Review Mash-up! [2]

Author: Erin Morgenstern

Series: N/A

Publisher: Doubleday

Release Date: September 13, 2011

Pages: 512

Format: Paperback

Average Rating: 4.02

My Rating: 5.0

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it, no paper notices plastered on lampposts and billboards. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is under way--a contest between two young illusionists, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in a "game" to which they have been irrevocably bound by their mercurial masters. Unbeknownst to the players, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. (from Goodreads)

» Review «

Two of my 2016 reading goals were completed by picking up The Night Circus a few months ago. The first was my rereading goal; I had wanted to reread three books this year, and The Night Circus was the final of those three. Go me! The second goal was to listen to an audiobook—something I have never experienced before—and so I decided what better book to listen to than one I have read before and absolutely loved? And so, I borrowed The Night Circus from my local library. Listening to an audiobook is definitely not my favorite way to read. I constantly forgot/never had time to pick it up, and had to renew it twice before I was able to finally finish it in May. I can see where it would be useful during a car ride or while waiting in line somewhere, but I think I will stick to physical books, thanks.

Overall, I found The Night Circus to be just as beautiful, magical and captivating as I did the first time around. The characters and story were so complex; I am absolutely in awe over Erin Morgenstern's ability to weave such a beautiful tale. This book was the one that started my love of circus books and pushed me into trying more adult novels, so it was great to revisit it and reminisce.

I will say that the timeline got a little confusing with the audiobook because you can't flip back to the date like you can while reading the physical book, but I still absolutely loved it and anticipate that I will continue to pick it up every few years for another read.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

 Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Series: The Raven Cycle #2

Publisher: Scholastic Press

Release Date: September 17, 2013

Pages: 437

Format: Hardcover

Average Rating: 4.28

My Rating: 4.0

Ronan Lynch has secrets. Some he keeps from others. Some he keeps from himself.One secret: Ronan can bring things out of his dreams. Ronan is one of the raven boys—a group of friends, practically brothers, searching for a dead king named Glendower, who they think is hidden somewhere in the hills by their elite private school, Aglionby Academy. The path to Glendower has long lived as an undercurrent beneath town. But now, like Ronan's secrets, it is beginning to rise to the surface—changing everything in its wake. (from Goodreads)

» Review «

I finally finished it, guys! For three months, I had lost the desire to pick this particular book up; not because it was bad or anything, don't get me wrong—it was actually quite good—but because I fell into a horrendous reading slump and had trouble picking up/reading everything.

I did finally finish it in May, however, and it was spectacular. Maggie Stiefvater's writing is brilliant, and I feel like this series will just keep getting better. I love the story and most of the characters though I could not stand Adam. Ronan was someone I was not expecting to like as much as I did/do. I was indifferent toward him in the first book, but I loved his POV in The Dream Thieves. I feel like we're kindred souls, he and I.

The plot was very complex and interesting. Maggie writes in a way that is very metaphorical and flowery; she doesn't really come right out and say stuff, which is fine, but did get a little confusing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dream Thieves, despite my three-month break, and cannot wait to pick up book three!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author: Amy Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Series: The Illuminae Files #1

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Pages: 599

Format: Hardcover

Average Rating: 4.30

My Rating: 5.0

This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again. (from Goodreads)

» Review «

Oh, man. Where to begin.

Generally, books are told through the POV of a character, which allows the readers to connect to the story through their eyes. Since this book was told through case-files, emails, chats and surveillance footage, I had a very difficult time getting into the story at first. It took about a hundred pages, but after that, I was hooked! I honestly adored every single thing about this book, which is hilarious to me, considering how I used to hate Science Fiction. So many things were happening, which made everything extremely tense and I could not put the book down because the twists and turns kept me turning the pages well into the night.

The two main characters, Ezra and Kady, were great; they were funny, easy to like, and the romantic feelings (or lack of) didn't feel like it was pushy or in-my-face, though it could have easily been overbearing. There were a lot of other characters to keep track of, which became a little confusing at times, but I really enjoyed the individual stories and how they all connected together. I also loved, loved, loved the parts with the AI! Overall, the story was told in a very unique and beautiful way, the writing was great, and I cannot wait to find out what happens next!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Author: Kass Morgan

Series: The 100 #3

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Release Date: February 24, 2015

Pages: 340

Format: Paperback

Average Rating: 3.69

My Rating: 3.0

Weeks after landing on Earth, the Hundred have managed to create a sense of order amidst their wild, chaotic surroundings. But their delicate balance comes crashing down with the arrival of new dropships from space. It’s time for the Hundred to come together and fight for the freedom they’ve found on Earth, or risk losing everything—and everyone—they love. (from Goodreads)

» Review «

I feel like this series had a lot of untapped potential. A consistent complaint of mine was that there was too much romance and far too little action, and that remains true of the third and final book in The 100 series, Homecoming. The ground was left basically unexplored; I would have loved to see more  run-down, crumbling buildings and the other destruction left behind by the cataclysm. Even Mount Weather would have been awesome to explore, but instead we only had brief glimpses of the character's surroundings. Most of the time, the plot focused on the romance, adding arguments and deaths for shock value. As someone who cannot stand Insta!Love and prefers minimal, slow-burning romances, this was not something I was into.

Each of the characters were basically the same person and every single romance was similar. There was no depth for me, nothing to grab a hold of or connect to, which made the reading process very frustrating. Decisions were made that didn't really make any sense, scenes moved too fast, and I was left with a lot of questions. Though this was the final book, I feel like things were left hanging and that we never really got any real, concrete answers. What happens next??  It was not a very strong conclusion at all but, in retrospect, it was better than I thought it would be, considering the first two books. I did still love Bellamy's character and there were moments (mostly involving Bellamy) that elicited a chuckle out of me. I definitely prefer the TV show.

Bout of Books: Day Seven!

Another Bout of Books has come to an end. :(

» Day Seven Recap: «

▫ What I read:

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

▫ Thoughts on the book:

What is there to say, really, except I LOVED IT. I cannot believe I put off reading it for so long. Such an achingly beautiful, heart-wrenching, intense story.

▫ Challenges I participated in:

- NONE -

» Day Seven Stats: «

# of hours read: 1.5

# of pages read: 163

# of books completed: 1

# of challenges completed: 0

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

▫ Total:

Hours: 11

Pages: 741

Books Completed: 2

Challenges Completed: 4

» Wrap-up: «

▫ TBR:

✓ Read Just a Few Inches by Tara St. Pierre

✓ Finish Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

x Finish A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

▫ Final Thoughts:

Overall, I think I did pretty well, considering I had been suffering through a months-long reading slump right before Bout of Books began. I managed to complete Illuminae—which I fell in love with—as well as Just a Few Inches, a book I received for review. It was a good reading week and I managed to complete 2/3 books on my initial TBR, so I would call it a success!

Review Mash-up! [1]

 Author: Danielle Paige

Series: Dorothy Must Die #3

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: March 15, 2016

Pages: 270

Format: Hardcover

Average Rating: 3.85

My Rating: 2.0

After arriving in Oz via tornado—as you do—and a botched assassination attempt on everyone's beloved Dorothy, Amy Gumm finds herself back where she started; stranded in Kansas and unable to perform magic. When a new threat presents itself and Dorothy's long lost silver shoes are recovered, Amy and the Order must find a way to return to Oz before Dorothy has a chance to hatch a new plan and destroy both worlds forever.

»Review«

As I have said many, many times: I lo(ooooooo)ve retellings and/or reimaginings, which is what prompted me to pick up the first book in this series, Dorothy Must Die, when it came out a few years ago. I loved the story and characters, and found it very fun and entertaining. The second book was not as good, but still enjoyable. The third one, however, had me rolling my eyes and shaking my head throughout the entire thing because nothing made sense. Granted, nothing has ever made much sense in this series, but with the first book, I could overlook it because the plot was easy to follow and there was only one villain; Dorothy. In book two, we added a few more antagonists, which got a little confusing, but was still relatively manageable. Now there are even more and I have no idea what the heck is going on anymore and who we are supposed to be fighting. Not only that, but now the people we trusted in book one may also be the enemy? I could get behind multiple villains if we were defeating one or two each book, but nothing is getting resolved, we are back to square one, and the plot/storyline are jumping around way too much. And do not even get me started on Amy... She has turned into a needy, annoying character that is constantly contradicting herself - though, to be fair, Amy is not the only one doing this; it's pretty much every single character at this point. The descriptions of Oz were pretty much the only thing keeping me interested during book two, but even they cannot appease me anymore, and there was very little about this book that I actually liked. Add a few crappy decisions (seriously, Amy, get it together), solutions that are really just more problems in disguise, a cringe-y romance that is moving way too fast, and you have Yellow Brick War.

At this point, I will probably continue reading the series out of stubbornness, with hope that it can only go up from here.

Author: Amy Engel

Series: The Book of Ivy #1

Publisher: Entangled: Teen

Release Date: November 4, 2014

Pages: 282

Format: Paperback

Average Rating: 4.22

My Rating: 4.0

"A boy who doesn't want to lie, married to a girl who can't tell the truth. If there is a God, he has a sick sense of humor."

Ivy Westfall is on a mission. After years of planning, she is about to marry Bishop Lattimer, the son of the president, in an attempt to end an old feud between their two families. What her soon-to-be in-laws don't know, however, is that Ivy has been trained to kill her new husband shortly after their union - the first step in what her family hopes will be a revolution; earning them the authority that should have rightfully been theirs after a nuclear war leaves the United States ravaged and very few people alive. There's just one problem; Bishop is not as evil and conniving as her family made him out to be, and Ivy is no longer sure she can kill him. In the end, she must make a choice between Bishop and her family, love and justice, and doing what is right for her people or doing what is right for herself.

»Review«

I fell in love with this story immediately, and this book was probably my favorite read in the month of April. Though the plot had been done before—girl must kill boy, falls in love—it was still very enjoyable and I found myself emotionally invested in the characters because, get this: though the story was full of cute, romantic moments, it wasn't so overbearing that it took away from the plot, like all most love stories. I love it when that happens! Though the plot and action did not add much to the story until the very end, Ivy was still a very interesting narrator and, despite the fact that the choices she made were based on other people and not herself, there was a struggle there that kept me interested. She didn't want her family to dictate her life, but they are her family and she owes them her loyalty. She didn't want to be open and honest and have fun because she doesn't really deserve it, but it happened anyway because Bishop is a nice guy. Seeing her struggle with this was extremely interesting and created a story that is a classic example of how a character-driven plot can be done well, even if there is a love interest involved.

I very much enjoyed the different characters, particularly Bishop, and how Ivy discovers her family may not be as selfless as they seemed. The ending had me howling in rage in Ivy's defense, and I am excited to pick up the next one and see how this duology ends.

Author: Allie Brosh

Series: N/A
Publisher: Touchstone

Release Date: October 29, 2013

Pages: 369

Format: Paperback

Average Rating: 4.15

My Rating: 3.75

 
Stories about Allie Bosh's dogs, depression and life. But mostly about her dogs.

»Review«

I had originally read this book in 2014 for a quick laugh and decided to pick it up again recently for the same reason. Really, since this is a book made entirely of drawings and crass, self-deprecating humor, there is not much to say. I found certain things relateable, and others not. There were things I found extremely funny and other incidents where Allie's humor was a bit lost on me. Overall, I enjoyed the book; it is a quick, light read that I was able to finish in a day and, should Allie ever write/illustrate another one, I would definitely read it as well.

(During my original read, I gave Hyperbole and a Half 4.0 stars. After my reread, it was knocked down to 3.75.)

Author: Bryan Lee O'Malley

Series: N/A

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Pages: 323

Format: Hardback

Average Rating: 4.04

My Rating: 3.75

Katie is in trouble. Not only is her new restaurant not coming along as fast as she had hoped, but there are complications with her current fling, her ex boyfriend shows up, and one of her best waitresses becomes badly injured. That's when the House Spirit arrives. Write down your mistake. Eat a Mushroom. Go to sleep and wake up anew. These three rules redefine Katie's life as she begins to erase mistakes made throughout the day and replace them with an alternate situation. Waitress's injury? Gone. Awkward encounter with ex boyfriend? Never happened. An incident that occurred a few years ago that you can't seem to get over? Nope. But what Katie thought was an easy fix to her everyday problems quickly gets out of hand, and she must find a way to set her life right before it's too late.

»Review«

Graphic novels are easy to read/get into and do not take much time. As such, they are the perfect sort of thing to check out from the library when you already have a large pile of books sitting at home, staring at you with betrayal every time you even think about buying or reading something new. As a graphic novel newbie, I was unsure where to begin, exactly, so when I saw Seconds sitting on the shelf and remembered that several Booktubers had really enjoyed the book a few months prior, I decided to pick it up.

I did have a few problems with this story. Katie, to me, was not a very likeable character and, when things started to go wrong, she blatantly ignored the warning signs, which I found a little unrealistic. Overall, however, I found the story to be interesting—particularly the part about House Spirits—funny, and endearing. The last quarter of the book was very well done and exciting, and I especially enjoyed how things wrapped up.

January Rewind

» This month I.... «

▫ Rang in the New Year with my family.

▫ Celebrated by brother's 22nd birthday.

▫ Participated in Bout of Books 15.

▫ Began putting together a few ideas for my novel.

▫ Started the 365 Project!

▫ Reconnected with an old friend.

January Snapshots:*

*Some of these are linked to a 365 Project post on Tumblr. Click on the photograph to be taken to the original post!

» Book(s) I've Been Reading «

» Movies/Shows I've Been Watching «

Teen Wolf season 5 has begun and I am SO excited to see where the story goes. Things kind of fell apart for the characters last season.

I didn't expect to love this show as much as I currently do. It's brand new—on its very first season—and I am getting some serious Lord of the Rings vibes. Hopefully my excitement and love for the characters and this world continue.

The 100 is back with season 3!!! I wasn't too impressed with the newest episode, but the trailers and sneak peeks look amazing. Hopefully the show doesn't let me down!







I saw this movie for the first time a few days ago and really liked the changes. Definitely a new favorite of mine!

» Songs I've Been Listening To «

I have had this song stuck in my head since New Years Eve.

» Other Favorites «

I've been a fan of the SacconeJolys for a while (Anna was in one of my Monthly Rewind posts a few months back), but I have recently started watching them again in an attempt to catch up on what they've been up to. They are Youtube daily vloggers and have the cutest little family ever.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf; current favorite 3DS game.

I have been obsessed with the Smucker's Uncrustables PB&(strawberry)J sandwiches lately! They are SO. GOOD.

» What I've Been Up to On Youtube «

2016 Reading Goals

▫ Book Haul

▫ Disappointing Eye Candy | T5W




What have you guys been loving?

December Rewind

» This month I.... «

▫ Spent the evening I was supposed to be participating in our church's Christmas musical in the emergency room.

▫ Celebrated my twenty-sixth birthday!

▫ Had my first ever Root Canal. -_- It actually hurt way less than I thought it would. Getting my wisdom teeth pulled was a far more painful experience!

▫ Celebrated Christmas with my family.

▫ Went to Barnes & Noble for the first time in forever (and was disappointed).

December Snapshots:*

*I don't take nearly enough pictures and the ones I do usually feature animals. Whoops!

 

» Book(s) I've Been Reading «

» Movies/Shows I've Been Watching «

 CBS' Scorpion

I received the DVD of The Scorch Trials for my birthday!

» Other Favorites «

I am still completely obsessed with The Sims 4 house builds and recently discovered The Sim Cache on Youtube. Their videos are AMAZING.



I began following Dear Scarlet a few years ago. Basically, two parents have dedicated a blog to their daughter, Scarlet, and it is adorable. My love for Dear Scarlet has been reignited and I have enjoyed spending the majority of December catching up on Scarlet's crazy-cute life.



I have also been obsessed with coloring books, particularly the ones by Johanna Basford. "Enchanted Forest" is the one I am currently working on; these books are great for stress relief and are a lot of fun (they also make great gifts)! I am hoping to pick up a few of the others soon.

» What I've Been Up to On Youtube «

The 12 Days of Christmas Book TAG

▫ Book Recommendations | Winter 2015

▫ Top Ten Books of 2015



What have you been enjoying this month?

November Rewind

» This month I.... «

▫ Celebrated my little sister's twentieth birthday!

▫ Hung out at home over Thanksgiving break with my family; we ended up celebrating the Saturday after.

▫ Read a CRAP-TON* of books!

*Please note: "Crap-ton" now means six.  

November snapshots:

My old elementary school was knocked down this month and they left the front door for last. Much sadness and nostalgia!

Caught a glimpse of some early Christmas lights!

» Book(s) I've Been Reading «

 

» Movies/Shows I've Been Watching «

CBS' Scorpion

I am still hopelessly obsessed with Scorpion, particularly after the "Arrivals and Departures" episode. /quiet sobbing

» Songs I've Been Listening To «

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack

» Other Favorites «

I love the Saccone-Jolys and so I decided to finally check out Anna's channel! The great thing about Anna is that she is like a "big sister" to her viewers which, admittedly, is a very appealing concept for me because I am the big sister and have never had an older, sibling influence. She is also very fashionable and gives great makeup, life, and health advice and I absolutely adore her channel.

» What I've Been Up to On Youtube «

Autumn's Document Your Life

▫ Fall Time, Cozy Time Book TAG

▫ Bookish Wishlist | 2015

What have you guys been loving?

September Rewind

This month I....

▫ Celebrated two birthdays; my youngest brother turned sixteen on the 8th of September and another turned twenty-four on the 15th.

▫ Took Louis and Oliver to the vet for a check-up (Louis' third and Oliver's very first). Neither one enjoyed the experience, but both were healthy!

▫ Freaked out over the release of Library of Souls! AHHHHH!

▫ Watched The Scorch Trials in theaters and freaked out some more.

Book(s) I've Been Loving:

(click on the image to be taken to the book's Goodreads page)

Movies/TV Shows I've Been Watching:

I have had the new 5th Wave trailer on repeat because it is JUST. SO. BEAUTIFUL.

Songs I've Been Listening To:

Thriving Ivory - Where We Belong 

Disney's Descendants - Be Our Guest

Games I've Been Playing:

  I LOVE the building feature in The Sims 4.

 People I've Been Obsessing Over:

I have been experiencing a fresh wave of love and respect for Dylan O'Brien this month, particularly after seeing The Scorch Trials. UHG, HE'S SO ADORABLE.

 

 

Because I've been so obsessed with building things in The Sims 4, I have spent quite a few hours this month watching similar videos on Youtube and found this guy. His builds are gorgeous and I enjoy watching his videos and learning some new techniques as well.

 What I've Been Up to On Youtube:

September Reading Wrap-up

September's Document Your Life

What have you guys been loving this month?

May 2014 Wrap-up [spoiler free!]

Late wrap-up post is late. I blame Animal Crossing.

☆☆☆☆

1. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Another 2014 reread! Even though I enjoyed this book just as much the second time around, I did find myself picking it apart and discovering more flaws now that I know the outcome of the story. The rating may have been bumped down a star, but it will forever remain one of my absolute favorite reads.

☆☆☆





2. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows. Incarnate was not quite what I was expecting. After reading the synopsis—and all of the raving reviews—I was under the impression that this book would be a healthy mix of plot and character; with action and development sharing equal parts of the story. Unfortunately, it was mostly character based; the focus on Ana and her relationship with a certain male character, rather than overcoming flaws/their seemingly corrupt society. I do plan on completing the series, but have no idea as to when, exactly, this will be.

☆☆☆☆

3. The Unbound (The Archived #2) by Victoria Schwab. SWOONY SWOON-SWOON. Though The Archived has remained my favorite of the series (so far), The Unbound was just as exciting and beautiful as the first. I absolutely cannot wait for book three!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

☆☆☆☆






4. Every Day by David Levithan. Oh, the feels. I have come to the conclusion that David Levithan is very good at what he does — writing loaded books that rip your heart to shreds. What a gorgeous, gorgeous read.

☆☆☆☆

5. Six Earlier Days (Every Day #0.5) by David Levithan. After the heartbreaking end of Every Day, I quite enjoyed getting a few extra glimpses of A's life. This prequel novella was just as good as the first.

6. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. After completing this book, I was able to cross two 2014 reading goals off of my list: to read Water for Elephants and complete a book that had been on my physical TBR shelf for a period longer than six months. And OH. MY. I quite enjoyed it! The writing, characters and story were beautiful and I loved the crude, behind-the-scenes circus storyline and how it tied back into the main character's present day. Definitely one of my new favorites!

Actual rating: 4.75 stars

7. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. Unfortunately, my reading slump began somewhere around page 50 of this book. Despite the season, I have not been in much of a contemporary mood. Weird, right? I definitely plan on picking this back up sometime in June, after I have had a chance to read a few books with a bit more action but, until then, back to the TBR shelf it goes!

. . . . 

May Stats:

▫ Read 5 books (and 1 novella)

▫ Read 1,943 pages

GR's 2014 Reading Challenge (Progress):

▫ Read 28 of 70 books

▫ Currently 1 book behind schedule

Upcoming Releases:

▫ My Faire Lady by Laura Wettersten -- June 3, 2014

▫ Fan Art by Sarah Tregay -- June 17, 2014

▫ 17 First Kisses by Rachael Allen -- June 17, 2014

I was hoping to get through City of Heavenly Fire as well, but alas; it was not delivered until two weeks after the release... What was your favorite book of May?