Showing posts with label ya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ya. Show all posts

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Let The Sky Fall Book Review

Title: Let The Sky Fall
Author: Shannon Messenger
Series: Sky Fall #1
Rating: 2/5 stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2015-reads, books-i-own, love-the-cover, meh, read, romance

 “How do I have anything normal, when my life's been shredded to bits, turned inside out, painted different colors and reassembled in an order I don't recognize?”

You know that book you buy at a book store for really really cheap? The one with the beautiful cover? This is that book for me. I found it for $1 at Half Price Books. Sometimes beautiful covers let you down. This book let me down.

The thing that I don't understand is that a lot of my friends have rated this four or five stars. I feel like I have a different book. Don't you hate the feeling of not liking a book that everyone else adores?

Let The Sky Fall is about Vane and Audra. Audra is a air elemental that is charged to protect Vane. Vane soon realizes that he isn't exactly human either. Suddenly Vane is thrown into a new world where he is being hunted by the same people that killed his parents.

The Good:
- The ending
- It was somewhat action packed.
- It has a really unique concept.
- Messenger's writing style.

The Bad:
- I didn't connect or care about the characters at all.
- I found Audra to be really annoying.
- The middle of the book dragged a lot.
- The romance aspects in this book are completely predictable.

I feel like if you shortened this book by at least a hundred pages it would be better. It felt unnecessary long. So I didn't hate this book but it really just didn't hold my interest. I do get the appeal that it might have over other readers but it just wasn't for me.

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Throne of Glass Series Reviews (So Far!)

Title: The Assassin's Blade
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass 0.1-0.5
Rating: 4/5 stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2015-reads, books-i-own, ending-destroyed-me, fantasy, favorites, love-the-cover, read
  
“She was fire, she was darkness, she was dust and blood and shadow.” 
 
The Assassin's Blade is a bind up of all five of the Throne of Glass series novellas. I personally wouldn't recommend reading this before Throne of Glass but what do I know. I thought that these five novellas really built on Celaena's character. I did enjoy some more then others though.

 “There was no way in hell she was going to move to the southern continent without all of her books.” 

The Assassin and The Pirate Lord - 4/5 stars:
I really enjoyed this novella and I thought it was a great start to Celaena's story. It shows us more about Celaena and Sam. You see behind Celaena's bad ass side of her character and right into the side that loves and stands for what is right.

 The Assassin and The Healer - 4/5 stars:
This was the shortest novella in this bind up; it's only 40 pages! This novella again shows how much of a bad ass Celaena is but also how she has a soft side. It made me love Celaena even more!

The Assassin and The Desert - 5/5 stars:
This was my favorite novella. I have always thought of Celaena as the perfect character (not annoyingly perfect, she does have flaws, but just morally and physically good) but this shows Celaena struggle a bit to keep up with other assassins in the desert. I thought that this was really good for the story because it made Celaena seem more relatable and human.

The Assassin and The Underworld - 4/5 stars:
Celaena and Sam's relationship really starts to develop here and it gave me all the feels. I thought this novella was a great addition to this bind up.

 The Assassin and The Empire - 5/5 stars:
All I really remember is that I was drenched in my own tears for hours and hours after this novella.


Title: Throne Of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Rating: 4/5 stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads:  2014-reads, books-i-own, fantasy, have-high-hopes-for, read, romance

 “My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me.”

For some reason I really didn't expect to like Throne of Glass. I had my hopes up, but I felt like I was going to be that one person that thought the book didn't live up to its hype. I think I was a little scared because I have never been a huge fantasy person. But it mostly did live up to its hype. I thought Throne of Glass was a really fun read and memorable.

This book is about an assassin named Celaena Sardothien. She was one of the greatest assassins, but she got sent to salt mines. She was tortured and punished there for a year. Then the Prince of Adarlan Dorian offers her freedom if she wins a competition to be the king's champion then serves him for a few years. She accepts and travels with Dorian and his men to the castle.

When she gets there she is trained by Captain of the Guard Chaol. The competition is intense and when people started getting murdered, she had even more to worry about then having to return to the salt mines if she loses.

I really enjoyed most of the characters. It did take me a while to like Celaena though because she had this self loving attitude that really bothered me. But she seemed to grow out of it as she went on. Dorian was okay, I mean he was charming and mysterious but I didn't think he had that much depth. I didn't really like Chaol at first but about half way though I loved him. He is so protective and he really believes in Celaena.

People say that this book has a Hunger Games feel to it, but it doesn't really. The only similar concept is that there is a competition and people die. But really this book wasn't anything like the Hunger Games. The competition in Throne of Glass was fun to read about. They had a bunch of different tests and training. It made it interesting that Celaena was competing against a bunch of murders and thieves.

So while Throne of Glass didn't blow me away, it was a really great book. I can't wait to read the next one!

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2015-reads, book-boyfriends, books-i-own, fantasy, favorites, read, romance, witches-and-fairies

SPOILERS FOR THRONE OF GLASS 

 “I worry because I care. Gods help me, I know I shouldn't, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens.” 

I'm obsessed. This series is brilliant. Also, I am not afraid to say that I ship Celaena and Chaol together. I really can't understand how someone can't ship them together. I mean I think Dorian is awesome but not awesome for Celaena, you feel me? Anyways, I liked Throne of Glass but Crown of Midnight was just better. There is a lot of world building and I feel like I got to know the characters a lot better, especially Celaena.

In Throne of Glass, Celaena wins the competition to become to king's champion. So basically she has to kill whoever he tells her too. Since the king is an ass (Sorry I try not to swear too much in my reviews but he really is an ass) she doesn't want to kill for him so she rebels secretly. But one night everything she has done leads to tragedy. She has to put herself back together and be true to who she is.

Sarah J. Maas exceeded my expectations for Crown of Midnight. I absolutely adore this series. It has magic, fantasy, romance, intense characters, and an unforgettable world. My favorite part of this series so far has been seeing how much Celaena grows as a character. She faces so much sadness and grief, but she rises up from it perfectly. Crown of Midnight is a must read.

Title: Heir of Fire
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Rating: 5/5 stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2015-reads, books-i-own, fantasy, favorites, love-the-cover, read

SPOILERS FOR THRONE OF GLASS AND CROWN OF MIDNIGHT

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.” 

If I could give this book 100 stars I would. This has definitely been my favorite Throne of Glass book yet! Celaena grows so so much in this book and has turned out to be one of my favorite ya heroines.

Heir of Fire starts with Celaena in Wendlyn. She has been tasked to kill the royal family there but she won't. She finds a faerie camp and trains with a faerie royal named Rowan. Along the way she learns more about herself and starts to find the courage to take her kingdom of Terrasen back.

I absolutely loved the magic aspect in this book. I thought it was a lot of fun seeing people use their powers and reading about Celaena learn how to control hers. I also really loved the bond that formed between Celaena and Rowan. I don't ship them but I think that they are going to be great friends. I also really loved their sarcastic relationship.

In Heir of Fire there are some new characters introduced. Manon is a witch that starts working for the king. We get to see her point of view every few chapters. I didn't really like her point of view at first and I didn't see why it was necessary, but I grew to enjoy her chapters.

Overall I enjoyed every word in this book. I can't wait to read Queen of Shadows in September. 

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) Book Review



Title: The Retribution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #3
Other Book Reviews from this Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer and The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Rating: 5/5 stars
Trigger Warning: mental illness, depression
Bookshelves on Goodreads: book-boyfriends, books-i-own, damaged-guys, favorites, have-high-hopes-for, love-the-cover, mental-illness, my-emotions-i-cannot, romance, 2015-reads
 
“Do not find peace. Find passion.”

So basically this book is life. The Mara Dyer trilogy is one of my all time favorites. The way that this story captures me was just so intense. It was so mysterious, beautiful, and perfect in almost every way. I'm really sad that this series is done but I'm bitter sweet too.

So obviously because of spoiler reasons I can't really go into the plot. So I can tell you that this series is about a girl trying to find out who she is and why she can hurt and kill people with her thoughts. Along the way she finds herself in the middle of mystery, romance, friendship, and mental hospitals.

Two of my favorite aspects of this series in a whole are the romance and the comedy. Firstly, the main romantic interest Noah is to die for. Him and Mara go so great together and they give me all of the feels.

“This is a love story. Twisted and messy. Flawed and screwed up. But it's ours. It's us."

“As I was saying. He could never use you. You own him. You should’ve seen the way he was looking at you while you were out.”
I smiled a little. “How?”
“Like you’re the ocean and he’s desperate to drown.”

Secondly, the comedy and sense of humor in this trilogy is intense. Basically 75% of the good jokes happen between Mara and Jamie. It's the kind of self-depreciating humor that I can appreciate.

“I planted a kamikaze kiss on Jamie’s cheek.
“FUCK,” he shouted, wiping it off. “What if you killed me!” He threw a Skittle at my face. It hit my forehead.
“Ow!”
“Taste the rainbow bitch.”

“Names?' the receptionist asked us.
“Jesus,” Jamie answered.
“Mary,” said Stella.
“Satan,” I said as I walked past her and pushed open the door to Ira Ginsberg’s office.”

I could go on and on but I'm probably lucky if you are still reading this. To summarize: this book series is the bomb and if you haven't read it, how dare you. (Haha just kidding... kind of) I can't to read more from Michelle Hodkin!

Monday, July 6, 2015

It's Kind of a Funny Story Book Review

Title: It's Kind of a Funny Story
Author: Ned Vizzini
Series: N/A
Rating: 5/5 stars
Trigger warning: depression, suicide, cutting, eating disorders, anxiety
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2014-reads, books-i-own, damaged-guys, favorites, mental-illness, my-emotions-i-cannot, read

“People are screwed up in this world. I'd rather be with someone screwed up and open about it than somebody perfect and ready to explode.”

I remember watching the movie adaption of this book three-four years ago. Yes, I did watch the movie first, sue me. So I liked the movie but I wasn't really prepared for this book after watching it. I don't really have words to explain how great and relatable this book truly is. Also it was hilarious.

It's Kind of a Funny Story is about Craig Gilner's road down depression. He gets into Manhattan's top pre-professional high school, but the pressure and stress build up. He stops eating and sleeping and gets very depressed. Then one night he almost kills himself and ends up in a mental hospital.

While in the hospital he meets people who help him get better. One of those people is Noelle, who is the romantic interest. like I said earlier I thought that this book was really funny. It might sound weird saying that about a book about depression, but it fits. If you are struggling with a mental disorder this book will probably be pretty relatable but mildly triggering. If you read it to the end though I think that it is really inspiring.

I also want to put a little bit of a tribute in here for Ned Vizzini. He commited suicide back in December 2013, he was 32. In this book he mentions at the end that he also spent time in a mental hospital which I'm guessing is partly where he got the inspiration for this book. I obviously didn't know him personally but I was really sad when I heard about his death. He was a great writer and is greatly missed.

Back to his book at hand, it was one of my favorite books of 2014. Its funny, inspirational, and brilliant. I would recommend it to anyone, unless you think it might trigger you. I hope that I get to read more of Vizzini's works in the future.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

So Many Books to Review, So Little Space #3

Title: Pretty Little Liars
Author: Sara Shepard
Series: Pretty Little Liars #1
Trigger Warning: N/A
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads:  2014-reads, books-i-own, read, romance, so-incredibly-cheesy, ugly-covers

 “I'm still here, bitches. And I know everything." -A”

So if I believed in guilty pleasures, Pretty Little Liars would be one of them. Sure, it does have flaws, and lots of them. But I love all of the characters and really enjoyed this book. I did watch the TV show before reading this, so that might have had something to do with it.

Pretty Little Liars is about 4 girls: Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna. The four girls used to be best friends with Alison. Then Alison went missing and they fell apart. Suddenly they all start to get threatening texts and emails from A. All of them think and hope it might be Alison.

I'm have to talk about the cover. It may be the worst cover I have ever laid my eyes on. Its..just..so...bad.

This book did have plenty of writing flaws and it was so cheesy. But it was still so fun to read and the mystery of A grabbed me in from the start. I'm currently reading the second book, Flawless, and I am enjoying it so far.

Title: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone
Author: J.K. Rowling
Series: Harry Potter #1
Trigger Warning: N/A
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads:  2014-reads, books-i-own, have-high-hopes-for, read, witches-and-fairies

 “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.”

I feel like I'm reviewing a legend. I don't want to say anything terrible or else I am going to be swarmed with haters. Good thing I don't really have anything bad to say at all. I had high exceptions for this book and it didn't let me down. It was so fun! A great read.

So I'm not going to even give a description for this book, because if you haven't heard of Harry Potter, where have you been and what have you even been doing with your life?

One of my favorite parts about this book was the characters. I loved each and every one of them (Besides the people that I'm not supposed to like of course)! My favorite characters were Hermione, Harry, and Hagrid. The beautifully flawed characters made this book what it is.

So overall I really enjoyed the first book in the Harry Potter series and can't wait to read the second.

Title: The Bane Chronicles
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Bane Chronicles #1-10
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 1800s, 1900s, 2014-reads, books-i-own, favorites, read, romance, vampires, werewolves

"You told us to leave you in the desert, because you planned to start a new life as a cactus," Catarina said, her voice flat. "Then you conjured up tiny needles and threw them at us. With pinpoint accuracy."

"Well," he said with dignity. "Considering my highly intoxicated state, you must have been impressed with my aim."

I find myself never disappointed by Cassandra Clare. Her writing is a always beautiful and hilarious, and this bind up was not an exception. The person that gave this 5 stars was Magnus Bane. Of course. Magnus is my second favorite character in the TMI / TID world right behind Will Herondale. He never fails to make me laugh out loud.

The Bane Chronicles is a bind up of ten short stories about Magnus Bane. You also get an extra very short story called The Voicemail of Magnus Bane. Some stories are set in the TMI world, some in the TID world, and some stories were set in neither. I want to say that you should read The Mortal Instuments and The Infernal Devices first because spoilers. So many spoilers. I read both of the series before then I read this bind up and it added so much to my love for Magnus. If you have read both of the series I would totally recommend picking this up.

One thing that I loved about this bind up was that each short story started with a little comic of the story. The art so beautiful and added to my excitement. My favorite stories were probably What Really Happened in Peru, The Midnight Heir (WILL HERONDALE!!! <3), and The Course of True Love (And First Dates). But I enjoyed all of them.

I really really loved this book. I would recommend it to anyone.

 Title: Gone
Author: Micheal Grant
Series: Gone #1
Rating: 3/5 stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: books-i-own, 2014-reads, dystopia

  “One minute the teacher was talking about the Civil War. And the next minute he was gone. There. Gone. No 'poof.' No flash of light. No explosion."

You know how a lot of kids dream about a world without adults with their rules? They could eat cookies and ice cream whenever they wanted. Well that actually happens in this book. But the kids realize that they were wrong, a world without adults is complete chaos. There are also no cookies. A world without cookies obviously sucks.

Gone is about a city of kids dealing with the aftermath of a serious disaster. They are just sitting in their desks when every single person over 15 disappears. Sides form, fights break out, and everyone risks going hungry. On top of that, children start to develop weird powers and nobody really knows how to control them.

So while I was really intrigued by the plot of this book, it was too slow for me. It took me a long time to get through. But I still did really like the characters and the action in this book. Hence the 3 star review. The really liked the beginning and the end, but the middle was just so slow. I think the book could have been better with 100 less pages.

While saying that I still do recommend this book. I tend to get bored with too much world building. But if you like that go for it. I will probably still continue on with this series eventually because it got a lot better at the end.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Impulse Book Review

Title: Impulse
Author: Ellen Hopkins
Series: Impulse #1
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Trigger Warning: cutting, depression, and suicide
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2014-reads, books-i-own, damaged-guys, ending-destroyed-me, mental-illness, my-emotions-i-cannot, poetry, read, romance

“Forever has no meaning when you're living in the moment.”

Before I say anything else, I want to say that this book needs a serious trigger warning for depression/cutting/suicide. So if you are affected by that, I would think before reading this. This book is really dark and depressing, yet hopeful. I like it a lot but it was a little too depressing for me and I ended up really sad after this book.

Impulse is about three teens who have all tried to commit suicide, and failed. They end up in a psychiatric hospital called Aspen Springs. They each have different stories and different reasons for wanting to be dead. Together they help each other and fight that nagging feeling that says they aren't good enough.

One thing I looked so completely about Impulse is Ellen Hopkin's writing style. It is so beautiful. I loved how the whole book was written in prose. I think it added a lot of emotions to the book, that we might not have gotten without it. I also loved all the characters. I felt like I really understood them, and connected with them in some ways.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars, instead of 5, is because is it very sad. It was one of those books that just left my heart torn. But overall I really loved Impulse and can't wait to read more of Ellen Hopkin's books!

Monday, March 16, 2015

The Selection Book Review



 Title: The Selection
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: The Selection #1
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2014-reads, books-i-own, dystopia, have-high-hopes-for, meh, read, romance, so-incredibly-cheesy, ugly-covers

“I hope you find someone you can't live without. I really do. And I hope you never have to know what it's like to have to try and live without them.”

My relationship with this book is neutral. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. I guess I just plainly liked it. I had my issues with it, starting with that ugly cover. I don't understand how everyone loves this cover, I just don't understand. Who in there right mind would wear a blue dress made of ruffles? No thanks.

Anyway, this book is about America Singer's journey in the selection. The selection is a contest of 35 women, trying to win Prince Maxon's heart. America is in love with someone at home, Aspen, and she doesn't want to go into the selection, but her mother forces her.

So I found that the character's were either a hit or a miss for me. I didn't like Aspen at all. Just meh, no. I adored Prince Maxon. I kind of liked America most of the time, but thought that she did really stupid things. She was also kind of whinny and selfish. She was one of those perfect characters, that make me mad. Like she was supposedly amazing, beautiful, and talented, and she knew it. Also, what is wrong with these names. America? Maxon? Aspen? WHY?

This book was really captivating and an easy read. I really liked some things, and really didn't like others. So I went with a neutral 3 stars. Overall it was okay. I will probably continue on with this series at some point.

Monday, March 2, 2015

The Infinite Sea Book Review

Title: The Infinite Sea
Author: Rick Yancey
Series: The 5th Wave #2
Previous Reviews of the Series: The 5th Wave
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2014-reads, books-i-own, dystopia, love-the-cover, other-supernatural, read

 "Some things, down to the smallest things, are worth the sum of all things."

I thought that The Infinite Sea was a great sequel. It doesn't fall into the second book syndrome. It was action packed and very exciting, just like The 5th Wave. It was a little confusing though because it had four povs. Normally it took me a few pages to even figure out which character's pov I was reading.

The Infinite Sea is the second book in the 5th Wave trilogy. It takes place in a world that was invaded by aliens. It is a dystopian survival story. Of course, if you know me, you know that I love me some dystopian books. So I am naturally inclined to love this.

One thing that I really really loved about this book is the characters. They are all so unique and bad ass. Cassie really starts to come into herself, and is really pissed off and confused.

“That’s the cost. That’s the price. Get ready, because when you crush the humanity out of humans, you’re left with humans with no humanity.

In other words, you get what you pay for, motherfucker”

One of my other favorite characters was ringer. I was pretty neutral about her in The 5th Wave but in The Infinite Sea, just yes. I loved her last third of the book that was in her pov. In my opinion, that part made this book great.

So overall I really enjoyed this and can't wait for The Last Star.

Saturday, January 31, 2015

The Last Orphans Book Review

Title: The Last Orphans
Author: N.W. Harris
Series: The Last Orphans #1
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2015-reads, books-i-own, dystopia, owned-ibooks, damaged-guys

This book was given to me, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

"Everyone changed so much in a short time, seeming grown up, ready to fight and to survive."

The concept of teens and children living in a world without adults isn't really a new concept, but this book is very refreshing, bloody, and unique, and stands out for me. This book was full of action and grief. I found it really hard to stop flipping through pages. It had really strong characters and it was so fun to read about how this new world effects them and makes more brave.

The Last Orphans is a dystopian book based on a world where adults are killed off all at once, leaving teens and children to learn what happened and protect themselves. Shane Tucker has had a pretty awful day, going to his grandmother's funeral and fighting with his alcoholic father. Little does he know, that it is about to get so much worse. Suddenly the sky turns green, a storm picks up, and his aunt is murdered by a ton of bees.

He finds other teens and finds out they are in the same situation, having their parents and grandparents dieing from nature and animals. He meets Kelly Douglas and her sister Nat, and together along with his best friend Aaron, football player Steve, tough girl Tracy, and a gothic girl Laura, they have to protect over 70 kids. Soon they learn that they may be in the same danger the adults were in, and go on a mission to save everyone from possible death.

One of my favorite parts about this book were the characters. My favorites were Shane, Tracy, and Aaron. The main character Shane was just a great naturally born leader. He goes through so much pain in a matter of hours, and loses so many people, but he still steps up to help others. Tracy was probably my favorite character. She was such a bad ass and a survivor. Aaron was Shane's best friend and seemed like a really funny nice person.

I do have to say that I thought this book was really gory. I mean, due to the type of book it is, it's supposed to be that way, but it might have been too much. Harris went into detail about many adult's deaths and different graphic scenes. I didn't really bother me, but if you aren't into bloody scenes, read with a little cation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It reminded be a lot of Gone by Micheal Grant and The Walking Dead. So if you are into good world building, gory scenes, and a ton of action, I would give this book a try!

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children Book Review

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Series: Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: books-i-own, favorites, favorite-series, have-high-hopes-for, love-the-cover, other-supernatural, romance, 2014-reads

 “I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was.”

This. Book. Just. Yes. I loved everything about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was so beautifully written and gothic, yet emotional and upbeat. I have always been into books that are more dark, design and story wise. I picked this book up for it's design and because it sounded super interesting, and I wasn't disappointed.

This book also has pictures, which added so much to the book. The pictures are dark, creepy, and beautiful. When I was reading this, and saw that the next page had a picture, I would get all giddy. It is such a unique way to add to the story.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is about Jacob Portman. His grandfather dies in a mystery accident, that leaves Jacob wondering if the ridiculous childhood stories his grandpa told him are true. His grandpa told him stories of children with abilities and powers, and about a bordering school for these peculiar children. So Jacob goes to the island of the bordering school to find out if the stories are true.

If you haven't read this yet, what are you waiting for? It's so amazing! and it's going to be a movie! I can't wait!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

So Many Books To Review, So Little Space #2


My book review game has been hella awful lately. So I am here with the 2nd edition of "So Many Books To Review, Not Enough Space", where I review a ton books in a slightly shorter manner. I have a TON of books to review, so I'm just going to start already!

Title: The Blood of Olympus
Author: Rick Riordan
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Series: The Heroes of Olympus #5
Previous Books in Series: The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades
Bookshelves on Goodreads: i-need-it-nowwww, book-boyfriends, books-i-own, favorites, mythology, my-emotions-i-cannot, romance, 2014-reads

“Correct." Kekrops sounded bitter, like he regretted his decision. "My people were the original Athenians--the gemini."
"Like your zodiac sign?" Percy asked. "I'm a Leo."
"No, stupid," Leo said. "I'm a Leo. You're a Percy.”

This book is so amazingly bitter sweet for me. I'm super upset that it's over. I mean I grew up on Percy Jackson through my early teen years. But I'm still bawling a little bit that it's all over. But at the same time, it was soo soooo perfect.

I'm not going to tell you anything about the plot because it would be impossible not the spoil you on so many of the previous books.

But Rick Riordan started so many things for me. The Percy Jackson series is one of the reasons I started reading. And it started a love for all things mythology. He infuses mythology tales into his middle grade funny style, and it just works. Can't wait for his next book!

Title: The Archived
Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: The Archived #1
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2014-reads, have-high-hopes-for, love-the-cover, owned-ibooks, read

“What if I mess up?"

"Oh, you will. You'll mess up, you'll make mistakes, you'll break things. Some you'll be able to piece together, and others you'll lose. That's all a given. But there's only one thing you have to do for me."

"What's that?"

"Stay alive long enough to mess up again.”

 The Archived was beautiful and very unique. I can't really think of another young adult book that I've read that was anything like it. I loved the whole plot, the characters, and the very concept of the book. It was just great.

The Archived is about Mackenzie Bishop. She is a keeper; some one that keeps the dead inside the archived and protects the archives secret. In this world, the dead are stored on shelves in the Archived. They can wake up and it is a keeper's job like Mackenzie to put them back. Mackenzie is dealing with grief after her young brother dies and her parents move away from the tragedy. She goes to a new school and meets another keeper, Wes.

This book is full of lies and pain. Mackenzie lies to her parents and her best friends, because she has to keep being a keeper a secret. But it's also about finding someone who you can trust with your life and protecting a secret. I flew through this book and loved it!

 Title: Unbound
Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: The Archived #2
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Previous Books in Series: The Archived
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 2014-reads, have-high-hopes-for, love-the-cover, other-supernatural, read, romance

 “The funny thing about armor is that it doesn't just keep other people out. It keeps us in. We build it up around us, not realizing that we're trapping ourselves.”

The Unbound was a fantastic sequel and darker than the first. I was worried that this might be worse than the first, but it wasn't. It exceeded my expectations. I feel even harder for the characters (especially Wes).

I can't tell you everything about The Unbound, but I can tell you some. Mackenzie struggles with nightmares so mad that she doesn't sleep days at a time. She also struggles to keep up with her keeper duties and appear in control. If she doesn't keep it together, she will be kicked out of the Archived and have her memories erased.

The Unbound didn't disappoint! I really hope that Victoria Schwab writes a third book but if she doesn't, it still ended perfectly. I defiantly recommend this one!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Raven Boys Book Review

Title: The Raven Boys
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Series: The Raven Boys #1
Rating: 4/5 stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: books-i-own, damaged-guys, have-high-hopes-for, mythology, romance

“My words are unerring tools of destruction, and I’ve come unequipped with the ability to disarm them.”

The Raven Boys is super fantastic and unique. I liked Stiefvater's Shiver series but The Raven Boys was better. I seriously loved the whole setting and atmosphere of it. Its southern without the annoying accent writing and has a boarding school without bad school drama. Gansey & his friends live in an abadoned building and has book stacked up high, it sounds like heaven. The whole book is mysterious and perfect.

The Raven Boys is about Blue Sargent, her mom is a physic and she lives with her physic family. Blue herself has the weird ability to lend energy to others, making things stronger and clearer. She goes to the church, like she does every year, and watches the dead pass. She isn't supposed to see them because she isn't physic, but she sees Gansey. She could see him either because she is either his true love or she will kill him. Blue gets dragged into the exciting world of the raven boys.

The raven boys is a nickname that is given to students of an all boys boarding school. We get to met four: Gansey, Adam, Noah, and Ronan. Gansey is a boy with everything, on a quest for a mythical man on the lay lines. Adam has trouble at home with his dad, and often escapes to help Gansey with his quest. Noah is a quiet boy with a weird and dark past. Ronan watched his father his father die and is paying the price with anger and depression.

I loved all of the characters in this book. Blue was really independent and selfless. Out of all of the raven boys I liked Gansey best with Ronan being a close second. I also really liked Blue's mom, she was a bad ass.

Overall this was a great story. I'm happy with how it ended and also happy that I started it so late, so I don't have to wait for The Dream Theives. Doesn't title just sound awesome?! *running to the bookstore to buy the next book*  

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Monument 14 Book Review

Title: Monument 14
Author: Emmy Laybourne
Series: Monument 14 #1
Rating: 4/5
Shelves on Goodreads: book-boyfriends, dystopia, have-high-hopes-for, books-i-own, love-the-cover

"But the truth is:
I am the light. You are the light.
We are lit up together."

I remember when I was a kid, when I would go grocery shopping with my mom I would hide behind all the paper towel bundles and make a fort. I always kind of wanted to live in a store. I mean, you would have everything and anything at your disposal. So when I saw Monument 14 at Half Price Books and read the summary, I instantly knew that I was going to go read this and indulge my childhood.

I really enjoyed Monument 14. Sure, it had its quirks and disappointments, but I had a lot of fun reading it. Monument 14 revolves around Dean, a teenager who gets stuck in grocery store with a group of other kids and teens. The world is ending and is stuck with a ton of natural disasters. The kids get stuck in a huge hail storm on a bus until their bus drives straight through the doors of this grocery store.

So they set up shelter there. The teens take care of the kids and almost form their own little tribe. Everyone has a job. They even build a huge fort that they sleep in. Dean's little brother is among the group, with some jocks, and his crush. So much drama in one grocery store.

I found that the characters were either a hit or miss for me. I liked Dean, he was nice, kind, and a writer. I liked Jake, Niko, and Dean's little brother. But I didn't like Astrid or Josey, they both were selfish and annoying as hell. So this was one of my issues with this book.

I was surprised because with a book full of kids, you would expect it to be less brutal. There was a ton of action, deaths, a sex scene, and a near rape. It was interesting and action packed, which I found to be an almost added bonus because I really didn't expect it.

Overall this book was really fun and interesting. While it wasn't perfect, it was a good read. I can't wait to read the next one!  

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Eleanor & Park Book Review

 Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: 1900s, books-i-own, ending-destroyed-me, favorites, my-emotions-i-cannot, romance, pissed-me-off

"What I'm trying to say is, you're it. This is it for me."

When I started to hear everyone talk about Eleanor & Park like it was a god or something, I knew I was in for either disappointment or relief. When it comes to big books like this, you either like it or you feel like crap for being the only person who didn't like it. So I was really happy when I did like it. I understood what people meant: Eleanor & Park is a tragically beautiful story of two teens who make young love work.

Eleanor & Park is about two teens who fall in love. Eleanor has curly big red hair, dresses unusually, and is a little too big for her taste. She lives with her mom, step dad, and siblings. Her step dad is very abusive and she struggles to protect her siblings and herself from his wrath. Her mom just stands on the sidelines and basically just waits to be kicked. I liked her mom but that really made me upset. It was like she didn't care if her kids lived through fear and never did anything about it.

Eleanor has never been popular, so when she goes to a new school, she gets bullied. She gets a few friends but is constantly kicked around. Park is one of those few friends. He is half Asian and fit in, but it takes effort. He loves punk music and comics. He lives with his mom, dad, & brother.

Eleanor & Park is one of those books that doesn't trend on issues, it smacks right into it. We get to see parental/marriage abuse right up front and it is disgusting. It is the kind of thing that made me want to throw the book across the room. But we always get to see how strong Eleanor is. Just the way that she stands up for herself is so admirable.

This book was a unique spin on love stories, where everyone isn't perfect and beautiful on the outside. I loved it.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) Book Review

 Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series: Shatter Me #2
Previous Reviews from this Series: Shatter Me
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: blood-everywhere, book-boyfriends, books-i-own, damaged-guys, favorites, have-high-hopes-for, love-the-cover, my-emotions-i-cannot, dystopia, romance

"I want to know how to convince you to design a smile just for me. Yes, I do want to be your friend. I want to be your best friend in the entire world."

Well that was...amazing. How am I supposed to choose between Adam and Warner? At this point I'm team Juliette because I would okay with either boy she picks. Unravel Me was just perfection. As usual, I won't spoil Unravel Me, but I don't really have much a choice but to spoil some of Shatter Me. So if you haven't read the first book and don't want to be spoiled, stop here and go pick up Shatter me!

Unravel me picks up about 2 weeks after Shatter Me ends. Juliette, Adam, and Kenji are at Omega Point: a place for people like Juliette, with powers and abilities. Of course most of them have easier powers then Juliette; healing, invisibility, etc... But Juliette is the most powerful. There she starts to discover just how powerful she is.

While they are preparing for war again the Reestablishment, they slowly discover why Adam and Warner can touch Juliette.

So I really liked Juliette in this book. She had a lot of character growth and finally saw that she needed to get stronger and grow up. While I didn't think that she was bad at first, she really turned into a more powerful person and character. You get to see a more selfless side of her that I really liked.

Warner and Adam? God. Why did Mafi have to do this is me. I had it chosen: I was team Adam. And now? What the fuck, I have no clue. I love them both but I think I might actually like Warner more. We get to see a whole new side of him in Unravel Me that I just love.

“I want you,” he says. He says “I want all of you. I want you inside and out and catching your breath and aching for me like I ache for you.” He says it like it’s a lit cigarette lodged in his throat, like he wants to dip me in warm honey and he says “It’s never been a secret. I’ve never tried to hide that from you. I’ve never pretended I wanted anything less.”

But one of the best parts? Kenji. Kenji is so freaking hilarious and just a great guy. He is super nice to Juliette even when she is being a bitch. He is Adam's best friend. He is more damaged then what people think. Most of the times I laughed was because of him.

“The man is moody as hell.”

“I am not moody—”

“Yeah, bro.” Kenji puts his utensils down. “You are moody. It’s always ‘Shut up, Kenji.’ ‘Go to sleep, Kenji.’ ‘No one wants to see you naked, Kenji.’ When I know for a fact that there are thousands of people who would love to see me naked—”

This book is perfect and I can't wait until I get my hands on the last one.

Friday, October 10, 2014

The Evolution of Mara Dyer Book Review

Title: The Evolution of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #2
Previous Reviews from this Series: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: book-boyfriends, books-i-own, damaged-guys, ending-destroyed-me, favorites, have-high-hopes-for, love-the-cover, mental-illness, my-emotions-i-cannot, romance

“I’ll walk forever with stories inside me that the people I love the most can never hear.”

This book blew me away. I loved the first book, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, but this one raised the bar. It is going to be hard to review it without spoilers, but there will be spoilers from the first book, I can't really help that.

This book continues off from where the first one left off. Mara is in a hospital after she saw Jude in the police station and her dad got shot. She gets out of the hospital, quits school, and goes to a out-treatment facility for mental health. Noah and her are together but their relationship is really rocky. They spend a lot of time trying to find Jude and finding out who they are.

The number one best things that came out of this book was character development. Mara grows a ton and starts to find out more about herself. Her mental health/supernatural situation still gets to her, driving her insane. But I saw a lot more fight and responsibility in her.

Noah has so much character development, we start to find out who he really is. We get to see past his sarcastic, pretty face and learn how hurt he really is. Noah & Mara's relationship also develops a lot through out the book. They get really serious.

“If I were to live a thousand years, I would belong to you for all of them. If we were to live a thousand lives, I would want to make you mine in each one.”

I also really enjoyed Mara's brothers in this one. We really get to know Daniel and learn what a great brother he is.

“My brother cleared his throat. "I wish she knew that I think she is the most hilarious person on Earth. And that whenever she's not home, I feel like I'm missing my partner in crime."
My throat tightened. Do not cry. Do not cry.
"I wish she knew that she's really Mom's favorite--"
I shook my head here.
"--the princess she always wanted. That Mom used to dress her up like a little doll and parade her around like Mara was her greatest achievement. I wish Mara knew that I never minded, because she's my favorite too.”

This series is mysterious and beautiful. Hodkin has a way of making me feel exactly what the characters feel. I felt Mara's confusion and doubt in whether she was insane or had powers or both. She actually made me question my earlier assumptions about the book, which I loved. The book has a seriously awful cliff hanger and I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thursday, October 2, 2014

Throne of Glass Book Review

  Title: Throne of Glass
  Author: Sarah J. Mass
  Series: Throne of Glass #1
  Rating: 4/5 Stars
  Bookshelves on Goodreads: blood-everywhere, books-i-own, have-high-hopes-for, other-supernatural, read, romance

“My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me.”

For some reason I really didn't expect to like Throne of Glass. I had my hopes up, but I felt like I was going to be that one person that thought the book didn't live up to its hype. I think I was a little scared because I have never been a huge fantasy person. But it mostly did live up to its hype. I thought Throne of Glass was a really fun read and memorable.

This book is about an assassin named Celaena Sardothien. She was one of the greatest assassins, but she got sent to salt mines. She was tortured and punished there for a year. Then the Prince of Adarlan Dorian offers her freedom if she wins a competition to be the king's champion then serves him for a few years. She accepts and travels with Dorian and his men to the castle.

When she gets there she is trained by Captain of the Guard Chaol. The competition is intense and when people started getting murdered, she had even more to worry about then having to return to the salt mines if she loses.

I really enjoyed most of the characters. It did take me a while to like Celaena though because she had this self loving attitude that really bothered me. But she seemed to grow out of it as she went on. Dorian was okay, I mean he was charming and mysterious but I didn't think he had that much depth. I didn't really like Chaol at first but about half way though I loved him. He is so protective and he really believes in Celaena.

People say that this book has a Hunger Games feel to it, but it doesn't really. The only similar concept is that there is a competition and people die. But really this book wasn't anything like the Hunger Games. The competition in Throne of Glass was fun to read about. They had a bunch of different tests and training. It made it interesting that Celaena was competing against a bunch of murders and thieves.

So while Throne of Glass didn't blow me away, it was a really great book. I can't wait to read the next one!

Sunday, September 21, 2014

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer Book Review



 Title: The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
Author: Michelle Hodkin
Series: Mara Dyer #1
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: book-boyfriends, books-i-own, favorite-series, favorites, love-the-cover, mental-illness, romance

“You want me as much as I want you. And all I want is you."
My tongue warred with my mind. "Today," I whispered.
Noah stood slowly, his body skimming mine as he rose. "Today. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”

When I went into this book, I didn’t really know much about it. I only had the very vague summary on the back to go from. I figured that since everybody seemed to like it, it would be good. But it was better than good, this book was perfect. It is so mysterious and intriguing that I had a really hard time trying to put it down. I loved most of the characters and loved the romance aspect to it. It was really unforgettable.

Since when I went into it, I didn’t know much and I feel like it might be better that way, so my summary is going to be very vague. The main character is Mara Dyer and she has no clue what is happening to her. She is in a really awful accident in her old home town, where her best friend and boy friend are killed. A building clasped on them and Mara was the only was to survive.

Her family moves to Florida to get away from all of the trauma. Mara starts seeing things that can’t be there and starts to really freak out. At her new school she doesn’t have many friends except for unique, nerdy Jamie. She meets Noah, a mysterious beautiful boy who seems to have a thing for her. All while, Mara is really losing her mind.

Mara is a really great heroine. She is smart, nice, and really strong based on her situation. I absolutely love Noah. He is just so amazing and a great character. Jamie is super funny and nice. Mara’s brother Daniel seems like the best brother ever. But I do have to say that I really didn’t like her parents at all. They are just over protective and they think that they are helping Mara but they really aren’t. They are just annoying.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer is in my favorites for sure.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Looking for Alaska Book Review



 Title: Looking For Alaska
Author: John Green
Series: NA
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads:  books-i-own, contemporary, favorites, have-high-hopes-for, middle-of-nowhere, read, romance

“So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”

There is something about this book that makes me want to smile & cry at the same time. It's not perfect, It's not TFIOS, but it is beautiful all the same. It kind of reminded me a lot of Paper Towns, in the means of nerdy boy falls for messed up, free girl. But I didn't care that it was similar because it was similar in all of the good ways. I loved the friendships in this book and there were moments were I was almost bawling because I was laughing so hard.

I feel like this is one of those books were you should go into it not knowing much, because you get a great/awful shock in the middle and I don't want to ruin that. But I will tell you a little bit. The main character's name is Miles. Miles is a nerdy kid who doesn't have many friends, so he switches schools to go to a bordering school to find his "great perhaps". He gets there and makes three good friends: Alaska, the Colonel, and Takumi.

I love all of the characters in this book to death. Miles is just a sweet, nerdy guy. He reads people's last words. The one thing that makes me admire him the most is that he goes after his dreams. He doesn't just sit there and deal with his semi awful situation, he deals with it and I think that is awesome. Alaska is a free spirited, book loving girl. I think that she is really cool even though she does some things that annoy me.

The Colonel is amazingly funny. Like 90% of the jokes that I laughed at were his. He just seems like a good friend. Takumi is funny as shit as well. Overall I just really liked this book. The one thing that I didn't like about this book is that the ending is kind of unresolved. Sure we get some answers but I don't feel like I got enough. It is hard to explain without spoilers, but people who have read it will get it. But I really enjoyed this book. It was just as I expected from John Green.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

The Program Book Review

Title: The Program
Author: Suzanne Young
Series: The Program #1
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Bookshelves on Goodreads: books-i-own, dystopia, have-high-hopes-for, mental-illness, my-emotions-i-cannot, romance

  “I think that sometimes the only real thing is now.”

The Program was beautiful, heartbreaking, and scary. Really if you think about it, the whole concept of this book is scary as hell. What is suicide was contagious? What if you did have to hide your feelings? What if you could get sent to the mental ward just for crying or having a bad day? As a person who has had depression and anxiety her whole life, it is just a concept that seems to freighting and possible.

The concept of this book is that more and more teens are getting depressed and commiting suicide. The suicide rate is at an all time high and the Program has stepped in. If they find you depressed or even upset, they will send you to the Program. They drug you into not remembering your life and the people you love most. Then you get sent back into the real world and everything is blank.

This is Sloane's world. She lost her brother to suicide. The only reason she got through it was because of James, she brother's best friend and her boyfriend. Then their friend Miller dies and they both got depression and try to hide it so they don't go into the Program. But the Program is coming for them.

So I loved a lot about this book. I really liked how emotional it was and how real it seemed. I liked Sloane and felt for her situation. But while I liked James, I couldn't really love his character as much as I wanted to. But I didn't like the concept of the program or how close it hit to home. It was almost too emotional in the fact that reading it just made me upset. But overall I enjoyed it and can't wait to read The Treatment!
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