about 80 episodes before that came into fruition. Take from that what you may).
<br />
<br />
Do you remember how at the beginning of this review I said that Throne of Glass changed my life? It wasn’t just Celaena’s character that changed me. See, I used to be a YA snob, in that I thought it was beneath me (even though I wrote young adult unconsciously… Go young me). Throne of Glass made me realize just how incredible and valuable YA fiction is. This book sparked my love affair with YA fantasy, and I can proudly say that I am a YA fantasy writer. Through Sarah’s exquisite prose and world building and characters and plot weaving, I have been life-alteringly converted and inspired.
<br />
<br />
In conclusion...<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i596.photobucket.com/albums/tt42/lamouette83/gifs/tumblr_ms7gvq1iqF1sxv3djo1_500_zps4667beae.gif" /></center>
<center>
</center>
<center>
</center>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_WhcmafOwWY/VBUNzkXRjNI/AAAAAAAAECQ/p3NdYDstGbM/s1600/profilepic.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: justify;">
Alexandra Ray is an aspiring Young Adult Fantasy writer. She is currently working on a high fantasy, very loose retelling of <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/little-red-wip/" target="_blank"><b>Little Red Riding Hood</b></a>. She is a former poster on fictionpress.com and the livejournal community The_Write_Away. She loves all things Disney, first gen Digimon, Pokemon, and crime shows that don’t take themselves too seriously and often finds herself daydreaming of pirates, mermaids, and faeries. You can follow Alex on her <b><a href="https://twitter.com/lazulli21" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10447205-alexandra-ray" target="_blank">Goodreads</a>,</b> and <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/lamouette83/" target="_blank"><b>Pinterest</b></a>.</blockquote>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F81RKm-7NmqL.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/p_yWocV2sg4FDkPnL3KsQVI3ClfliFXR39rKyKyiDXkeg0toryKn_2A3vNhBZNnhKr6rYpPwm-uHPP3-1dwV1GxItqSRCRmjpQ" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-39392622679172007922014-09-09T00:00:00.000-04:002014-09-09T00:10:45.618-04:00Top Ten Underrated Contemporary Books (61)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct0o8TipDEc/Ujewee6MX4I/AAAAAAAACYs/Q4CYwJJoVUY/s1600/TopTenTuesday.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This week's Top Ten Tuesday is "Top Ten Underrated Contemporary Books." Or, at least for me it is. The actual topic is "Top Ten Underrated Authors or Books in X Genre." I chose the easy way out on this one: Went through my bookshelves and picked up the books I don't see enough on the interwebs and loved a lot and also happen to all fit in the same genre.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, if you haven't read a contemporary novel in this stack, you probably should, because I liked them a lot.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3_sglSqh_0/VA5m_gPpmNI/AAAAAAAAEBs/Pao-NLfdIX8/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q3_sglSqh_0/VA5m_gPpmNI/AAAAAAAAEBs/Pao-NLfdIX8/s1600/photo.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13634097-bright-before-sunrise?from_search=true" target="_blank">BRIGHT BFORE SUNRISE by Tiffany Schmidt</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A whole bundle of cute that takes place all in one night. I get the fuzzies when I think about it. And then after the fuzzies, I keep thinking about it and get all thoughtful in my thinking and that's really the best kind of contemporary for me. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/03/review-bright-before-sunrise-by-tiffany.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11861815-winger?from_search=true" target="_blank">WINGER by Andrew Smith</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is one where everything's happening and you're like, "Uh huh, okay, yes I see - WAIT WHAT NO STOP THAT WHY MY LIFE." And I like to see that in my contemporaries every now and again. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-winger-by-andrew-smith.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12962924-welcome-caller-this-is-chloe?from_search=true" target="_blank">WELCOME, CALLER, THIS IS CHLOE by Shelley Coriell</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I like this one in the same way I like BRIGHT BEFORE SUNRISE. Fuzzies then thoughtful. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-welcome-caller-this-is-chloe-by.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18140047-love-letters-to-the-dead?from_search=true" target="_blank">LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD by Ava Dellaira</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was just a thoughtful contemporary. Introspective, literary, sad... all-over fantastic, really.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13132661-also-known-as?from_search=true" target="_blank">ALSO KNOWN AS by Robin Benway</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was the fuzzies and thoughtful plus loves of cute and snark and fantastic. The sequel, GOING ROGUE, is even better. An excellent twofer. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2013/08/review-also-known-as-by-robin-benway.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12022765-when-you-were-mine?from_search=true" target="_blank">WHEN YOU WERE MINE by Rebecca Serle</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This book is of the sad, thoughtful variety. Not to mention, I can't say I'm the biggest Romeo and Juliet fan but this take, from Rosaline's perspective, really works for me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18189606-since-you-ve-been-gone?from_search=true" target="_blank">SINCE YOU'VE BEEN GONE by Morgan Matson</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I ADORE Morgan Matson's newest novel. This one's kind of got everything. Plus a lot of ice cream. And playlists. Gosh, Morgan Matson knows how to write. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667862-like-no-other?from_search=true" target="_blank">LIKE NO OTHER by Una LaMarche</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Oof. This book. The introspection, the religion, the life commentary. I feel like everyone should know how much I love this book. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-like-no-other-by-una-lamarche.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17170553-the-vow?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE VOW by Jessica Martinez</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My love for this book started with the cover and continued all the way through. My heart was in my throat throughout. I knew, no matter what happened, this book couldn't end well and my heart just broke as everything in it happened. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2013/12/review-vow-by-jessica-martinez.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>10. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1162022.On_the_Jellicoe_Road?from_search=true" target="_blank">JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I think this one isn't so underrated, but I can't help myself. This book is everything the books above are, except maybe cute. It's not so cute. And maybe not super snarky. But every single other thing. Note: The beginning is slow but let it be slow, love it, and let it love you. <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2013/05/review-jellicoe-road-by-melina-marchetta.html" target="_blank">(My Review)</a></b></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-size: large;">Have you read these? Are you going to read these if you haven't? You should read these. Tell me you've read them in the comments below, okay?</span></b></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-88744271357271006422014-09-08T00:34:00.002-04:002014-09-08T00:34:35.057-04:00Stacking the Shelves (18)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mT5OLRa15KE/Ujewg3RTBSI/AAAAAAAACZE/wjeW3cdYhjs/s1600/StackingtheShelves.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mT5OLRa15KE/Ujewg3RTBSI/AAAAAAAACZE/wjeW3cdYhjs/s1600/StackingtheShelves.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://www.tyngasreviews.com/">Tynga's Reviews</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Okay. It's not Stacking the Shelves day. And I haven't done one of these forever. But I bought/received a lot of very, very good things this summer and I thought I'd share as much as I can with you guys. And when I say "as much as I can" I mean I went over my shelves and if I remembered I got it in the last couple of months, I pulled it and took a picture of it.<br />
<br />
I'm really sophisticated.<br />
<br />
So sit back, relax, and enjoy the many, many books.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">ARCS</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLlXaHcTHNM/VA0lRr8ViQI/AAAAAAAAEA0/w1tigH82T2E/s1600/photo%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DLlXaHcTHNM/VA0lRr8ViQI/AAAAAAAAEA0/w1tigH82T2E/s400/photo%2B1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17378508-blue-lily-lily-blue?from_search=true" target="_blank">BLUE LILY, LILY BLUE by Maggie Stiefvater</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18475593-winterspell?from_search=true" target="_blank">WINTERSPELL by Claire Legrand</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
SO. EXCITED</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17399160-snow-like-ashes?from_search=true" target="_blank">SNOW LIKE ASHES by Sara Raasch</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
OOOOOH pretty cover</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22403113-everybody-knows-your-name?from_search=true" target="_blank">EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME by Andrea Seigel and Brent Bradshaw</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This one was sent to me. I hadn't heard of it before but I'm thrilled about it and can't wait to read.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17984141-the-young-elites?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE YOUNG ELITES by Marie Lu</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
WHEEEEE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18392459-we-all-looked-up?from_search=true" target="_blank">WE ALL LOOKED UP by Tommy Wallach</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Heyyyy there pretty book</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>7. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20801166-a-little-something-different?from_search=truehttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20801166-a-little-something-different?from_search=true" target="_blank">A LITTLE SOMETHING DIFFERENT by Sandy Hall</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I love me a little something different (ha! pun!)</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-size: x-large;">FINISHED YA THINGS</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-psUk0IXu9YA/VA0laNNAFAI/AAAAAAAAEBE/TbgkVRqdoh4/s1600/photo%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-psUk0IXu9YA/VA0laNNAFAI/AAAAAAAAEBE/TbgkVRqdoh4/s400/photo%2B2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>8. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16793.Stardust?from_search=true" target="_blank">STARDUST by Neil Gaiman</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Preeeetty special edition</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>9. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18599770-17-first-kisses?from_search=true" target="_blank">17 FIRST KISSES by Rachael Allen</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was a gift. Thanks <b><a href="http://adamsilvera.com/" target="_blank">Adam</a></b>!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>10. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6609714-the-lonely-hearts-club?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've already read this one. Cute cute cute.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>11. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13260426-maid-of-secrets?from_search=true" target="_blank">MAID OF SECRETS by Jennifer McGowan</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I bought this mostly because of <b><a href="http://www.shaelit.com/" target="_blank">Shae</a></b>. She's excited, I'm excited.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>12. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17167166-crown-of-midnight?from_search=true" target="_blank">CROWN OF MIDNIGHT by Sarah J. Maas</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I bought this at the HEIR OF FIRE launch wheeeeee.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>13. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2118745.The_Knife_of_Never_Letting_Go?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO by Patrick Ness</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
New cover convinced me I needed to buy this book. Also, I think, a BN coupon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>14. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18525657-broken-hearts-fences-and-other-things-to-mend?from_search=true" target="_blank">BROKEN HEARTS, FENCES, AND OTHER THINGS TO MEND by Katie Finn</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Macmillan sent me this one. Thanks Macmillan!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>15. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9182478-hourglass?from_search=true" target="_blank">HOURGLASS by Myra McEntire</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I've been told 100 times I need to read this one. So I finally bought it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>16. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=like+no+other" target="_blank">LIKE NO OTHER by Una LaMarche</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I bought this at the LIKE NO OTHER launch party because I loved this book so much. READ IT. (And also, <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-like-no-other-by-una-lamarche.html" target="_blank">read my review</a></b>, I'm pretty proud of it.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>17. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17902141-strange-and-ever-after?from_search=true" target="_blank">STRANGE AND EVER AFTER by Susan Dennard</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of my favorite series finales OF ALL TIME. (Here's <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-strange-and-ever-after-by-susan.html" target="_blank">my review</a></b> of that one, too.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>18. THE FOURTH WISH by Lindsay Ribar</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The second and final book in ANOTHER series I love.</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-size: x-large;">FINISHED MG THINGS</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IL9JaW6BdRk/VA0lXWokAfI/AAAAAAAAEA8/KZqYvCkD-vY/s1600/photo%2B3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IL9JaW6BdRk/VA0lXWokAfI/AAAAAAAAEA8/KZqYvCkD-vY/s400/photo%2B3.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>19-21. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9591398-the-girl-who-circumnavigated-fairyland-in-a-ship-of-her-own-making?from_search=true" target="_blank">The Fairyland Books by Catherynne M. Valente</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Macmillan sent me these also. DELIGHT. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>22. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18554574-the-only-thing-worse-than-witches?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN WITCHES by Lauren Magaziner</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Oh how I love the witches. And this book. (And here's <a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/09/review-only-thing-worse-than-witches-by.html" target="_blank"><b>that review</b></a>, as well!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>23. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490612-the-league-of-seven?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE LEAGUE OF SEVEN by Alan Gratz</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This one looks SO FUN, so I bought it.</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-size: x-large;">FINISHED GRAPHIC NOVEL THINGS</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wvYcKlDlBX0/VA0ltx47o-I/AAAAAAAAEBM/0klVm8d5dbM/s1600/photo%2B4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wvYcKlDlBX0/VA0ltx47o-I/AAAAAAAAEBM/0klVm8d5dbM/s400/photo%2B4.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>24. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16002011-nothing-can-possibly-go-wrong?ac=1" target="_blank">NOTHING CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG by Prudence Shen and Faith Erin Hicks</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>and</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>25. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11389398-friends-with-boys?from_search=true" target="_blank">FRIENDS WITH BOYS by Faith Eric Hicks</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I decided to buy many of the Hicks graphic novels. It was an impulse thing. </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-size: x-large;">FINISHED ADULT THINGS</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GpF8j7DXux0/VA0l0dINtKI/AAAAAAAAEBU/KEGVTA7NDdY/s1600/photo%2B5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GpF8j7DXux0/VA0l0dINtKI/AAAAAAAAEBU/KEGVTA7NDdY/s400/photo%2B5.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>26. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19288043-gone-girl?from_search=true" target="_blank">GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm nervous about this but I'm told I'll enjoy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>27. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16071745-someday-someday-maybe?from_search=true" target="_blank">SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, MAYBE by Lauren Graham</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I really like Lauren Graham, so I bought this one. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>28. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14497.Neverwhere?from_search=true" target="_blank">NEVERWHERE by Neil Gaiman</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
It should be noted Neil Gaiman came to the store that I worked at and signed this and my new cute edition of STARDUST. That's why so much Neil Gaiman.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>29. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13579626-rooms?from_search=true" target="_blank">ROOMS by Lauren Oliver</a></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This might have been in my BEA recap but it comes out soon so it's here too.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">HELLO KITTY REVIEW BOOKS</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pOrJjXJFB4Q/VA0l9ssk8FI/AAAAAAAAEBc/jBg0yLIsOuU/s1600/photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pOrJjXJFB4Q/VA0l9ssk8FI/AAAAAAAAEBc/jBg0yLIsOuU/s400/photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>30-31. HELLO KITTY BOOKS!</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
HURRAY! I'm going to bake all the Hello Kitty things. And crochet some things. Thanks Quirk!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b>SO. MANY. BOOKS.</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
(I hope you enjoyed this little trip through my bookish summer. I know I did.)</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-size: large;">PS: Which should I read ASAP?</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-89793965765318441752014-09-05T23:19:00.002-04:002014-09-07T00:00:01.795-04:00Review: Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ebILPLvEpzlxQv70aW7UE0nRyv0xNnFIj6KlisvMto5_r5CU0k8PIZ4TbNwWkUdU3tgcbvZ-bRSlmuh45Q_yppKtodRpRDBzyg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71VD71PdBvL.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Falling Into Place</i></div>
<b>Author: </b><a href="http://amyzhangwrites.com/" target="_blank">Amy Zhang</a><br />
<b>Release Date: </b>September 9th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Greenwillow Books<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>304<br />
<b>Source: </b>ARC from BEA<br />
<i>(I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest<br />review. No favors were exchanged, my opinions are my own.)</i><br />
<b>First Reaction:</b> I... have a lot of feels...<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/falling-into-place-amy-zhang/1117715877?ean=9780062295040" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Falling-into-Place-Amy-Zhang/dp/0062295047/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1409970311&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780062295040&aff=hcteen" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Falling-Into-Place-Amy-Zhang/9780062295040" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></b><br />
<blockquote>
<i>On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.<br /> </i><br />
<br />
Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect?<br />
<div>
<br />
[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18163646-falling-into-place?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</div>
</blockquote>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
At the very start of this book, Liz Emerson decides to go on a long drive very much out of her way and attempts to kill herself by driving her car through the guardrail. Only, Liz doesn't die on impact. Instead, a team of doctors attempt to put her back together and her body attempts to heal itself. However, while this series of events is the catalyst for the story, this book isn't really about the attempted suicide. It's about how we got to this point. Told from the POV of an unexpected narrator, this book jumps back and forth in time to paint a picture of who Liz is and how everyone in her life bounces up against her. It's one giant puzzle of how people affect other people and how it's all really just a lot of physics if you look at it the right way. (Although, I'd say the series of questions at the end of the synopsis above says a lot of what I just said a lot more eloquently, so go with that).<br />
<br />
As noted in my first reaction, this book provided me with many, many feels. On the one hand, I felt for Liz. She was so isolated and stuck in her ways. She felt like she couldn't ask for help because she wasn't worthy of help. She wanted to get better but she had to believe she could get better. And she just couldn't do that. All of this made me sad. It made me want to reach through the pages and help Liz. It made me wish for so many things for her.<br />
<br />
But on the other hand, Liz was still this giant bully. As much as she was hurting, she was still so terribly mean and, as a girl who was bullied much in the way Liz bullied others, I hated her. I hated her so much I didn't care what happened to her. And, while I appreciated the peek into the psychology of a mean girl, I did that thing where I tried to apply it to the people who bullied me and it just didn't work. And I don't think all bullies are created equal, but at the same time, the fact that I couldn't match it up right makes me hate Liz even more for being this exceptionally complicated bully.<br />
<br />
Anyway, all of that last paragraph was very complicated and very personal and a very serious indication of me needing brain/feels help but the bottom line really is this: <i>Falling Into Place</i> made me feel all these feels. I didn't have a choice. It just swept me up in its quiet way and had its way with me. I may not have been happy the whole time, but I was feeling and thinking all these things, which is how I know this is a <b>good book</b>.<br />
<br />
I also know it's a <b>good book</b> because I loved and felt for the other characters aside from Liz. Julia, who's all tied up in drugs and can't untangle herself. Kennie, who made a choice against her will even though she had no other choice and has been so broken since. Liam, who shouldn't love who he loves but can't help himself. Monica, who doesn't know how to approach her daughter, Liz, and may live to regret it.<br />
<br />
Another way I know for sure this is a <b>good book</b> is that the writing is amazing. It's so quotable and perfect but I won't quote any of it because I want you all to read it as you go and take in every word in the order it's placed in the book. Not to mention, the themes in this book - the high school social constructs + the deep understanding of the inner workings of so many incredibly different people who live such unbelievably different lives - make me honestly think Amy Zhang is a wizard or a shapeshifter or something. I mean, how else would she know? How could she make me feel for a bully and her victim? How can she make a bully and her victim also somehow be the same person? Wizardry, I tell you. Magic and more.<br />
<br />
<b>TL;DR?</b><br />
I just... there's too much thinking and far too many feels... and despite the number of times I use the word "too," I don't mean it, there's never too much, I love all of it. And if <b>you</b> love introspective, thoughtful YA contemporary along the lines of <i>Before I Fall</i> by Lauren Oliver or <i>If I Stay </i>by Gayle Forman (AKA the comparative titles suggested by the publisher - Gosh HarperCollins you're so smart) you'll definitely love <i>Falling Into Place</i> by Amy Zhang.
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fecx.images-amazon.com%2Fimages%2FI%2F71VD71PdBvL.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/proxy/ebILPLvEpzlxQv70aW7UE0nRyv0xNnFIj6KlisvMto5_r5CU0k8PIZ4TbNwWkUdU3tgcbvZ-bRSlmuh45Q_yppKtodRpRDBzyg" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-62672838714031598882014-09-04T23:06:00.001-04:002014-09-04T23:06:30.409-04:00Review: The Only Thing Worse Than Witches by Lauren Magaziner<div class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380573746l/18554574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380573746l/18554574.jpg" width="210" /></a><b></b></div>
<div class="tr_bq">
<b><b><br /></b></b></div>
<b>Title: </b><i>The Only Thing Worse Than Witches</i><br />
<div class="tr_bq">
<b>Author: </b><a href="http://laurenmagaziner.com/" target="_blank">Lauren Magaziner</a></div>
<b>Release Date:</b> August 14th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Dial<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>272<br />
<b>Source: </b>Purchased<br />
<b>First Reaction: </b>LOOK AT THE CUTENESS. Also: AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH BUNNIES.<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-only-thing-worse-than-witches-lauren-magaziner/1117163902?ean=9780803739185" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Only-Thing-Worse-Than-Witches/dp/0803739184" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780803739185" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Only-Thing-Worse-Than-Witches-Lauren-Magaziner/9780803739185" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></b><br />
<blockquote>
<i>Rupert Campbell is fascinated by the witches who live nearby. He dreams of broomstick tours and souvenir potions, but Rupert’s mother forbids him from even looking at that part of town. The closest he can get to a witchy experience is sitting in class with his awful teacher Mrs. Frabbleknacker, who smells like bellybutton lint and forbids Rupert’s classmates from talking to each other before, during, and after class. So when he sees an ad to become a witch’s apprentice, Rupert simply can’t resist applying.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>But Witchling Two isn’t exactly what Rupert expected. With a hankering for lollipops and the magical aptitude of a toad, she needs all the help she can get to pass her exams and become a full-fledged witch. She’s determined to help Rupert stand up to dreadful Mrs. Frabbleknacker too, but the witchling's magic will be as useful as a clump of seaweed unless Rupert can figure out a way to help her improve her spellcasting—and fast!</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18554574-the-only-thing-worse-than-witches?from_search=true" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW: </b><br />
<br />
It's about this boy, Rupert, who has a mother who has to work entirely too hard to support Rupert and herself and this awful teacher (think Ms. Trunchbull from <i>Matilda</i>) who isolates all her students and treats them like garbage. Feeling lonely, what with his crazy busy mother and this nutso teacher who stole all his friends from him, Rupert answers an ad in the paper for a Witch's Assistant. He knows he shouldn't since his mother hates witches, witches hate humans, and a whole host of other reasons, but Rupert really wants to be this Witch's apprentice.<br />
<br />
So Rupert answers the ad and, after a hilarious phone conversation, Rupert meets the Witch, who's actually a Witchling - a Witch in training. Witchling Two needs help studying for her exam to become a Witch with a proper name. Rupert needs a friend and a little help with his awful teacher. Thankfully, Witchling Two and Rupert now have each other - plus chase scenes, bunnies, magic, and lots and lots of lollipops.<br />
<br />
If the real summary + my summary don't quite convey the adorableness of the plot, you should know, it's <b>really, really, really </b>adorable.<br />
<br />
Rupert and Witchling Two are so sweet together - the perfect friends. They start off unsure of each other, but they grow to really care for each other in a way that's both funny and touching. And that's really great is that neither really understands the other. They both come from such different places and upbringings, but they learn from each other, pick things up, and accept what they don't understand (yet). And it's the misunderstandings between the two that make for the hilarity of this book. So much to love, really.<br />
<br />
Another brilliant element of this book the adventure. I'm not sure anything in this book made sense in the best way. I'm <b>guessing</b> that's because Lauren Magaziner's brain is so brilliantly random and perfect, but whatever the case may be, it's wonderful. The way Witchling Two is afraid of bunnies? Or that Witch eyes slide right off sand? How Witchling Two and Rupert sneak around and think they're being clever but maybe they're not? The solution to Witchling Two's magic problems? I love it all.<br />
<br />
Finally: I <b>also</b> love the ever-present parental influence and guidance. Rupert's mom is very busy and incredibly oblivious, but she loves Rupert. Witchling Two's guardians are perfect and excellent, responsible and rule abiding, sneaky and fantastic.<br />
<br />
<b>All in All:</b><br />
I love the adventure, hijinks, silliness, hilarity, adorableness, and structure of this book. So much. And I think this book is perfect for anyone (Middle Graders and older) who love silliness, magic, and friendship. Oh, and cuteness.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-2963389065737670102014-09-01T17:45:00.002-04:002014-09-01T17:46:40.112-04:00Bout of Books 11.0: Wrap Up<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><br />
So Bout of Books 11.0 is OVER.<br />
<br />
<b>OOOOVER.</b><br />
<br />
I am sad.<br />
<br />
But I have lots and lots of books to console myself with, so I'll just go do that.<br />
<br />
Now, enough of my blabbering, I should probably just wrap up Bout of Books 11.0 (because I've been dragging my feet for long enough about all of this - it's been a week since the whole thing ended!)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" /></a><i>The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. <b>For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the <a href="http://boutofbooks.blogspot.com/">Bout of Books</a> blog. -</b> From the Bout of Books team</i></blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<b></b><br />
<b>
MY GOALS</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Read at least 3 books from the list below</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true">ETERNAL NIGHTS</a> by Carina Adly Mackenzie </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286527-feuds?ac=1">FEUDS</a> by Avery Hastings</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13579626-rooms?ac=1">ROOMS</a> by Lauren Oliver</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18401242-hook-s-revenge?from_search=true">HOOK'S REVENGE</a> by Heidi Schulz</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14059024-the-whispering-skull?from_search=true">THE WHISPERING SKULL (Lockwood & Co. #2)</a> by Jonathan Stroud</li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18635166-boomerang">BOOMERANG</a> by Noelle August</li>
</ul>
<li>Participate in at least 1 Twitter chat.</li>
<li>Meet some new bloggers and make awesome new friends.</li>
<li>Participate in at least 1 challenge.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<b>THE RESULTS</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>I read 2 books, not 3. Oops.</li>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true">ETERNAL NIGHTS</a> by Carina Adly Mackenzie </li>
<li><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286527-feuds?ac=1">FEUDS</a> by Avery Hastings</li>
</ul>
<li>I did! I participated in a Twitter chat! Huzzah!</li>
<li>I didn't make too many new friends? I feel like I have a bunch of friends who do Bout of Books every time and we just chat together. I have to broaden my horizons next time, I think</li>
<li>No challenges for this girl. I lost track of all that. Maybe next time. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
FAILURE. Failure all around. But that's okay. FLAILING NOT FAILING is the Bout of Books motto, so FLAILING. I FLAILED.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Thanks again to Amanda and Kelly. You ladies are the bestest of the best. To Bout of Books 12.0!<br />
<br />
To read my original goals post, click <a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/08/bout-of-books-110-goals.html#more" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div>
To read my progress report post, click <a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/08/bout-of-books-110-progress-report.html#more" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Okay. That's it. I hope you'll all join up for the next Bout of Books! Until next time!</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-22864885760968686532014-08-27T00:30:00.000-04:002014-09-05T14:32:43.170-04:00Blog Tour Review + Interview: Eternal Night by Carina Adly MacKenzie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--d2AKq2tsLI/U_zba8a-V4I/AAAAAAAAEAc/oOKa9HtWjts/s1600/EN%2BBlog%2BTour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--d2AKq2tsLI/U_zba8a-V4I/AAAAAAAAEAc/oOKa9HtWjts/s1600/EN%2BBlog%2BTour.jpg" height="240" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
And I'm back with another Paper Lantern Lit blog tour (two days in a row - but there won't be a third, much to my dismay). This time I'm here to try and tell you why ETERNAL NIGHT is one of the most addicting bits of fiction I've read in a long while.<br />
<br />
But before I do that, here's a quick description of this delightfully dark paranormal tale...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404337156l/22617086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404337156l/22617086.jpg" width="213" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Eternal Night</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>Carina Adly MacKenzie<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>August 26th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>The Studio, a Paper Lantern Lit imprint<span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><b>Page Count: </b>319<br />
<b>Source: </b>eARC from The Studio by Paper Lantern Lit<br />
<i>(I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest<br />review. No favors were exchanged, my opinions are my own.)</i><br />
<div>
<b>First Reaction: </b>Please may I have some more of this delicious, addicting book? Please?<br />
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eternal-night-carina-adly-mackenzie/1118943786?ean=9781629210223" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eternal-Night-Carina-Adly-MacKenzie-ebook/dp/B00IYY5E0U" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/eternal-night/id844261725?mt=11" target="_blank">iBooks</a> </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Six young gods are hiding in plain sight among mortals, living secretly in cities across the world. From lavish penthouse soirees to pulsing underground clubs, for them, the party literally never ends. Until now.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>On a hot June morning, the body of a beautiful girl is found floating in the rooftop pool of the Jefferson Hotel, her white-ink tattoos revealing the story of a life much longer than seems possible. Only the immortals know the truth: Nadia was the goddess of hope. Now she’s gone, and the world as they know it is ending. The Hudson River has turned blood red. Storms rage overhead. Mania is rapidly spreading across the globe.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>It is up to the remaining gods—Lola, Dean, Weston, Mark, Nike and Peitha—to put aside centuries of betrayal and heartbreak, and stop the mysterious source of darkness that is taking over… before the sun sets forever.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Carina Adly MacKenzie, writer for The CW's hit series "The Originals," has penned a steamy, romantic, and ultimately redemptive story of forgotten gods, the persistence of hope, and the power of love to save us.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">THE REVIEW</span></b><br />
<br />
Told from six different points of view (six gods, one point of view for each), ETERNAL NIGHT tells the story of what happens when the shadows rise up in an attempt to undo the light's victory.<br />
<br />
Dean, Weston, Mark, Nike, Lola and Peitha are gods living among men. The lack of faith has taken their power from them but their immortality remains, allowing them to reinvent themselves every few years and live forever. But living together isn't as easy as it seems. Peitha's run off to Vegas and the other five remaining in New York City barely speak. But when one of their own, Nadia, is killed and plagues start cropping up around both NYC and the rest of the world, the six know they have to put their heads together to stop the world from ending.<br />
<br />
This book is interesting for a lot of reasons, but my favorite reason is the way all of the gods mentioned come from different mythology. Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Roman... all are included. It's a very different take than I've seen in most of YA and I like it from a religious studies stand point. While all of these traditions are distinctive and separate, ETERNAL NIGHT highlights how similar ideals presented themselves in the different major societies. And since people no longer believe in the gods, causing the gods in this book to lose their powers, even <b>more</b> interesting points are being made. I definitely dig the depth here.<br />
<br />
But ETERNAL NIGHT isn't all about depth. It's also about action. The gods are trying to stop whoever's summoning these plagues and keep them from ending everything and they only have a few days to do it. They're also busy dealing with their internal squabbling while simultaneously trying to keep the world from ending. I mean, this guy's not talking to that guy, she's run away from him, they're pretending everything is okay between them... It's typical drama but with years more background and complexity, given the immortality.<br />
<br />
And then there's the romance. While there's an obvious way the puzzle pieces can fit together, this book keeps you guessing by throwing mortals into the mix, inserting LGBT relationships and asking more philosophical and psychological questions than one might not think to find in a YA paranormal romance.<br />
<br />
However, none of these things are what make this story <b>so</b> <b>addicting</b> (although they definitely help). My underlying obsession with ETERNAL NIGHT is because it reads like a CW show. (This makes sense because Carina Adly MacKenzie writes for the CW.) And, let's be real, I either go all in or not at all with my CW shows. I kept picturing ETERNAL NIGHT in a setting similar to <i>Arrow - </i>dark and set in a corrupted town with explosions and disaster at every turn. And some steamy kissing and drama thrown in for added goodness. Basically, if ETERNAL NIGHT got turned into a TV show/mini-series thing, I'd watch it so fast and it's all I'd talk about for days.<br />
<br />
<b>Bottom line: </b><br />
This paranormal debut is exactly what I wanted. It's fast-paced, dramatic, swoony, gripping, thought-provoking and everything else I didn't even know I could have from a paranormal romance but will expect from now on. Carina Adly MacKenzie has set a bar for me and I can't wait to see what she writes next. (Side Note: I'd watch <i>The Originals</i>, but I haven't watched <i>The Vampire Diaries</i>, but winter is long and it is coming, so who knows?)<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>But enough about me and my thoughts on ETERNAL NIGHT, let's hear from the author herself!</b></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Working with PLL</span></b><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>"I had the best experience working with Paper Lantern Lit on this first book. I’ll admit – it wasn’t easy to write a complicated, mythology-driven book while working on a complicated, mythology-driven TV show. I only worked on Eternal Night on weekends, and sometimes it was hard to stay motivated, but Lexa, Rhoda, and Lauren at PLL kept me on track.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>When I first signed on to work with PLL, I was worried that it would feel like Eternal Night was their book, and I was just writing it according to what they thought would sell. That wasn’t the case at all. The book has changed in a million ways over the course of writing it – characters have evolved, flashbacks have come and gone, and the ending has evolved. A week before my first draft was due, I threw out the last 100 pages and completely restructured the ending, rewriting those hundred pages in two days while I was visiting family in Australia. And everyone at PLL was really encouraging and understanding as we adjusted to the new story.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>As with any collaborative endeavor, there were definitely disagreements over the course of the writing… the book is sort of a fusion of battles won and lost, but having to justify all the beats to an editor and defend my pitches made the book better. I think it also made me a better TV writer, because defending your pitches to the people who make decisions is hurdle number one in a writer’s room."</i><br />
<div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-216QU2F4ZDE/U_zcdZrJjbI/AAAAAAAAEAk/jQGyfhotc24/s1600/carinam_hs1_low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-216QU2F4ZDE/U_zcdZrJjbI/AAAAAAAAEAk/jQGyfhotc24/s1600/carinam_hs1_low.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> <span style="font-size: large;">ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Carina Adly MacKenzie grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she boldly defied the no-reading-at-the-dinner-table rule time and time again. After studying English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, Carina moved to Los Angeles to pursue a writing career. Carina was a television critic and entertainment reporter for Zap2it.com, the Los Angeles Times, and Teen Vogue, among other publications. Currently, she spends her days obsessing over vampire sibling rivalry as a writer for The CW's new drama, "The Originals." She loves coffee, Twitter, and her little dog Pacey. Eternal Night is her first novel.</div>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.twitter.com/cadlymack">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/carinaadlymackenzie">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://carinamackenzie.com/">Website</a> | <a href="http://cadlymack.tumblr.com/">Blog</a> | <a href="http://www.paperlanternlit.com/eternal-night/">Paper Lantern Lit</a></b></blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So now everyone who loves excellent paranormal romance, please go download this ebook ASAP - kay, leave questions in the comments below, thanks, talk soon! </b></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-10369058061976580142014-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:002014-08-26T08:00:06.412-04:00Blog Tour Review: Feuds by Avery Hastings<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FE3OvsWBGug/U_v4lDpH3gI/AAAAAAAAD_4/YrTeVHnE9AU/s1600/FEUDS%2BBlog%2BGraphic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FE3OvsWBGug/U_v4lDpH3gI/AAAAAAAAD_4/YrTeVHnE9AU/s1600/FEUDS%2BBlog%2BGraphic.jpg" height="240" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm just gonna stare at that cover and blog tour banner while you all read about the latest in dystopian YA fiction, okay?<br />
<br />
No, but seriously, I'm thrilled to be kicking off the FEUDS blog tour on today. Thanks, as always, to <b><a href="http://www.paperlanternlit.com/" target="_blank">Paper Lantern Lit</a></b> for being amazing and, please, everyone, brace yourself for the swoons you're about to encounter in this book...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397082832l/19286527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397082832l/19286527.jpg" width="213" /></a><b></b><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Feuds</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>Avery Hastings<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>September 2nd, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>St. Martin's Griffin<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>272<br />
<b>Source: </b>eARC from Paper Lantern Lit/St. Martin's Griffin<br />
<i>(I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest<br />review. No favors were exchanged, my opinions are my own.)</i><br />
<b>First Reaction: </b>A Romeo-and-Juliet story that's sure to make you swoon.<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feuds-The-Series-Avery-Hastings/dp/125005771X">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/feuds-avery-hastings/1117685285?ean=9781250057716">B&N</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/feuds/id856935190?mt=11">iBooks</a> | <a href="http://www.paperlanternlit.com/bookshop/">Paper Lantern Lit</a></b><br />
<blockquote>
<i>For Davis Morrow, perfection is a daily reality. Like all Priors, Davis has spent her whole life primed to be smarter, stronger, and more graceful than the lowly Imperfects, or “Imps.” A fiercely ambitious ballerina, Davis is only a few weeks away from qualifying for the Olympiads and finally living up to her mother’s legacy when she meets Cole, a mysterious boy who leaves her with more questions each time he disappears.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Davis has no idea that Cole has his own agenda, or that he’s a rising star in the FEUDS, an underground fighting ring where Priors gamble on Imps. Cole has every reason to hate Davis—her father’s campaign hinges on the total segregation of the Imps and Priors—but despite his best efforts, Cole finds himself as drawn to Davis as she is to him.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Then Narxis, a deadly virus, takes its hold--and Davis’s friends start dying. When the Priors refuse to acknowledge the epidemic, Davis has no one to turn to but Cole. Falling in love was never part of their plan, but their love may be the only thing that can save her world... in Avery Hastings's Feuds.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Davis Morrow is a Prior, the "haves" in this Romeo and Juliet story. She is smart, strong, immune to disease - basically, the genetically modified evolution of (wo)man. She's also a well-liked ballerina, the daughter of a prominent, up and coming politician and she's a sister. She is the legacy of her mother, who died in childbirth due to the negligence of an Imperfect - a fact that Davis has never been able to forget, a fact that fuels her hatred of the Imperfects.<br />
<br />
Cole is an Imperfect, the "have-nots" of the tale. He doesn't have the genetic advantages Davis does and he definitely doesn't have the money to keep his widowed mother and brother off the streets. Instead, he fights in the FEUDS, or the "Fights Established Under Demolition Sites." The FEUDS may be illegal, but Cole is the paid prize fighter of the Prime Minister - the man Davis's father is running against. The FEUDS are also how Cole plans to save enough money to get away from the poverty of the Slants.<br />
<br />
Both our main characters are running on their own tracks when Cole's patron insists Cole seduces Davis in order to start a smear campaign against Davis's father. When Cole bumps into Davis at a party, instead of getting the job done and walking away, he falls for Davis. And, what's more, on the same night, he discovers that, while everyone seems to think Prior's are invincible, there's a disease called Narxis spreading, a disease that means sudden and violent death for Priors.<br />
<br />
FEUDS is a dual point of view debut novel that deals with many complicated themes. There's the lust and growing love between Davis and Cole. There are also the lies that simmer between the couple, as Cole spends most of the book passing himself off as a Prior. With the addition of an incurable disease and the tension between the Priors and the Imperfects that pushes the need for Cole's lies, it's almost impossible for anyone to truly know what's going on until the very last, dramatic page - and maybe not even then (it's a series, don't worry).<br />
<br />
Bottom line: The marriage of political unrest and disease layered with copious amounts of romance will make any and all lovers of dystopia swoon over FEUDS (and Davis and Cole because, wow there's some serious kissing up in this book).<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_9xi_FjMEno/U_v7yR-zWqI/AAAAAAAAEAM/cPokYD1X0uQ/s1600/Avery-author-photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_9xi_FjMEno/U_v7yR-zWqI/AAAAAAAAEAM/cPokYD1X0uQ/s1600/Avery-author-photo.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight: bold; text-align: right;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> ABOUT THE AUTHOR: </b></div>
</div>
<blockquote style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Avery Hastings </b>is an author and former book editor from New York City. Avery grew up in Ohio, graduated in 2006 from the University of Notre Dame and earned her MFA from the New School in 2008. When she's not reading or writing, Avery can usually be spotted lying around in the park with her affable dog. Like her protagonists, she knows how to throw a powerful right hook and once dreamed of becoming a ballerina. In addition to New York, Avery has recently lived in Mumbai and Paris, but is happy to call Brooklyn home (for now).</div>
<br />
<b><a href="https://twitter.com/AveryEHastings" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7353017.Avery_Hastings" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">So what do you think? Are you ready for romance? Are you ready to swoon? Tell me all of the everything in the comments below!</span></b></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-70333102134372748082014-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:002014-08-26T15:02:36.721-04:00Teaser + Giveaway: Summerfall by Claire Legrand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A3sc56TySkE/U_vpO9EwdtI/AAAAAAAAD_o/WaKlyDBH0z8/s1600/SUMMERFALL%2BBanner.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-A3sc56TySkE/U_vpO9EwdtI/AAAAAAAAD_o/WaKlyDBH0z8/s1600/SUMMERFALL%2BBanner.png" height="201" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Hey, do you guys know about SUMMERFALL by Claire Legrand? Y'know, the prequel novella to WINTERSPELL (also by Claire Legand - duh, Gaby, duh). WELL. It comes out today.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<center>
<img src="http://media.giphy.com/media/vmon3eAOp1WfK/giphy.gif" height="238" width="320" /></center>
<center>
</center>
<center>
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Can you tell I'm excited? Because I really am.</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Anyway, because I am the luckiest girl in the world, I get to share a special except of SUMMERFALL with all of you today that should (obviously) convince you to stop what you're doing and go add this beautiful cover to your collection of icons on your e-reader. </center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Oh, and also, there's a GIVEAWAY all the way at the end of this. There are pretty trading cards and bookmarks and bookplates to be had. I promise you guys, want <b>all </b>of the stuff.</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
But before we get to the aforementioned excerpt and giveaway, please take a moment to remind yourself what SUMMERFALL and WINTERSPELL are all about (<b>spoilers: </b>THE NUTCRACKER, GUYS. CLAIRE LEGRAND IS WRITING A NUTCRACKER RETELLING.)</center>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZVD_p-C5ow/U_tlnfOkXdI/AAAAAAAAD-0/qEk5PsXHVc4/s1600/summerfall.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></div>
<br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Summerfall </i>(A Winterspell Novella)<br />
<b>Author: </b>Claire Legrand<br />
<b>Release Date: </b>August 26th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers<br />
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summerfall-Winterspell-Novella-Claire-Legrand-ebook/dp/B00IBHS6LO/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1396275633&sr=1-2" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/summerfall-claire-legrand/1118851471?ean=9781481422529" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Summerfall/Claire-Legrand/Q898909562?id=5962749234764" target="_blank">Books-a-Million</a> | <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/summerfall/id816961632?mt=11" target="_blank">iBookstore</a></b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Rinka is a faery, passionate and powerful, determined to maintain the tenuous peace between faeries and humans.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Alban Somerhart is a human, a reluctant king trapped in an arranged marriage, desperate to prevent war.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Their love could save the kingdom of Cane... or shatter it forever.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>In this captivating novella, prequel to the upcoming <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18475593-winterspell">Winterspell</a>, Claire Legrand weaves a story of magic, political intrigue, and forbidden love that sets the stage for the rise of a wicked queen and the journey of a human girl named Clara...</i></blockquote>
... I am so excited it doesn't seem particularly normal to me at this moment.<br />
<br />
And ALSO, if you want to know exactly what WINTERSPELL is about, I've got you covered there too.<br />
<br />
<center style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">
<img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JIGyLG0zOGs/U_tlobBRYMI/AAAAAAAAD_A/cyuGDlswZOo/s1600/Winterspell.jpg" height="320" style="text-align: center;" width="221" /></center>
<br />
<center style="text-align: right;">
<b>Title: </b><i>Winterspell</i></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b>Author: </b>Claire Legrand</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<b><b>Release Date: </b></b>September 30th, 2014</div>
</center>
<center style="text-align: right;">
<b>Publisher: </b>Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers</center>
<center style="text-align: right;">
<b style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winterspell-Claire-Legrand/dp/1442465980" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winterspell-claire-legrand/1118600582?ean=9781442465985" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Winterspell-Claire-Legrand/9781442465985" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> |</b></center>
<center style="text-align: right;">
<b style="text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.booksofwondershop.com/the-cavendish-home-for-boys-and-girls-by-claire-legrand-1.aspx" target="_blank">Books of Wonder (For Signed Copies!)</a></b></center>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><b>The clock chimes midnight, a curse breaks, and a girl meets a prince... but what follows is not all sweetness and sugarplums.</b></i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>New York City, 1899. Clara Stole, the mayor's ever-proper daughter, leads a double life. Since her mother's murder, she has secretly trained in self-defense with the mysterious Drosselmeyer.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Then, on Christmas Eve, disaster strikes.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Her home is destroyed, her father abducted--by beings distinctly nothuman. To find him, Clara journeys to the war-ravaged land of Cane. Her only companion is the dethroned prince Nicholas, bound by a wicked curse. If they're to survive, Clara has no choice but to trust him, but his haunted eyes burn with secrets--and a need she can't define. With the dangerous, seductive faery queen Anise hunting them, Clara soon realizes she won't leave Cane unscathed--if she leaves at all.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Inspired by The Nutcracker, Winterspell is a dark, timeless fairy tale about love and war, longing and loneliness, and a girl who must learn to live without fear.</i></blockquote>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Okay, okay, have I made you scroll down enough? </center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Have you scrolled through all the words and excitement and now you want to read this wonderful teaser already? </center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
Well...</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
I like making you wait.</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
So keep scrolling.</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
-</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
--</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
---</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
----</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
-----</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
----</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
---</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
--</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
-</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
OKAY I'M DONE BEING MEAN NOW. </center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
</center>
<center>
</center>
<center>
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j7DxMEIvqz8/U_tlnJsNczI/AAAAAAAAD-w/R6IuoX5M0C4/s1600/SUMMERFALL%2Bteaser%2B17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j7DxMEIvqz8/U_tlnJsNczI/AAAAAAAAD-w/R6IuoX5M0C4/s1600/SUMMERFALL%2Bteaser%2B17.jpg" height="640" width="640" /></a></center>
<br />
Ugh. I want that story in my life, please.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/50lG1YVWLB0Qr1kH2RtaBusYEqFlhNwaGzsWd8hfnHKlmV4kIeQY_dnq4CLz8zT3jKnIykHdF1wD2hHnVAJN1vdpK2Q4GvJD5aj_15-c7K1qD8jd7L3HI9uTdlpxUIfOxZ3ZmZO07Vq9QdptoHc1aWufDNk" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.claire-legrand.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/clairelegrand_authorphoto1-680x1024.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR:</b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Claire Legrand is the author of books for children and teens, including <i><a href="http://www.claire-legrand.com/home/books/the-cavendish-home-for-boys-and-girls/">The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls</a>, <a href="http://www.claire-legrand.com/home/books/the-year-of-shadows/">The Year of Shadows</a>, </i>the upcoming <i><a href="http://www.claire-legrand.com/home/books/winterspell/">Winterspell</a>,</i> and its prequel,<i> <a href="http://www.claire-legrand.com/home/books/summerfall/">Summerfall</a></i>. She is also one of the four authors of <i><a href="http://www.claire-legrand.com/home/books/the-cabinet-of-curiosities/">The Cabinet of Curiosities</a>.<br /> </i><br />
When not writing books, she can be found obsessing over DVD commentaries, going on long walks (or trying to go on long runs), and speaking with a poor English accent to random passersby. She thinks musicians and librarians are the loveliest of folks (having been each of those herself) and, while she loves living in central New Jersey, she dearly misses her big, brash, beautiful home state of Texas.<br />
<br />
<center>
<b><a href="http://www.claire-legrand.com/" target="_blank">Site</a> | <a href="http://clairelegrand.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Blog</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/clairelegrand" target="_blank">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/clairelegrandwriter" target="_blank">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://instagram.com/clairelegrand" target="_blank">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/clairelegrand/" target="_blank">Pinterest</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/clairelegrand" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b></center>
</blockquote>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
And because I can't let my readers go without a <b>GIVEAWAY</b>, be sure you enter to win some fantastic WINTERSPELL swag!</div>
<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/10f6505b59/" id="rc-10f6505b59" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script><br />
<b style="font-size: x-large;">Got all that? Okay, now go buy SUMMERFALL for your e-reader. It'll thank you for it.</b></div>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.claire-legrand.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2014%2F03%2Fclairelegrand_authorphoto1-680x1024.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/proxy/50lG1YVWLB0Qr1kH2RtaBusYEqFlhNwaGzsWd8hfnHKlmV4kIeQY_dnq4CLz8zT3jKnIykHdF1wD2hHnVAJN1vdpK2Q4GvJD5aj_15-c7K1qD8jd7L3HI9uTdlpxUIfOxZ3ZmZO07Vq9QdptoHc1aWufDNk" -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-20588705315434267412014-08-23T00:00:00.000-04:002014-08-23T00:00:00.053-04:00Review: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart <imageanchor style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479l/16143347.jpg" width="211" /></imageanchor><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>We Were Liars</i><br />
<b>Author: </b>E. Lockhart<br />
<div>
<b>Release Date: </b>May 13th, 2014 <b><br />Publisher: </b>Delacorte Press<b><br />Page Count: </b>240<br />
<b>Source: </b>ARC from ALA</div>
<div>
<i>(I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest<br />review. No favors were exchanged, my opinions are my own.)</i></div>
<div>
<b>First Reaction: </b>O.O >.> OH.<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/we-were-liars-e-lockhart/1116530632?ean=9780385741262" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/We-Were-Liars-E-Lockhart/dp/038574126X" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780385741262" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/We-Were-Liars-Lockhart/9781471403989" target="_blank">Book Depository</a></b><br />
<div class="p1">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>A beautiful and distinguished family. </i><br />
<i>A private island. </i><br />
<i>A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. </i><br />
<i>A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. </i><br />
<i>A revolution. An accident. A secret. </i><br />
<i>Lies upon lies. </i><br />
<i>True love. </i><br />
<i>The truth.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Read it.</i><br />
<i>And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.</i><i><br /></i><br />
[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16143347-we-were-liars" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
</div>
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say about this book.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1. I can't really summarize it because you're not supposed to, really. </div>
<div>
2. Everyone and their mom has already read it and have said all of the amazing things about it. </div>
<div>
3. If you haven't read it yet, it's probably because of the hype machine and, in that case, this review probably isn't what you're looking for. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But let's go at this anyway. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cady is our narrator and she's incredibly unreliable. She doesn't remember so much of what this story's really about, so her memories and flashbacks and encounters all sort of dance around what it is she can't remember - the big thing that's happened that seems to have changed everything about her and her family. And it must be a pretty big thing because her family is one of those ultra-rich, owns a small island families. So the book is really about Cady putting together the pieces, both fro memory and from the little things the her family and her group of friends, the Liars, let slip.<br />
<br />
Because we can't trust Cady, this book is kind of a twist. It's almost like she's trying to solve this mystery but we can't solve it with her. We have to get to know her and use her as a piece of evidence as we try to solve the crime alongside her. (Alternatively, you don't have to solve the crime with her, you can just ride it out. That's good too.)<br />
<br />
Aside from the twisty-ness of the structure of the book itself, the facts of the book are pretty gasp-worthy. The plot is so complicated and intricate that you'll want to read this one twice so you can read it once without knowing and the second time with knowing and being able to see all of the little bread crumbs E. Lockhart left you in the build up. And if I'm telling you to read a book twice, you know it must be worth it.<br />
<br />
I think the best part of this book is the writing. It's sparse yet lyrical. Light yet entirely meaningful. It's like E. Lockhart put each and every word through an extreme vetting process and only picked them once they showed they were up to the task of telling this story.<br />
<br />
Among many other positive attributes, this book is a really excellent commentary on so many things that I can't even get into because I refuse to spoil anything. But read it and hit me up so we can talk about it, yeah?<br />
<br />
<b>My Recommendation:</b><br />
If you love a good, twisty contemporary with a little more, this is the book for you. If you're not into it, don't give into the hype machine just to feel current. It's definitely not a book for everyone, but it's a book for me. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-87239664565952544302014-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:002014-08-22T00:00:02.023-04:00Going to the Movies YA Style<center>
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vx1Pq2VR0kI/UjewgMDyN8I/AAAAAAAACY8/KISvmVwzILM/s1600/FridayCoffeeClutch.png" /></center>
<i><b>Fact:</b> I don't like coffee. I just like saying Coffee Clutch in my best and deepest New York accent. Considering I'm a New Yorker, I'm pretty freaking good at it. So I've got my tea and I hope you have your heated beverage of choice, because it's time to gab the day away.</i><br />
<br />
Can I be honest with you guys for second?<br />
<br />
While I'm really happy about all of these YA books getting made into movies, I don't generally like to go see them.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Worst.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's me. I'm the woooooorst.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Don't get me wrong. I want to support YA books and the authors and the making of more YA books into movies. I think it's great.<br />
<br />
There are just a lot of factors about all of this that make it hard for me to cough up $13-14 to go to the movies (heeeeey NYC prices).<br />
<br />
Some of my issues are monetary (you saw that $13-14 business, right?). Others have to do with time - y'know, literally having the time to spare, finding someone else who has that time to spare, figuring when your time to spare matches with that someone else's time to spare. All of this + more re: logistics is very tricky. I'm also kinda lazy and prefer to binge TV in my PJs at home.<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://media3.giphy.com/media/wUVjz2m1sNSPS/200_s.gif" /></center>
<br />
And then there are the personal issues. I don't particularly like crowded theaters - I almost never go to the movies at times when other people are going or <b>right </b>when a film comes out. I use movies to unwind, so too many people ruin that. Also, I hate hearing people laugh at the wrong parts, or laugh over all the good jokes. I hate rowdy children and inconsiderate adults. So, really, strangers + Gaby does not = a pleasant trip to the movies.<br />
<br />
But if you're gonna pull my teeth about it and say: "Okay, you have curmudgeon-y issues with the world at large, but what about the YA bit?" (Not that I think anyone is pulling my teeth, I'm just taking this somewhere, so go with it.)<br />
<br />
To that I say: "Just because it's a YA film doesn't mean I care."<br />
<br />
Ugh. I know. Everyone's booing me right now like I'm a judge on So You Think You Can Dance.<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="https://s.yimg.com/os/publish-images/tv/2014-05-28/1c1ab330-e679-11e3-afec-19ad6872e6a3_tumblr_m5o86uHrZy1qzsyuto1_r1_500.gif" /></center>
<br />
I'm serious, though. I read and liked Beautiful Creatures so I saw the movie (it was okay). I didn't read Warm Bodies (still haven't) but I liked the plot, so I went (it was great). I didn't go see The Fault in Our Stars because I'm feeling kinda burnt out from all the hype and I don't want to cry in a theater full of Nerd Fighters (because, please, there will be tears). I did go see If I Stay in theaters and I thought it was <b>GREAT</b> but, as sometimes happens in a theater full of people who are terrible (see above re: my stance on strangers), the people sitting right behind <b>laughed</b>. They <b>laughed</b> at moments when I was <b>crying</b>. I mean, please, remove yourself from life. (Not just my life, all life.)<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://media.timeout.com/blogimages/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/url-17.gif" /></center>
<br />
But yeah, as an avid movie goer (I started going on my own at age 12 and I've been to hundreds since then) I use the same judgement to decide if I'm going to a YA movie as with any other movie. Sure, the YA factor peaks my attention - especially if I've read and loved the book - but if the trailers make the film look bad or if I don't like an actor or whatever else, I'm not gonna throw down the money and time that could be dinner with a friend I haven't seen in a month. And that's just the same way I wouldn't go see the new <i>Dumb and Dumber</i> flick or <i>Let's Be Cops</i> or any other movie I've seen a trailer for in the last couple months that make me groan like someone just punched me in the gut. (I mean, let's talk about that <i>Exodus </i>movie that's coming out soon. Am I really supposed to be Christian Bale, no matter how attractive, is a Jew from the Middle East? On this one occasion alone I will tell you, Mr. Christian "Welshman" Bale, to get the hell off of my Jewish lawn.)<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/Owxi9.gif" /></center>
<br />
Basically: I love movies. I love YA books. But it's okay if those two loves don't get married and have a YA movie baby that I have to love or I feel like a terrible fangirl. Do I believe that the best way to ensure YA movies keep getting made is to <b>go see them</b>? Yes. Of course. That's also how you ensure movies by a specific director or a specific movie genre keep getting made (RomComs, I miss you so much, I'm sorry I failed you). But I also don't think every movie is created equal - just as I don't think every book is created equal and, as such, I'm saving my money and time and watching another episode of The West Wing instead (I'm really deep into this binge right now, can you guys tell?).<br />
<br />
<center>
<img src="http://thetvwatchtower.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/ww1.jpg" /></center>
<br />
For the record: I don't know where this whole long thing came from. Is it a rant? Is it just commentary? Is it in response to a conversation I had recently with my father? Who knows. <b>WHO. KNOWS. </b>Obviously, don't go see a movie if you don't want to. I just thought I'd put it out here and let you engage as you will (y'know, if you do sometimes feel "obligated" to go see a YA movie or something). Or not. <i><b>Either way, let me know what you're thinking in the comments below! </b></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-12364634772740517702014-08-21T02:12:00.000-04:002014-09-01T17:24:06.618-04:00Bout of Books 11.0: Progress ReportWelcome to my Bout of Books 11.0 Progress Report post. Because I am crazy and neurotic, I have separated this post from my <a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/08/bout-of-books-110-goals.html" target="_blank">Goals post</a>. My Wrap Up post (to be posted in a week, when all of this is over) will also be a separate post. Although, I will be posting any and all of my challenges here, as they are part of my Bout of Books 11.0 Progress Report.<br />
<br />
I hope that explanation made sense to you. I feel like it does to me but things often make more sense in my head that out of it. <br />
<br />
Anyway, in case you're wondering what Bout of Books is...<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div>
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" /></a><br />
<blockquote>
<i>The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. <b>For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the <a href="http://boutofbooks.blogspot.com/">Bout of Books</a> blog.</b> - From the Bout of Books team</i></blockquote>
<br />
Now, for my progress.<br />
<b></b><br />
<a name='more'></a><b>MONDAY<br />Number of books I've read today:</b> Started book 1... it's slow-ish going...<br />
<b>Number of pages I've read today: </b>21% of an ebook.<br />
<b>Books: </b><br />
1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true" target="_blank">ETERNAL NIGHT by Carina Adly MacKenzie</a> - I'm unexpectedly loving this so much.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>TUESDAY<br />Number of books I've read today:</b> Still reading a few percents of my ebook here and there... it's a busy week.<br />
<b>Number of pages I've read today: </b>34% of an ebook.<br />
<b>Books:</b><br />
1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true" target="_blank">ETERNAL NIGHT by Carina Adly MacKenzie</a> - It's like the CW in a book and I can't get enough.<br />
<br />
<b>WEDNESDAY<br />Number of books I've read today: </b>Still. Moving. Slow. (I did go see If I Stay tonight so...)<br />
<b>Number of pages I've read today:</b> 24%<br />
<b>Books:</b><br />
1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true" target="_blank">ETERNAL NIGHT by Carina Adly MacKenzie</a> - I might be moving slow but I'm totally into this book. I wish I had the time to just sit and binge the ending. My weekend technically started today at 6pm, so maybe wishes do come true (or will tomorrow once I make it out to my family's vacation house).<br />
<br />
<b>THURSDAY<br />Number of books I've read today: </b>FINALLY FINISHED.<br /><b>Number of pages I've read today: </b>21% of an ebook.<br /><b>Books:</b><br />
1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true" target="_blank">ETERNAL NIGHT by Carina Adly MacKenzie</a> - Loooooved.<br />
<br />
<b>FRIDAY<br />Number of books I've read today: </b>Started book 2...<br /><b>Number of pages I've read today: </b>30% of an ebook (these ebooks are less fun than books with pages I can count)<br /><b>Books:</b><br />
2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286527-feuds?from_search=true" target="_blank">FEUDS by Avery Hastings</a> - Well... interesting.</div>
<div>
<br />
<b>SATURDAY<br />Number of books I've read today: </b>Book 2 continues.<br /><b>Number of pages I've read today: </b>47% of an ebook.<br /><b>Books: </b><br />
2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286527-feuds?from_search=true" target="_blank">FEUDS by Avery Hastings</a> - Still... interesting?<br />
<br />
<b>SUNDAY<br />Number of books I've read today: </b>Finished up book 2.<br /><b>Number of pages I've read today: </b>23% (AKA the end) of an ebook.<br /><b>Books: </b><br />
2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286527-feuds?from_search=true" target="_blank">FEUDS by Avery Hastings</a> - Well, okay.<br />
<br />
<b>GRAND TOTAL<br />Pages: </b>I... don't know? 591, according to Goodreads page counts for both books.<br /><b>Books: </b>2! One shy of my goal, but I read things! That's good, right?<br />
<br />
Stay tuned for my wrap up post...<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-89383274866665334422014-08-19T00:00:00.000-04:002014-08-19T00:11:06.591-04:00Top Ten "Modern" Books People Tell Me I MUST Read (60)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct0o8TipDEc/Ujewee6MX4I/AAAAAAAACYs/Q4CYwJJoVUY/s1600/TopTenTuesday.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I say "modern" because if I listed the number of classics everyone always tells me I need to read we'd be here forever. But I'm bad at reading classics so I think I should go with books I'll maybe actually read if you guys get excited enough about them in the comments.<br />
<br />
<div>
<a name='more'></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alpMZrKbE84/U_K6CW9R_HI/AAAAAAAAD9U/M8g_Kyfbe_A/s1600/Code%2BName%2BVerity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-alpMZrKbE84/U_K6CW9R_HI/AAAAAAAAD9U/M8g_Kyfbe_A/s1600/Code%2BName%2BVerity.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"WOMAN READ THIS EXCELLENCE (and make sure you have tissues)."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C_B7-2TZCp8/U_K6Dv5goII/AAAAAAAAD9g/qDrBxIwbPZc/s1600/Falconer.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-C_B7-2TZCp8/U_K6Dv5goII/AAAAAAAAD9g/qDrBxIwbPZc/s1600/Falconer.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"KIARAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V15PtOa4NaE/U_K6DrPCs_I/AAAAAAAAD9Y/4h-OpmZZ8VA/s1600/Frankie%2BLandau-Banks.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V15PtOa4NaE/U_K6DrPCs_I/AAAAAAAAD9Y/4h-OpmZZ8VA/s1600/Frankie%2BLandau-Banks.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"Hi WHY NOT?"</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fOm6kmipKCA/U_K6EVzHcxI/AAAAAAAAD94/ABKtAlMudDg/s1600/Girl%2Bof%2BFire%2Band%2BThorns.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fOm6kmipKCA/U_K6EVzHcxI/AAAAAAAAD94/ABKtAlMudDg/s1600/Girl%2Bof%2BFire%2Band%2BThorns.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"But you LOVE fantasy! And it's SO GOOD."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqH-Am6Ojbg/U_K6EzqFDjI/AAAAAAAAD9w/SrwLF8DA8Pg/s1600/Me%2BBefore%2BYou.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dqH-Am6Ojbg/U_K6EzqFDjI/AAAAAAAAD9w/SrwLF8DA8Pg/s1600/Me%2BBefore%2BYou.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"DON'T YOU WANT TO HAVE YOUR FEELS DESTROYED?"</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHBUrkBcAFU/U_K6FhY6wXI/AAAAAAAAD9s/5IlwZp8MaI8/s1600/Revolution.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IHBUrkBcAFU/U_K6FhY6wXI/AAAAAAAAD9s/5IlwZp8MaI8/s1600/Revolution.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?"</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8YXgmjIebU/U_K6HPI7SuI/AAAAAAAAD-A/IPSJXEcWSwM/s1600/Scorpio%2BRaces.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8YXgmjIebU/U_K6HPI7SuI/AAAAAAAAD-A/IPSJXEcWSwM/s1600/Scorpio%2BRaces.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"You MUST be waiting for an invitation for this one. You MUST be."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ON7Y_p7BYLY/U_K6IHoeyNI/AAAAAAAAD-E/Q3V8JOdEZBE/s1600/The%2BMark%2Bof%2BAthena.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ON7Y_p7BYLY/U_K6IHoeyNI/AAAAAAAAD-E/Q3V8JOdEZBE/s1600/The%2BMark%2Bof%2BAthena.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"Get thee to a hole in the ground where you only have the Rick Riordan books and nothing else."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YMfOc2XGDWY/U_K6JHhAUII/AAAAAAAAD-I/M9LOvDgGmHU/s1600/The%2BSky%2Bis%2BEverywhere.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YMfOc2XGDWY/U_K6JHhAUII/AAAAAAAAD-I/M9LOvDgGmHU/s1600/The%2BSky%2Bis%2BEverywhere.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"WUT."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a8tdHrbS8gY/U_K6LHD27pI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/nTAII-bj94g/s1600/Tiger%2BLily.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a8tdHrbS8gY/U_K6LHD27pI/AAAAAAAAD-Y/nTAII-bj94g/s1600/Tiger%2BLily.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">They Say:</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"No. Just... no."</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>So which of these books should I absolutely, definitely read IMMEDIATELY? Let me know in the comments below! </b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-61393149689264284192014-08-17T15:37:00.004-04:002014-08-17T15:48:21.451-04:00Bout of Books 11.0: Goals<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/POCcTmCoBY94hAl3xK4IeVbD7ZYH7DWLvzHt0RULm4Y=s200-no" /></a><br />
<blockquote>
<i>The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. <b>For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the <a href="http://boutofbooks.blogspot.com/">Bout of Books</a> blog.</b> - From the Bout of Books team</i></blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a name='more'></a><b>TIME DEVOTED TO READING</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Maybe two hours a day? Three? I have a vaguely social week ahead of me so this'll probably slow going. I think I'm mostly using this Bout of Books to push myself away from binge watching all of the television shows a little and get a little more reading done. (Because I really do need that push.)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>MY GOALS</b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Ok, so I want to watch less television and read more but it's gonna be hard. (I'm definitely going to keep binging The West Wing, I'm just gonna have to force myself to cut back, y'know?) So let's keep these goals conservative. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<ol>
<li>Read at least 3 books from the list below.</li>
<li>Participate in at least 1 Twitter chat.</li>
<li>Meet some new bloggers and make awesome new friends.</li>
<li>Participate in at least 1 challenge.</li>
</ol>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
</div>
<center>
</center>
<center>
<img height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404337156l/22617086.jpg" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397082832l/19286527.jpg" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400856745l/13579626.jpg" width="213" /></center>
<center>
<img height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1393265345l/18401242.jpg" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1401303893l/14059024.jpg" width="213" /><img height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407109239l/18635166.jpg" width="213" /></center>
<center>
</center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b>1. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22617086-eternal-night?from_search=true" target="_blank">ETERNAL NIGHTS</a> by Carina Adly Mackenzie</b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b>2. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19286527-feuds?ac=1" target="_blank">FEUDS</a> by Avery Hastings</b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b>3. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13579626-rooms?ac=1" target="_blank">ROOMS</a> by Lauren Oliver</b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b>4. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18401242-hook-s-revenge?from_search=true" target="_blank">HOOK'S REVENGE</a> by Heidi Schulz</b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b>5. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14059024-the-whispering-skull?from_search=true" target="_blank">THE WHISPERING SKULL (Lockwood & Co. #2)</a> by Jonathan Stroud</b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b>6. <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18635166-boomerang" target="_blank">BOOMERANG</a> by Noelle August</b></center>
<center style="text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></center>
<center style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Have you read any of these books? Which should I read first? Are you Bout of Books-ing this week? Talk to me in the comments below!</span></b></center>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-55761349118861017012014-08-12T00:00:00.000-04:002014-08-12T00:33:41.616-04:00Top Ten Expired ARCs I Have I'm Not Sure I Want To Read (59)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ct0o8TipDEc/Ujewee6MX4I/AAAAAAAACYs/Q4CYwJJoVUY/s1600/TopTenTuesday.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>DISCLAIMER: </b>I do not, in any way, mean for this post to sound ungrateful. I am <b>incredibly</b> grateful for all of the ARCs in my life. I just happened to have gone to ALAMW14, and BEA14. I also have some generous friends (whom I'm <b>also</b> incredibly grateful for). Between all of this, the ARCs pile up and I'm not a fast enough reader or a dedicated enough blogger to keep to any kind of schedule. Not to mention, between the moment a book is pitched to me or I read the back cover and I actually consider the book for reading pre-pub, I sometimes lose some interest.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I also sometimes forget when publication dates and then they're gone and then it's all confused and my brain melts a little. So there's that too. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Anyway, now that all of the disclaimers are done with, we can move on to the stack I seem to need to disclaim about...<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-goVgaxpU6dk/U-mAPONBALI/AAAAAAAAD9A/X8r-5f7HozI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-goVgaxpU6dk/U-mAPONBALI/AAAAAAAAD9A/X8r-5f7HozI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="398" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>1. THROUGH TO YOU by Lauren Barnholdt</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I dunno. It's another contemporary?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>2. SUMMER OF YESTERDAY by Gaby Triana</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A) This author has the same first name as me and she spells it the same way I do.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
B) This is a time travel thing involved?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I like both of these things but is it <b>enough</b>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>3. DARK METROPOLIS by Jaclyn Dolamore</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's magic, it's 1930s-esque. It's... something? Tell me why to reeeeaaaad it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>4. HEXED by Michelle Krys</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Witches? Right? I want to read that. Right? (DO I?)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>5. (DON'T YOU) FORGET ABOUT ME by Kate Karyus Quinn</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I like to pretend I'm really into horror but when it all boils down to basics, I can't totally stomach it. But I still insist on picking them up. What is wrong with me? Is this one worth it?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>6. KILLER INSTINCT by S.E. Green</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More horror. But I like serial killer stories. Or, rather, I like Criminal Minds. So I like watching shows about serial killers. But can I read it? CAN I?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>7. EXILE by Kevin Emerson</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Music, I love. But I've heard some iffy things and now I'm on the fence. HALP.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>8. THE TAKING by Kimberly Derting</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
FIVE YEARS HAVE PASSED AND SHE HASN'T AGED A DAY. Tell. Me. More. I just... don't know. The cover doesn't do things for me? I forgot about it? It is worth my attention now?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>9. THE BREAK UP ARTIST by Philip Siegel</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was excited about this one, started reading, saw where it was going, decided I didn't love where I saw it going. So I stopped. But maybe you guys can get me excited about it again?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>10. GUY IN REAL LIFE by Steve Brezenoff</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
GEEKS. But this is another one I started and wasn't in love with. Help some more?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>11. SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY by Julie Murphy</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is my biggest bookish regret. I want to love this one. But I was 100 pages in and I wasn't. I intellectually understood why I wasn't, my heart just wasn't in it. Can you guys convince my heart to give it another shot?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>PLEASE NOTE: </b>Any of the books from this list I decide not to keep get donated. I already have about 30 other ARCs to donate. So, in reality, I taking the things I'm very grateful for and handing them to people who'll enjoy them. No waste. NO WASTE. Still. Grateful.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
(Don't judge me.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
(Oh, and, the reason I used ARCs I have is because telling you guys about the finished books I own I'm not sure about anymore is too embarrassing for me. Also, taking things off my TBR isn't as tangible for me and I want this post to be a possible purge.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>SO. HELP ME. PLEASE. Tell me what's not worth reading! (Or what is worth reading!)</b></span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245378071915174733.post-47619949443066419602014-08-10T20:19:00.000-04:002014-08-10T22:08:48.394-04:00Review: Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564l/9627755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1362064564l/9627755.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
<b>Title: </b><i>Isla and the Happily Ever After </i>(Anna and the French Kiss #3)<br />
<b>Author: </b><a href="http://naturalartificial.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Stephanie Perkins</a><br />
<b>Release Date: </b>August 14th, 2014<br />
<b>Publisher: </b>Dutton<br />
<b>Page Count: </b>339<br />
<b>Source: </b>ARC from Work<br />
<b>First Reaction: </b>I had many small problems but THE END WAS SO DELICIOUS IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER. REJOICE FRIENDS.<br />
<b><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/isla-and-the-happily-ever-after-stephanie-perkins/1113599254?ean=9780525425632" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Isla-Happily-After-Stephanie-Perkins/dp/0525425632/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406081467&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780525425632" target="_blank">IndieBound</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Isla-Happily-Ever-After-Stephanie-Perkins/9780525425632" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> </b><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new.</i><i><br /></i><i><br /></i>[Summary Source: <b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9627755-isla-and-the-happily-ever-after" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></b>]</blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><b>THE REVIEW </b><br />
<br />
Isla is the third of her kind. She is the third Stephanie Perkins protagonist to take us on a wild ride of emotion, romance, drama, and all that other excellent coming of age stuff. But Isla's different from <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2013/10/review-anna-and-french-kiss-by.html" target="_blank">Anna</a></b> and <b><a href="http://ellabeereads.blogspot.com/2014/03/review-lola-and-boy-next-door-by.html" target="_blank">Lola</a></b> because we <i>know</i> her. She first showed her face in Anna's story, as a girl a year younger but in the same boarding school in Paris. Anna defended her. Isla had a crush on Josh, one of Anna's friends. She's a character we've been waiting to know more about for years, which is why this book is the series ender - the everything, really.<br />
<br />
Isla's journey starts in New York City, during the summer. An oral surgeon has just robbed her of her wisdom teeth and provided many drugs, leading Isla to a cafe where she finds Josh, the object of her affection (for the last three years or so). She makes a fool of herself and then time kind of jumps forward to Paris and the school year, where the everything <i>really</i> happens.<br />
<br />
And that's when I realized my main issue with this book. The pacing was kind of weird. One second we're here, then we're there. Isla and Josh kind of just slip into this blissful love situation, which makes sense for Isla because she's been obsessed with Josh for so long but makes less sense for Josh. And once they're in love, far too much of the beginning of this book is just them being precious and in love. I caught myself thinking, "Wait, where's the drama?" I knew it had to be coming and it had to be big and I was pretty sure I knew what it would entail, so it hit the feels less when it happened.<br />
<br />
Then there's the pacing of Isla's insecurities about her relationship with Josh. Obviously there are foundational issues here (hi, she loved him/the idea of him for <i>years </i>before they got together) but Isla kind of just tumbled down the rabbit hole of problems with them way too fast and without the setup I was looking for.<br />
<br />
My final issue with this book is slightly more personal: I don't like the way this book describes the places Isla finds herself. I don't <i>feel</i> like I'm in New York or Paris or Barcelona. To me, it's a lot of landmarks and streets are being prattled off to force me to picture a setting, but I don't feel like I'm there and I honestly just feel like the book is showing off. Which stinks because I love foreign country books that make me want to travel (see Jennifer E. Smith and Gayle Forman books for what I look for in wanderlust-y books).<br />
<br />
But, here's the thing: Despite my issues with this book, I still think it's a beautiful, emotional tale about a girl who isn't at all sure of herself and has no idea what to do with herself. A lot of Isla's struggle throughout is what <i>she</i> wants to do. She's always just floated along and did whatever. But, at a certain point, she had to put her foot down and say: "No. I am Isla, hear me roar, this is <i>my</i> life and these are <i>my </i>choices." And I like that. It's a lot of what a teenage faces in senior year - a lot of what <i>I </i>faced in senior year, and I think Isla runs at this issue at a way I haven't seen done before.<br />
<br />
I also thought the romance, all of its issues aside, was simultaneously complicated and the simplest thing in the world. Isla and Josh belong together (whether for the final happily ever after of <i>marriage and babies and growing old together</i> or for the happily ever after of <i>right now</i>, it doesn't matter so much) but there's so much in their way - themselves, their baggage, their situations... nothing's easy when you're a teen and you think the world's going to end if you can't be in the exact place you want to be when you want to be there, and I think Stephanie Perkins captures that perfectly.<br />
<br />
This book also happens to have a lovely Easter Egg in it for fans of the first two books (because Stephanie Perkins would never leave you wanting for Anna and Lola in the finale). Obvs no spoilers ever, but it was so lovely it made me forget all of my misgivings about the pacing and the plot. It made me think: "Oh, you guys are going to <i>love</i> this entire book it is just what we've been waiting for."<br />
<br />
<b>TL;DR:</b><br />
I had my issues with this book, just as I did with Lola. But, despite the book's pacing issues and Isla's rough patch in the middle of the book (as I didn't quite latch on to her descent into depression), I still think the character growth here was lovely. And I truly believe fans of this series will be more than happy with the way it ends. Oh, <b>BTW</b> if you haven't read this series yet and you're a big Contemporary YA fan, you're doing yourself a disservice.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07066485364496294907noreply@blogger.com0