The Bookaholic

Book Review - Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

2017-02-20T23:44:00.000-06:00

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

Okay. It's been about a week since I finished this gem of a book, I'm ready to attempt a review for it.

Ready Player One starts with one of the best prologues I have ever read. We learn about a contest being held upon the death of the creator of the most immersive virtual-reality technology ever to hit the market, the OASIS. James Halliday has an obsession with all things 80s, and with a video will broadcast inside the reality-numbing VR game, he drops the bombshell that his entire fortune - over 200 billion dollars, and the rights to the OASIS universe itself - will be left to the first player to find an obscure easter egg hidden somewhere inside the game. After informing players that they'd need exhaustive knowledge of his favorite decade's pop culture, his death sets off a resurgence in 80s fashion that consumes the world. This novel manages to be both a Farenheit 451-esque dystopian commentary, and an ode to the decade that birthed power ballads, cheesy movies, and the beginnings in video game advancement. And, most shockingly, it is done well. Very, very well.

When we first meet Wade Watts, he's living with his aunt in something called a "stack" - a trailor piled on top of other trailors using scaffolding and prayer. The stacks are basically the slums of the future, a way to house as many paying tenants as possible in as small of a space as possible. Wade is a chunky outcast who, like most of society, has shunned the neglected, dying real world in favor of the artificially beautiful one found inside the OASIS. The vast majority of his waking hours are spent logged in; he is even enrolled in one of many OASIS schools, a public education system located entirely in the virtual world, which I thought was a genius touch. He is an avid gunter - short for "egg hunter", meaning he's one of millions diligently searching for a way to win Halliday's contest - who laments his lack of financial means to really search for the egg. His quick wit and extensive knowledge of 80s culture snare him the first spot on the contest's Scoreboard anyway, and catapault this book from interesting to all-immersive and incredibly tense as we join him on his race to win a fortune that will give him a life he'd only ever dreamed of.

I loved so many aspects of this novel, but my favorite would have to be the solid creativity of it. Ernest Cline gave us a novel set in the future, rooted in the past, that draws on our constantly advancing technology and overall apathy for the planet we live on. He wove a world set inside of a video game that could so very easily be reality within the next few decades. He created a contest so difficult to win that it took millions of people years to even find the very first clue without forcing us to suspend our belief by throwing some semi-obvious answer our way and passing it as tortoruously hard. Time and time again, he gave us answers that fit but were far from obvious, that made perfect sense in hindsight but couldn't be predicted pages before their reveal. As an avid reader and failed writer, I can tell you; this is no easy feat to accomplish. I give Mr. Cline mad props for pulling it off so seamlessly.

Another thing I loved about Ready Player One is how quickly things go from imaginative and fun, to life-or-death tense. The villain of this novel is a corporation born out of the game's massive success, the Innovative Online Industries, or "IOI". They are desperate to win the contest so they can have complete control over the OASIS, turning it from a virtually free escape for the world-weary, to an elitist gamer club forking over fortunes to the IOI, essentially making them the most powerful, gluttunously rich, unstoppable conglomeration in existence. It soon becomes obvious how far they are willing to go to obtain their monopoly on the money machine that is the OASIS. They are RUTHLESS, guys. I will never forget the moment things got real for Wade; it pumped me full of vicarious adrenaline and obliterated any hopes for a reasonable bedtime I may have had. My heart was racing as I flipped through the pages.

Amid the deadly race to win, there is a refreshing whimsy to the characters' avatar interractions and relationships. We meet Aech (pronounced "H"), Parzival's (Wade's online avatar) best friend whom he's only ever known inside the game; a fellow gunter well-versed in sarcasm and MMORPG wit, Aech quickly becomes a favorite character. Then there's Art3mis, an OASIS-famous blogger whose avatar and personality Wade has the most adoable schoolboy crush on. His frienship with her is nothing short of wonderful, and it kept me grinning like an overly-involved older sister. I love these characters, and how well Ernest Cline portrayed the importance and depth of online friendships. I related so hard to some of the themes in their relationships, most especially the fear of falling short in person; of not being attractive enough, not being as good as the image painted by their glamourized avatar. I saw myself in Art3mis especially.

Ready Player One draws on some darker societal themes in its prediction of a dying planet, and a society rushing to escape real life by wasting away inside of a video game. At first, the OASIS seemed absolutely incredible, like something I would kill to be able to experience, but as the novel went on and we saw how so many people were completely willing to forfeit any real happiness from a very early age in order to grow up inside of virtual reality, I began to see a disturbingly plausible exaggeration of today's youth in it. The mention of the "missing children" - kids who locked themselves away and refused to exist outside of the OASIS - struck a chord inside of me. It is often easier to lose ourselves in an online world than to exist fully in the real one, and with the trend of doing just that growing alarmingly fast, how will our grandchildren be growing up? Isn't the OASIS just a more immersive version of smartphones keeping us tapped in to social media and gaming consoles allowing us to live out our fantasies from our bedrooms? This novel gives you a lot to think about, and predicts a future that we can only hope to avoid. It asks very hard questions while it takes us on one hell of an entertaining ride.

One of the most common complaints I see for this book is the excessive exposition. While it is true that there's more telling than showing in this novel, that didn't hinder my personal enjoyment at all. I loved learning about the expansive OASIS world; I'd often find the info-dumping chapters to be the most entertaining. That said, I can see where it would be a hindrance to some. If you are adverse to a lot of exposition, it may be a problem for you, but if you think you can handle it if it's done well, I can almost guarantee that, like me, you won't have a problem with it.

My biggest issue with Ready Player One is that it sucked me in so completely that even now, over a week later, all I want to do is return to those pages and lose myself again. I simply can't seem to let it go.

5 Out Of 5 Stars

Book Review - Caraval by Stephanie Garber

2017-02-02T23:53:00.000-06:00

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

When I first heard about Caraval, I wasn't as intrigued by it as so many others seemed to be. But as more and more early reviews started trickling in and raving about the book, I admit to being swept up in the hype. Even though I was skeptical, I just had to see what all the fuss was about. I'm happy to say that I won't be the Black Sheep reader here.

Caraval is one of the most atmospheric books I've read in a long time. It's basically what would happen if Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory and Alice In Wonderland had a demented love child. There are so many twists and turns in these pages that I got mental whiplash just trying to keep up, and it was so much fun.

The very first chapter introduces us to Scarlett Dragna and her impulsive sister Donatella, where they live on an island with their very abusive father. After years of writing letters to Legend, the master of Caraval, she is finally given three tickets to the magical event; one for her, one for Tella, and one intended for her fiance, a count onto whom she heaps all her hopes of escape, despite not even knowing his name. While Scarlett has basically given up on her childish hopes of ever attending Caraval, Tella seems to have other plans. With the help of a wayward sailor by the name of Julian, Scarlett finds herself journeying to the island against her will. Separated from Donatella, it doesn't take long for Scarlett and Julian to find themselves swept up in the magic and wonder of Caraval.

Caraval is like a maze, full of so many twists and turns that it's impossible to be able to jump to any kind of conclusions. (Though if you're anything like me, you're going to try anyway. And if you're anything like me, you're going to be wrong every single time.) That's what makes it such a compelling read; it's drenched in mystery and magic and it'll sweep you off your feet before you're even aware you've become invested. This is a novel meant to be devoured, to shatter bed times and lure you in with that "Just one more chapter" vow that you quickly realize you have no intention of keeping.

As far as characterization, Julian really stands out. I spent well over half of the novel wondering just why I felt such a strong, undeniable attraction to him. He's not particularly funny, not overly snarky, and never once does he claim to be a gentleman, but there is something so contradictingly authentic about him. Very rarely have I experienced a character with more secrets, more mystery, more elusiveness, than Julian. In a nutshell, that's his draw; we don't know who he really is, what we can believe, or what his intentions are, but he has his own honor that he sticks to, this sense of morality that he never breaks, that redeems him from his worst transgressions. Pair that with his often infuriating confidence and swagger, and you have your newest YA heat-throb.

Scarlett, while not quite as amazing as Julian, also boasts some fleshed-out characterization. She's pragmatic and cautious, and fiercely protective of her younger sister. We get to see her let go from time to time, take risks that don't always turn out in her favor, which adds to some great and believable character growth. She can be annoying - especially when she's so focused on her unknown fiance and their arranged marriage to the exclusion of everything else - but she's always genuine.

Now, while the main characters are two of the best things this novel has going for it, the side characters are some of the worst. Scarlett's father lacks any real ambiguity, and instead comes off as a one-dimensional sadist, more of a plot device than a villain. Tella is reliably reckless, but she never really feels fleshed-out. Because of this, the ending - the only part of the book in which we really get to see them - lacks the authenticity of the first three quarters of the novel. Our questions are answered, the mysteries of Caraval are revealed, but I'm still trying to decide if I feel satisfied or cheated by it.

All in all, I'd say Caraval is a novel meant to be read for its journey rather than its destination. You may not love where it lets you off, but you will love every second of the ride. Every twist and every turn, every question burning a hole in your mind and spurring you on to read that "just one more chapter" that is never really just one more chapter.

I haven't been so enchanted by a YA debut in a very long time. Caraval reminded me of why I fell in love with reading in the first place. I greedily drank it in, and am eager for the sequel promised by the final page. Highly, highly recommended.

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Book Review - Shadow And Bone by Leigh Bardugo

2017-01-17T22:06:00.000-06:00

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

I first read Shadow And Bone almost three years ago, and while I liked it then, I found I had forgotten virtually everything about it, so I'd been intending to reread it for awhile. Since everyone is raving about Six Of Crows -a spin-off to the Grisha trilogy - I decided to go for it.

Alina Starkov is your average protagonist. Pretty plain, borderline Mary-Sue when the novel starts, but it doesn't take long for her to become more than that. As soon as her hidden powers as a Sun Summoner are discovered and she's whisked off to the King's palace for Grisha training, we begin to see a more three-dimensional side to her. She's got a sharp tongue and a fierce desire to master her power, but she's still homesick for her old life and for her best friend, Mal, and when she's alone we really see that vulnerablity shine through. Her story is a pretty typical one, but it's done well and kept me thoroughly entertained.

In these pages, Alina meets a few characters that will leave a lasting impression. There's Genya, the beautiful Tailor Grisha with a talent for perfecting faces, and a story that is more tragic than we'd first assume. There's Baghra, the tough-as-nails woman who is assigned to bring out Alina's latent power - and who is also much more than she seems. And, lastly and most notably, there's The Darkling, the gorgeous and powerful leader of the Grisha.

While Alina and Genya are both awesome characters, The Darkling is the best thing about this book. He's powerful and cunning, ruthless and passionate, and I am a total fangirl for him. While I know Alina is most likely to wind up with her childhood friend Mal, I will spend every page of this trilogy hoping she chooses passion over perfection, power over practicality. You don't often find a better anti-hero than The Darkling. I can't overstate how much I love him without squealing like a preteen banshee.

Unfortunately, though, even with all the wonderful things this novel has to offer, it still doesn't manage to break the mold in terms of YA high fantasy. The characters are great, the writing is accessible and so easy to lose yourself in, but the plot is still pretty generic. If you're a fan of the typical Hero's Journey fantasy trope, I don't doubt you'll love Shadow And Bone just as much as I did. If, however, you are turned off by cliche and searching for something more original, perhaps look elsewhere.

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review - The Darkest Part Of The Forest by Holly Black

2017-01-05T22:17:00.000-06:00

In the woods is a glass coffin. It rests on the ground, and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives....

Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Tourists drive in to see the lush wonders of Faerie and, most wonderful of all, the horned boy. But visitors fail to see the danger.

Since they were children, Hazel and Ben have been telling each other stories about the boy in the glass coffin, that he is a prince and they are valiant knights, pretending their prince would be different from the other faeries, the ones who made cruel bargains, lurked in the shadows of trees, and doomed tourists. But as Hazel grows up, she puts aside those stories. Hazel knows the horned boy will never wake.

Until one day, he does....

As the world turns upside down, Hazel has to become the knight she once pretended to be. But as she's swept up in new love, with shifting loyalties and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

The Darkest Part of the Forest, is the bestselling author Holly Black's triumphant return to the opulent, enchanting faerie tales that launched her YA career.

I read my first Holly Black book, Tithe, as a teenager. I loved it. I loved the dark atmosphere, the edgy main character, and the danger-tinged romance. To my teenaged self, it was everything I could have wanted for my own life, and I all too willingly and enthusiastically devoted an entire afternoon to it. Now, a whole decade later, those things I loved about Black's style the first time around are what caused the most eye-rolling this time.

The Darkest Part Of The Forest returns to Black's faerie roots. While (as far as I know) it's not set in the same world as her Modern Faerie Tale books, it boasts the same dark tone and dangerous fae. We're introduced to Hazel in the first pages, and how much she loves kissing boys. She loves kissing boys so much, guys. Like, even though it has given her a "reputation", she's still rebellious and confident and continues to kiss on those boys. This was probably the cause of most of my eye-rolls, because we rarely get two full chapters without having to read about Hazel either kissing someone, or reflecting on that time she kissed someone, or telling us how good she is at kissing. As a teenager, maybe I'd have gotten all wide-eyed and excited-shocked at the idea of a girl who so openly and willingly admitted to sucking face with relative strangers, but as a 26 year old woman who has been to places that serve alcohol, there is no shock value in a protagonist who kisses. Now, I fully understand that this novel was written for that teenaged demographic, and that the innocent Kelly from a decade ago would have had the more authentic reaction, but personally, I just couldn't see the kissing as anything other than a redundant annoyance. I'm starting to think that these party-type protagonists are just getting old for me.

My second - and probably biggest - issue with this book is Severin, the faerie who was trapped in that glass cage for years only to be mysteriously awoken somewhere in the first third of the novel. Snow White vibes aside, he is a theoretically fascinating character. When we were first introduced to the conscious version of him, I was super excited and ready for the book to go from entertaining but meh, to truly awesome. And at first, it seemed that was going to happen. But it didn't take long for my fascination with him to turn to downright fury.

Not only is there a textbook case of insta-love starring none other than The Boy No Longer In The Glass Coffin, but he's also kind of a sociopath. It soon becomes obvious that he directly caused the Big Bad From The Forest, and that he both shows no remorse and claims no responsibility for the part he played. And he's written as such a broodingly handsome, valiant faerie that we the readers are meant to just chalk his transgressions up to a centuries-old oopsie and praise him for trying to help save the town. Like he's some sort of hero. Sorry, but I wasn't buying it for one second. Despite it eliciting more eye-rolls, I could have maybe forgiven Hazle's loose tongue. I simply can't forgive Severin, who by all rights should have been the villain of the novel, being made out to be a hero.

There were still some things I did like about the book, though. The most obvious is that Holly Black is still a really good writer. Some of her characters may not be working for me anymore, but she's undeniably got a way with words. She's a master world builder. I may not want to live in all of her faerie tales, but she makes it so easy to envision them and imagine yourself there, which is truly one of the highest compliments I can give a fantasy author.

While most of her protagonists missed the mark for me, there is one that shines through it all. Jack is Hazel's brother Ben's best friend, and though he looks mostly human, everyone knows that he's not. He's a changeling who grew up with the human he was supposed to have replaced and that human's parents, and he's the only character that never once got on my nerves. I love his backstory, I love his depth, and I love his realized personality. I love how he struggles to fit in with his human family while his heart is still fae. I even love the slow-building romance between him and Hazel. To be frank, Jack is the only thing that saved the book from a two-star rating. He makes it worth reading, if you ask me.

Ultimately, what I got out of The Darkest Part Of The Forest is the bittersweet realization that my love affair with Holly Black's novels may be over. I'll blame this more on my age than any actual fault with her writing, because I'm certain I'd have loved this book just as much as her others a decade or so ago. Even with my lukewarm feelings about it, though, I can still count on Black to deliver an at least somewhat entertaining read.

3 Of 5 Stars

Book Review - The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

2016-12-12T12:31:00.002-06:00

Nemesis (n.)
1) An opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome;
2) A person’s undoing;
3) Joshua Templeman.

Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman hate each other. Not dislike. Not begrudgingly tolerate. Hate. And they have no problem displaying their feelings through a series of ritualistic passive aggressive maneuvers as they sit across from each other, executive assistants to co-CEOs of a publishing company. Lucy can’t understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, meticulous approach to his job. Joshua is clearly baffled by Lucy’s overly bright clothes, quirkiness, and Pollyanna attitude.

Now up for the same promotion, their battle of wills has come to a head and Lucy refuses to back down when their latest game could cost her her dream job…But the tension between Lucy and Joshua has also reached its boiling point, and Lucy is discovering that maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua. And maybe, he doesn’t hate her either. Or maybe this is just another game.

Right off the bat, The Hating Game is engrossing and humorous. Its narrator, Lucy Hutton, is such a fun and spunky young woman. I absolutely loved being inside of her head for the all too short length of this novel. She's so sweet and goofy, but also fierce AF when she needs to be. When we first meet her, she's ritualistically engaging in childish little games with her nemesis, Josh Templeman, who happens to sit at the work desk directly across from her own for five miserable days a week. It's the interractions between the two that make for such a great, addictive read.

If you didn't already know by the synopsis, it wouldn't take long to realize just how quickly their dynamic could switch from passionate hate to just plain passion. They have that quality to them, that prickliness, that only the best love-to-hate tropes manage to capture and explore, and while it's all too easy to see why Lucy despises Josh so much in the beginning, it's equally easy to see how that could morph into sexual tension and lust. So when it does, there's really not much to do but sit back and enjoy the ride.

Because oh, what a ride it is.

As I've said a dozen times in the past, I'm a total fangirl for the best of these fictional boys. My real love life suffers dramatically for competing with my harem of book boyfriends, but I wouldn't change that even if I could. Because nowhere in real life will you find someone as frustrating, intense, sarcastic, unbelievably sexy, and unexpectedly romantic as Joshua Templeman. He is everything a girl could want, and he is made real in the pages of The Hating Game.

When we first meet him, Josh is a bit of a prick. He's condescending and snide, with a stick up his ass about six inches thick. Ever the competitor, he indulges our Lucy in her little games with an interest that almost seems like boredom if you don't look closely enough. He's an office hardass who has most of the company's staff terrified of him, and he cloaks himself in their fear-based respect like armor.

As the story progresses, we're slowly showed another side to Mr. Templeman. The first new layer to be revealed is his oozing sex appeal. I mean, come on. Elevator scene, anyone? Within the first 65 pages, we see this secret part of him that has us longing for shed clothing and roaming hands. Keep reading, and you'll find more layers peeled back. The pages stop promising passionate hate-sex and start hinting at something more. Lucy starts to see a hidden, softer side to her peer that she never could have imagined existed, and much as she tries to convince herself that she still hates him, even she has trouble buying it. His transition from Total Douche to Total Package is slow and agonizingly delicious to read.

What I love most about this novel - aside from the impossibly sexy Mr. Templeman, of course - is how believable it is. I'll be the first to admit that there are about a hundred cliches in this book, but they're written so well that it's impossible to see them as a flaw. From an obvious plot-device boyfriend to rile one very sexy assistant up in red-hot jealousy, to Josh voluntarily taking care of a sick Lucy, to the budding office romance, to the very premise of the novel, Sally Thorne might as well be taking these overdone topes and showing every writer and reader of contemporary romance how it should be done. The execution is flawless, and it turns what by all rights should be a huge flaw in any novel into yet another reason to love it. That is a serious feat to pull off, people.

I feel like I have to emphasise just how wonderful of a narrator Lucy is. She's nuanced and so charming. She's idiosyncratic. She's hilarious and fun, fierce and competitive, and she's just plain lovable. Even in some of my favorite romances, the love interest is fleshed out to perfection while the protagonist is a textbook Mary Sue. She's our vehicle taking us to fall in love with Hot Book Boy. But in The Hating Game, it's clear and easy to see why Josh falls so hard for Lucy, and not just because Sally Thorne tells us he does. She shows us. Their chemistry is undeniable. By the time we get to one of contemporary romance's hottest love scenes at the end, we're so completely invested in both characters that keeping a huge, dorky grin off of our faces becomes damn near impossible. It is so satisfying.

Now, the thing The Hating Game does suffer from is one that plagues so many in the genre; the book's just not as interesting when Joshua Templeman isn't around. Even with Lucy giving her valiant effort at keeping us entertained, we're still waiting impatiently for her surly coworker to reenter the pages. It's a good thing, then, that he's in most of them. There are also a couple of "big reveals" that are pretty obvious. While that doesn't take away from their credibility, it does kill some of the emotional oomph of their reveal.

With characters impossible not to fall in love with and a story that practically begs to be put on the big screen, The Hating Game is a must-read for any and all fans of contemporary romance. It's quite possibly the most fun I've had reading a book this year. It's one of those books you're going to wish you could wipe from your brain just so you can have the pleasure of reading it for the first time all over again.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Empire Of Storms by Sarah J. Maas - Book Review

2016-12-08T01:51:00.001-06:00

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

2016 hasn't exactly been the best for me, reading wise. I've spent the entire year going through short spurts of reading frenzy, only to fall back into a debilitating slump immediately after. The Throne Of Glass series has a soft spot in my heart for successfully kicking me into a frenzy with each new installment, so it was with much anticipation that I picked up Empire Of Storms.

I don't want to say that I disliked the latest ToG book, because it still managed to get me reading again. But I definitely wasn't as enthused with it as I had been hoping. I attribute that to repetitive scenes and phrases, unecessarily graphic sex scenes, and the complete absence of my favorite character of the entire series.

I think my biggest issue with this book was how forced character interactions seemed that were so natural in the previous novels, two in particular. While I make no secret that I love Chaol with every ounce of bookishness I possess, I was just starting to accept the idea of Rowan as the main romantic interest in Queen Of Shadows. They had this undeniable chemistry, this closeness, this weight of responsibility and a shadowed past. While I would personally choose the former head of the King's Guard a million times over, Rowan made sense for Aelin. After beating my inner Chaol fangirl into submission with assurances that this didn't mean we loved him any less, I let myself enjoy this change of ship, and started to look forward to their sexy, witty banter. We still get that in Empire Of Storms, but it didn't seem as effortless to me. Their scenes together stopped stealing my breath, and by the time we got to the most...detailed of their encounters, I was forced to admit that I just didn't care any more. I still like Aelin and I still like Rowan, but my ship has sailed for those two, and I resign myself to at least one more book of forced interactions and grossly over-the-top love scenes between them.

Another character who felt off to me was Dorian. I never jumped on the Dorian/Celeana bandwagon that so many seem to have joined in the earlier books, but I still really liked the lovable Prince. I wanted nothing but for him to get his Happy Ending, so when that was snatched away and replaced with something so much more cruel in Queen Of Shadows, my heart broke for him. I rejoiced when he was released from that, and couldn't wait to get back to our old Dorian in Empire Of Storms. When what we got was an overly confident yet somehow submissive shadow of the Dorian I love, I felt cheated. Even his romantic developments, which I had been really hoping for in QoS, rang false to me here.

The only thing more disappointing to me than the change in three of our main characters is the complete absence of the fourth. Chaol is nowhere to be found in any of these pages, and the only sign of his continued existence in this universe is a few very brief mentions of him and Nesryn, and what they're doing in another part of the world. And to put it simply, I missed him. I missed the bromance between him and Dorian. I missed his stoic demeaner and dry wit. I missed his loyalty and his inner demons. I just...I missed him, and there wasn't a single chapter featuring our main characters in which I didn't feel his absence.

Now, with all the things I didn't like out of the way, I can get to what I really did love. Aedion and Lysandra remain bright spots of entertainment and banter amid the Aelin/Rowan lovefest, though I didn't expect anything less from my favorite fae cousin to our Queen and his shape-shifter love interest. A few of the side characters got much more face time in this one, and Maas fleshed them out wonderfully. I'm talking about Elide and Manon. While we got plenty of Manon in earlier books, here her story arc truly shines. I love her fierceness, her struggles with who she is. She has by no means been a good person, but she has her own code of honor, and makes so many sacrifices for those she cares for. Upon her introduction, I never would have thought I'd be sitting here today, hailing her as one of my favorite characters. I just love it when that happens.

Elide owned the other half of the best chapters. This girl has been through so much, and walked out of it all with such an inspiring strength and resolve. And for someone who spends so much time lamenting her lack of any formal education, the girl is smart. She is so resourceful and quick-witted and easy to root for. It's no suprise a certain fae warrior was unable to resist her charms, and while it may seem a bit shocking who Maas chose for our poor, sweet Elide, by the end I was shipping them harder than any couple left in the series. I can't wait to see what becomes of them in the next book.

Finally, the ending. Sarah J. Mass managed to pull everything together in that almost magical way of hers and leave us with a seriously satisfying but seriously torturous cliffhanger. I can't get into anything specific for obvious reasons, but suffice it to say that I could have hated everything about the first ninety percent of this book, and that last ten percent would have reeled me back in instantly. It was unexpected and action-packed and heartbreaking, and it offers only the tiniest spot of hope among a whole lot of bleakness.

In every series as long as this one, there are bound to be one or two that just don't live up to the rest. Middle-book syndrome is a very real thing. I'm just going to chalk Empire Of Storms up to this, and keep my hope for a stellar finale alive and well. Besides, there really was enough good in this one to combat the bad, and give me an ultimately worthwhile reading experience.

I'd just better get my Chaol back in the next book.

3 out of 5 stars

Book Review - Heatless by Marissa Meyer

2016-12-08T01:51:00.000-06:00

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen.

At a royal ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship.

Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

When I first heard about this release months ago, my face lit up. My grin matched Cheshire the cat's toothiest, and my eyes glinted like the Mad Hatter at one of his fantastic tea parties. Every one of my childhood Wonderland-inspired fantasies danced in my mind. Hands itching to get ahold Heartless as soon as possible, I pre-ordered it and waited with bated breath to finally, finally have this treasure in my life.

The idea of a prequel starring none other than the execution-happy Queen Of Hearts back when she was nothing but a hopeless romantic piqued my interest in a big way. I am a sucker for villains with depth. To get to follow Cath and see just how she went from the relatively happy daughter of a Marquess with dreams of opening a bakery to Mrs. "Off with his head!" herself was a pleasure, a rare bookish treat. One I would highly recommend to any fan of Wonderland, fan of villainous backstories, or fan of just a really good book.

When we first meet Lady Catherine Pinkerton, she is baking lemon tarts for the King. Her enthusiasm for crafting the most delightful of confections is instantly contagious, and it's difficult to reconcile the passionate young baker with the Evil Queen we know she is to become. When she first meets Jest at a party, having just escaped the King's unwanted proposal with a well-timed distraction, it's easy to fall for his charms right along with her. Especially when he takes her to a tea party hosted by a certain maker of marvelous hats. Even knowing the inevitable outcome, I was still hoping against hope for a happy ending for these two.

What I love most about Heartless is how gradual and believable Cath's transition really is. Before long, we start seeing small nuggets of her self-centered nature. Even while people are being hurt - often directly though unintentionally because of her - she spares no more than a few moments' sympathy and remorse before going right back to daydreaming about her elusive future with Jest and the even more elusive bakery with her maid, Mary Ann. For the most part, those self-centered moments are easy to ignore, easy to chalk up to her nobility and circumstance. A few times, however, you just want to shake some sense and compassion into her, and these rare instances do a fantastic job of showing readers how she could ever go from a young woman in love to a bitter, wrathful Queen. Her whirlwind romance with Jest even amid the King's courting - attention which Cath deserately does not want, but which she fears to discourage - is delightful and whimsical, at least in the first half of the novel. While it admittedly drags a bit toward the middle, the writing never feels forced or rushed, and I appreciate that greatly.

Heartless' last quarter, though, is where it truly shines. Things go from whimsical with a splash of danger to dangerous with a splash of creepy. New Wonderland creatures are introduced. The tone steadily darkens. We witness firsthand how a slightly self-centered but overall harmless girl becomes an evil Queen, and almost can't fault her for it. The novel's very last line is so perfect and fitting, it sent chills up my spine.

After reading and adoring Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles, and now having had the same satisfying experience with her stand alone Heartless, I'm in awe at the creativity of her writing. Meyer manages to take established, beloved fairy tales and make them her own. She makes us feel for characters we never would have thought to sympathize with. She crafts unique stories within age-old worlds, and gives her readers a breathless whirlwind of an adventure with each and every new book. It's safe to say I'll be buying whatever she releases in the coming years.

4 of 5 Stars

Book Review - Don't Let Me Go by J.H. Trumble

2016-12-08T01:50:00.000-06:00

Some people spend their whole lives looking for the right partner. Nate Schaper found his in high school. In the eight months since their cautious flirting became a real, honest, tell-the-parents relationship, Nate and Adam have been inseparable. Even when local kids take their homophobia to brutal levels, Nate is undaunted. He and Adam are rock solid. Two parts of a whole. Yin and yang.

But when Adam graduates and takes an Off-Broadway job in New York—at Nate’s insistence—that certainty begins to flicker. Nate starts a blog to vent his frustrations and becomes the center of a school controversy, drawing ire and support in equal amounts. But it is the attention of a new boy who is looking for more than guidance that forces him to confront who and what he really wants.

J.H. Trumble’s debut, DON’T LET ME GO, is a witty, beautifully written novel that is both a sweet story of love and long-distance relationships, and a timely discourse about bullying, bigotry, and hate in high schools.

Don't Let Me Go is a very angsty addition to the LGBTQ-themed YA novels. It focuses on Nate Schaper and his relationship with boyfriend Adam, who is in New York for most of the novel. Though their relationship is in full swing from the very first page, we get to see how it unfolded through flashbacks that, while jarring, did a fairly decent job of showing the chemistry and love between the boys.

It's very hard for me to write this review because I have so many different opinions about this book. On the one hand, I was kept entertained throughout most of its length, and I did get invested in Nate's and Adam's life together - and apart. But on the other hand, there were so many things about this novel that frustrated me that I would have trouble actually recommending it to anyone.

The first thing you notice is the time jumps. While it starts off in the present, it quickly shifts to the beginning of Nate and Adam's relationship with almost no warning. As I said, these gllmpses into their past really do paint a picture of an epic love story, but the transition from present to past never stops feeling abrupt and jolting. I would routinely spend the first few paragaraphs mentally switching gears, which took me out of the story quite a bit. There were aslo a few times when I didn't even know which time period I was reading about. Had J.H. Trumble managed to incorporate the time jumps more seamlessly, I don't doubt that my reading experience would have been much more positive.

The characters themselves also became a bit of an annoyance to me. Nate and Adam are pretty fleshed-out characters, as is Nate's heterosexual friend, Danial, but the other side characters are impossible to truly care about. Juliet, their perky best friend and the first person they came out to, seems awesome at first. The way she accepts the two boys' relationship despite having cluelessly been making out with Nate pretty regularly before he came out is nothing short of awesome. But that's really the only moment in the entire novel that she owns. For the rest of it, she's just this cliche version of a perky high school girl. One who can't seem to shake the idea that Nate could be, deep down, attracted to her.

Luke, the other main side character, isn't introduced until well past the halfway mark, so I can't get too detailed with my gripes with him. But basically, if Jules is the novel's cliche perky girl, Luke is its cliche closet case with a crush. Though he's made out to be this really sweet, sensitive kid who's at a vulnerable time in his life, he never comes across as more than a two-dimensional plot device. The only purpose he really serves is to showcase how truly self-absorbed Nate can be at the expense of Luke's feelings. So though I was supposed to really care about his character, I never quite managed to do so.

Don't Let Me Go is about a lot more than just a love story, though. It's about homophobia, and its effects on gay people. This is, admittedly, an area in which I don't have a ton of expertise, so take my opinions on how it's handled in this novel with a grain of salt, but there were times when it felt a bit overdone. Some character's reactions were just a bit too black and white, too obviously evil. Though never given graphic details, you learn early on that Nate is the survivor of a very serious assault, and though I know things like that happen all too often, the boy responsible reads like a cliche of what an intolerant bully is. It seemed to me like the author was taking a bunch of stories of things that actually did happen to gay teenagers and throwing them into her book. Some things seemed tragically believable, while others felt inauthentic or over the top. Still, despite that, it was never handled insensitively, for which I give J.H. Trumble the credit due to her.

My other issue with Don't Let Me Go is its ending. The first two thirds of the novel were far more entertaining than the last third, but even that could have been forgiven if not for the very last chapter. It takes place ten years after the events of the novel, and ties everything together with a nice little ribbon. It was basically wish fulfillment, and it took away from what should have been a very powerful ending. It felt, plain and simple, like a cop-out.

Amid what works and what doesn't work, the writing remains consistently good. It has that kind of accessible, engaging prose that makes reading chapter after chapter very easy. There are a few emotional scenes that are handled wonderfully, and a few steamy scenes that managed to convey a lot with few words. Given that Don't Let Me Go is Trumble's debut novel, I would absolutely be willing to read more books written by her. This one may ultimately go down as a semi-entertaining but very forgettable read, but there was more than enough potential in its pages to suggest that later novels could be a lot better.

If you saw this book before my review and were already planning on reading it, I wouldn't warn you away. But if you're just looking for books to add to your TBR shelf, maybe skip this one in favor of something else.

2.5 out of 5 stars

YA Epidemics - So Much Angst

2016-12-08T01:46:00.000-06:00

*YA Epidemics is an original feature started on my old blog,
PaperFantasies. Each post singles out and highlights one annoying
cliché/trope prominent in many YA bestsellers. While I'll be bringing
a few of my favorites over to this blog in coming weeks, I chose to debut
a brand new Epidemic on The Bookaholic.

Don't you hate it when you make a bagel for breakfast, and it burns, and it obviously means your day is going to be hell, and probably your year, and just maybe your whole life, because you were seriously looking forward to that bagel? But, just like everything and everyone else, it betrayed you in the end. You are Bagel-less. Forever alone. Doomed to eat your blackened breakfast to nourish your blackened soul. Because everything sucks.

Yeah, me too.

Certain YA might as well be renamed The Emo Handbook, because the sheer level of teen angst in them is astronomical. It would almost be comical if it weren't so damned annoying.

Now, I get that teenagers are hormonal S.O.B's. It hasn't been that long since I was one, myself. (What? It hasn't. Don't give me that look.) They're filled with this budding passion, a desire for independence hampered by parental guidelines and open-door rules whenever their crush gets to come over. The only thing they don't know is how little they actually know, and it makes for one hell of a roller-coaster ride through adolescence. I get that. I remember it. But some of these bestsellers...boy, they make my teenaged misery seem like a cakewalk.

Whether they're lamenting a break-up, filled with pessimism about the prospects of a new relationship, hating how misunderstood they are by every single adult in their lives, or just irrationally upset by the limitations of their wardrobe, these YA protagonists carry an entire world of resentment and misplaced anger in their hearts. I've read books in which you would think the entire world was about to end over one bad date. I've read others that would have you believe nothing in the universe is as tragic as its protag's slightly less-than-ideal home life. Others still that make it seem like not one single person over the age of 25 can relate to our poor, fragile MC and his/her feelings. (Which, as a 26 year old, I can promise you isn't true.) And I have to pause and ask myself, Why do so many authors think it's okay to perpetuate this glorification of adolescent misery?

I know that some of you are going to make the argument that these books are just trying to be relatable, to help the readers navigate their teenage years with a feeling of acceptance. And many well-written YA novels do just that. I will never forget my forays into Laurie Halse Anderson's stories, and how truly touched I was by them. So I'm not talking about the appropriately ratcheted-up angst with this post. The hauntingly real journeys into disorders and depression. No, I'm talking about the novels that make angst out as just a way of life. The books that turn every single obstacle into a woe-is-me, my life sucks, I am so unfortunate boo-hoo fest.

My biggest issue with this Epidemic is that it portrays a very unhealthy mindset for overall privileged kids to have. Your world isn't going to crash around you because you overheard your crush talking about asking another girl/boy out. Life won't end if you don't look as amazingly fantastic in your prom dress as you'd hoped. And a burnt bagel doesn't signify anything but a need to turn the setting of your toaster down a couple of notches. I was growing up right around the time of the big boom in emo-ness. I saw first-hand how middle-class white kids with decent grades and loving parents would drape themselves in forced misery as if it were the coolest new fashion accessory. I overheard groups of friends bragging about their latest cutting sessions, showing off their shallow, self-inflicted cat scratch wounds with disturbing pride. I'll never forget wondering just how manufactured depression became such a cool thing, or noting with disgust how it trivialized real mental disorders. It put those in need of actual help in a box labeled "Emo" or "Just A Phase", and stigmatized depression. And reading novels that incorporate this harmful mindset and normalization makes me relive the frustration and fury I felt ten years ago.

I'm not sure if authors lost touch with what it was like to be a teenager, making it hard to see how inauthentic some of the angst really is, or if they just don't care as long as it can help further their plot. But I do know that sometimes, these books really need to ratchet down the angst over every little inconvenience or let-down and give their audience a little more credit. Even for teenagers, life usually isn't that bad. No one wants to read a 300 page novel of nothing but misunderstandings, sadness, and self-righteous anger.

So, what are your thoughts? Am I exaggerating how irritating and sometimes even harmful this Epidemic can be, or do you more or less agree with me on this one? Comments and discussions are encouraged, so leave it below!

Book Review - Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

2016-12-05T17:48:00.000-06:00

In her New York Times bestselling and Morris Award-winning debut, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, "Some of the most interesting dragons I've read in fantasy."

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty's anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Seraphina boasts perhaps the most uniquely fleshed-out take on dragons that I've ever read. It is a beautifully written novel with some wonderful characters and breathtaking scope for its genre. It's the type of book that I ardently wish I hadn't been bogged down in a stubborn reading slump for the majority of, because I certainly would have devoured it greedily under normal circumstances.

Seraphina herself, despite being a half-dragon, half-human hybrid, is a hugely relatable character. Though dragons and humans hold a tentative peace, both species harbor animosity toward the other. Seraphina's very existence is something that shouldn't be possible, and something she is forced to hide diligently from everyone but her human father and dragon uncle. This is made somewhat difficult by the presence of a band of scales across her arm and abdomen, and Seraphina has all but given up on living any kind of normal life or harboring any hopes for taking a lover. A resignation that is made all the more complicated by her budding feelings for Lucian Kiggs, the bastard-born Prince engaged to her friend and princess, Glisselda.

As I said, the writing is beautiful in this novel. Rachel Hartman has a gift with words, turning them into art and drawing her readers in with every sentence. She gives us characters with amazing depth, and scenes charged with emotion. One of her best creations has to be the dragon Orma, Seraphina's uncle. Orma has been living inside of a human body, and battles with all the unwanted human emotions his species scorns so. His relationship with his hybrid niece is sweet and touching, and quite possibly the most sincere relationship of the entire novel.

So far, this sounds amazing, right? Well, it is, but I couldn't call it a favorite. My absolute favorite books are the ones I find during a reading slump, and force me out of it. Seraphina didn't do that. Since it's technically and critically so sound, and checks off almost every one of my boxes for what makes a great story, I spent a lot of time pondering why this is, and here's what I realized. There are very few big moments. There aren't very many of those chapters that left me gasping, physically and mentally unable or unwilling to do anything but keep turning pages. The pace is nice and steady, the writing even and beautiful, and ultimately I think that ended up being Seraphina's biggest flaw. As a whole, it was an amazing reading experience. But actually reading it could, at times, be somewhat boring. The biggest and most notable exception to this, however, is the end. I found my inner bookworm in those last 50 or so pages, and raced through them with the greed and fervor I honestly think the rest of the novel deserved.

So, will I read the next? Yes, definitely. But will I proudly display this series debut on my prize shelf, with the other bookish elite? Probably not, though it is arguably deserving of the spot.

4 out of 5 stars

Intoducing Myself

2016-11-28T21:18:00.000-06:00

Hi, all! My name is Kelly, and I'll be blogging on here as another Bookaholic for awhile.

Well, while some of you may know me from my years-dead blog, PaperFantasies, my guess would be that most of you don't. Since I hope to be making a lot of new wonderful bookish friends in my time here, let's get to know each other!

First and foremost, I'm a book lover. There is nothing as comforting to me as being surrounded by my treasured novels. It's like having hundreds of friends with you even when you're all alone. I've cried with these characters. I've laughed with them. I've joined them on their countless journeys and slowly unlocked myself along the way, and I've fallen in love with them. A lot of them. A whole lot of them. I'm a bit of a fangirl for these book boys. (You've been warned.)

Back on my other blog, my signature posts were an original series of mine called YA Epidemics.
Every other week or so, I would highlight the most annoyingly cliche aspects of my favorite genre in what I like to tell myself was a humorous, entertaining way. I intend to bring that series back here, mixing some of the old topics I've already discussed with new. I'll try to review at least one book a week, and throw in one or two other bookish posts along with it.

During my extended hiatus, I never stopped missing this wonderfully vast, diverse online community of likeminded book lovers. I never stopped missing that warm sense of acceptance, or how often other amazing bloggers would help lead me to my next favorite series. And I especially never stopped missing how much closer to the books I felt through blogging and reviewing. I've managed to keep a small part of that alive through my friendship with Pixie, the original admin of The Bookaholic, and I can't wait to immerse myself in the joys of book blogging once again.

So if you'll give me a chance, my promise to you is to try to be another of your trusted reviewers. To write posts that will make you laugh, make you think, and to do my best to be a positive footnote to your day.

Comments and discussions will always be welcome here.

-Kelly

Blogging Update: I'm back!!

2015-11-24T08:48:00.000-06:00

Well I just wanted to make a short little post here to update y'all on a few things. It certainly has been a long hiatus for me from the blogging world but I'm very happy to say that, "I'm baaaaaaacccccckkk!"

It's been a crazy time and life definitely got in the way causing me to take a semi permanent break from blogging. Between work and some family things going on I just couldn't find the time and had gotten pretty down on myself about it. Suffice it to say I was in quite a funk, I really wasn't even reading much at all *gasp* I know, I know, very poor life choice on my part.

But don't worry I've come to my senses and gotten back to my old ways! Once I started planning and getting my blogging schedule figured out it was obvious that I missed it more than I initially realized, so I'm super pumped to be back in the groove!

However I do feel rather out of the loop, so bear with me these next few weeks while I get caught back up on all the latest info as far as new books, authors, events, and all the other bookish news that's floating around goes. I'll be updating my Goodreads account which has been severely neglected, and tweeting it up to let y'all know what's new on the blog!

I'm hoping to have some fun stuff here for y'all to read, possibly some guest posts from some of my favorite bloggers as well as discussions and whatnot. So stay tuned for lots to come!

Love and bookish wishes,

Review: Age of Miracles

2015-01-17T14:41:00.002-06:00

Please take a moment to read the note at the bottom of this review. Thank you! <3 <3

Title: Age of Miracles
Author: Karen Thompson Walker
Category/Genre: Apocalyptic, Sci-Fi, Fiction, YA

See it at Goodreads

“It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change.

On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world.

Age of Miracles probably would have never happened for me if it hadn’t been for Kara’s recommendation of it-- I mean, she insisted on this title until I found myself putting it on my wish list and then before I knew it, she’d gifted it to me (I believe if I remember correctly it was for my birthday or Christmas in 2013). But you know how most of us are… we can get some of our most-wished books and they can still end up sitting on our shelves for months due to books and books stacking up to be read.

Well, I finally sat down and picked it up. And I’m so so so so glad I did. (I’m sorry I let it sit on the shelf collecting dust for so long though.)

This may sound a bit funny to you, but I’m practically prepared for an apocalyptic situation. Whether it’s zombies, heavy war fall-out, environmental, or whatever. If I should find our world in a crumbling state that required us to shut down, close up and be stocked up to last a while, I can nearly safely say my home would be ready depending on the situation and timeframe. Probably not anything as far as going into some bunker, but enough to lock down and be stocked up.

But that’s the problem. Someone isn’t ready for just everything, right? Especially something as sudden and drastic as the rotation of the earth slowing, changing the gravity, affecting so much else like hours, environment, tides, weather, and more. Who could really expect something like that? After all the years of global warming research or years of dealing with tensions of war or even years of strange experimental science? It was a complete blindside!

And this is where Age of Miracles picks up. Julia, a young eleven-year-old girl, growing into her adolescence and a curious mind, tells the strange story of this phenomena that Karen Thompson Walker weaves for the reader. Making sure not to leave out any details. Julia even includes the sad deaths of the falling birds-- because the gravity is different after the slowing of the earth as she tries to explain-- and the odd illnesses that people get, and I sympathize with her worries and her deep sense of only wanting to help anything and everyone she can try. I also get a sense of motherly protectiveness when she begins her first crush, and has other experiences that crush me (I don’t want to go into too many details afraid of spoilers) and relatable experiences as a growing pre-teen. I liked that Walker tried portray to Julia’s growth and life moving forward despite the current Armageddon.

Age of Miracles was one of the last reads I finished before 2014 ended. I’m glad I ended the year off on such a good note with this fantastic book. A tragically sad one, but beautiful. The way it ended openly, leaving the reader with many questions and thoughts still left me satisfied because it leaves you to your own conclusions. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys end-of-the-world type reads, fiction, family drama, teen drama, contemporary, or surrealism.

Speaking of end-of-year reads: This may very well be my last review for The Bookaholic unless I guest post for Taylor from time to time. I’m making my final move to blog over at Great Imaginations and I hope to see you all there as well. You can still contact me at the provided places in the contact section if needed or find me on Twitter or Goodreads. The Bookaholic has been up for four wonderful years. I’ve been blogging for four wonderful years. I can only hope to continue doing fantastic things for many more.

Thank you everyone for the continued support. <3 <3

Announcing Big Changes For The New Year

2015-01-04T00:34:00.000-06:00

The last year, The Bookaholic has seen its fair share of changes including picking up a co-blogger, a new look, and a bit of neglect (sadly). The blog has also grown quite a bit when it comes to followers and views--and I appreciate that--and I've met some wonderful people through my last four years of blogging. I also absolutely had a blast going to BEA 2014 in NYC for my first time and meeting so many people in person (and traveling to NYC for my very first time, also flying in a plane for my first time ever--which was AMAZEBALLS). But okay, I'm starting to get off topic and I tend to do that when I get super excited and I'm writing out this post as I go along straight from the page instead of writing it out first and posting later when it's actually ready like I normally do. Ha!

Back to the topic: Over the last several months, I've been under a lot of stress. I'm a writer, too. Some of you don't know that because I don't really advertise much. I'm only a small-time gal. And I'm not some fantastic piece of work, trust me. I just love what I do, and I'm trying to get better. The only way to get better? Write, right? I can't do a lot of that, and then blog and read as much as I want without some help. I had a book releasing, another in the works for NaNo, another I'm trying to get finished and polished for later this spring. The stress was eating me alive. I got into a lot of reading slumps. And blogging slumps. That's why The Bookaholic became neglected. It got to a point where I almost thought I was going to have to quit entirely... My passion of blogging and sharing my love of books had died. It became more of a chore than a love. That's a terrible thing, and I was afraid to admit it to anyone.

I didn't want to quit though. The thought only nagged me. I mean, all the hard work I'd done through the years? It broke my heart mostly to think I could just let it go like that. So, when Lyn of Great Imaginations made an offer, I began to consider some things. Then, well, more encouragement came (and maybe some begging... Lol...) and now I can make this announcement:

As of now, I'm going to be guest blogging at Great Imaginations! You can read more about it at this post.

What does it mean for The Bookaholic?

For now, The Bookaholic is still in operation. I will still be posting here, though maybe not as regularly as I'd intended for the year. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to somehow share the same reviews that I do share there when I post (or if I just share a link where you all can go read the reviews I post when I'm putting a guest review up). I'm not considered a co-blogger (yet) at Great Imaginations, but if/when I make the permanent move over to blog there, I'll be sure to definitely let you all know.

What does it mean for Taylor (my co-blogger)?

Taylor is still my co-blogger. I've had a discussion with her over this decision already as we do text when we can. Taylor also has a very busy schedule with two jobs so I understand that life gets in her way and she's not capable of keeping a steady schedule. She's welcome to post when she can and I'm sad that things didn't work as planned for us to blog together the way we wanted. We did come to agree that even if I leave the blog at any point, I don't mind her taking it over as a single individual to use for a place to share her reviews if she wants... otherwise, she can just rebuild her old blog again. Solely her decision.
For now, like I said above, as long as I'm still around, Taylor is still around also when she's available.

Will The Bookaholic still do any challenges/features?

I'll participate in what I can. I hadn't really planned on hosting anything. If I get any ideas to host something, I might... depending on the timeframe. It may be something I run by the others first though to see if they want to feature first. :)

Are you excited?

YESSSSS!!

I really am. I feel the passion for blogging and reading again. I'm just so happy!

Here's to an awesome year!!!

Welcome to 2015!

2015-01-01T22:45:00.001-06:00

Before I get started with this post, let me first say that it’s been a rocky year here at The Bookaholic. I know that. It was one of the most horrid reading years I’d had in a long time also--only tapping out at 26 books for my total. My schedule couldn’t quite help it, but it still made me feel awful at times, and I ended up some pretty bad slumps whenever I did actually have time for reading.

The good news is that the new year is bringing me a lot of changes along with a lot more different reading opportunities. I see myself even making some huge goals for the coming year, and I’m super excited to be sharing some news sometime in the coming weeks. You may notice a different pattern to the blogging, too.

I don’t want to list all the books I’m planning to get to this year-- but for the next five to six weeks I’ve already scheduled enough to keep me going:

Heir of Fire
Gone Girl
A Court of Thorns and Roses
The Fiery Heart
Salt & Storm
Messenger of Fear
I’ll Give You The Sun
Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke

My total goal for 2015 is to read 175. This includes a month-long re-reading challenge I’ve constructed for myself (I love going back to visit old favorites!) that I haven’t quite set in stone on exact books, but would love to re-read the HP series, Winter girls (Laurie Halse Anderson), and The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova). My goal also includes another reading challenge called Flights of Fantasy (http://www.hello-chelly.com/2014/12/flights-of-fantasy-reading-challenge.html) because I want to read more fantasy books this year--and I love fantasy--and Brandon Sanderson--so I’m going for it. I’m setting myself to read at least 15 for that challenge. Hey… those books are super long most of the time, so I’m going to set that bar kind of low for now. Haha..

I hope your year has started off good already! I look forward to all of the excitement and good luck with the reading everyone!

Pixie's Bookish Resolutions for 2015

2014-12-16T00:45:00.000-06:00

Hello!

As you all know, 2015 is fast approaching. Was it just me or did this year go by a lot faster than it ever has before? Maybe it's because I had such an insanely busy year, I don't know, but I really hope that things are a bit slower for not just myself, but others as well, in the coming new year. I'm sure we could all use the time to slow down just a tad, right? :)

This week, I wanted to change things up and post a Bookish Resolutions list for myself before the rest of the year slipped on by instead of doing a Top Ten Tuesday post. I was going to wait until next week to put this post up, but after checking on the topic for TTT, I wasn't too interested so I decided to go on and put this post up now. I also happened to notice that one of the TTT topics is also a Resolutions post, and I'd had no idea until hopping over there earlier-- but still, I feel the necessity in linking back to The Broke and the Bookish before I get into my own post anyway.

So, what are Bookish Resolutions? Well, we all know what New Years' Resolutions are, right? They are exactly that, except in relation to books and blogging. Simple enough. I'm not really a big believer of resolutions in general. They get broken so often. I haven't made any proper ones in years. But I guess I will try to go for them this year and see how well it turns out.

(They must be laughing at my attempt of making resolutions for the coming year. They're not that hard to keep. Geesh. I can do it! Haha!)

* My biggest bookish resolution for the 2015 year is to blog more. --

2014 was a hard year for me keeping track of everything--writing, reading, blogging. I fell into some rough slumps with all of them. I was late on a book release. My writing was off. A reading slump had me in a funk and caused me to have the worst reading year ever (I barely hit twenty-five books this year) and this depressed me deeply. I didn’t want to do much blogging because I was ashamed, and quite frankly, didn’t have much to put up because of the slump.

With all that whiney mess out of the way, the good news is I feel myself already changing for the better. My slump has slowly gone away already with a few good reads--and the desire to read again--and all I want to do is get back into the swing of things. So yes, the most important resolution for 2015 is to build myself back up and blog more. Some of you may not remember, but there was a time when I once blogged several times a week before this bad year struck, and I’d like to see myself get to a point of that again I hope. I want to love my passions again properly.

* Read the older, unread books on my shelf. --

I have a fairly large TBR shelf. Who doesn’t, right? But I think it’s time to stop ignoring the many books that have been sitting on my shelf for quite some time, either gifted to me or bought because I’d really wanted them to begin with anyway, and read them as I’d intended. I’m going to reserve a month in 2015 to read them. A special “knock out those TBRs” month. I’m pretty sure I won’t get to them all in one month, but it would give me time to take care of a lot of them.

* Participate in more challenges/read-a-thons --

I loved doing these anytime I could. I hope to be able to get around to doing more this year.

* Read more genres/categories I don’t normally read --

Mostly I would like to pick up more MG and more Adult Fiction (sometimes this would include erotica, but when I say ‘adult’ it does NOT mean always sexy times.)

* Only request ARCs I know I really want and will read/review --

I’ve made mistakes in the past before and would take on too many ARCs, which then caused too much pressure on me. I would still read/review them, but it became exhausting and chore-like after a period of time. I’d end up with a good portion of dislikes, too. I don’t want to take this process anymore. I don’t, either. But this is going to be a continued resolution to remind myself I can’t let myself take on more than I can handle.

* Get to know other bloggers/Get social --

I’m already pretty social on Twitter (I hope?), but I’m always up for chatting and getting to know other bloggers anytime. I’m horrible at commenting sometimes I know and I plan on working to make that a bit better for 2015.

* Read some of the great classics I should have already read by now --

I turned thirty back in September. There’s that whole “books you should read by the time you’re thirty” thing, and I know I haven’t exactly, so I’m going to start getting to some of those. Maybe I’ll have them read by the time I’m thirty-one at least.

* Watch and compare more book adaptations --

If I Stay, The Maze Runner, Horns, The Giver, etc.. There are actually many books I haven’t read that have movie adaptations (and I haven’t seen the movie either) or instances where I’ve read the book and haven’t seen the movie or vice versa and would love to take the time out for both. I like to look at the movies with a different viewpoint, but it would be fun either way to sit and do a comparison review once a month or something.

* Get to at least one or two book signings in 2015 --

Living out in the middle of nowhere makes it incredibly hard. If it hadn’t been for BEA earlier this year, I still wouldn’t have been to any yet. This was my first year ever meeting any of my favorite authors and going to signings. It was EXCITING! I’ve made it my life mission to constantly check on schedules for particular authors, even if it means a bit of a drive and stay in a hotel or something, so that I can get around to some more meet and greets over the coming years. This year I’m really really really hoping to get the chance to meet Stephen King-- which is a life-long dream in general. This isn’t just a resolution, but part of the bucket list. So keeping fingers crossed he’ll make a stop somewhere, sometime.

* No more excuses for not reading everyday! --

I will always make it a point to set aside a time to read at the very least 25 pages from a book every single day so that I can say I’m reading something. Even if it’s that minimal page count, it’ll count for something, though of course if I’m enjoying the book I’m sure I’ll read much more than that.

* I plan to read no less than 70 books in 2015 --

This is important to me. 2014 was so shitty to me as far as reading that I feel like I have a lot of making up to do in 2015. I only read 25 books this year. That is barely a quarter of what I normally read each year in the last decade. So I’m buckling down in 2015 and making myself a promise: No less than 70. My goal is at least a hundred. But I’ll be okay if I don’t get there, as long as I make it to my intended seventy mark to make up for this year’s horrid number. Lol.

And these are my bookish resolutions for 2015!
Do you have any?

Don't forget this will run as a Top Ten Tuesday topic as well later this month, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Review: Belzhar

2014-12-14T22:35:00.000-06:00

Title: Belzhar
Author: Meg Wolitzer
Category/Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fantasy, Magical Realism

See it at Goodreads

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks.

She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.

Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.

Let me start by saying that Belzhar has one of the covers I can’t seem to stop staring at. It’s one of my favorite covers in the last few years for some strange reason--despite that I don’t think there’s anything different about it really, but it’s just out there, and it sticks out particular to me. If I hadn’t picked it up at BEA, I still would have grabbed it up immediately from a bookstore without bothering to find out what it could be about first. And I didn’t know at the time of pick-up what it was even going to be about, I just felt inexplicably drawn to this title and wanted it badly. It was at the top of my list of must-haves for the cover alone. I know… how wrong of me as a reader, right? But it happens to the best of us.

When I pulled myself from my reading slump recently, I knew which title I was going to go for: Belzhar. The cover was calling to me again from my shelf, and I had to know if the contents inside was just as good. I’d finally learned what it was supposed to be about by then, too, and it sounded intriguing. Reviews from my peers were up and down though. Half seemed to really like it, and the other half seemed to really dislike it. So I was stuck at a crossroads on which side I could end up on.

From the start, I adored the story. The details and background into The Wooden Barn were interesting, along with the variety of the characters. I also really liked how the story drew parallels to The Bell Jar and each character had their own little world. It had a strong beginning to the introduction of each individual and their tragedies, along with the development of their personalities.

However, toward the end of the middle and the last portion of the read is where it began to fall flat. This is where I begin to pick up minor details (and some annoyances) that just felt off to me mostly. I didn’t particularly like the characterization of DJ--the girl with the ‘eating problems’ because well, I didn’t feel like she was displayed properly as someone who deals with this. From my own personal experiences, DJ’s character was certainly treated like a joke in my honest opinion… and I would’ve like more from her so that a reader could understand. If the author wanted to portray characters dealing with real issues, then portray them. Otherwise, maybe DJ shouldn’t have felt like such a forced character. This is only my opinion naturally. I did like that she was open in her feelings and sexuality later. I just wanted MORE.

It’s such a hard book for me to review without revealing spoilers. I kind of want to talk about THAT ENDING but I can’t. It just didn’t satisfy though. I feel like it could’ve been more also though. It was a good twist, I’ll give it that. But I do feel it would still have more impact had it been what readers thought it was going to be from the beginning. Maybe some changes--but I didn’t feel the impact. And the twist disappointed in the long run leaving me to feel deflated and blah when the last page turned. I still had more questions of the characters and their stories, too. So yeah...

The romance, though slow and subtle throughout, was strange for the most part. I couldn’t connect. When it happened toward the end of the middle I was just left feeling “okay.” I liked him as a character overall and was glad to finally know his story as well, but it was underwhelming to say the least.

Saying all of this, you’d think I’d hated the book. But I didn’t. There was an odd sense of likeness throughout and I never wanted to put the book down because I had the desire to keep reading this odd story, up until the end as I said above. Mostly, I just really like the general idea and the Bell Jar theme of the overall piece. It’s a book I will still keep in my thoughts for a long time and will continue to recommend to others when looking for something different to read.

I would definitely read more from this author in the future, for that I'm certain. :)

ARC Review & Discussion: The Darkest Part of the Forest (Read-A-Long)

2014-12-04T01:05:00.000-06:00

Title: The Darkest Part of the Forest
Author: Holly Black
Category/Genre: YA, Contemporary, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: January 13, 2015

See it at Goodreads

Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they’re destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she’s found the thing she’s been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries’ seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does…

As the world turns upside down, Hazel tries to remember her years pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

Lyn of Great Imaginations and I recently read The Darkest Part of the Forest and then had a fun discussion review on it! Today we are sharing our thoughts on the read, and as you can see had slightly different experiences. I always love having read-alongs like this and sharing our discussions since it gives an edge to the review process and changes the pace sometimes. :P

From my perspective, you can tell that I really loved The Darkest Part of the Forest. It was one of my favorite reads of the year, and I was so excited after finishing it. I will be highly recommending it to many!

Lyn: Alright! Pixie and I did a co-reading of Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest. Now we’re co-reviewing the book together!

Alright, Pixie! You seemed very whipped up over the book. What was your overall take of the novel?

Pixie: I was immersed into the story from the very first page! I seriously could not stop reading this book. Haha.

Lyn: I LOVED that the book started with a glass casket. That is one of my top attention-grabbers: anything that sounds like it could be ripped right out of a D&D game. Big plus there.

Pixie: Yes! There were some very easy visuals because the descriptions were amazing.

Lyn: This was my first Holly Black novel, so I was very nervous about picking up this novel, since I had no previous exposure to her writing. Is this your first HB book?

Pixie: No. I’ve been a big fan of hers for years. She was one of my first YA authors after I picked up Melissa Marr in my early twenties. :)

Lyn: How did it compare to her other books?

Pixie: DPotF had a more contemporary vibe to it. I liked that. Despite the fantasy elements, it felt as if she gave her characters (and world) a more modern approach.

Lyn: I do love some contemporary fantasy. I suppose you could label this urban fantasy.

I suppose I should come out and be honest - I wasn’t crazy over this book. I gave it three stars. :( Womp Womp. The descriptions were beautiful and I really loved the plot, but the characters were very dull and flat for me.

Pixie: LOL, don’t feel bad. I gave it four stars. I don’t think it was her best (Coldest Girl in Coldtown still wins, I’m almost sure), but I liked the story and world-building for the most part. My biggest complaint were the characters also. I felt they could have used more. Especially in the romance.

Lyn: The romance REALLY killed it for me. I am very critical when it comes to pairing, and I seemed to get side-tracked by the constant “Who does s/he like more/the best?” The whole “let’s play fantasy pairing!” issue really killed a lot of my enthusiasm. I know it sounds horrible, because I so loved the whole GLBT angle, but it just didn’t end up working for me. I wanted more fae and court life.

Pixie: Oh I agree! I almost want to say that if it were longer or more detailed in some areas to better explain some things, it’d be even better for that area. It can be difficult for stand-alones in my opinion to gain some perspective for romances. I think I could’ve done without a romance and would’ve loved the whole general story.

Lyn: I have to give props to the author for writing a stand alone. I love my series, but it seems that a multi-book series is all the rage right now. I think it would have helped if the book was longer. There was quite a bit going on for such a short page count.

Pixie: Major props to her. I’m the same way. I love stand alones. :) I always find myself going to Holly Black’s books because that’s what she writes a lot. Fantasy and stand alones. But I agree, would’ve been nice seeing more. Or maybe I’m just selfish and wanted more of that pretty writing. Lol.

Lyn: I am excited to read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, so I have a basis of comparison. The descriptions were awesome, but the writing left something to be desired. It almost felt like this was a short story that the publishers pushed to become a novel, so the writing felt a bit forced. Maybe it was just boredom setting in, but I really didn’t feel the heart of the writer in this one, you know?

Pixie: I understand what you’re saying. I have seen her writing through the course of the years and it does come off a bit differently here. I’m excited to see what you think of Coldest Girl!

Lyn: Same here! Is there anything else we want to cover?

My take away from this is flat characters that i wanted to like in the worst way, but the plot was awesome and the description of the fae and the magic of the forest was very dazzling.

Pixie: That is almost my same take, except I think I was a bit more enchanted than you by the book. :P Other than that, I don’t think there’s really anything else I have to discuss without
putting in spoilers and I don’t want to go doing that. Lol.

Lyn: So agree!

Pixie's Rating: 4

Dual Review: Made For You

2014-12-02T10:08:00.000-06:00

This a two part review coming from both of us today since we read this title together!

Title: Made For You
Author: Melissa Marr
Genre/Category: Contemporary, YA, Realism, Mystery, Fantasy

See it at Goodreads

Bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely books Melissa Marr’s first contemporary YA novel is a twisted southern gothic tale of obsession, romance, and murder. A killer is obsessed with Eva Tilling. Can she stop him, or will he claim her?

When Eva Tilling wakes up in the hospital, she’s confused—who in her sleepy little North Carolina town could have hit her with their car? And why? But before she can consider the question, she finds that she’s awoken with a strange new skill: the ability to foresee people’s deaths when they touch her. While she is recovering from the hit-and-run, Nate, an old flame, reappears, and the two must traverse their rocky past as they figure out how to use Eva’s power to keep her friends—and themselves—alive. But while Eva and Nate grow closer, the killer grows increasingly frantic in his attempt to get to Eva.

For the first time, New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr has applied her extraordinary talent to contemporary realism. Chilling twists, unrequited obsession, and high-stakes romance drive this Gothic, racy thriller—a story of small-town oppression and salvation. Melissa’s fans, and every YA reader, will find its wild ride enthralling.

Pixie's Review

Melissa Marr is perhaps one of my favorite authors EVER. Ever. Ever.

I was a bit star-struck when I met her finally at BEA. She’s such a huge inspiration to me and my own writing, and I’ve absolutely adored everything I’ve read of hers through the years. Picking up Made For You possibly had me slightly worried in the beginning because this time around, it was a little more special. This was probably one of the books I’d been anticipating most throughout the year, or at least at the very top of that list of a short list of books, and from a reviewer’s perspective I didn’t want to give it any different treatment either. I’m not. After finishing it, I can be honest with my review, just like I can be honest when I say Johnny Depp has his ups and downs in his roles. So that’s good and a bit of a relief on my part. If I felt like I couldn’t give my full, honest opinion, I wouldn’t have even posted my thoughts.

But here I am.

Made For You was certainly a different read for me from what I’m used to with Marr. And it wasn’t the best I’ve picked up from her. Maybe it was because of the Contemporary aspects, not quite the fantasy I adore in her usual style, but I still enjoyed it. There was an addictive quality to the story that kept me flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen next--and I was held in a constant suspense. My biggest issue was I predicted the mystery pretty early on, but I’m always a good guesser at these things and so when I realized I was right later, it took so much out of the supposed twist I felt a bit of a disappointment.

I really enjoyed the presence of the parents and their interactions. We didn’t have our usual absentee parents (though I thought that was how it was going to be at first) for a teen, and instead had some interactive ones. They were obviously still trying to learn about their child. And that was pretty realistic in my opinion. A teen changes and grows a lot through those years. Communication is key.

The romance didn’t do it much for me. I liked it to an extent. It was cute. It built up nicely even, but I felt the background lacked some. I wanted to know more and had some burning questions of why’s. But there were interesting pieces put in that left me feeling like FINALLY, NORMAL TEENAGERS. NORMAL RELATIONSHIPS. So for that, I really enjoyed the realistic aspects of the story and character developments.

I felt like Marr may have wrote out of her comfort zone for this book when I finished reading. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. I rather enjoyed reading something different from her. I hope she continues to deliver work in other styles and genres and shows that she can do whatever she likes. It takes a lot of skill to do that. It wasn’t my favorite Marr novel, but I still read through it rather quickly and enjoyed it. I’d certainly recommend if you enjoy mystery and unusual contemporary with fantastical elements.

Pixie's Rating:

Taylor's Review

Well it's no secret that Melissa Marr is one of my absolute favorite authors! If you know me even a little bit that's a fact that is well known lol. I adore her books there isn't a single one I've read over the years that I haven't liked. But not only that, she's just an awesome person! I love her personality and she's such a big inspiration and I am determind to meet her one day in person!! That being said, I was pretty darn jealous of everyone who went to BEA this year and got to meet her. And when I say "pretty jealous" I really mean Wicked-Witch-Of-The-West green with envy lol.

But anyways, lets talk about this book Made For You!

As soon as I read the synopsis I was immediately intrigued, of course because it was Melissa Marr it went right on my TBR list and I featured it on one of my Waiting on Wednesday posts as well. The thing that caught my attention the most was the fact that it's something totally different than any of the other books I've read by Marr, I love her Wicked Lovely series with a passion and all of her other books lean more towards the fantasy realm but this one is a contemporary type, which I do happen to be a fan of as well.

I'll go ahead and say it wasn't the best book I've read by her, but even so it still strongly held my attention and I couldn't put it down because I was ready to see what would happen next in the story! And like Pixie mentioned in her review, I figured out the mystery fairly early into the book and I kept my fingers crossed that I'd be wrong when it was all said and done, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. So there was a little disappointment there because I was hoping for more of a twist and that the mystery aspect wouldn't be so predictable.

I liked the way Marr portrayed the romance in the story, it was one of the more realistic ones I've come across in quite awhile and I thought it was well paced and didn't just happen all of a sudden. I'm not a fan of the whole insta-love thing at all. But at the same time I do wish there had been a little something more to it, maybe that's just my inner hopeless romantic side coming out. But I couldn't help feeling like it was lacking a little bit, and there were some questions I would have liked to have answers to. But as far as characters go, I thought they were very well written and they grew and developed well throughout the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was a nice quick read and it was cool to see one of my most favorite authors step out and do something different. If you're a fan of mystery and contemporary I would definitely recommend giving this a read! And of course becasue I love her other books so much if you haven't read any of them I very highly recommend those as well!

Taylor's Rating:

Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

2014-11-23T01:14:00.000-06:00

Guidelines

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their website.
2. Post the award's logo on your blog.
3. Answer the ten questions you have been asked.
4.Nominate ten other bloggers and ask them ten other questions.

I was nominated by Bekka of Great Imaginations! Thank you so much! I love surveys like this, and I really needed something fun and different to put on the blog this week anyway while I wait for some reviews to come through soon so this worked out perfectly. Have a look after my answers to see the list of questions and who I nominated!

　

　

1. What is your biggest reading pet peeve?

Only one? Really? Ugh. I have a few though. If I had to choose from dog-earing to touching a book’s pages with greasy food hands to being interrupted constantly, I guess I would choose the interruptions. I HATE being interrupted while I’m lost in a book--especially if it’s good and all I want to do is just sit there and be immersed in it. “What are you doing?” DUH I’M READING. LEAVE ME ALONE.

2. Do you prefer paperback, hardcover, or ebook?

Hardcovers are prettier on the shelves, I’ll say that. But paperbacks are cheaper and easier for me to hold/tote around. So I do prefer paperback…but I generally hate the wait on them to release if the book released in hardcover first (it takes about nine months before it will come out on paperback after hardcover and sometimes I just can’t wait that long, dang it). Ebooks are great for when I just really need a space saver or have no other option, but on a personal level I read them a lot slower--the screen hurts my eyes after so long--so unless they’re ARCs, I usually don’t get them too often.

3. What is the very first book you remember reading?

I read Green Eggs and Ham with my dad when I was maybe 4 or 5? If you’re talking my first big, ‘grown-up’ title, it was The Shining when I was around 11. Still, there were many books before that one. I always remember being a reader.

4. If you could experience reading one book for the first time again, what book would you pick?

Harry Potter. I have many beloved favorites, but I think that’s the one series I would love to experience “first time” feelings for all over again because it’s HARRY POTTER. Enough said.

5. What is your favorite cover trend? Show some examples.

I love covers that show objects more than people I think. And darker shades. I’ve always loved Melissa Marr’s covers. Flowers or unusual looking bugs. Fantasy covers are usually eye-catching for me. Masks. Here are some of my latest most favorite covers in the last few years:

　

6. If you had to pick one genre to read for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Wow that’s tough. If I say Fantasy, that’s not exactly being too specific, is it? I guess it could toward any of its sub-genres like Contemporary Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Epic…etc.. If that counts--that’s what I’d pick. I could probably find enough enjoyment out of that for the rest of my life. Haha. Although I would miss a lot of my regular Contemporary romances and horror that I read regularly as well. Boo.

7. Who are your top three authors?

Rude Bekka is rude.

Melissa Marr. Stephen King. Laini Taylor.

This changes sometimes. Though Marr and King are always in my top two at least. And Taylor is always in my top ten at least. It’s so hard narrowing a top three.

8. What has been your favorite read this year?

I’m not finished with it yet, but I’m pretty certain it’s going to be Dreams of Gods and Monsters. Lyn gifted it to me before BEA and I’m just starting to get around to it in the last few weeks (I know, sad) and though I’m a bit slow reading it… I LOVE IT.

9. What book or book series would you like to see made into a television show?

I was going to say Daughter of Smoke and Bone, but the more I think on that the more I realize I’d rather that be films--more of a budget so it can have the effects and makeup it needs. Television show though, I was really holding out hope for that Delirium (Lauren Oliver) show. Or maybe a do-over with Vampire Academy and turn that into a show.

10. Tell us one weird fact about you.

Ha! One.

Okay then…

I have a bit of OCD. Not self-diagnosed or anything like that-- it’s an actual issue, and while I joke around about it and stuff, it’s not really a joke in the end. I have to have certain order with things. People can’t take books off my shelves. I must take them myself, and then they can look, hand them back to me and I’ll put them back. Dishes can’t go in the left side of the sink until they are rinsed properly (because rinsing is done in the right side only). Etc… There’s a list I don’t want to get into really on everything. Lol. But yeah, that’s my “weird” fact. I do get picked on for it, but oh well. I used to get bothered by it, but I don’t so much anymore. Now I’ve just learned to joke around mostly while continuing to keep up with my own routine.

　
　

So that’s it!

　

Who do I tag?

Well I tag my co-blogger, Taylor, for sure! I want to see her answers pop up here sometime soon at least.

I also want to tag Lyn of Great Imaginations. Jessie of Ageless Pages Reviews. Christina of Reader of Fictions. Alexia of Adventures in Reading. Nikki of There Were Books Involved. And the other five tags can just go to anyone else reading this that want to do it! :P

My questions:

1. Tell us three interesting facts about you.

2. What’s your favorite memory that involves books/reading?

3. Who are your top five fave authors?

4. What’s the worst book you read this year?

5. What’s the best?

6. Who is your favorite character of all time? (If there hasn’t been a film and you could cast them, would you? If so, who would you choose?)

7. What book would you choose to turn into a movie or tv show right now if you could?

8. What covers usually catch your attention? Give examples.

9. If you had to reread your favorite book only for the next two years anytime you wanted to read, or give it up entirely for the rest of your life and read a new book instead--except the new book could be really bad--would you?

10.What’s the worst thing you could do to a book out of these: fold pages, spill food/drink, read in the bathtub, write inside, or bend the spine back?

　

　

　

　

　

Top Ten Tuesday (45)

2014-11-04T11:35:00.000-06:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Books I Want to Re-read!

Taylor's Picks!

This week my list is a wide range mix lol. I picked some books/series that are older and some that are more recent. But all of these are ones that I really enjoyed and would like to venture back into again!

1. The Wicked Lovely series by Melissa Marr

2. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

3. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien

4. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

5. The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

6. The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness

7. War For the Oaks by Emma Bull

8. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

9. The Hollow Kingdom trilogy by Clare B. Dunkle

10. Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

What's your Top Ten? Have you read any of the books on this list? Let us know in the commemts! :)

Waiting On Wednesday (28)

2014-10-29T08:56:00.000-05:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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My WOW pick for this week is:

The Darkest Part of the Forest
By: Holly Black
Publication Date: January 13th, 2015

"Children can have a cruel, absolute sense of justice. Children can kill a monster and feel quite proud of themselves. A girl can look at her brother and believe they're destined to be a knight and a bard who battle evil. She can believe she's found the thing she's been made for.

Hazel lives with her brother, Ben, in the strange town of Fairfold where humans and fae exist side by side. The faeries' seemingly harmless magic attracts tourists, but Hazel knows how dangerous they can be, and she knows how to stop them. Or she did, once.

At the center of it all, there is a glass coffin in the woods. It rests right on the ground and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointy as knives. Hazel and Ben were both in love with him as children. The boy has slept there for generations, never waking.

Until one day, he does...

As the world turns upside down and a hero is needed to save them all, Hazel tries to remember her years spent pretending to be a knight. But swept up in new love, shifting loyalties, and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?" ~See it on Goodreads

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I. Need. This. Book. Plain and simple. I adore Holly Black and all things faerie! This book sounds a-freaking-mazing! And from the lucky people that got ARC's from BEA and such, I've heard great, great things about it. And I'm immensely jealous that I don't own this book yet, I'm talking wicked witch of the west green with envy y'all. But really, I can't say how excited I am for this book to come out and I will be there bright and early to get it!

What's your WOW pick for this week?

Blogger Trick-Or-Treat Hop: Year Two!

2014-10-26T23:10:00.000-05:00

It's already been a year, an exciting one, and I'm happy to be joining the ladies from Great Imaginations for another wonderful edition of Blogger Trick or Treat! Want to know what the Blogger Trick or Treat is about? Go check out more info at the link above on Great Imaginations for all the fun!

This is actually going to be a dual post with two different topics between my co-blogger, Taylor and me, so I hope you enjoy! We love Halloween and had a lot of fun creating this for you guys!

First up is Pixie!

What kind of costumes I think my favorite characters would wear if they dressed up for Halloween:

Karou (Daughter of Smoke and Bone) - I think this might be too obvious but I would totally see her dress up as Maleficent. And she'd rock that costume!

Adrian (Vampire Academy/Bloodlines) - I don't see Adrian dressing up in much other than something simple. He wouldn't want to cover his face or put a bunch of makeup on. Lol. So I'm thinking old-school mobster style when it comes to his character. Also, I'm sure he wouldn't object to the classy suit since it'd make him look good.

Alex (The Ashes trilogy) - She's such a tough kick-butt girl, with a vulnerable side, in a dark and bleak world that I think she needed something cute and fun. Not the typical "sexy girl" costume.

Peeta (The Hunger Games) - I couldn't resist. You know it would've been your first thought too.

And though he's not a book character, you all know I'm a huge Supernatural fan. So I just have to put this here for the fun of it:

And what if YOU want to dress up as some of your favorite book characters? I have ideas for those as well!

I'm a big fan of Pretty Little Liars also. Moreso the television series. And if you watch the show, I think you would be in agreement with me that their costumes are a great inspiration for Halloween ideas.

Katniss is an affordable and easy DIY costume. I probably have an outfit similar to this in my own closet-- minus the bow & arrow.

I loved loved the fashions of The Great Gatsby & it's one of my fave books. I think that'd be a fun costume choice!

And you can't go wrong with anything Harry Potter themed.

I could've named more characters here because this was so fun thinking about, but I didn't want to have you here all day. Taylor still needs to share her part! :P What do you think about the characters' costumes? Would you agree? Are there any characters and matching costumes you immediately think of as well? What character would you most want to dress as for Halloween? Sound off in the comments! (P.S. I'd loooovee to do anything that requires hours of makeup work and props one year. Something major!)

Taylor's turn! She has a great little short list below so check it out! :)

Heeyyy! Oh, before I get started: I'm curious, Pixie, didn't you say one of your favorite candies at Halloween was Twizzlers? I couldn't remember for sure or not. Lol.

Pixie: Yep! I love me some Twizzlers! :D Don't you forget it. The black licorice kind is actually my fave & people think I'm really weird for it. Hahaha. :P

Taylor's Top Five Halloween Reads

Okay! For my part of the post I'm gonna share a few of my favorite Halloween Reads with y'all! So first up is:

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

I love Neil Gaiman! And this was one of the first books of his that I ever read and is easily a favorite! It had just the right amount of creep factor in there and also a great storyline. And I think the movie is pretty darn good too!

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Practical Magic was a favorite of mine growing up, and back when I was younger I thiught it was kinda scary but in the good way! It was a repeat read every year, and still is to this day. And of course the movie with Sandra Bullock is on my list of favorites as well!

Ashes Trilogy by Ilsa J. Bick

This series is one I started after being recommend by Pixie! And I have to say its oh so very good! Its definitely creeptastic in the best way! I still have to read the last book but if its anything like the first two I'm sure I'll love it!

Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

I love everything about this book and its perfect for Halloween. And the movie with Gerrard Butler.. Amazing!

And last but certainly not least......

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

I had to. Everyone knows I'm a Harry Potter fiend! Lol. So of course this would be on my list. But really, if you've never read these books you're seriously missing out one one of the best series you'll ever pick up. I can't share my love for these books enough, and they will be required reading for my future kids one day! ;)

And I'm also gonna throw in one more book, but this one is a book that I haven't read but plan to read this year on Halloween. And that book is:

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

by Ransom Riggs

This is another one recommend by Pixie and I've heard so many good things about it from her and from other bloggers as well! So I'm really looking forward to diving right into this one!

What are some of your favorite Halloween reads? Have you read any of these books? Do you have any books you plan to read/have read this year for Halloween? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Halloween!

Top Ten Tuesday (44)

2014-10-21T01:40:00.000-05:00

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly event hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten New Series We Want To Start This Year!

Taylor's Picks:

1. In The After by Demitria Lunetta

2. Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis

3. The Opal Mask by Jenny Lundquist

4. Perfect Ruin by Lauren Destefano

5. The Lost Souls by Tiffany Truitt

Has anyone read/started one or more of these yet? Don't forget to check out Pixie's list below!
Have a great week!

Pixie's Picks:

This was pretty tough! Most of the series I hope to start sometime in my future are older (older than 3 years). Ack. I managed to come up with a few though... I think these would still be considered on the "newer" side anyway. Lol.

1. His Fair Assassin - R. L. LaFevers

2. The Bone Season - Samantha Shannon

3. Grisha - Leigh Bardugo

4. A Thousand Pieces of You - Claudia Gray

5. The Elemental Trilogy - Sherry Thomas

What's your top ten? If you could only choose one series out your list to start and read, which one? Do we share any common ones?

Have a great week!

<3

Waiting On Wednesday (27)

2014-10-01T10:45:00.001-05:00

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

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My WOW pick for this week is:

Talon

By: Julie Kagawa

Publication Date: October 28th, 2014

"Long ago, dragons were hunted to near extinction by the Order of St. George, a legendary society of dragon slayers. Hiding in human form and growing their numbers in secret, the dragons of Talon have become strong and cunning, and they're positioned to take over the world with humans none the wiser.

Ember and Dante Hill are the only sister and brother known to dragonkind. Trained to infiltrate society, Ember wants to live the teen experience and enjoy a summer of freedom before taking her destined place in Talon. But destiny is a matter of perspective, and a rogue dragon will soon challenge everything Ember has been taught. As Ember struggles to accept her future, she and her brother are hunted by the Order of St. George.

Soldier Garret Xavier Sebastian has a mission to seek and destroy all dragons, and Talon's newest recruits in particular. But he cannot kill unless he is certain he has found his prey: and nothing is certain about Ember Hill. Faced with Ember's bravery, confidence and all-too-human desires, Garret begins to question everything that the Order has ingrained in him: and what he might be willing to give up to find the truth about dragons." ~See it on Goodreads!

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It's no secret that Julie Kagawa is one of my favorite authors! I love her Iron Fey series as well as her Immortal Rules series, and if you haven't read either of those I highly recommend that you do. Seriously. Go buy them. Right now. You don't know what your missing!

And this series sparked my interest immediately when I read the synopsis, I love dragons and this sounds like a great and creative take on them. The idea that dragons are hiding in plain sight in human form just really intrigues me and I'm excited to see how the story unfolds with Ember (love that name by the way!) and her brother Dante.

What's your WOW pick for this week?