mybookishthrills

5 Books I Want To Read This Spring

2017-03-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, spring...The smell of blooming flowers and a second new beginnings.
At the start of the year, I set some goals for myself as a reader..... 'more lit fic!', I said; 'read diversely!' I said...I said, and I said...

And now we're here, in March - and I'm still a pretty sight of a mess. To prove it, this post was 'planned' for the end of February; you know, to step into spring on the right foot with the right goals and motivations. Yet somewhere along the way, I just didn't write this post...as you do.

So here I am now, attempting to redeem myself ~~once again.~~

This spring, I will be productive, and I will step in the right direction of achieving my goals.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you - the five books I will be reading this spring, which are hopefully my key to success...

1. "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls.

I'm stepping out of my comfort zone!!! I'm doing it, I'm doing it! Look at me!
This book is something that is probably completely out of my league; but at the start of the year, when I proclaimed that I wanted to educate myself more as a reader - quite a few people recommended this beauty to me...
I was hesitant, don't be fooled. Non-fiction? A serious adult book about social issues? Yes, as you can imagine, I was ready to run in the opposite direction.

But then...the moment of singing angels and heavenly lights happened... - I read the synopses, and I've never felt anything pull at my heartstrings as strongly the words of this author did.
Jeannette Walls is a successful journalist, and I pray I will get to call myself as such one day...But perhaps more notably, she's a person who grew up as a child surrounded by alcoholism.

Immediately, I knew I had to read this memoir...To me, at that moment, she was more relatable than all the Kermit the frog memes - and with the amount of them I have saved in my phone, that's really saying something.

I'm excited for the experience of this memoir!

2. "I Let You Go" by Claire Mackintosh

This is a mystery/thriller/suspense - which is a genre that I really love, but only when it is done right. From the reviews, I'm convinced that this one is done just the right way, and I am excited to lose my head in it! People have described it with adjectives such as 'mind-blowing' and 'great'...but everyone is yelling for me to go into it 'cold turkey', so that's as much as I know about it right now.

This has actually been on my TBR for a while ~~(like 2 years hahaha)~~, but I dug it out from under all the YA and fantasy stacks that I've yet to get to too, and I'm hoping to pick this up very, very soon!

3. "After You" by Jojo Moyes

Yes I know, this book on my list right now is as random as a boat on a highway. However, the fact that I'm even mentioning this book right now is a high personal achievement...

Like you honestly don't understand what's happening right here...

If you don't know, this is a sequel to 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes...which was made into a movie with the adorable Emilia Clarke and smoldering Sam Claflin and la la la - it was great.
But the point that you're missing here, is the fact that 'Me Before You' literally BROKE ME, fractured me, knocked me down with a truck and then reversed over my broken body...it ripped my heart out and I was literally down on the floor sobbing like a piece of trash ~~(I have picture proof, comment if you wanna see it bahahahaha).~~

So you shouldn't be surprised that I literally refused to touch the sequel. I was all like NO - I am a strong, independent woman, and I refused to allow the author and those god-damn characters to ruin me like that again.

But it's been a year now... and a friend recently was more courageous than me and read it - and said it was so good, and that it actually restored something in her heart after 'Me Before You'...so like...obviously I want to read it now haha.

4. "A Little Life" by Hanya Yanahigara

Here's the lit fic I promised myself...But it ain't fooling anyone with the title...this book is literally over 700 pages long, and I'm praying it lives up to it's impressive average rating of 4.2 stars, or else a book is going to go through my window...and it's not a little one, so God help me.

Anyways, I don't know much about this one, except for the fact that it was recommended to me a while ago by someone who's opinions I trust - so it made its way onto my TBR, as well the fact that this is apparently more depressing than my own life... I don't know, I don't make the rules *shrugs*
So finally, because of that desired redemption of actually achieving the goals I set for myself - I am finally, finally going to be brave and read this massive baby.

5. "Redeployment" by Phil Klay

More lit fic! More depression...haha, great! (Feel the sarcasm seeping through)...

No, but being serious - I am going to spread these books out across the three months in between more light-hearted stuff because if I don't, I will most definitely end up feeling very down-under...but these are books that are important to read, and therefore, I really, really want to - and so this spring, I will!

This book deals with war, and the aftermath of someone experiencing war. As I said...important stuff that everyone should be reading about, in my opinion!

This is actually classified as a short-story, which I'm really excited about because I read a short story for class in February, and I really enjoyed the way a short-story has to be to intricately layered and planned...every single word in a short story matters- and that's what makes them so attractive for me!

That wraps up my little list of longer-term goals! Every single book that I mentioned, is one that I've been meaning to read for a while, and so I am definately very excited to finally get to them!

Now...tell me in the comments below if you have read any of these/or if you're like to read one of these? Anyone else realizing they haven't done much to move towards their yearly goals and are now scrambling, haha? Are you planning on reading anything specific this spring, or do you have anything exciting coming up?

Tell me all that and more in the comments below!

All the love,

Sam.

Discussion: Judging A Book By Its Ratings?

2017-03-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Goodreads has many features that have proven beneficial...and others...not so much, such as the limitless amount of books that I can add to my TBR, which has resulted in a monstrous list which is quickly becoming the tame of my existence as a reader ~~hehe.~~

One of the things that I appreciate a lot about this site, is the fact that it provides an average rating for each book. For some of you, this may not mean a thing. Personally, and for the other half of you, the average rating on each book influences the decision on whether or not it is worth to be read.

My decision whether or not a book is worth my time is usually made based on a few factors.

I suppose it begins by who recommends it to me/from whom I hear about the book. If the recommendation is coming from someone who's opinions I trust, or someone who has a similar reading taste to me, I will most likely take interest in it.

This usually leads me to searching up the book on Goodreads...The very first thing that my eye is drawn to, besides the cover, is the average rating. While I have gotten over my chronicle cover judging...judging books by their ratings is something that is rooted very deeply within me as a reader.

And at points, such as now, I have come to question whether that is a good thing for me, or whether that is another prejudicial habit that I should diminish from my reading life.

Before you make your adjudication and judgement, let me present my case...

5 Reasons Why Size Ratings Matter To Me:

I'm not going to lie...I'm quite a "yes-man", and I tend to agree with the 'generally accepted' opinions...Therefore, if the average rating is at 3 stars, and most reviews point out endless flaws of the writing, then why should I read something I know I will hate?
However, sometimes I do find myself thinking 'Hmm, this summary sounds really interesting...maybe I'll like it despite all these people who have hated it!'...I have read books with unimpressive ratings and reviews, and I'm disappointed to report that I've ended up hating 99% of them.
'So many books, so little time' !!!!! For this simple reason, I will obviously prioritize books of 4+ stars rating, over books that are getting poorer ratings and reviews. And the problem is, there are so many of good books, you will never run out of them to have to turn to lower-rated ones.
Many books, especially in YA, tend to be over-hyped and glamorized by, admittedly, us bloggers and publications that talk books. However, ultimately, that hype has to be lived up to...And if the book fails to do so, the ratings will reflect that. Often, I wait a month or two before picking up a hyped book, just to observe the ratings. Is it worth the crazy hype, and more importantly: is it worth my time? The ratings help me distinguish the reality from the hope.
Who wants to read bad books, right? Half the time, if I end up reading a book that bores and annoys me, I will go into reading slump, and I will regret all of my life decisions...So ultimately, ratings help me avoid that pain of bad books and readings slumps. ~~God bless!!!~~

However, I do admit that it does seem a bit prejudicial and sometimes I think...maybe I'm missing out on something great because of it?

I guess the aim of this post, is to get some answers from you guys, on whether or not ratings matter to you? Do they affect your decision on whether you read something or not? Are ratings trust-worthy?

Let me know in the comments below!

All the love,
Samanta.

FEBRUARY, 2017 WRAP UP + MARCH TBR // I hang my head in shame and make better decisions

2017-03-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

To say that February was a terrible month for me reading wise, is an understatement in my opinion. Although... as Goodreads kindly informed me, to my biggest shock and disbelief, I did manage to read four books last month.Somehow.. Just barely.

Somewhere at the start of the month, I got into a really bad mental state and attitude towards reading, or more like towards my TBR list, to be specific. The amount of contemporaries on it were suffocating me and my love for reading, to the point where I literally dreaded the thought of it..

So I spared myself some more mental breakdows over it, scrapped it completely, and picked up something completely different as to what I had planned to read...That's to say...I literally didn't read a single book that was on my TBR for the last month. Not a single one of the following four books were planned. They were all oopsies that ultimately saved me from my depressing reading slump.

1. "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5
When novels didn't work for me...to the point where I literally hated every word I read, I turned to poetry, which was one of my goals for 2017 anyways, so I thought it would be a win-win situation either way to pick it up. And boy, it was!!

This compilation of poems was so masterfully done, so impactful and meaningful. Every word in this book honest to God came from this woman's soul and heart, and it ultimately made something spectacular!

This was poetry like I've never seen it before, accompanied by stunning visual sketches. It was just so beautiful, and I recommend this to every woman and man...This book speaks nothing but the truths that need to be heard in our world NOW.

2. "Foster" by Claire Keegan

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5
This was technically a short-story read for my English class, but since this wrap-up is already sad enough, and I actually loved the writing in this one, I thought I'd include it anyhow...

This is set in rural Ireland, in late 70s-80s, against the background of a country held on a leash by the Catholic Church...However, this story managed to be so much more, and SO BIG in under 100 pages. It was metaphorical and insightful and made for interesting few English class discussions hehe.
I'd recommend it to anyone that's up for a short story, which will leave you thinking.

3. "Instructions For A Heatwave" by Magge O'Farrell

RATING: ★★★☆☆/3.5/5
I received this as a birthday present from one of my friends at the start of the month. The concept of this story intrigued me, as there was a notion of a dad going missing, and a family that had drifted apart, being forcefully dragged back together. It was also an Irish family living in England, which I felt like reading more of after how much I enjoyed "Foster"...However, this was quite different from that.
There was that intention of a family drama, but ultimately, I felt like there was more character development in all of the characters, than the family drama and the mystery summed up together.
That said, it didn't make the book boring or bad...but it simply wasn't what I'd expected and wanted at that point. However, I do believe this book would work very well for someone looking for some very detailed character developments, with a sprinkle of mystery and family drama.

4. "Caraval" by Stephanie Garber

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5
By the end of the month I was feeling a lot more like myself, and so I concluded that my reading slump had retreated to its dark cavern for another little while, and so I dared to pick up something a little more standard and usual for me...a YA fantasy.
I've heard buzzing noise about this all over the blogasphere, and so to say the least, I was curious and tempted when I saw this in the library, on the 'new releases' shelf.
I picked it up, I read it in the last three days of the month, and enjoyed it quite a bit, although I had some small, teeny-tiny issues with it, and it did mess with my head considerably,
I'm still planning on picking up the sequel when it is released next year ~~(?????? why so far away *cries*).~~

You can find my full review, and my thorough thoughts here.

MY MARCH, 2017 TBR

After the epic-fail that was my last TBR, I'm being quite careful about this one, and I'm going to keep it short and sweet for the month of March. So if I happen to actually read all of these, I can actually write a wrap-up without the crippling shame haha. So here goes my very underwhelming TBR for the month of March.

"Seraphina" and "Shadow Scale" by Rachel Hartman

I've already made a little dent into the first book, and although I'm finding the world-building and the language being used quite difficult and intricate, I'm hoping that I will eventually get comfortable with it, and enjoy the actual story line better...It's about dragons and music...what else would you want?

I'm excited to find out more about the world, and the mystery behind all of these characters!

"Three Dark Crowns" by Kendare Blake

Another one that I've seen all over the place, and it's getting decent reviews so far, and the concept of the story excites me, so here's to hoping I enjoy it, despite reports that it does have a slightly slow start...which I'm not great with, but I'll be brave and try to survive it, just to see what's beyond it haha.

"Steelheart" by Brandon Sanderson

I've been told that this is amazing, and anything by Brandon Sanderson...I mean, I just automatically assume that it's going to be amazing, and will blow me out of the waters.

Super excited to read this, and to experience the magic of Sanderson's writing once again!

That wraps up my TBR for March, 2017!!

Tell me in the comments below how your reading went in February, and what you plan to read this month? Have you read any of the books mentioned, or do you maybe plan to? Tell me down in the comments down below. Every single one is greatly appreciated!

All the love,

Samanta.

REVIEW: "Caraval" By Stephanie Garber // ENCHANTING AS HELL BUT WHERE DID MY SANITY GO?

2017-02-28T15:15:00.000-08:00

Page Count: 407 (Hardback)
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance.

Publishing Date: January 31st, 2017
Rating: ★★★★☆/4/5

How do I start off telling you guys about my experience with this beauty?
I wasn't planning on reading this. Not at all. I was having a horrible, horrible reading month, and I had most definitely developed a case of reading slump...Then I picked up "Caraval" at the library, and I was somewhat excited about reading for the first time in days!

And it actually only took me three days to get through it, and I think I might have shed a tear for the simple fact that reading didn't feel like writing essays on Photosynthesis and the Carbon Cycle anymore...yes, I had it that bad.
This was basically me for three days straight, and I've never been happier about it!

Therefore, I can't say that the review that follows is not a teeny-tiny bit biased due to the fact that this book literally salvaged me from the ashes of my own failure hahaha. Enjoy....

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.

Enchanting as hell...But where did my sanity go?

That basically sums up my experience with "Caraval". While I loved the idea behind it - the whole notion of this magical game where nothing is what it seems and you're playing mind games with yourself the whole time...I also found myself going a bit crazy at times, ~~alongside the characters.~~
The writing style, the narrative and the descriptiveness of this story, made the world truly come to life, and it was a magical world that honest to God charmed me, and made me believe in it.

However, there was a lot of going back and forth on 'facts', which was a source of much frustration on my part. For example, we have one of our main characters Julian, who is kind of that typical 'player boy', shrouded in mystery and helping our main protagonist along. Meanwhile, a little steamy romance brews between them ~~in the background...~~

We don't know much about Julian at all since the the whole book (with the exception of the epilogue) is from the point of view of Scarlett, our main protagonist, and so we the readers know as little as she does.

Except, we do learn things down the lane...only to have Julian contradict himself and his supposed reasons for being in Caraval a few chapters later. Once or twice, I was good...I was OK with it...but when it bloody happened over and over again, I was ready to leap into that book and counsel him a bit until he bloody figured out his own cover story!

I get that it's part of unraveling the mystery, but boy!!! did it make me MAD™.

I actually kind of #shipit???

I know...the earth has stopped turning and children are screaming in the background.

Me actually liked a romance in a YA fantasy...This is honestly one for the books; I proudly proclaim myself a hater of them all, and whine at every opportunity at the unnecessity of it...yet here I am, a teeny-bit frustrated, but still having enjoyed the romantical aspect of it.

The reason being is the fact that the romance didn't overshadow the main points of the plot, and mostly didn't reduce our main character to a blubbering loved-up mess that suddenly forgotten she has like a trillion messed up shit going on on the sidelines, while she wastes time drooling about his honey eyes...

The romance in "Caraval" wasn't that kind of romance ~~thank god. I~~t was slowly budding and developing in the background; it was subtle and casual, and then there was also a bit of the 'pretend relationship' trope in there and SIGN ME UP for that any day of the week, honestly...

It was just cute, and just the right amount of 'not too much in your face'...

The way that the book wrapped up has me intrigued where the sequel will take the characters, and their relationships hehe, and I'm hoping that with the revelation made in regards to Julian ~~(*rolls eyes* kind of saw it coming but ohhh well)~~, there will be less opportunities for frustrating occurrences and dialogues.

The plot twist that I'd rather pretend didn't happen...

This book delivered quite a few impressive plot twists, and usually, I'm a fan of them. They excite me and I love realizing all the clues that were left in the text beforehand and tracing back how it all led to that point...

However, by the last 100 pages of "Caraval"...There was this one plot twist, that kind of erased all of the magic and the atmosphere of the story prior to it. It was kind of like someone teasing at Italian gelato ice-cream flown in straight from Italy, for 300 pages straight, and then by the last quarter, you realize they're just talking about the cheapest supermarket watery-vanillas they could find.

It was a tad underwhelming, confusing and just felt like the author wrote a plot twist that wrapped up the story neatly while still having a dramtic *gasp* moment...In my opinion though, the gasp was more for the fact that the author actually went with the 'plot twist' that was actually quite obvious in my opinion, and didn't contain much depth or logic to it.

It literally erased the whole point that the game was leading up to, and nothing that occurred had a consequence because of this plot-twist...It was literally all a game though, I suppose.

The Epilogue then hints that we still don't have all the peaces to the puzzle, and that there IS more to the whole story...but for now, I'm still doubtful, and not a fan of how the story was wrapped up.

Give me more of Legend or I will scream!!!

Legend is the guy behind Caraval. There's a whole history behind him that's told in "Caraval", while we never get too close to him, and never learn anything from his own mouth. Basically, he's the biggest mysteries of all, and I want a piece of it!

Personally, I am hoping that the second book will focus in a lot more on Caraval itself, and consequently, Legend too.

He just seems to have so much potential as a character, and one that wasn't too deeply observed in this book.

While the Epilogue seems to have hinted at the second book being from the POV of Donatella ~~(am I the only one that kind of hates her?)~~ , I'm still holding out fists that we'll get it from Julien, or maybe even Legend himself (that would be a literal heaven for me!)

That wraps up my main thoughts about "Caraval"! Now tell me down in the comments below if you've read it, planning on reading it, or have decided to pass up on it? Tell me if you've like it/are excited to read it, or are you turned off by all the hype? Talk to me about that and more in the comments!

All the love,

-Sam.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Fantasy for Beginners!

2017-02-06T09:00:00.001-08:00

One thing about the bookish community is that we all read differently...Some of us enjoy reading contemporary after contemporary, and others can't imagine reading something other than fantasy series...And some of us ~~(like myself)~~ are somewhere in-between the two, where our obsessive fantasy-reading has to be interrupted by a fluffy contemporary in order to keep our sanity and not go flying off into Cosmos to fight unwordly monsters and dragons..yup.

Regardless on where on the scale you fall, you probably have reservations about your reading habits, and wish you could read a little bit of everything. But let me guess....you're intimidates as hell and don't know where to start...right?!

Well today's post is going out to all my contemporary, and non-fantasy readers. Today I am compiling a post/list (i'm obsessed with lists i know don't judge me too much) for all of you who are intimidates as hell about the thought of committing to a hefty fantasy series with a million characters and a whole new world.

The recommendations on this post include books that got me into fantasy, ones that I think weren't too intimidating, and ones that I just generally think everyone should read hehe...

"The Mistborn" series by Brandon Sanderson

I don't know if this is the most appropriate one to start with intimidation wise, but nevertheless, I'm going to start with it because this is the series that made me genuinely love and admire fantasy, and one that has stayed ingrained in my mind and my heart for months.

This series has the coolest magic system ever! 'Mistings' are persons who have one particular ability when they ingest one specific metal, and 'Mistborns' are the ones who have ALL the powers by ingesting all the known metals that bring forth the powers.

The series has 3 books with original cast of characters who face challenge after challenge, and the poor babies never get a minute to breathe before they're being attacked again. The series then continues in a few more books, hundred of years later after the main events of the series.

The magic system and the epicness of it will have you reading like a madman alone, and I haven't even started on the amazing, realistic characters, and even more beautiful relationships between them...the freaking romance that was one-of-a-kind. And the ACTION, the POLITICS, the STABBING...Oh my lord...this book just has it all and everyone needs to read it right now!!

It gives me so much joy just to rant about these books in a post, it's unbelievable!

"The Chaos Walking" by Patrick Ness

This might be a more reasonable place to start...Although I can't say that I loved this series as I did the above, it had something unique about it, and every now and then I still remember of it.

This one doesn't have so much of a magic system, but rather abilities acquired by mutation. It follows a boy who was born in a plantation on a planet which humans harvested years ago...the only rarity of this world that our character lives in, is that it makes every male thought audible to all, and females are scarce.

Also there's a corruption among the men, a horrible secret, and 'alien' natives who were suppressed by these humans, but that are now coming back in forces to fight for their lands.

If that isn't appealing enough for your contemporary-lovers' interest, there's a cute, young boy as our main character who goes on a wild, fast-paced run to survive and to save the planet, accompanied by a human girl who has literally just landed on this strange new planet. Basically, they're both clueless about different aspects, and it's adorable to watch them both develop and grow through the 3 books...It kind of gives me feels just to think how much they fought to save each other, wow...

"Six Of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

I'm sure everyone and their mothers have heard of this duology, no matter how much you turn away at the mention of fantasy... This one is also one that I adored and worshiped!

It has just one of the best cast of characters, that is literally diverse in almost every aspect...sexuality, race, shape, disability, mental illness...you literally freaking name it, and it'll be in here! This group of thieves, spies, soldiers and fighters go on a seemingly impossible mission to the world's most secure compound, with the goal of breaking-out the most wanted prisoner in the world.

It's set in a fantasy world of 'Grisha' which the author previously establishes in a trilogy. However, I attempted this trilogy and did not enjoy it...the author's writing is a lot more grown up and appreciable in this duolgy than her previous trilogy...

Obviously, you do not need to have read this trilogy to enjoy 'Six Of Crows'...but as the author herself said, if you want to give it a go - 'Some references in the duology won't fly over your head if you do'.

You might want to leave this one for after your first encounter with fantasy though, as I do believe that it does have some tricky fantasy-based-ideas that might just fly over your head if it's your first go at fantasy.

"Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah. J. Maas

This might be your safest bet at enjoying fantasy, if I'm being honest! This is technically a 'Beauty and The Beast' retelling, but boy does it take it's own wings somewhere along the way. This might aid you with the story, as you will probably know the basic of it, and be able to focus on the fantasy bits, and really enjoy it for what it is.

This is one I enjoy mostly for the fairy-tale retelling aspect, I won't lie. I adore analyzing the twists and turns that it takes away from the original story, but I'm also quite in love, and quite deeply invested with the characters of this series..

The series is about a world where courts and kingdoms are at rivalry, and our main protagonist finds herself quite torn between a few of them ~~*cough* and their lords hehe*cough*~~. It's simply entertaining, and fun to experience!

***

That concludes my list of fantasy recommendations. I hope I have given you some inspiration and direction if you're someone seeking for that when it comes to fantasy. I hope that you will be picking these up soon, and hopefully enjoying them too! Get obsessed with fantasy, it's a whole new world in reading once you do! ~~(literally hahahaha)~~

Tell me in the comments below if you've maybe already read one of these, and if not, which one caught your eye most? Isn't it obvious which one I love the most...hahaha. Tell me which other fantasy series you're hoping to read? Talk to me about the beauties I rave about above!

All the love,

Samanta. x

January, 2017 Wrap Up // What I Read

2017-02-03T09:00:00.000-08:00

At the start of the new year, I set myself a brand new Goodreads' reading goal for the year. Last year I tackled my 40 books goal, which might not seem like much for most people, but for me, as a really picky reader, this was a lot. For whatever reason though, I felt like I could up my own game in 2017, and I set my goal at 50 books.

As nervous as I secretly am, I am happy to report that I read 5 books in January, and am currently 2 books ahead of schedule...Only 45 books, and 11 months to go...*nervous chuckling*.

Anyways...After a pretty decent month of reading, here I am, happy to be bringing you my January wrap up!

1. "Crooked Kingdoms" by Leigh Bardugo

RATING: ★★★★★/5/5

My last read of 2016 was 'Six Of Crows', which I had been meaning to read for literal ages. I finally did, and holy mother of God...it was so good!

Whether you've read this book or not, all I'm going to say is Jesper and Wylan are my babies, and also Kaz Brekker is my son, and no one better touch my thieving and bomb-making little sons, or they'll have me and my cap locks to deal with!

This duology was honestly so entertaining! Once you start, there is literally no going back, because you get so invested with these characters you just have to see them through every fight and battle.

It was so good, and I adored how this duology wrapped up. ~~Although I'm secretly hoping for a continuation or a spin-off hehehe.~~

2."The Art of Crash Landing" by Melissa DeCarlo

RATING: ★★★☆☆/3/5

This one I randomly picked up from the library shelf when the title caught my eye. Like honestly...that's one hell of a title. And it fit the story perfectly too! This book is about a young-woman who's life is in turmoil and she travels to her mother's hometown in an impulse and out of desperation. She ends up finding more than she anticipated in this town, including answers to questions that had kept her restless in her own skin.

I liked this story well enough. It was relaxing and calming after reading a few fast-action fantasy books. I think I picked this book up at exactly the right time, and it really helped my enjoyment of it.

The main character was really relatable and the plot was interesting enough that it kept me reading, but it wasn't mind-blowing or heart-breaking the way a five star read would be for me.

3. "The Diabolic" by S.J. Kincaid

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5

I had my doubts going into this one, just because the concept sounded like it could really easily run into a cliche, so I was quite apprehensive. However, I read it, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.

It was a cool, YA science-fiction/fantasy, and had some pretty cool scenes and images.

I liked the concept of the universe in which this story is set in, and mostly, I was really warmed by the underlying message of marginalization that I found in this book.

You can find my full thoughts, and a thorough review here.

4. "The Unseen World" by Liz Moore

RATING: ★★★★★/5/5

This was my second 5-star read of the year, and it came somewhat as a surprise. I picked this book up knowing only very vague details about the plot. Therefore, I didn't really have many expectations at all, which I feel was the reason why I had such an amazing experience with this book.

This also entailed some important aspects of LGBT+, and the community's experience in 1980s.

It was really engrossing, it pulled me in and didn't let me go till the last page. It broke my heart and put it back together, all while making me feel nostalgic as hell. Overall, it was lovely and I recommend this book to absolutely everyone!

You can find my full thoughts, and a thorough review here.

5."The Smell Of Other People's Houses" by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5

This is another one with great characters who pulled me and had me by my heart strings throughout the whole book.

I adored the simplicity of this book, and the story that it told. Although it had a slow beginning, in my opinion, it eventually hit the ground running and didn't stop until it wrapped up in a really satisfying and gratifying way. It was so heartwarming and honest, I loved it!

I would recommend this book to everyone, especially if you're someone who has a few hours to sit down and read it all in one go...I think maybe this book would be enjoyed the most in such manner as it is well-paced and quite short.

You can find my full thoughts, and a thorough review here.

That wraps up the list of books that I read in the month of January, 2017.

Tell me in the comment below what you've been reading this year, and which of the above books caught your eye, or you've fallen in love with previously?

Let me know in the comments bellow. All comments are massively appeciated!

All the love,

Samanta.

5 Tired Tropes That I'm Sick Of Seeing in YA

2017-02-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

As readers, we have all come across stuff in YA books that have made us curl up and scream into a pillow, throw the book across the room or out the window, shriek so loud your dog goes akimbo, or in severe cases burn those books and post pictures.

That got quite poetic...That's how passionate I am about hating some of these tropes that I have come upon when reading YA ~~i haven't burned any books myself because that's not nice in my opinion.~~

The following are the five things in YA that make me hate my own existence and some of my life choices...Enjoy this piece of mess.

The Scorned Bad Boy/ Dark Lord Who's Actually An Abusive Asshole

Okay, 95% of us are guilty of having fallen into this trap before, especially some five years ago when the internet was brimming with books that glamorized and romanticized psychotic assholes whose abusive behavior towards a romantic partner was excused by a 'traumatic past'....Ughhhhhhh.

There's nothing wrong with a misunderstood and misjudged 'bad boy' in books every now and then, when there's an actual back-story, plot and character development...However, more than half the time, that bad boy is just a freaking asshole, and really...there's nothing 'bad' about him beside his cowardice and narcissism.

God help me if I ever come across another one of those, I've only just recovered my sanity since the last time I encountered one of these.

The Unsuspecting 'Chosen One' Who 'Didn't 'Ask For It'

This is pretty much every character ever in YA fantasy and dystopia. The normal, 'every-day' gal in jeans and a tank-top who conveniently knows how to fight with a knife and swing a mean punch, and is suddenly thrown into a dystopia where they're the 'chosen one', but oh god 'they never asked for this'...Cue the five pages of self-pity and whining, self-depreciation and 'they must be mistaken'.

There is literally nothing worse than this piece of shit plot-line in YA. If you're going to write about some poor idiot who ends up in some messed up situations, then make them grow as characters, make them reflect upon what has happened to them, make them DO something about it instead of going with the flow and seeing what happens while magically being the only one not getting killed...Like ????. It's a tired trope, we've all read it a million times over, and the only time it was acceptable was when J.K. Rowling actually did it properly first.

Love Triangles - ESPECIALLY: "I love you but I also love your brother"

Okay this was maybe an appealing trope like 356 years ago...but it's literally done now. It's been done thousands of times. It's tired. It's on the death bed. I don't understand why you people keep putting it on life support...It's literally as appealing now as punching yourself in the face.

Especially the new 'twist' on it that I've seen popping up in recent years, the 'I love you, but oh your brother who is my best friend is kinda cute too" trope? Yeah that needs to go. It doesn't make love triangles better. It makes it worse and even more disgusting. Not only are you emotionally cheating on your partner then, but you're also literally putting a rift in a family. Like get the hell out, I've no pity for your stupid ass who just 'can't chose'...

I fullheartedly give permission and encouragement for someone to write a book where the two siblings realize the abusive asshole that the main character is being, and they kick them to the curb with their super-sibling love....Honestly, you can title it "The Last Breath of Love Triangles"...I'll give you an award.

The Whiny, Pessimistic Character With No Personality

I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm fifty pages into the book and the only thing I'm getting from a character is annoying ass whining about 'how horrible' their life is, and how 'everything's going to shit'...like first of all, do I care? And second of all, what's the point of all your whining?

A character is not made more interesting or mysterious when they're being pessimistic assholes, trying to ruin everyone's day with their annoying sulking and self-pity. Honestly...get your shit together and go on an adventure that is actually worth the pages of a printed book.

Such characters tend to be those that literally have no personality. They're only personality is whining and listing all the things that are wrong with their lives. Their whole existence is just misery. That's it. That's the whole book.

Undeveloped Flaws/Disabilities for the Sake of 'Diversity'

As annoying as a bleak character is, a 'flawed' character who is only 'flawed' for the sake of not being bleak, gets under my skin ten times more. You can tell, when you read some YA books, that the 'curvy' or the 'limping' girl is only so to give her a certain edge. Ughhh.

It's so transparent that the author has done this for that reason when such fact is stated about the character and then nothing is ever brought up about it again. The character goes about behaving like the 'bleak' character, except whenever it's convenient, their 'flaw' is brought up.

Don't even get me started on stuff like throwing in a different race sidekick, giving them zero plot points and zero personality, and calling it a 'diverse' book...You can politely fuck off with your so called 'diversity'.

.....

So, that concludes the five things in YA that literally get my blood boiling and my sanity edging towards the cliff's edge with every word of this nonsense. Hope you've enjoyed my angry babbling, hehe.

Let me know in the comments below which one gets under your skin the most, and tell me what YA tropes you're super tired of seeing. All comments are so, so appreciated!

All the love,

Samanta.

REVIEW: "The Smell Of Other People's Houses" by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock // SO MUCH NOSTALGIA!!

2017-01-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Published by Faber & Faber

Page Count: 252 pages (Paperback)
Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction.

Publishing Date: April 7th, 2016
Rating: ★★★★☆/4/5

As I sat down to write this review, I realized that this author didn't go for any cheap tricks or overly abused tropes to make this book a success; this book was pure honesty. Therefore, it felt wrong to write a gimmicky review where I scream in all caps about a certain character, like I usually would. Therefore, you may find yourself shocked at the honesty and yearning that this book has inspired in me...p~~roceed if you dare hahaha the gimmicks stop at this...~~

Alaska, 1970: growing up here is like nowhere else.
Ruth wants to be remembered by her grieving mother.
Dora wishes she was invisible to her abusive father.
Alyce is staying at home to please her parents.
Hank is running away for the sake of his brothers.
Four very different lives are about to become entangled. Because if we don't save each other, how can we begin to save ourselves?

Why I Picked It Up

First, it was definitely the title. I heard it, I turned it over in my messy, jumbled brain...and suddenly, out of nowhere, at 2 a.m. in the morning...I felt nostalgic. That's when I knew that this book was going to be an emotional ride, and I was definitely up for it.

Then the cover happened, I saw it and if my nostalgia hadn't done the job before, that beautiful and electrifying cover convinced me.

Also, this was set in Alaska, and it's described as a 'realist historical fiction' and I was like:

This leads me onto the first point why I loved this book..

The Setting

As the title may suggest to most, this book's focal point is all about people's homes, and what makes it their homes...I thought the setting of this story couldn't have been nailed down better. It alternates between a town in Alaska and a fishing boat out in the sea...It was a meticulous setting for a story like this one that carried a sense of nostalgia and this cosy homey-feeling.

The author is from Alaska herself, I believe, and you could really tell. Her writing, and especially her description of this seemingly 'in the middle of nowhere' town was pleasing to my brain and really painted the picture so well to the point where I felt the reminiscence of the author seeping through the pages. It was kind of tear-jerking honestly...

The Honesty

Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock focused on the very core of any story: the setting, the plot, the characters... and wrote it all till perfection.

This story is free of any and all gimmicks that we can often spot in Contemporary writing today, and that pure honesty and sentimentality is what makes this book so outstanding. It starts at such basics, and grows up to be something beautiful and heartwarming. That's why, it made me crazy with some unknown yearning and longing by the end of it.

My favorite part of the whole book was probably that hidden, ambiguous frustration that every character was feeling. Every single one of them had some kind of scorn, and it was almost like their whole journey throughout this story was to break free of that.

Ruth grows up in this metaphorically dark, uncertain place just to actually end up in a home of such descriptions, which allows her to grow up and find herself. Dora is restless and insecure, surrounded by violence, and it takes a confrontation to allow her to realize that she had so much of that anger hidden in her own crevices that wouldn't let her be at peace..

This was basically me throughout the whole book, whenever one of them realized something about themselves and began to piece their shit together:

I was cheering on these characters so much, and I felt every single one of their pains personally. That's really the bases of what makes this book so great!

Concluding Thoughts

I could probably ramble for another hour about all the aspects of this book that I loved, but ultimately I'd probably just end up boring you all and spoiling the book haha.

To conclude, I'm going to state that the only thing that brought this book down from 5 to 4 stars' rating, is the slightly slow beginning. It was to be expected, with such story concept and so many characters to fit into 250 pages. Nevertheless, it still took some time for me to fully start enjoying the book.

Perhaps the only thing that I can really say to do this book justice is that this was beautiful, and transforming! I recommend this book to absolutely everyone, young or old...it's going to speak to everyone on many levels.

I truly hope you will be picking this book up! Or if you already have, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I did.

Talk to me about the beauty of this book in the comments below!
All the love,
Samanta. x

FEBRUARY 2017 TBR: I set myself up for inevitable failure....

2017-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I am already writing this post...January is almost over. 2016 has been dead for almost a month, and 2017 soon won't be the 'newbie'. Maybe I'll soon stop ruining every school copy with my attempts to write down the date, which inevitably goes wrong when I write the wrong year. ~~as if I'd actually want to go back to the hell-hole that was last year haha.~~

January was quite the wild month, huh? A cheesepuff is now in control of the most powerful country in the world, and it seems to be getting worse by the day. The internet seems to be recycling the same meme materials, and discrimination is still alive and brimming...Fun.

In terms of reading, my month hasn't been either amazingly majestic or embarrassingly disgusting.I have read four books to date, and with the chaos that my life has become with a new term in school, I'm not shaming myself for that.

However, I am still being optimistic and keeping up the good spirits of the brand new year, and stepping up my reading game in February. With a little mid-term in three weeks, and my birthday, I have settled with 6 books on my TBR for the upcoming month.

1. "A List Of Cages" by Robin Roe

I've heard so many beautiful and heartwarming things about this book, and I am super, super excited to experience this for myself. Also the cover...can we talk about how heartwarming that is by itself? It reminds me a little bit of 'Le Petit Prince' (ie: The Little Prince) and that is basically my childhood in a book, so I'm already having warm feelings about this one! :)

2."Wayfarer" by Alexandra Bracken

If there is one thing I don't trust myself with, that's series...Much of my TBR is a graveyard of second and third books in a series that I never read, and which I probably never will...as depressing as that is.
However, I read "Passenger", the first book to this series and I enjoyed it well enough, and the direction in which this second book seems to be going in appealing to me, and the ratings it's getting is quite impressive!

I am praying the second book syndrome leaves me alone and I will get through this one before it sinks down my TBR to unfathomable depths where it will never be reached again....haha.

3. "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

Another contemporary that I've heard wonderful and encouraging things about ~~.Also the cover!!!!!~~

It's focus in mental illness and that's something that I want to explore more in books this year, and get familiar and comfortable with it, as I understand that the world is evolving and people around me are coming forward with their struggles, and every time I wish I understood more about what they were going through and how they were feelings...And books are always a great way to get educate yourself on such specifics.

Therefore, I am looking forward to the experience of this one!

4."Heft" by Liz Moore

In January, I read "The Unseen World" by this author, and it became my first 5-star read! It was engaging, engrossing, thoughtful and beautiful, in story and writing! Therefore, I am hoping these same qualities will be present in Moore's previous work, specifically "Heft", which sounds promising enough!

Hoping I will enjoy it as much as I did the other book by this author, and will be letting you know once I discover for myself!

5."The Light Between Oceans" by M.L. Stedman

This one was recommended by a friend, and after reading the synopsis, I decided to pick it up. It's a romance...which is like...not really usually my thing, but I do like some books in the genre every now and then. For example, I read "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes last year and it became one my favourite stories ever; so I'm very hesitant to state that I hate romances, because I don't always...sometimes I love them, no matter how cheesy they are.

So I will be reading this one soon, and hoping it will leave me sobbing with a broken heart....that's the best kind of romance for me :D.

6. "Alloy Of Law" by Brandon Sanderson

This one seems completely out of place with the rest of the list, but by the end of February, I want to have started back onto fantasy, and specifically, Brandon Sanderson's fantasy. I read his 'Mistborn' series in 2016, and it was amazing, and it got me obsessed with fantasy!

Although the original 'Mistborn' trilogy concluded with "The Hero of Ages", the world and the magic systems continues on in this book which extends the series to a few more books.

I've been putting it off because I hate to imagine the day when I have experience all that the 'Mistborn' world has to offer, but I definitely don't want to abandon this completely, therefore, it's time, and I will be picking this up at the end of the month. Hopefully, in March, I'll continue the series, and start another by the amazing Brandon Sanderson!

That concludes my TBR for February, 2017. I won't lie, I'm setting myself up for stress here, but as I said, I'm still hopeful and all about positivity, and setting myself a high road seems like the right thing to do.

So, have you read any of the books mentioned above? What are you planning on reading in the coming month? Anyone else has birthdays coming up in February (I'm turning the big 18 myself ahhh!)

Tell me all that below! All comments are so, so appreciated!

All the love,
Samanta.

Seven Series I Am Finally Reading in 2017

2017-01-25T10:21:00.000-08:00

I know of a lot of people who struggle with contemporary and make it their goal every year to read more stand-alones and delve away from obsessive series-reading...I on the other hand, seem to have a different problemito. From young age, series have intimidated me, and I have struggled to pick them up, and on the off chance that I did, the odds of me actually finishing the series were slimmer than the probability of a fish surviving outside water.

In 2016, I said to myself 'you're grown now'...'you're a year away from adulthood, i'm sure you can handle some responsability and actually finish a series or two'...And lo and behold... I did! Believe it not... I am as shocked as anyone.

I completed series such as 'Chaos Walking' by Patrick Ness, 'Mistborn' series by Brandon Sanderson, and the amazing 'Six Of Crows' duology by Leigh Bardugo.

My confidence boosted by the fact that I actually finished more than one series in a year, I was feeling quite risqué and I tangoed with some unfinished series, such as 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' by Sarah. J. Maas and 'Passenger' by Alexandra Bracken. I hope and pray that my will will be stronger than the devil on my shoulder whispering 'abandon this series', 'don't read the continuing books'....Because that 100% happens and hence a numerous amount of series have suffered in the past.

However, this year I am taking an oath to knock at least 7 series off my TBR list, and be able to say at the end of the year that I overcame my unprecedented phobia of series. The following are the seven series I am definately reading this year. ~~hahahaha i'm gonna regret this post in 2018...~~

1. 'An Ember in The Ashes' Series by Sabaa Tahir

Listen, I've been recommended this series by so many people that it's an actual disgrace to me as a reader to have not read it yet...Like what's wrong with me? A corrupt empire? Rebels? Sides coming together to fight the ultimate evil? Betrayal? Spies? Ancient Rome inspiration? WHY HAVEN'T I READ THIS YET?

I mean the answer is time...there's just never enough time *sigh* *cries* *has existential crisis because time is a society constructed concept that influences all of our decisions*...

Anyways, I am putting my foot down and saying that I am DEFINITELY, 150%.... reading this series in 2017.

2. 'The Bone Season' series by Samantha Shannon

It's actually depressing me the amount of series I haven't read, and how much references made by other book bloggers flies completely over my head...This one I feel like has been one of those books that I have seen pop up over and over again. I've seen people loving it, I've seen people hating it, but it always seems to be lurking just around the corner from me, taunting me, telling me to read it and form an opinion of my own.

So I'm hoping this year is the year, and I will finally get all of the witty references you guys make after getting through this series.

3. 'Red Rising' series by Pierce Brown

This has been on my TBR so long I've given up sighing and feeling guilty every time I remembered I still needed to read this.

It doesn't phase me anymore how much I failed by not having read this one yet. It has great reviews and ratings, and people always seem to mention it every now and then...and like, I just need to read it. LIKE NOW.

4. 'Shades of Magic' series by V. B. Schwab

Just call me Ms. Failure at this point because that's exactly how I feel having to admit that I haven't read this series yet. Like magic twist on time travel and I haven't touched it yet?? Why, how and when??

Good thing is that I'm pretty sure the final book in the series (??) is releasing this year, so I'm not too awfully behind like I am with the others on this list, but regardless, feel like I should have already read this one.

Hoping this will sit on my 'read' shelf very soon and I will be able to rave to you guys how great it was.

5. 'The Stormlight Archive' by Brandon Sanderson

Have I mentioned how amazing Brandon Sanderson's writing and world-building is? It's unbielievable!

And his magic-systems just blow many other fantasy writers out the waters.

Honestly, 'Mistborn' series was amazing and the three books were probably my favorite of last year but I've heard that this series is a million time better...Which is like....how the hell???

Also, a really cute librarian said I must read this ASAP, so guess I have to if I want to stay in his good books ;) hehe.

6. 'The Raven Cycle' series by Maggie Stiefvater

Don't look at me, don't touch me, don't even think about me....I am a disgrace of a person and reader.
Report me to 'unacceptable book choices' cops, I give you permission.

It is honestly embarrassing the fact that I haven't read this series yet...

I am therefore fixing this as soon as I possibly can because I do not want any more of the Raven crew's references flying over my ears. No more...I am reading these babies and I am fixing myself as a reader. I will change, and I will be better. I solemnly swear, I promise.

7. 'The Wrath and The Dawn' series by Renee Ahdieh

You have lost all hope, and respect for me as a reader, haven't you? Haha. I know I am a disgrace, I allow you to delicately poke me i bruise easily and tell me that I need to fix this unacceptable situation right now.

This one I've heard mixed reviews of, but I still haven't lost interest for it and definitely want to read it, and hopefully enjoy it too.

And those covers though...BOOOOOTIFUL!

Alright, that wraps up my list for the series I am definitely reading in 2017, and I just realized that this makes up to about 21 books...I am committing to reading 21 books that are a part of a series...

Jesus Christ...I really have some high hopes and expectations of myself with all these high roads....
I honestly better get to reading right now if I don't want to hang my head in shame again next year when it comes around to having to reflect on my year of reading...

While I run and glue all these books to my forehead, why don't you tell me which one I should absorb first, and which one on this list makes me the biggest disgrace of a reader hahaha. Tell me in the comments bellow, I will really appreciate it!

All the love,
Samanta.

EARLY SPRING CLEANING?? // UnTBRing Books

2017-01-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has ever loved books and has had a Goodreads account, knows what it's like to feel guilty every time they open their account and see the number of books on their TBR that is a few hundred in number.

You might think that eventually it will decrease as you keep reading, but the problem is that even though you might be reading at incredible speed, you're probably adding more books to your TBR at equally as astonishing frequency. Therefore you can never win with your TBR.

Currently on my list, there is over 200 books that I added thinking that I wanted to read it at some point. What happened with some of these books is that they sank so low down on my TBR as I kept adding and adding, that they are now at the very bottom where I added them 3 years ago, and the chances of me ever picking them up again are at about 0.9% percent.

I love books! And I would love to read every single one I've ever wished to read, but there is simply not enough time for me to even hope to do so.

Therefore I've decided to be brave today and do something that will pain every book lover's heart, but something that is probably necessary if I want to still hold hope that one day, my TBR will be conquered.

So today, I am un-TBR-ing five books from my list, ~~yes my heart is shriveling in my chest too~~.

1. "Carve The Mark" by Veronica Roth

This one pains my heart, but doesn't pain my heart at all, at the same time. The pain mainly comes at the disappointment with the author who had a great platform and a great opportunity, and produced something ugly from it.

I haven't read the book, and don't plan to after hearing from several reliable sources that this book not only portrayed chronic pain as a 'gift', which is just ugly and hurtful to those who suffer everyday from it, but also contained racist tropes and stereotypes (detailed post by Justina Ireland here). Needless to say, this flew off of my TBR as soon as I saw the same outrage coming from several sources.

I'm not one to bash authors. As disappointed as I am with Veronica Roth, I'll keep my remarks to myself and swiftly move on... Depending on how the author will respond and deal with this ugly situation, I may revisit Roth's work with hopefully a much better, and socially acceptable content.

2. "The Martian" by Andy Weir

I have attempted to read "The Martian" several times now, and every time it has proven to be a source of frustration and unsatisfaction. I know of so many people who loved this book and enjoyed it thoroughly, and the rating of this book on Goodreads is above 4.5/5 which astounds me in a way.

I wish I could be one of those people who loved it, but I have given this book several chances, and several times it wasn't worth it. I found the story to be stiff, way too factual and lacking of a writing style....At times it felt like I was reading a non-fiction scientific journal, and that just wasn't what I signed up for.

I simply couldn't even force myself to plow through it and see if it gets any better beyond the first 150 pages, and that is why I am removing this off my TBR, with all hope lost that one day I could actually read this and enjoy this as many others have.

3. "Room" by Emma Donoghue

"Room" made it onto my TBR list after I watched the movie, which destroyed me from inside out and left me a sobbing mess. Naturally as a book lover, I craved to explore the story deeper through the book. I had plans to read it eventually. Then I was recommended, and I read "Baby Doll" by Holly Overton, which turned out to be strikingly similar to "Room" the movie.

I ended up rating "Baby Doll" three stars, and I'm sure now as I sit and write this, that I would have enjoyed "Room" much better if I had read it, firsthand.

However, it seems now a waste of time to read this story when I feel like I've already read a similar version of it. I love the movie so much, and that I won't be losing out much by un-TBR-ing the book.

4. "Panic" by Lauren Oliver

This one is a similar case to "The Martian". I have given this book countless tries. I have revisited it over and over again, hoping that I would like it better that time around. And being honest, each time, it wouldn't take a month for me to completely forget what the story was about. It simply wasn't capturing enough, or remarkable enough to stick around in my head. Truth be told, the only thing telling me I never finished this book is my Goodreads 'Read' shelf...I could have finished this book for all I know. I don't remember more than two details about this story.

It has permanently left an impression on me as a dry, unremarkable and ordinary book, which is the reason why I am saying that I will most likely never truly read this book.

5. "Black Ice" by Becca Fitzpatrick

I don't think I ever really had a massive interest in reading "Black Ice", but over the course of time that this has stuck around on my TBR, I have lost all and any intent to read this book.

Not only that, but I've heard many negative things about this book. I heard about a dull, uneventful plot, and whiny characters. Sounds like the recipe for a book that I'll hate from start to finish.

Therefore, there wasn't much consideration, and no heartache at all when it came to clicking the 'Remove from TBR' button on Goodreads.

Wow...okay...not only is my list 5 books shorter, but I feel like some old weight has been lifted off of my chest. Most of these books have daunted me for years, yelling 'READ ME READ ME LOOK HOW LONG YOU'VE LEFT ME ABANDONED'. They've all been silenced now muahahahahaaha. Just kidding. Some of these did break my heart as I un-TBR-ed them, but ultimately, I firmly believe that some early spring cleaning was in order, and finally it has been done!

....Or did I make some terrible mistakes? Any of these books that you think I should 100% read, and you're currently gasping in shock that I killed them off like this? Will you be doing any early spring cleaning on your TBR? Let me know in the comments below!

All the love,
Samanta.

REVIEW: "The Diabolic" by S.J. Kincaid // DANCING IN ZERO GRAVITY AND AWESOME BACKSTABBING

2017-01-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

Published by Simon & Schuster Books

Page Count: 416 pages (Hardback)

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction (Dystopia), Fantasy.

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5

This is one of those books that is super hard to write an objective review for without spoiling the whole thing, but seeing as I decided to anyways, here is my attempt.

" The story follows our main character Nemesis. Nemesis is a Diabolic. Created to protect a galactic Senator's daughter, Sidonia. The girl who has grown up by her side and who is as much as sister as a master. There's no one Nemesis wouldn't kill to keep her safe. But when the power-mad Emperor summons Sidonia to the galactic court as a hostage, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia.She must become her, and disguise her unhuman-like Diabolic qualities that will bring her closer than ever to humanity. "
- Goodreads

Why I Picked It Up

I'll admit that I had big doubts going into this book; I thought, "Oh here we go", another one about a robot girl who couldn't love but then did anyways, somehow, magically...by the power of love.

But then I thought 'galaxy travel' and 'spaceships'...That's why initially picked this book up. However as it turns out, in my opinion, this book was so much more than space and that robot girl concept.

Important Aspect That Make Me Love This Book

There's an aspect to this book that almost makes it an important book to have in YA fantasy/science fiction. This isn't a story of a robot girl, this is a story of a marginalized girl who is made to believe she is 'less human' than others, by the society that she lives in. It almost becomes a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance in a world where all of that is frowned-upon.

Reflecting upon our world today, Nemisis as a character, and the Diabolics as a community, can even take shape as a reflection of the minority groups that are oppressed in our society today, just as Nemisis is in "The Diabolic".

This realization made me immediately warm to the book, and to the author. Beforehand, I could have rambled about the stereotypes and the cliche aspects of it, but all of that was shadowed over by the heart-warming story of self-acceptance that took place throughout this book.

"The Diabolic" truly delves so much deeper than what might appear as firsthand as an elaborate dystopian setup for a flaming romance.

Let's talk about the romance...

The romance in this book I could have done without, I'll admit, and I had some minor issues with it. Some *rolling eyes* moments too like...

However, by the end of the book, I found myself having warmed to Tyrus, our stammeringly hot love interest and heir to the Empire. He was a mixture of 'exactly what you'd expect', and 'DID HE JUST DO THAT???DID HE JUST-'. It was quite endearing at times....~~and then he'll go and stab someone in the back hahahaha.~~

Their eventual romance was pretty predictable from their first interaction, and I was holding fingers against it, but eventually, the inevitable of YA books occurred, and there was nothing I could do but sit and take the ride with them.

You should definitely not be turned off the book by me rambling against the romance. I'm just a girl who wishes for more backstabbing than 'I LOVE YOU MORE THAN MY OWN LIFE'....so once you read this book, you'll understand why I'm a teeny tiny bit against it here heh.

THE PACING

I also found this pacing of this book to be on point. I was turning the pages one after the other, and before I knew it, it was one a.m. on a school night and I was done, screeching quietly into my pillow. The author didn't waste pages with unnecessary fillers, but rather drew me in with the action, whether it was the awesome scene of Nemesis facing off a genetically altered creature, or Nemesis and Tyrus gracefully twirling in their gowns in a zero gravity ball room ~~like Peter Pan and Wendy~~. Really, the images there are quite fascinating, and probably enough to get anyone intrigued!

"The Diabolic" - A TRILOGY?

Since finishing the book I've heard some talk, some happy, some frustrated, that this was initially a stand-alone, but that it will be now becoming a trilogy since the positive receive of this book.

Personally I am not opposed, and hope that the author will know how to make the best of the opportunity here, and will not simply regurgitate whatever happens to be in the mix for the sake of making it ' a series'. I'm excited to see what's ahead for Nemesis and the galactic fam ;).

So, tell me, have you read "The Diabolic" yet? If you have, are you excited for it to be a series? If you haven't, you most definitely should, and you should also tell me what persuaded you to pick it up, and which mentioned concept is most engaging to you? Tell me all that and more down in the comments below! :) It will all be greatly appreciated!

All the love,
Samanta.

Fixing Bad Bookish Habits and Getting Book Educated in 2017?

2017-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

I won't lie, at the start of 2017 when the internet was brimming with posts about new year resolutions and 'new year, new me' memes, I refused to contribute for the simple reason that I knew it would be pointless. Resolutions made on the whim when you feel pressured to start improving yourself like the rest of the world, are sure to never work out.

That's why I let those thoughts sit and simmer for a while. Now we're halfway through the first month of the year, and several thoughts and ideas have been swimming around in my head as to what I would like to accomplish in regard to reading and the bookish community. While lots of people have made these lists already, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading every one of them, mine will perhaps be shorter, as to keep it real and acknowledge the fact that I will probably fail miserably if I set myself on a road too high.

Therefore, here comes my reasonable and humble list of bookish resolutions, and things I want to incorporate into my reading habits ! :)

POETRY

Although I've definitely always been affected by poetry since I encountered my first poem in primary school by Seamus Heaney, and despite my fascination by how deeply thought out poetry is, and the fact that every single word is a statement, I never really ventured into poetry outside of school material.

But guess what? That's definitely going to be changing this year! I was gifted a copy of Rupi Kaur's "Milk and Honey" during the holiday season, and boy do I adore it! It's touching and beautiful, and I am eternally grateful to the person who gifted me this masterpiece that made me cry on several occasions, in less than 100 words at times. Crazy right?! Some books are 400 pages in length and they don't touch my soul as much as some of these poems have!

Having done my research reading, I've put several poetry books onto my ever growing TBR. The following are some that I am hoping I will get to this year!

PRIORITIZING LIBRARY USE

We all have 'buy less books this years' on our lists, lets be freaking honest here, it's on our lists every year!

While I feel like I definitely squashed my impulsive, terrible, bank-breaking book buying habits in 2016, I want to take it one step further in 2017.

While I love owning books, and I love looking at them sit beautifully on my shelf, I'm being ruthless and honest when I say that 50-60% of those books I will never pick up to read again because I'm just not interested anymore. I find it to be a waste of money, and shelf space to have these books sitting around. So recently I've been looking around, giving some of these books to relatives and friends who wanted them, and I'm probably going to donate the rest in the course of this year.

To prevent similar books from crowding up my shelves again this year, I am prioritizing library use this year. I've got my library card sorted, there's an amazing library service in place where I live, and I am excited to give all my love to the local library.

In short, I am planning on reading my books from the library, with the exception of when they do not stock new releases or rarer books that I want to get my hands on.

If I end up loving what I read, I will probably make sure to own a copy of that book immediately!

This way, my shelves will be filled with books that I love, and they will never go dusty again from me literally never even looking in their direction!

Super excited to get the plan into action!

READING LIT FIC AND GETTING EDUCATED?

As somebody who's very interested in literary fiction, and will be hopefully studying English Literature in College in two short years, I read a shockingly low amount of this genre. It's honestly appalling and disgusting, and if I actually want to get into my course, I better get going right about now...

But there's nothing a new year's resolution can't fix right?! RIGHT?!?!

This year I am all about lit fic, sophistication and getting educated af. ~~When i said no high roads....this is not what I had in mind, oh boy...~~

So while I'll definitely still be showing love to my YA and Fantasy babies, I'm hoping to incorporate a grown up, serious lit fic adult into my TBR each months, and actually be able to say that I know what English Literature is when I go to university, ha :0.

I'M DROWNING MYSELF IN DIVERSITY

~~Figuratively...not literally....drowning is actually one of my biggest fears ha.~~

2017 is looking to be a year of diversity, diversity and MORE DIVERSITY. And I am 125% here for it. Heading towards the end of 2016, I made an effort to read more diversily, and while I did do so in a way, I wish I had been more successful. So again, new year's resolution gonna help me out here.

I want to read books from diverse authors, diverse stories and diverse characters....race, sexuality, gender, mental illness...EVERYTHING, just no more straight skinny pretty white girl falls for the straight handsome white guys pls. NO MORE 2017!!

My TBR has been once again significantly enlarged by all the upcoming , and already existing diverse reads that a whole separate post will be needed to include them all, therefore here's just few that I am keeling over with excitement to read!

As I said, I'm humbly keeping it to those four, in hopes that I'll actually stick to them and become a better person, like honestly....someone will have to give me an award if I actually accomplish all of the above this year.

What about you...anybody else hoping to delve into poetry and lit fic? How excited are you for the diversity of 2017? Any recommendations for my adventure with poetry and lit fic? I would appreciate it much! Let me know in the comments below!

All the love,

Samanta.

REVIEW: "The Unseen World" by Liz Moore // TALKING TECH PROGRAM AND A FAMILY MYSTERY... WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT??

2017-01-16T14:14:00.001-08:00

Published 2016 by Windmill Books

Page Count: 451 pages (Paperback)

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Literary Fiction.

RATING: ★★★★★/5/5

Before I properly get into rambling and attempting to articulate my thoughts sufficiently well enough to do justice to this masterpiece, allow me to trigger warn you... If you're someone who doesn't like to be pressured into reading certain books, maybe leave while you still can, because I can guarantee you, in the course of this review, I will randomly YELL in all caps about how much you NEED!!!!! to read this book, and how much I WANT!!!!!! and BEG!!!!! you to read this book.

It's that good that I'm willing to break my cool-calm-collected-persona I supposedly attempt to maintain in my online presence...HA bloody HA! to inform y'all how magical,beautiful,transforming,life-altering and bad for my emotional health this book was.

"The Unseen World" follows the story of a young girl Ada Sibelius, who has spent all her 13 years living her everyday life with her father David. David has thought her everything she knows, from mathematics to cryptanalyses. Ada accompanies David to his lab everyday of the working week, and there, she is part of the team, who are close knit like a family, and are working on developing groundbreaking technology of 1980s in Boston. Her life seems to be all there is to want for Ada. However, her world is turned upside down when David is diagnosed with Alzhemeir's, and her once sharp father begins to witter, and secrets and questions emerge that he can no longer answer to. Ada is sent spiraling into a world where new questions about her father and their past live together emerge everyday. - Goodreads

Initially, I thought this had the potential to be a story of a cute little family, and some self-discovery.... and while this book certainly offered some of that, it was so much more, and the book just flew off of any expectation chart I might have had beforehand.

One of the reasons why this book mesmerized me so much was the characters. Honestly, I'm sure some of you are side-eyeing me since I said the story follows a thirteen year old; but I assure you, half the time, I forgot her age. She is so much smarter, and at times probably even more mature than most people my age, which is late teens. Ada was so clever and carried herself so well, and when at breaking points she let her childhood peek through, she'd inevitably feel guilty and stupid, and I was over in my corner being like:

Because she's so brave, and strong, and beautiful, and amazing, and I'm over here like????? Stop thinking about yourself like you're not all of those things???

And David. Oh boy did David break my heart in a heartbeat like it was some crypt code that an ammature had put together. Honestly...his backstory killed me, and revived me at the same time. It was so purely honest and so soul-stealing when you realize that it very well could be semi-based on a true story, because those things were happening in the 80s.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I believe it will get more people interested in reading this story, so all I'll say is that this book is diverse in sexuality and explores the LGBT communities' experience as members of it in the 40s- 80s.... Can you understand now why I was an emotional wreck reading this story? ~~And then he gets Alzheimer's and forgets everything like what kind of heart-stabbing, bone breaking, torturing device is this book?~~

And the amazing characterization did not stop at these two characters. Every single character that was mentioned in this novel was brought to life in ways that stunned me. Every single one of them had a part to play, and every single string of this story was tied at the end of it. Like, where else do you get this??? It's honestly mind-blowingly amazing!

Another aspect of this story that I adored was the setting. The location, the time stamp. I loved the decade that these characters lived in, and I loved their process throughout it. David and Ada work in a tech lab, and they're working on developing this human-mimicking language software/robot that they talk to in order to teach it human language, and it's fascinating! Even as someone in the 21st century who takes technology for granted everyday and overlooks the miracle behind it all, I found myself gasping and clutching at my head in amazement at times when the story concentrated on the technology.

I appreciated Liz Moore's scene setting so much as well! By now I'm an adoring, avid reader of hers and I know that she writes astoundingly well, but still.... Boston of 1980 popped at me off the page as if I had wittinessed it myself, even though I wouldn't be born for another 19 years.

That's what a good writer does right? She brings you places you didn't think possible.

I cannot even begin to speak about how great the structuring of this novel was. We begin in 1980 with a 13 year old Ada, and learn about her life then. Eventually, after a plot-altering revelation, we're left hanging for a bit as we've transported to 2009, to an older Ada in a completely different part of her life. And this structure is repeated several times throughout the novel, and boy does it keep you reading

It's almost like someone hinting at what the puzzle looks like in the end, but not giving you all the pieces quite yet. So you sit there, and continue on your quest through the pages. And it's amazing, every single minute of it is meaningful!

I could ramble on for three more hours about all the things I love about this novel, but I'd rather not drain you of the experience of discovering all those little things yourself.

I sincerely hope you will pick this beauty up, or at least consider it. I promise you that it will definitely be worth it! It transformed me, and it rooted an appreciation of knowledge, memory and open-mindedness in me very deeply.

Tell me in the comments, have I convinced you to read this book yet? You totally should you know...I mean surely, you know what it's like to have read a book that many other people haven't yet, and feeling that necessity to scream about it from the rooftops, right? Tell me all about it below. It will be much appreciated! :)

With all the love,

Samanta.

SERIES REVIEW: "The Summer Series" by Jenny Han // Two Sad Brothers Fighting Over One Self-Involved Girl

2016-06-29T10:00:00.002-07:00

The Summer I Turned Pretty, It's Not Summer Without You, We'll Always Have Summer

Ratings:

The Summer I Turned Pretty ★★★★☆/4/5

It's Not Summer Without You ★★★★☆/4.5/5

We'll Always Have Summer ★★★☆☆/3.5/5

Overall Series Rating: ★★★★☆/4/5

This series has been sitting on my self for as long as the shelf itself has existed. Upon starting the first book, "The Summer I Turned Pretty", I realized that it sounded somewhat familiar, and as Goodreads later let me know, I had attempted the first book in the series THREE times before! The last time was two years ago, and somehow, I don't have a single recollection of it!

Safe to say, this series definitely waited it's turn out, and I figured with all the time I had on my hands, I might as well just power through it and find out once and for all what the hype had all been about.

"Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along"

Synopsis from Goodreads / Purchase on Book Depository (Affiliate)

I managed to finish the three books in about a week, and although I understand the appeal and it was an easy and quick read, there were a lot of things about this series that made me very, very frustrated, like the fact that two close brothers were after the same girl *criiiinge*.

The Setting

The majority of the story is set in a beach house in a town called 'Cousins', and it is the place where the Fisher and Conklin families have spent every summer since they can remember. It was the perfect setting for a summer read like this, and I loved the history in it, and all the memories made in that house that Belly shares. I just really loved the love that everyone had for that house, and how they all grew and developed in that house.

Cute Romance (Just Not For Me)

I quite enjoyed the romance in the first book, it was cute and innocent and lighthearted, which was perfect for the summer read, and I enjoyed it wholeheartedly... until it came to the middle of the second book and then it went askew, and I believe it's personal preference, and perhaps I'm a cynical person and the romance was too young for me, but I found myself cringing at the romance through most of book two, and in book three it just went down-hill entirely for me.

Parents Actually Exist In This One!!

I LOVED Belly's mother, and overall I was just delighted how involved the parents were in the story, and I'm just really glad that it wasn't one of those contemporary where the parents are mentioned once and then they're just a black hole with their kids running wild, falling in love and doing whatever without consequences. The parents were probably the most realistic characters in all of the books, so big thumbs up for that!

Frustrating, Unrealistic Characters

The parents were honestly just about the only characters I could read without wanting to throw something at a wall. SO.FRUSTRATING.!. Belly's self-involvement was so prominent that it actually shaped the story, particularly in the first book. Everything was about her, and everything everyone else did was because of her. You can probably guess that I came to dislike Belly at certain times, and so when you hate the voice telling the story, you might find it hard to concentrate on the actual story.

As for the boys, Conrad was the typical misunderstood bad boy, with a lot of self-worth issues, and Jeremiah was the "good guy in the friend-zone" until he wasn't, and then his character did a 180° angle turn, and Jeremiah in the third book wasn't the same character as in the first two...

Problematic Romance

As I've already mentioned, the romance was fine... until it just wasn't. In summary, it's two high school boys falling for a girl who they always saw as their little sister until she magically appears one summer with boobs and no glasses. Yeah, umh...that's not exactly down my alley. That's not even the worst of it, it gets a lot worse in book three *wretches*.
Overall, I just found the romance from book two on-wards quite frustrating, unrealistic and just a bit on the verge of disgusting.

The Ending:

"Let's just throw logic and three books worth of the story out the window, they're in love!!!"
That's my interpretation of the last 20 pages. I was at the airport when I was finishing it up and I didn't realize the faces I was making until I looked up and the lady opposite me watched me as if I was crazy. It FRUSTRATED me so much, the ending, the epilogue....just burn it. I hated it so much, I literally just went "NOPE" and I would have thrown the book across the room but I think I had scared the lady sufficiently for one day.

So...
In conclusion, I still gave the series a very decent rating because no matter how much the books frustrated me at points, overall it was still a pretty decent read. I think perhaps the fact that they were so quick, and easy helped a lot because the pacing didn't leave time for the frustration to linger.

I would definitely suggest that everyone gives this series a shot if they're looking for a summer read, and would recommend it to younger teens, and those who aren't cynical about high-school romance and won't mind the cringe romance.

Now tell me, how tired are you of love triangles, especially when it involves brothers oh god. What's worse, a self-involved character or one that constantly puts themselves down? Let me know, and pleasssssssse chat with me, down in the comments below!

All the love as always,
Samanta x.

The First Book I Ever Loved – The Book That Started It All

2016-06-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

Everybody who shares a love or passion for books and reading will understand me when I say that there’s one book, among all the tens and hundreds and thousands of others that you’ve read, which will always hold the biggest part of your reader’s heart and will stay with you forever. Talking about this with one of my friends, she immediately named Harry Potter, and I agreed immediately until some strong emotion overwhelmed me and I realized that that wasn’t the truth.

Like every child of my time, Harry Potter was a huge part of my childhood and I grew up loving that world, but perhaps that huge love and obsession with time faded and picking up a Harry Potter book felt like coming home, a homely feeling I was used to.

Then there was another book, which had no wizards or a chosen one, and one that is rare and unknown, but sweet and important, and which had a huge impact on me. It was likely the first book I ever stayed up late at night for.

That book is “The Orange Girl by Jostein Gaarder, a Norwegian children’s book originally titled “Appelsinpiken”, which was translated into English by James Anderson.

" 'My father died eleven years ago. I was only four then. I never thought I'd hear from him again, but now we're writing a book together'

To Georg Røed, his father is no more than a shadow, a distant memory. But then one day his grandmother discovers some pages stuffed into the lining of an old red pushchair. The pages are a letter to Georg, written just before his father died, and a story, 'The Orange Girl'.

But 'The Orange Girl' is no ordinary story - it is a riddle from the past and centres around an incident in his father's youth. One day he boarded a tram and was captivated by a beautiful girl standing in the aisle, clutching a huge paper bag of luscious-looking oranges. Suddenly the tram gave a jolt and he stumbled forward, sending the oranges flying in all directions. The girl simply hopped off the tram leaving Georg's father with arms full of oranges. Now, from beyond the grave, he is asking his son to help him finally solve the puzzle of her identity."

Synopsis from Goodreads / Purchase on Book Depository (Affiliate)

I received this book at the age of nine, Christmas 2008, from my auntie and uncle. It was one of the first times I had gotten books for Christmas and I was so delighted! It was a hardback and had pretty orange cover and I remember immediately being in love with it!

I read the book a few months later, and I have vivid memories of sitting on the floors of my living-room flipping through the first pages, and another one, which always makes me smile as I remember lying under my heavy duvet and struggling to hold up a flashlight as I attempted to read through the best and most intense part of the book. Everyone was asleep, and there I was, not being able to put the book down. I’m pretty sure it made me cry too.

Although the book still sits on my shelf, the pages loose and an orange colour, I haven’t re-read it since because of fear that my mind doesn’t remember correctly, that it won’t make me feel the way I remember. However, recently I’ve really wanted to read it, and I thought that before I do it, I might as well put those feelings in words and share them with you!

I want to know if you have a book like that, that you’ve loved so much it has made you scared to re-read it in case you had it wrong. What was the first book that made you love reading? Let me know and chat with me down in the comments below!

All the love as always,

Samanta x.

REVIEW: "The Sudden Appearance Of Hope" by Claire North // Kickass Females + Sadness

2016-06-21T11:28:00.002-07:00

Published May 17th 2016 by Redhook

Page Count: 480 pages (Hardback)

Genres: Adult, Fiction, Science-Fiction, Fantasy .

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5

I inhaled this book like one might inhale an old smell that reminds them of good ol’ times; I held this book in my hands and though ‘Ah, North Claire – I know you won’t disappoint me’, which was quite a delusional assumption to make since I literally didn’t even bother to read the back of it before running to buy it. It’s a Claire North book, alright?! I had to own it IMMEDIATELY!

Why? Well if you’ve read my review of Claire North’s debut novel, “The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August” then you know how much I admire this author, and how scared I am of her because I’m pretty sure she’s not human just because of how GENIUS she is!

If you haven’t read anything by her yet, the first thing you need to know is that Claire North writes the most complicated characters, and they usually come with the most undesirable ‘super-power’, abilities that just eventually ruin their lives and put them in some terrible situations where they literally not only have to deal with their abnormal issues but also, just casually, somehow save the world.

When I read the synopsis, I literally couldn't think of a way, or a direction in which the story might unfold in because it’s just so TRIPPY! These characters will destroy you and make you sad, and then excite you in a way that will give you the ultimate creeps.

That’s the beauty of Claire North’s books; it’s like “The Da Vinci Code”….on drugs.

While North’s debut deals with time-travel - a worn-out and tired trope, “The Sudden Appearance Of Hope” introduces a female character with an unlikely ability (disability??) that I have definitely never read before, which was one of the first things that made me excited for this book!

"My name is Hope Arden, and you won't know who I am. But we've met before-a thousand times. It started when I was sixteen years old. A father forgetting to drive me to school. A mother setting the table for three, not four. A friend who looks at me and sees a stranger. No matter what I do, the words I say, the crimes I commit, you will never remember who I am. That makes my life difficult. It also makes me dangerous. The Sudden Appearance of Hope is the tale of a girl no one remembers, yet her story will stay with you forever."

Source (Publisher) / Goodreads / Book Depository (Affiliate)

The Characters

If you can trust one thing about Claire North’s books, is that you will always find very clever and adverse characters that are faced with bizarre situations that threaten the well-being of their world, and so then these morally conflicted beings are forced into a role of unlikely superheroes, and their manners of saving the world will shock, scare and intrigue you.

Her characters are so clever, and none of them are purely good or evil – AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THEM SO REALISTIC, and you never know who to trust, and you get back-stabbed every few chapters, just as you begin to trust a certain character and it’s just GLORIOUS, and oh man, all these characters are so genius I literally had to take a minute several times to let my mind process all of it.

I swear, I’ll be 86 and I’ll be sitting in my rocking chair by the fire and I’ll still be thinking about Claire North’s characters, they’re just that GOOD!

You'll Never Know What Hit You

Half the time when I was reading this book, at the back of my mind I could hear myself screaming HOLY SHIT WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL, because Claire North will literally not give you a second to breathe before she’s throwing you into a world where sanity is not a thing of existence and you’ll feel like you’re seeing an action-flick that has been cut and structured all wrong. It’s absolutely crazy, and at times you might not know what’s going on, but that’s what makes me love her books so much, because at the end you get to see the broader picture and realization hits you harder than a bulldozer, and you get this satisfactory feeling and it's so, so cool!

Girl Power

This one also contains some KICKASS FEMALES who kicked not only mine, but each other’s butts…and that always earns the extra brownie points with me! So many strong and lovable female characters I felt like I was in heaven; you'll get the sweet and the innocent AND the bat-shit crazy and revengeful. Claire North knows what she is doing when it comes to women and their characteristics.

The Ending That Should Have Been

The ending…Ohhhh why do the endings always do this to me; why must I be so specific on what I want for an ending, and then feel crushing disappointment when it doesn’t happen. That’s just it! I will never be TRULY satisfied!

So here’s the thing... this EPIC and amazing, action-packed thing happened towards the end, and I was basically holding my breath waiting to see how it would all tie-up and shock me beyond return, but then it just kept going and going and NOT ENDING.

So I was like ‘Okay, this must mean that that wasn’t even Claire North’s final form!’ and I got so excited I think I started kicking the air, and then I was just waiting and waiting, and it kept going and then it just ended and I was just like… ‘Oh? That’s it?’…

I honestly felt so betrayed, and just so SAD. The ending was just so anticlimactic and at that point I totally saw it all coming, and it was just no fun anymore, and in hindsight, I think perhaps it was just a case of a story dragging on for the sake of closing all open ends, which I’m thankful for, but still…I wanted AN ACTION PACKED FIGHT and EPICNESS and FEMALES KICKING MORE BUTT, but then at the end it was more like getting backstabbed by a knife you totally saw coming…

I did say that I enjoyed all the earlier backstabbing in the book, so I guess it was just one more for the road and then it was done! Can't complain too much, now can I?

So...

Although I probably much prefer “The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August”, this one has a lot to offer too and I will absolutely be shoving it down everyone’s throat at any opportunity presented!

Now tell me, what other books have you read where you felt like you literally couldn’t trust a single character? What character have you read with the most unique ‘powers’? Tell me all that and whatever else you want down in the comments below!

Upcoming Releases 2016 Jul-Dec: 6 Books I'm Anticipating

2016-06-16T05:06:00.000-07:00

Hi dear reader!

As shocking as it might be to realize this, we are now halfway through 2016, and the first half of the year saw to some spectacular book releases that we all were very excited to get or hands on and read, and now comes the second half of the year, which promises to be even more colorful with up-coming debuts and releases of books that have me marking my calendar, and ticking off the days.

Last few days I’ve been reading some articles and similar blog posts about upcoming releases, and I have to say, my TBR list has shamelessly grown, but I can’t particularly move myself to worry that much since all of these upcoming books sound so good, and I can’t wait for their releases!

The list of upcoming releases is very long, and they all sound amazing, however, I thought I’d make a list of 6 upcoming books – one for every month. This way, I’ll maintain a piece of sanity and not go crazy with book-buying every month, and I’ll keep myself out of that book slump by attempting to read too much.

So, for the coming 6 months, I plan to read at least one new release each month, and I’ve somehow managed to narrow the list down to the 6 books that I’m most excited about, and so here it is!

July

“The Killer In Me” by Margot Harrison

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Contemporary

Release Date: July 12th 2016

Goodreads / BookDep. (Affiliate)

“Seventeen year old Nina is not a killer, but she dreams vividly of one every night. Nina comes to know everything about the murderer in her dreams through the disturbing connection, and with the help of a former friend, Nina tracks down the murderer that only she knows about. Nina overcomes two thousand miles with the intentions of stopping him, but the reality she meets is not the same as her dreams had shown her.”

As an absolute crime and mystery junkie, I am absolutely bouncing in my seat with anticipation for this release. To me, it sounds like the perfect crime thriller, and I love the concept of the dream connection and things going awry – IT SOUNDS SO GOOD, and I can just wait it out and hope that it will make me as happy as I think it will!

August

“Unscripted Joss Byrd” by Lygia Day Peñaflor

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: August 23^rd 2016

Goodreads / BookDep. (Affiliate)

“Joss Byrd is America's most celebrated young actress, but on the set of her latest project, a gritty indie film, Joss's life is far from glamorous. While struggling with her mother's expectations, a crush on her movie brother, and a secret that could end her career, Joss must pull off a performance worthy of a star. When her renowned, charismatic director demands more than she is ready to deliver, Joss must go off-script to stay true to herself.”

Oh my god, this one I am honestly buzzing for! It sounds like the perfect contemporary, with a light humorous side to it but also deep character and emotion exploration and I cannot wait to read this author’s debut! Sounds very, very promising!

September

“A Song to Take the World Apart” by Zan Romanoff

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Contemporary, Magical Realism

Release Date: September 13th 2016

Goodreads / BookDep. (Affiliate)

“Lorelei grows up in a household that has music and singing forbidden, but when she gets older and rebellious, she meets Chris, and she can’t stop herself from immersing in music. And as she starts exploring the power her family never wanted her to discover, influencing Chris and everyone around her, the foundations of Lorelei’s life start to crumble. There’s a reason the women in her family never want to talk about what their voices can do…”

Sounds very interesting, and for once I’m actually drawn to the magical realism because of the whole singing powers concept. Sounds like an easy, one-sitting read, perfect for September!

October

“Gemina” (The Illuminae Files #2) by Amy Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Genres: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Dystopia

Release Date: October 18th 2016

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“The sci-fi saga that began with the breakout bestseller Illuminae continues on board the Jump Station Heimdall, where two new characters will confront the next wave of the BeiTech assault.Hanna is the station captain’s pampered daughter; Nik the reluctant member of a notorious crime family. But while the pair are struggling with the realities of life aboard the galaxy’s most boring space station, little do they know that Kady Grant and the Hypatia are headed right toward Heimdall, carrying news of the Kerenza invasion.”

Oh man, yes! I absolutely loved the first book, and this one sounds even better! I love the concept of main new characters that connect with the first book’s heroes (I blame Marissa Meyer and her Lunar Chronicles), and I cannot wait to see where the story goes. Also this is like 600 pages so I’m already mourning the homework I won’t do because I’ll be stuck in this book.

(NOTE: this is me already cheating, but "Replica" by Lauren Oliver also comes out in October, and I am almost as excited for it as I am for "Gemina" but decided to go for the above since it's part of a series, but I am very interested in Lauren Oliver's new book, and I hear it also has a really cool format so I'm super excited!)

November

“Heartless” by Marissa Meyer

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Retelling

Release Date: November 8th 2016

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“Long before she was the terror of Wonderland — the infamous Queen of Hearts — she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. An “Alice In The Wonderland” retelling with a character who seeks love in a hopeless place”

OH YES, OH BLOODY YES. Here is Marissa Meyer herself, the woman I have to blame for my unquenchable thirst for fairy-tale retelling (there’s just something about them??), and this one doesn’t sound like it’s going to disappoint and it’s another 5 months but I’m already preparing myself for the FEELS! Marissa Meyer, I love you!

December

“Girls in the Moon” by Janet McNally

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary

Release Date: November 29th 2016

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“A story of a family; of future and past. Told in alternating perspectives, it is a story of a fractured family of musicians and poets. Phoebe’s parents are both ex-members of a rock band, and her older sister Luna seems to be following in their footsteps. A mother who won’t tell full truths, and a father who won’t tell anything, since he stopped calling three years ago, and Phoebe, who on her visit to her sister in New York, tries to find her own identity and how she fits into the family of poets”

This one is already gripping my heart! I can already imagine myself reading this by crackling fire in December, with the Christmas decorations probably up and a cup of hot chocolate…Oh YES. I’m already so in love with the idea of this book, the self and family exploration, the hurt and the broken pieces and the family of poets’ story line, it just rings so interesting to me! Looking forward to this one a lot!

*

And that concluded my list of top 6 books I cannot wait for!

Now tell me, what did I miss? What upcoming releases made your list, and which of the above seized your interest? Let me know all that in the comments below!

All the love,

Samanta xxx

REVIEW: "Since You've Been Gone" by Morgan Matson

2016-06-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

“Since You’ve Been Gone”

By Morgan Matson

Page Count: 449 pages

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Romance, Chick Lit.

RATING: ★★★★☆/4/5

“Since You’ve Been Gone” might attract a reader for many reasons, such as the fact that it’s written by Morgan Matson, one of the geniuses in fiction for achingly good summer stories; the eye-popping front cover that made the book stand out like a sore thumb on the shelves…or as in my case, association the legendary Kelly Clarkson break-up song that made you hate your ex when you were twelve, and in fact – didn’t even have an ex! Ah, good times…

“Since You’ve Been Gone” is Morgan Matson’s third novel since her debut in 2010 with “Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour”, which I’m sure everyone still remembers for the fuzzy feeling of summertime happiness that it left you with, and her third contemporary follows Emily, a character who’s life has been most significantly defined by the appearance of Sloane, her now best-friend. Sloane is everything that Emily is not, but it is only with her by her side that Emily manages to come out of her shell a little bit, and when summer comes, Emily is looking forward to long summer days with her best-friend, until she discovers that Sloane is missing, and the only lead Emily has is a note from Sloane, with a bucket-list of things for Emily to do. With hopes of solving the mystery of Sloane’s sudden disappearance, Emily embarks on a summer of her lifetime, where nothing much is off-limits anymore.

I will go ahead and say that there were many things about this book that I enjoyed, for example, for once, I actually enjoyed and approved of the love interest; I adored the whole concept of the list and how it was the catalyst to Emily’s character development; I enjoyed the friendships and loved their development even more, and a lot more things that I could say about Morgan Matson’s writing, but I have a feeling not even the most loyal of readers would stick around for that.

On the other side of things, there were parts and certain points of the book I can’t quite get behind and enjoy. One of them being the ending, which I found very anticlimactic, and something that I could have foretold from the first page of the book, it just seemed too easy, and was quite a disappointment. That being said, I found the last two chapters of the book a stretch, and immediately, my experience of the book went somewhere from four-point five stars, to just barely making it to four.

However, the last two chapters play a very small part in the grand scheme of things, and the friendships that made my heart ache and characters that are way too lovable mostly made up for it, and it will come as no shock to anymore when I say that “Since You’ve Been Gone” is the ideal summer read; it is a Morgan Matson book after all!

Perfect for those seeking summer adventures in the pages of a book!

Reviewed by Samanta Ned.

REVIEW: "First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August" by Claire North

2016-06-12T11:58:00.003-07:00

“The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August”

By Claire North

Page Count: 432 pages

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction

RATING: ★★★★☆/4.25/5

As the title might suggest to an observant reader, the theme of this book is one that has been tired and exhausted over and over again in fiction over the last few years; however, Claire North, with her debut in this genre, managed to cleverly discover new and previously unexplored aspects to time-travel, and debuted with one of the most original and intelligent piece of fiction in the game.

“The First Fifteen Lives Of Harry August” is a story of a man who lives a life, dies, and is born again in the exact same place, at the exact same time, only with the recollection of all he learned and experienced in his previous lives. Claire North introduces Harry August as a ‘kalachakra’, a gifted individual who is statistically only born once every million births, and with the title, Harry August is automatically thrust into a secret society ‘The Cronus Club’, where the gifted with this time-travel concept gather together and With Harry’s arrival at the club, he discovers that behind the glamour and exclusivity of the secret society, is a dormant fear that is inflicted by history and the ability that the kalachakra possess to alter its course. When a message is passed down from the future, Harry finds himself in the midst of a changing world, where the end of the world is approaching quicker than it should.

With the wide palette that Harry’s first fifteen lives offers, Claire North explores all aspects of this theme, and offers exceptional insight into her characters, especially her protagonist, Harry August, who I thought was one of the greatest complex character I’ve ever read, who felt real despite the nature of the main theme. On a side note, I found all of Claire’s characters to be very believable and well developed, and some that will shock you and leave you gasping.

Claire North also frequently dips into history and science fiction, and I believe if you’re an avid reader of those genres, you might enjoy this book to the fullest. However, if you are a reader like myself who reads anything as long as it’s good, it might take you a little while to immerse yourselves into the story and Harry’s lives, and that is why I would suggest pacing yourself with this read, allowing yourself time to familiarize and comprehend the story, and I promise that by the second half of the book, you will be gripped and will be thoroughly enjoying the epic experience that Harry August and his journey offers.

I will admit that the first half of the book was a lot slower for me than the second, and that’s perhaps what dulled my experience and why I couldn’t quite award it the five stars, but as North’s debut in the genre, I found it unbelievably clever, well written and developed, a story that will shock, especially the more sensitive reader so be warned, and excite just about everyone.

Although the plot naturally has some weaknesses, I would dare say a lot less than some other time-travel stories, and I’m quite content to say that Claire North didn’t leave any huge, gaping holes in the story. I would recommend to anyone who wants an intriguing, paced read that will leave them thinking in between the chapters.

I, myself, am very much looking forward to reading more from Claire North, as I’m sure she will have even more to offer to her readers with time and progress.

Reviewed by Samanta Ned