Partials by Dan Wells (Review)

Partials by Dan Wells

Released February 28, 2012

468 pages

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Playing on our curiosity of and fascination with the complete collapse of civilization, Partials is, at its heart, a story of survival, one that explores the individual narratives and complex relationships of those left behind, both humans and Partials alike—and of the way in which the concept of what is right and wrong in this world is greatly dependent on one’s own point of view.

I find that many authors are either good at characters or they’re good at world-building, but the mark of a truly talented writer is that they are equally adept at both—such as Sarah J Maas or Leigh Bardugo. I believe that I’ve stumbled across another one of these rare talents in Wells. He crafts a very detailed dystopian world, which is made even more vivid by his attention to its historical and political elements. These elements start off quite simple in the beginning of the book—humans were killed by Partials, Partials are the enemy, and there is a group of terrorists called the Voice which exists on the fringes of normal society—however, all of this becomes deliciously more complicated as the story moves forward.

Meanwhile, Wells’ attention to his characters is just as evident as his attention to his world-building. Every one of his characters is created with purpose and intention, and even the most minor of characters is somehow given traits that make them feel like an individual rather than a means to an end. For example, I was able to get a sense of personality even from one soldier who was never named and was only present for about 5 pages—so much so, in fact, that I actually felt sad when he died. I never got the sense that any of Wells’ characters were unnecessary or replaceable. I particularly enjoyed seeing the world through Kira’s perspective, because she is such a strong and intelligent character; I really appreciated the moments when that strength was tested and she was made to feel very vulnerable and weak, because her strength was made even more apparent through those moments.

One trait of this novel that I was very happy about was the inclusion of people of color. Oftentimes, if a character of color is included in a novel, it feels like they are a token character who is simply made black or Asian just for the sake of saying “Yes, this book has diversity!” However, Wells’ novel truly does have diversity; the protagonist is described as being “mostly Indian”, her adoptive caretaker is also Indian and often wears a sari, one of her adoptive sisters is of Native American descent, and multiple characters are Asian (described as Japanese and Chinese). In addition, there is reference to the religious diversity in their world, as one character is stated as being Buddhist and another belongs to a Christian minority. However, my one critique is that there was no explicit black representation (that I could recall), but I’m hoping there will be some in book 2.

The pacing of the story was fine. There were some times when I felt that it could have been paced a little faster, and could understand how it might potentially bore other readers, but I never personally felt bored or wanted to skip ahead at all.  In addition, the battle/fight scenes were well written. Also, since this book is pretty heavily placed in the science fiction realm, there is quite a bit of reference to genetics, biology, and physiology; as someone who generally dislikes the “hard sciences”, I was pleasantly surprised that Wells did a good job of making his science easy to follow for the average reader. I can’t say that I was able to understand 100% of what was said, but I could follow enough to understand the overall implications for the storyline.

I had a hard time putting this book down,and I stayed up several nights past 1 AM just so I could find out what happens next. Thanks to Wells, this reading year is off to a fantastic start!

The Heist (Review)

The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Released June 18, 2013

295 pages

Borrowed through online library system

So this is really the first adult heist book I’ve ever read- even in the YA genre, the only reference point I have is Six of Crows (WHICH IS AMAZING). As far as a first time sort of thing goes, this book wasn’t awful. In fact, it could have been much worse.

Starting with the main characters, I liked Nick Fox and Kate O’Hare as individuals and as partners. I felt that they worked well together despite the fact that they were always getting on each other’s nerves. Also, I enjoyed the fact that there was some sexual tension between them, but I honestly didn’t see too much happening in terms of a romantic relationship. Given that this is the first book in the series, this made their relationship, if I’m being honest, more realistic than a lot of romances I’ve read. In addition, I was pleasantly surprised that there was no graphic sex scene in this book, as a lot of adult novels tend to have. The one thing I would’ve liked to get is some back story on both Nick and Kate, but maybe that’s something that’s explored later in the series.

As for the other characters, I liked that Kate’s dad played a role in the plot. Also, I liked a couple of the crew members because they added humor to the story. That being said, there were two crew members who I felt were almost afterthoughts (or a means to an end) in the authors’ writing process. They were just there when they needed to be, and we don’t have any idea what kind of people they are; this lack of characterization made me not care about them as a reader.

In terms of plot, at times I felt like things were moving too quickly. Like, they’d be in one country one day and then all of the sudden they’re in some other country doing God knows what. However, given that this is a fast-paced novel, I can understand why the author would want to move some parts along fairly quickly. My other gripe about plot was the fact that everything was way too convenient. There were several points in the story where I found myself asking, “Really? You just happened to have that with you?” or “Really? And he just all of the sudden showed up at exactly the right time?” I don’t know if this is a typical quality in heist books given the nature of the genre, but I hope not because the fact that every problem in the story had an almost immediate solution took out some of the high-stakes tension of the book.

Overall, I liked this book enough to finish it and maybe even read the next one. As far as an entertaining audiobook to listen to on my commute to and from college, this book did its job. I am interested in seeing how Kate and Nick’s relationship/ partnership develops over the course of the next book.

Thanks for reading,

 

Every Day (Review)

Every Day by David Levithan

Released August 28, 2012

324 pages

Purchased through Barnes & Noble

Rating: 3/5 stars

Goodreads summary: 

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

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I have very mixed feelings about this book. When I think about it, it is almost as if I am thinking about two different books combined into one. One part of this book is a romance story focused around the two characters, A and Rhiannon, and the time they spend together. Meanwhile, the other part of this book is a philosophical commentary on the nature of human beings and love. I loved the commentary and hated the romance.

The love story felt completely forced to me. The two characters don’t really know much about each other, yet A assumes to know everything about Rhiannon and how she is feeling at any given moment. They claim to be in love, yet it feels like the most forced instal-love that I’ve ever read about. In addition, A assumes to know what is best for Rhiannon and, as a result, seems apt to making decisions on her behalf, especially when those decisions pertain to her love life. Overall, I could not for the life of me understand why the author kept pushing the idea that these two characters were somehow meant to be. Also, A felt clingy, annoying, and selfish at several points throughout the story. Which brings me to my next point. Some of the things I’ve stated actually make sense when given the context of A’s existence. A is essentially a genderless consciousness who floats in and out of people’s bodies. It makes perfect sense that A is clingy and selfish when they finally find someone who they love and who knows that they exist. That being said, these characteristics still managed to get on my nerves. Maybe because, at some points in the novel, A seems wise beyond their years. Meanwhile, at other points they seem like an whiny and slightly hormonal teenager.

Moving on from the romance, the parts of the novel that I personally enjoyed most were the ones where A is experiencing the lives of the people whose bodies they inhabit. There is something really beautiful about the way that Levithan is able to take the reader on this journey through so many perspectives and so many different lives. Every person who A lives through is experiencing their life in a way that is unique to them, and every person has a story to tell.

Disregarding the romance, this book felt very poignant and real because it really demonstrated the idea that people’s existences are not just anchored in themselves, but in the people around them. Oddly enough, this book reminds me of the question “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” In the same way, this book makes me ask this question: If a person exists but no one is aware of their existence, are they actually alive?

In many ways, Every Day reminds me of another book that I read- Written On the Body by Jeanette Winterson. Like Every Day, the narrator is genderless in the sense that the author never states their gender. In addition, it’s a love story/ philosophical commentary in which I loved the commentary and, again, hated the romance. And, come to think of it, the narrator also makes decisions on behalf of their lover in that story as well.

Overall, the fact that this book felt very raw and thought provoking was what kept me from giving it a lower rating. I think the premise behind it is genius, and the book could have been amazing if it were not for the annoying romance.

The Revival of the Shatter Me Fandom

Hello, there. Aren’t you looking lovely today? Thank you for stopping by on this glorious day. What makes this day “glorious”, you may ask? Well…

That’s right, the dream that I didn’t dare to dream has come true. Tahereh Mafi announced today that the Shatter Me series will continue with three new books, the first being Restore Me in March 6th, 2018!

But can we talk about that title? The first three titles all had words in them that signified destruction (Shatter, Unravel, and Ignite), but now Juliette is rebuilding the world and herself and nobody touch me because I’m not O.K.

Shatter Me has a special place in my heart, and the SM fandom has always been my favorite (shoutout to the Aaron Army on Goodreads). I honestly can’t believe we’re lucky enough to be going on this journey again, and I can’t wait to read about the adventures that Warner, Juliette, Kenji, James, Adam and everyone else will be going on. Plus the Warner/Kenji sass and the brotherly moments and Warnette *sigh*.

Anyways, if you want some more information here’s a link that Tahereh shared on her instagram. Also, don’t forget that we get a Shatter Me TV show!

According to IMDb, it looks like the early episodes of the show will be coming out in the end of 2017 and run into the beginning of 2018:

Other than that, not much info is out about that project, but I’ll keep my eyes peeled for any developments.

Are you Shatter Me fans? If you are, leave a comment letting me know how you reacted to the news of the new books!

Thanks for reading!

What kind of booknerd are you?

Take this quiz to find out how much of a booknerd you really are! For every answer you pick, record the point value located to the left of your answer. At the end of the quiz, tally up your total points. Leave a comment letting me know what kind of booknerd you are, and if the results of the quiz were accurate. 🙂

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You’re going out on a trip and you’ll probably be gone all day. Do you grab a book before you head out?

1. Probably not. I mean why go out if I’m just going to read, right?
2. It depends. Will I need to socialize on this trip?
3. It wouldn’t hurt to grab my kindle just in case…
4. Why just take one? I don’t know which book I’ll be in the mood for while I’m out.

 

Your friend borrowed a book but hasn’t given it back yet. How long do you wait before mentioning it?

1. Wait…I totally forgot about that book! Thanks for reminding me.
2. Well, she’s been super busy and I already read that book. A year, probably.
3. Some people are slow readers. But, a month should be more than enough time.
4. He borrowed that book two weeks ago, and I read it in a single night! There’s no way he’s not done yet…I’d better text him about it to make sure he hasn’t lost it or something.

 

You overhear someone in your class/workplace saying that “reading fiction is a waste of time”. What do you do?

1. Why am I expected to do something?
2. Well, I don’t agree…but I don’t want to start a debate, so I’ll just keep my opinion to myself.
3. I’d politely ask the person why they think that, and then proceed to tell them why I disagree.
4. OH HECK NAH! That person clearly wants to fight me because they always see me with a book in my hand. Let’s go.

 

You see the author of your favorite book at a local bookstore. What do you do?

1. I don’t really know what that author looks like, so I probably wouldn’t recognize him/her anyways.
2. I’d probably just make eye contact, smile, and then tweet a discreetly taken picture. I wouldn’t want to bother them.
3. I’d walk over, introduce myself, and then ask for a selfie!
4. SQUEEEEE! I’d try to calm my breathing first, and then I’d run and buy a second copy of their book so I can have them sign it for me. It’ll go perfectly right in the center of the shrine shelf that I have dedicated to their series.

 

You found out that one of your favorite books is going to be turned into a movie. How do you react?

1. I’m going to watch it, obviously. I might even like it more than the book!
2. Make a fan account on Twitter solely dedicated to the movie. I’m so ready!
3. I’ll be honest, I’m a little skeptical. I still have violent cringes when I think of the City of Bones and Percy Jackson movies.
4. I will NEVER watch that movie. Everyone knows the movie can never be as good as the book.

 

How do you feel about illegally downloading books for free?

1. One download isn’t going to kill the author.
2. You have to understand, I’m broke as heck. I do it on occasion, but I always feel extremely guilty afterwards.
3. I did it once, but I felt so bad that I went and bought the book the next day. Never again.
4. Most authors are not rich millionaires. They depend on book sales for income to feed their families, and I will never steal from them.

 

Your favorite author tweets that they are going to be releasing some important news the next day on their social media accounts. What do you do?

1. I wouldn’t know about this. LOL…who even follows authors on twitter?
2. Wait for the news, I guess?
3. Notifications- on.
4. OH MY GOSH. I would check out all the fan theories on what it could be about and refresh my feed every chance I get. No need for notifications- it’s not like I’ll ever be off of my phone long enough to need them.

 

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Now tally up your points and find out what kind of booknerd you are!

If you scored…

7-12 points:

You’re a casual booknerd! 

Don’t get me wrong, you think books are great, but they’re certainly not the most important thing in your life. There are other forms of entertainment that you enjoy more than reading, but you pick up a book every once in while (especially on rainy days). You don’t go looking for books to read; you find that the recommendations your friends give you and the ones Barnes & Noble’s offers on its “Best Sellers” list are more than enough.

13-18 points:

You’re a booknerd in disguise!

You read slightly more than the average person. At times you may find yourself surrounded by “normals” who don’t care for the magic that is a good novel. You know in your heart of hearts, however, that if they just picked up your favorite novel they’d change their minds. Nevertheless, you’re okay with being the only booknerd in the group. You don’t have a bookshelf of your own, but your family/significant other’s bookshelf contains traces of your literary tastes. You consider your library card to be one of your close friends.

19-23 points:

You’re a part-time booknerd!

A good deal of your life is dedicated to book related activities, and many of your friends share your love of reading. You know all the best instagram and twitter accounts to follow for giveaways and recommendations. Quite honestly, with all the time you spend reading, publishing companies should give you ARCs. Sadly, you never got around to making a blog; it would just take too much commitment that you don’t have time for right now. On the bright side, you’re so connected in the literary world that you have more than enough online friends to trade books with, so you’re not missing out on too much.

24+ points:

You’re a professional booknerd!

Books are your life, and some authors might even recognize you in real life because of your dedication to the fandom. The sight of a book store fills your heart with joy and excitement, especially because you’ve already read many of the books on its shelves. Oftentimes, you form relationships with people based on whether or not they like to read. When you’re not reading, you’re thinking about your favorite ship, writing a fanfiction, updating your book-blog, creating book related playlists, or drawing some wicked cool fanart. Your Goodreads account is essential; how else would you share your various feels with the world? Every time you imagine what fangirling would be like without the presence of social media, you shudder. The days before bookstagram and book twitter were lonely days indeed.

I hope you had a fun time taking this quiz. Share it with your friends to see what their results are. As always, thanks for reading!

 

 

Fangirl (Review)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Released September 10, 2013

433 pages

Borrowed from local public library

Goodreads summary:

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan…

But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

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There has been so much hype surrounding this book that it felt like everyone and their mother had read it (well, everyone except for me). I finally decided to give it a try since I had been in a reading slump because of ACOMAF, so I thought I would read a light contemporary to cleanse my system. 

Let me start with Cather’s character, which I honestly enjoyed. I felt that she was real and I was able to relate to so much of her personality. For example, she’s the type of person who doesn’t half-ass relationships; you’re either in her life, or you’re not. Also, she has anxiety and at times it causes her to miss out on situations that she might have enjoyed. Finally, she puts her family before everything else. I respected her and I enjoyed her moments of sass and sarcasm. I also liked seeing her develop as an individual and grow up a little bit, which was ultimately her biggest struggle.

As for the other characters, I think what I liked most about them was how real they felt. They didn’t feel like these completely made up no-way-would-this-person-exist-in-real-life kind of characters (*cough cough* TFIOS, *cough cough* Augustus). Yet, they never felt dull to me. It was the coming together of these realistic individuals that was so fun; their interactions and the way they dealt with one another made the story interesting.

The third biggest element of this story that I enjoyed was the romance. I don’t like to admit this, but I’m a sucker for the sugary sweet slow burn romances. All things considered, I should be the type of person who rolls their eyes in disgust at the cutesy little love moments, but gosh darnit I really do enjoy them. I actually had to release a few happy little sighs while reading this book. So, all in all, I loved the romance.

Now let me move on to my gripes. While I loved the romance, I thought the book was a little boring until it really started developing- which was somewhere around the halfway mark. Also, so much book space is taken up by the Simon-Baz thing which I really was not enjoying. In fact, I skimmed through a good portion of it. The only reason I didn’t skip it entirely was my fear that I would miss something important or relevant to the storyline (which didn’t happen). I like that Rowell was trying to suck us into Cather’s world by giving us pieces of that story, but I just found it so boring and unsatisfying. Also, I somehow kept imagining Simon as Harry Potter and Baz as Draco Malfoy (sorry, not sorry).

Overall, I felt that Fangirl was just okay. It was a cute read, and I did enjoy it. However, for all the hype it got, I was expecting something life changingly amazing. I rarely pick up contemporary novels, and so when I do pick them up I really like them to be emotional and the kind of books that stay with you forever. This just wasn’t it for me.

A Court of Mist and Fury (Review)

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Released May 3rd, 2016

624 pages

Purchased through Barnes & Noble

Goodreads Summary:

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

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I have been waiting for this book since I finished ACOTAR back in May of 2015, and I will be the first to tell you that the whole year of waiting was completely worth it.

Never have I read a book by an author that was able to manipulate my emotions so successfully; everything that Feyre felt, I felt. Her pain, her despair, her fear, her joy-it truly felt like I was experiencing all of these emotions firsthand. I appreciate Maas’ dedication to exploring the emotional and mental states of her characters on such a deep level, and really allowing the reader to connect with them in this way.

One of the many reasons this book has made it to my favorites list is the obvious care that Maas puts into crafting each and every one of her characters. Every single one of the characters, right down to the minor ones, was created with intention. Also, each of the new people we are introduced to in ACOMAF has a personality and a backstory. These characters were not meant to just fade into the background; they are unique individuals, and you cannot help but fall in love with (or hate) each and every one of them. It’s fun to be able to see new characters being introduced to old characters, and old characters being introduced to each other- you can really see the potential relationships starting to form.

Aside from the characters, the setting of this book is incredible. All of the descriptions of the various places Feyre goes are so vivid and beautiful. I honestly wish that a movie of this book would be made, if only just so I can see the setting come to life. If you thought the Spring Court in ACOTAR was lovely, the Night Court in ACOMAF will have you wishing for the ability to teleport yourself into fictional places for sure.

“Maas is so skilled at world building and creating complex plots. For this reason, she is also skilled at blurring the lines between good and evil. You may hate a character in the first half of the book, only to discover that they are completely different from what you originally thought.”

This is a direct quote taken from my old ACOTAR review, and it still most definitely holds true in ACOMAF. I really felt that this book does a good job of testing your ideas of “good” and “evil”. Is someone evil if they have good intentions, but their actions cause other people pain? Is someone evil if they are willing to do evil things to protect someone they care about? Is being cruel justified if it protects lives? These are all questions that I had as I reached the end of A Court of Mist and Fury.

Feyre’s growth and the changes she undergoes throughout the course of this novel make me feel a sense of pride in her character. We as the readers are able to watch a broken young woman piece herself back together and finally create an identity for herself. In the first book, Feyre’s identity  is initially tied to her family and the work she puts in to care for them. As she moved away from that, we could see her starting to shape a new identity for herself. However, by the beginning of ACOMAF, her identity has again become tied to another person: Tamlin. At it’s very heart, this novel is a journey for Feyre as she struggles to find herself again after her traumatic experiences in book 1.

Anyone who is being rude to Sarah J. Maas or other fans based on the relationship choices that Feyre makes clearly missed the entire point of this novel. Any decision that Maas made for Feyre was to allow her to grow and develop, and finally find an authentic voice for herself.

I fell in love with A Court of Thorns and Roses, and now I have fallen even more deeply in love with A Court of Mist and Fury. Pick it up- I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Infinity Dream Award

A big thank you to Morrisa for nominating me for this award!

Here are the rules:

• Thank and follow the blog that nominated you

• Tell us 11 facts about you

• Answer the questions set up for you

• Nominate 11 people and make questions for them

11 Facts about me:

• In the future I would like to become a clinical psychologist so that I can help people who suffer from mental illnesses (particularly children and adolescents).
• I recently started writing a book, but it’s such a hard process and figuring out where to go with what I have so far is a huge challenge. I never realized how much went into writing a fight scene (you think you know how fighting works until you actually have to write how it’s done).
• I like to draw. I’m not amazing at it, but it relaxes me and I think I’m getting better at it.
• I lived in a small town called Bethel in Alaska for four years of my life (from 2nd until 6th grade).
• Chocolate is my kryptonite.
• I regularly wish that I had the ability to fly.
• I have a severe case of wanderlust, and I dream of being able to go from place to place while experiencing different cultures and meeting new people.
• I’m a huge Twenty One Pilots fan.
• I love the nighttime- there’s something really beautiful about its darkness and its mysterious nature.
• I’ve always wanted to go ziplining but have never gotten the chance.
• I love driving down an empty road with the my window rolled down, the sun in my face, and my music playing.

Morrisa’s questions:

What was the first book/series that got you into the book community?

I was a pretty avid reader in elementary school, but what really got me into books (especially young adult books) was The Hunger Games when I was in the ninth grade.

Where’s your favorite place to go to find peace and quiet/have some time to yourself?

My room. Sorry, that’s a pretty basic answer haha.

What’s your favorite TV show(s)?

OMG- I just got into this new futuristic fantasy show on MTV called the Shannara Chronicles, and I’m loving it so far. I highly recommend it 🙂 As for other shows- I tried to watch Teen Wolf, and I made it all the way to season 4 and then I just got bored of it. Oh, and Parks and Recreation is hilarious!

Favorite ice cream flavor?

I’m not a huge ice cream fan, but my favorite is Häagen-Dazs’ Belgian chocolate. It has these little bits of chocolate in it, and it’s absolutely delicious.

Who’s your favorite author or favorite book / series?

This is such a hard question! I guess the way I’ll pick is by asking myself “Which author would I cry tears of joy for if I found out that they’re coming out with a new book?” That would be Tahereh Mafi, Sarah J Maas, and Leigh Bardugo.

If a genie came to you and gave you three wishes, what would you wish for? (More wishes is NOT allowed!)

1. I would ask for the ability to physically transport myself in and out of the worlds that are in books.
2. I would wish that I could eat anything I wanted (as much as I wanted) without gaining weight.
3. A cure for my dad’s neurosarcoidosis.

If someone told you that they could tell you the exact time and date of your death, would you let them tell you?

Nope. I’ll admit that I do wonder if I’ll have a long life- if I’ll live long enough to have kids or grand kids of my own, or if I’m just going to die tomorrow- but I think having that kind of knowledge would be more of a burden than anything else.

Cats or dogs?

I have a fear of any non-human living creature, so neither would probably be my answer. Although, I think I could warm up to a cat. Dogs, on the other hand, NO WAY.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you?

I don’t really have an answer for this one. Nothing particularly weird comes to my mind at the moment, sorry!

Something you remember from your childhood that makes you smile?

When I was in the fifth grade there was a boy in my class who I had a huge crush on. For some dumb reason, us middle schoolers would always send each other chain emails during our computer class that said something like “pass this on to all your friends” at the end. So one day I got gutsy and added my crush’s name to the list of people that I passed an email on to. At the end of the day, he was talking to me in class and he was blushing and refusing to make eye contact with me (which I thought was weird because we were used to joking around and making fun of each other), and then he says “so I got your email…are we friends then?”. I was really nonchalant, and just said “yeah” and then there was some awkward silence and he said “ok”. The reason this memory brings a smile to my face is because I realize now that he probably had a crush on me too, which didn’t occur to me at the time.

Okay, so that’s my life story. Now comes the part where I get to ask some questions!

My Questions:

1. What is one of your guilty pleasure reads?

2. What is the best gift that you’ve ever received or given?

3. What would be your idea of the “perfect summer day”?

4. If you were offered the opportunity to leave behind your current life and become a prince or princess à la the Princess Diaries, would you take it?

5. What is your favorite dessert?

6. If you had to pick a country to live in (besides the one you’re in right now), which country would you choose?

7. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?

8. If you could redo the last five years of your life but still hold onto the memories that you’ve already gained during those years, would you do it?

9. What is one of your biggest fears?

10. What is something in your life that you feel proud of?

11. What is something that you are hoping to accomplish in 2016?

And I nominate these people (who are in no way obligated to participate if they don’t feel like it):

Kelly from Live, Love, Read

Dawn from Bang Bang Books

Angel from Avid Reader

Eden from Blogging Between the Lines

Kas from Inertial Confinement

Nat from Science, Books and Silly Things

Andrew from Endlessly Reading

Thanks for reading!

PassTruth Signing!

My friend Morissa recently joined the blogosphere. You guys should check her blog out!

MorrBooks

Books of Wonder PassTruth Tour/Signing!

      So, on Monday (Jan 11, 2016) I was EXTREMELY lucky to be able to go to the Passenger & Truthwitch Launch Party at Books of Wonder in New York City.

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Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani (Review)

Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani

Released June 13th, 2013

142 pages

Received as an ebook through NetGalley

Goodreads summary:

The winding streets and narrow alleys of Karolene hide many secrets, and Hitomi is one of them. Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude and who her parents really were. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt Arch Mage Wilhelm Blackflame.

When the League gets word that Blackflame intends to detain—and execute—a leading political family, Hitomi volunteers to help the family escape. But there are more secrets at play than Hitomi’s, and much worse fates than execution. When Hitomi finds herself captured along with her charges, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life.

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This book completely took me by surprise. Khanani may be an indie author, but this book is as good as (if not better than) many of the books currently sitting in the YA section at Barnes & Noble. If you enjoy reading about powerful females saving people and kicking butt, then this book is for you. 

Sunbolt is a novella, so it is fairly short. Most readers will tell you that this doesn’t have an impact on the quality of the book, and I agree with that to a certain extent. However, I do feel that the novel was lacking emotional depth. In the first half, we are thrust into action and adventure, yet we aren’t given the necessary amount of time to form a connection with the protagonist. As a result, I often found myself wondering why I should care about the protagonist to begin with. Why should I be invested in her story? Why should I want her to succeed? I almost felt as if I was handed an incomplete book because of that lack of emotional and mental development.

Other than that, this novella had all the makings of a good fantasy. The protagonist, Hitomi, is a person of color (which is AWESOME). She’s resourceful, intelligent, strong, and witty. She’s also determined and full of a desire to help the people around her.

Being a fantasy novel, magic does play a significant role in the story. There are also vampire and werewolf-like creatures, as well as other creatures such as a “breather” which basically can suck the soul out of you. There aren’t really any love interests in the novella, so if you’re looking for romance this isn’t the place to find it. 

Overall, I think this series has potential and I’m looking forward to reading the next installment once it comes out.

Thanks for reading,