MORE PRETTY BOOKS…! | 2016 February Book Releases

The first month of 2016 is over?? Whaaaat?! Hello everyone and welcome back to another monthly book releases post! As you can probably tell, I’m still in a state of shock that this month has come to an end so quickly. Seriously, where does the time go?? But that’s not the point here. 😉 With the arrival of a new month comes the arrival of many more books (I swear, I can never keep track of them all…!) so without further ado, let me share with you all the books I’ve discovered that are being released this upcoming February! Once again, prepare yourself for the PRETTY BOOKS. *Heart-eyed emoji*

February 1st

• The Sapphire Cutlass by Sharon Gosling (The Diamond Thief #3)
• Summer Skin by Kirsty Eagar
• Yellow by Megan Jacobson
• The Secret to Letting Go by Katherine Fleet

February 2nd

• Banished by Kimberley Griffiths Little (Forbidden #2)
• Unhooked by Lisa Maxwell
• Raging Sea by Michael Buckley (Undertow #2)
• Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #0.5, 0.6, 1.5, 3.1, 3.6)
• Games Wizards Play by Diane Duane (Young Wizards #10)
• Simon Thorn and the Wolf’s Den by Aimee Carter (Simon Thorn #1)
• Darkness Fair by Rachel A. Marks (The Dark Cycle #2)
• Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto
• Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh
• Remembrance by Meg Cabot (The Mediator #7)
• A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly
• Almost Midnight by C.C. Hunter (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3.5)
• Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
• The Truth by Jeffry W. Johnston
• Pull by Anne Riley
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

February 8th

• Beyond the Stars by Stacy Wise
• The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie  (The Abyss Surrounds Us #1)

February 9th

• Ink & Lies by S.L. Jennings
• Morning Star by Pierce Brown (Red Rising #3)
• These Vicious Masks by Tarun Shanker & Kelly Zekas (These Vicious Masks #1)
• Reign of Shadows by Sophie Jordan (Reign of Shadows #1)
• Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen #2)
• Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

February 11th

• Beautiful Broken Things by Sara Barnard
• Earth’s End by Elise Kova (Air Awakens #3)

February 16th

• Riders by Veronica Rossi (Riders #1)
• Take the Fall by Emily Hainsworth
• Calamity by Brandon Sanderson (Reckoners #3)
• The Rule of Mirrors by Caragh M. O’Brien (The Vault of Dreamers #2)
• Marked by Laura Williams McCaffrey
• Ascending the Boneyard by C.G. Watson
• Some of the Parts by Hannah Barnaby
• The Word For Yes by Claire Needell
• The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (The Girl From Everywhere #1)

February 23rd

• Temper by Beck Nicholas
• The Last Place on Earth by Carol Snow
• Kingdom of Ashes by Rhiannon Thomas (A Wicked Thing #2)
• The Smell of Other People’s Houses by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
• After the Woods by Kim Savage
• Behold the Bones by Natalie C. Parker (Beware the Wild #2)
• Dove Exiled by Karen Bao (Dove Chronicles #2)
• Dreamfever by Kit Alloway (Dreamfire #2)
• Thanks For the Trouble by Tommy Wallach
• Kill the Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky
• Titans by Victoria Scott
• The Power by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Titan #2)
• The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan
• Firstlife by Gena Showalter (Everlife #1)
• A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (A Darker Shade of Magic #2)

February 29th

• Flirting with Fame by Samantha Joyce

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So that’s it for the releases of this upcoming month (that I could find, anyway)! Can I just, you know, devour Glass Sword…like, now?? Grrr….Also, I’m hoping this will be the month I finally read A Darker Shade of Magic, since A Gathering of Shadows is being released this month. I’m also really excited for Unhooked, The Girl From Everywhere, Stars Above—and a lot more, of course. Tell me what YOU’RE looking forward to this month in the comments! I’d love to talk.

WWW Wednesday #38 (January 27th)

Hey everyone! Welcome back to another lovely Wednesday! (I don’t know if it’s actually a lovely Wednesday for you, but just go with it, okay? :P) It’s time once again for a WWW Wednesday post, a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words), where you answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Join in if you want! Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Currently Reading

• I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I started this… 4 days ago? 5 days? I don’t know, but I’m nearly finished it? Kind of? I’ve loved it so far! I didn’t get that much time to read it, unfortunately, or else I probably would’ve been able to finish it sooner, but any progress is good progress! I can’t wait to finish it. ❤

Recently Finished

• Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision
• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Threats of Sky and Sea was an interesting read, one that I relatively enjoyed! I’d like to continue with the second novel, but I think I’m going to take a break from it for now. Both this and the other book I read, Falling Kingdoms, includes Elemental magic, so I’m still trying to figure out how much that affected my reading experience… LOL. Since I’m going to be continuing the Falling Kingdoms series soon, I don’t want to continue this one at the same time!

Falling Kingdoms was a pretty good read too! It sets up potential for the rest of the series and like I mentioned, this deals with elemental magic—which was executed pretty well, I might add. Seeing though how both Threats of Sky and Sea and this dealt with elemental magic, it felt a bit repetitive and I’m kind of conflicted as to whether I actually enjoyed that aspect. But overall, pretty satisfying!

Read Next

• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
• Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales
• For the Record by Charlotte Huang

Passenger and Truthwitch are both on my list once again! I hope I’ll get the chance to read at least one of them, but I don’t know. Fingers crossed! Along with those I have Tonight the Streets Are Ours from last week as well, as an effort to not completely ignore the contemporary novels I’ve been meaning to read. 😉 For this same reasons I’ve also added For the Record, because why not? I have the ebook of it and I heard good things, so I’m hoping to give it a shot too.

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Have any of you read I’ll Give You the Sun? Falling Kingdoms? I’d love to talk about them with you! 😀 How has your reading week been? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below–and I know I say that often, but I mean it. LET’S DISCUSS!

Happy Wednesday! ❤ 

Do You Need to Review ALL the Books You Read? | Book Snacks Babbles

Book Snacks Babbles is a discussion feature here at Book Snacks where I talk about all things bookish & bloggish! For more info, check out my intro post here. 

Hello! Welcome back again to another Book Snacks Babbles discussion post! Like last week’s discussion post, today’s post is another reviewer-type question—the question is directed more towards book reviewers. But, anyone can offer opinions!

Ever have those times where you fall into, say, a reviewing slump? No? Well, it’s one of the times where even though you’re still reading books, you don’t feel like reviewing them. I’ll be honest with you; this has happened to me before—unintentionally, of course. I’m reading, reading, working on schoolwork, reading, and suddenly I don’t feel like finishing the reviews of the books I recently read. Soon one becomes many and, well.. you probably know what that leads to (a very exasperated and frustrated Analee, if you didn’t know… oh, and a lot of books to review.) Which is how this question sprung to me… do we, as book bloggers, have to review each book we read? Well, get comfy and let’s babble!

Reviews have a few purposes, I find. One, of course, is for yourself, to either rant about a book or have a record of how you felt about a book. The second is for others. Because reviews are when you write down your thoughts on a book and with that other readers can make the decision on whether THEY want to read the book as well.

But… what are some reasons we wouldn’t want to write reviews? Because those are the causes for this question to occur at all, right?

Well, I’m gonna answer my own question here and name off a few (with a few tips on how to deal!):

1) Sometimes, it just takes too much effort. I can’t really say for sure how this one works because this was never a situation I found myself to be in, but I can definitely understand it. Just like blogging and reading slumps, sometimes it’s just too hard to take the effort to write reviews.

Tip: Nothing to do for this one other than find motivation! Read some reviews of other bloggers, check out their style and see if it inspires you to come up with your own. 

2) Not enough time. I know some people might think of this as a poor excuse, but it’s really not! I think EVERYONE can agree with me when I say there’s not enough time to read/blog these days. Well, it can be the same for reviews! So many to write (depending on the books you read), but not enough time to write them—we’ve all been in some kind of similar situation I’m sure.

Tip: I’ll get back to you on this one…! LOL, just kidding. This one is definitely one I’m subjected to, so right now I’m failing at offering any useful tips other than try to find time on the weekends! Hopefully you’ll be better at finding time on the weekends than I am. If any of you have any other tips though, I’m all ears!

3) ‘Uhhh… I can’t remember what happened in the book.’ Ah. Those pesky reviews that you have avoided writing since 6 months ago have finally caught up with you! In this situation,  since you’ve forgotten what happened in the book and your thoughts on it, you’ve abandoned writing the review, am I right? 😛

Tip: If you know you’re going to have a hard time remembering things in the book, take notes! How you felt at a specific moment, a quote you liked that reminds you of the story, etc. If you’re not much of a notes-while-reading person, I recommend just quickly making notes after you read to keep track of your thoughts for later.

4) Sometimes, there’s just nothing to say ABOUT the book. Oooh, this one can be tough! When you feel indifferent about a book or found it boring, it can be hard to find something to say about the book, hence you put off writing the review on it.

Tip: Dig deep and see if there’s anything, anything, anything at all you can say about this book, whether positive or negative. No book is without some merit!

Okay, so I’m going waaaay off topic now. All this is good and well, but the question still remains; do you have to review each book you read? Well, it’s time for a pros and cons list so we can find out!

Pros of reviewing each book you read

• Great for future reference. By reviewing each book you read, you have more records of your thoughts on different books, so if you ever need to remember how you felt on a book (like for first book in a series or something) then you can always look back to your review.

• Practice makes perfect! Through writing reviews of each book you read, you’re getting more chances to experiment with your reviewing style and practice using the one that suits you and your voice best. And that’s always a good thing, right? 🙂

• More reviews! Yay! A well-thought out review is always fun to read, especially if you’re reviewing a hyped book. It opens possibilities for discussion and different perspectives to be seen, and that’s definitely a pro.

Cons of reviewing each book you read

• It becomes more of a requirement (at times). When you start to review each book, there becomes this expectation for you to do a review for ALL the books.. and if you’re anything like me then you know once you start something, you don’t want to stop because it’ll ruin the pattern (even if you want to or should stop). SIGH. My own personality if working against me.

• Less time to read (and maybe do other stuff like school.. sigh). Now, this isn’t always the case, but as with any kind of activity, the more time you spend on it, the less time you have for other important stuff (also known as READING)!

• More reviews to organize in your review index! (ugh.) Yes, this is a valid reason. (Unless you don’t have one.) Most of us know how bothersome it can be to update our review index(es) with newer reviews! Once you forget to update it for a while and then have a huge pile of reviews, it becomes quite the time-consumer.

I’m sure there are much more pros and cons to add, but I’ll leave it at that. (But feel free to suggest some of your own down below!)

So… do we HAVE to review ALL the books we read?

Personally, I say no! Even though my (pitifully small, I admit) pros and cons list are basically even, at the end of the day, it’s your choice and your choice only. If you don’t want to review a book, don’t! If you do, go right ahead. It’s all up to you.

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What do you think? Do you have to review ALL the books you read? Do you ever fall into a reviewing slump? What is the cause for it? What are some pros and cons do you think I missed? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below! ❤

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard | Book Review

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Publication Date: February 10th 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre(s): Fantasy, Young-Adult
Series Status: Red Queen #1
Page Count: 383
Source & Format: Owned, Hardcover

Synopsis from Goodreads:

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart …

Hype, hype, and MORE hype, galore!! If you guys haven’t heard of this book yet, you must’ve been living under a rock, for this book has been EVERYWHERE since it’s release. No joke. So naturally, my interest was piqued! I had meant to read this when it was released, but somehow never got around to it until September last year. Oops! Better late than never, right? The sequel to this is being released this February, so I figured I should probably do my review on the first book before I read it. 😉 So without further ado, my review on Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard!

Okay, so, I’m going to be trying out a kind of mixed reviewing style for this one: a list and my rambles, all in one! If you’re looking for the lowdown, and most general form of the things I liked/disliked, just reading the list below should suit you. I have a lot of thoughts on this—both positive and negative, so just bear with me! Feel free to skip to the overall part if you want—I won’t mind, LOL. Even I can admit this review is really long! XD

Plot

Two words; déja vue. Because yes, I won’t lie, there are indeed several elements in this book which have been seen and used before in other books. If you’ve read The Hunger Games or The Selection, when reading this book, you could probably notice the similarities. I’ve also seen comparisons to Red Rising, but as I have not read that yet, I can’t really judge.

BUT I DIGRESS.

Did the familiar tropes used in this book bother ME, personally? Well, I still enjoyed the book, but I must admit that I had been hoping RQ would manage to stand out on its own, be unique under the mesh of common tropes. From that perspective, my expectations weren’t completely fulfilled.

Having said that, I did still thoroughly enjoy the world of Red Queen. Although perhaps not fully unique in terms of themes and messages (a battle between social standings of rich and poor, tension, threat of rebellion, etc.) Red Queen had a premise/concept that I loved; the idea of Reds and Silvers. I do wish there was more backstory included about them, but for now, I’m hoping some unanswered questions will be answered in the next book.

As for the world-building, it isn’t in-your-face obvious, I’ll give you that. It does go at more of slower pace, and through various descriptions and events, you get the gist of it. I really enjoyed it! In addition to that, the plot as a whole was great to read. Plot twists, suspense, intrigue. Even though the pacing can be slow at times (especially the beginning), it really built up the to final moments of the story.

Anyone can betray anyone.

Speaking of plot twists and final moments, I must mention this: The final plot twist was mind-blowing—even though now looking back I can see the signs. It’s funny, because while reading, there was this part where I was thinking “What if the bad guy ends up being [name of bad guy which I will not write for sake of no spoilers]?” And I dismissed it–probably ’cause I didn’t want to believe it. But then I got to the end and I was kind of in a state of shock! Like noooooooo…!

Okay, NOW I’m definitely rambling. You get what I’m saying here though, right? Moving on to…

Characters

I’m a Red girl in a sea of Silvers and I can’t afford to feel sorry for anyone, least of all the son of a snake.

In the fairy tales, the poor girl smiles when she becomes a princess. Right now, I don’t know if I’ll ever smile again.

The characters are definitely one of the hit or miss parts of Red Queen. You either like the characters, or you don’t. I, for one, have to say that I liked them well enough, for the most part. 

Let’s start with the good, shall we? I know several readers complained about Mare, but I must say that I found her to be a pretty good character. She has the typical characteristics of most female protagonists these days; strong, reckless and sassy, yes, but she still managed to be a bit realistic and someone I could root for. She made some terrible decisions at times, and her emotions were all over the place in several spots, but at the end of the day, she was a good character.

BUT. She didn’t really go through any major development by the end of the novel… so don’t go in expecting some major changes! I also wasn’t a huge fan of her flitting and bipolar-like feelings over the love interests in this book. One minute she’s trying to convince herself the guy is good, the other minute she’s 100% sure he’s evil. Make up your mind!! It’s what caused me the most trouble, trying to figure out what MY opinion was. Lol.

Apart from her, there’s of course, the two princes; Cal and Maven. I have to say I wasn’t the biggest fan of Cal for a pretty long time throughout the story… although I’m not sure whether that’s because of his character, Mare’s feelings or just MY feelings on Maven clouding my opinion. 😉 I don’t know, I respect him and he was fine and everything, but he just didn’t sit right with me for a good chunk of the story.

Maven, on the other hand, I found to be so interesting! I suppose I liked him more than Cal for a lot of the story, but that’s not just it. His character just seems so layered and complex! I could empathize with him, yet I could… gah, it’s hard to express how I feel without giving away spoilers. XD Let’s just leave it at the fact that he’s layered and a very intriguing character!

A forgotten son, a vengeful mother, a brother with a long shadow, a strange mutation. Together, they’ve written a tragedy.

Also, an important fact you might want to note before entering the realm of this book; There IS a love triangle—though it’s more of a love rectangle or a everyone-loves-Mare thing. To be honest it’s not that aspect of it that bothered me the most; it’s more the fact that Mare’s feelings were so inconsistent sometimes, it just didn’t feel like there was enough depth to all the relationships. But maybe that’s just me. One good thing though, is that the romance didn’t FULLY dominate the plot. Yes, it did take up a good part of it, but it’s not the extent of what this book’s all about! (To me, anyway. I know some people feel differently.)

Writing Style

The sparks are gone, replaced by fierce, ugly tears that track down my face. Thunder rumbles somewhere far off and the air is warm. But the humid temperature is gone. The heat has broken and summer will soon be over. Time is passing. My life is moving on, no matter how much I want it to stay the same.

Despite being simple and straight-forward, Victoria Aveyard’s writing managed to really hook me in. I loved how vivid and descriptive the style was, without being too over-the-top. Sometimes simplicity beats flowery prose, you know? The narration, everything, was suited to the mood of the story and was super easy to read.

However, there is a little thing that perhaps won’t bother everyone, but did occasionally get on my nerves. At times, there was a bit too much repetition. I understand now that it’s to emphasize and foreshadow, in a way, of what was to come, but it still was a tad bothersome. I don’t know. Personal preference, I guess.

Overall

Red Queen, although not without flaws, is still an entertaining novel. Depending on your taste, if you like fantasy and/or dystopian novels, this one is a good pick for you! Here’s a little recap of what you should know and how I felt about this book:

• This book won’t be the most original one out there. Readers of The Hunger Games, The Selection and/or (supposedly) Red Rising might enjoy this book for the similarities—or might dislike this book because of the similarities. It kind of depends on your personal taste!
• The plot is relatively entertaining (though it is unnecessarily dragged out at times). Despite having similar elements to other storylines, the plot in Red Queen is quite intriguing and suspenseful to read! The world of Red and Silver was interesting and a cool concept to read about—though don’t expect the best backstory for it.
• Characters like Mare, Cal and/or Maven are subjected to personal preference, but I liked them okay. Mare is a strong, albeit reckless and naive at times, female character who I was able to root for despite the reasons why I might’ve been tempted not to.
• The writing style is simple but engaging and descriptive. I had no problem with the writing in this book! It was easy to read and suited the story. There was a bit too much repetition of words and expressions sometimes, but I credit that problem more to my own self and the plot.

Funny, how all that rambling that I did before the overall part was summed up so easily here! LOL.

So, the real question here that I’m sure you’re all wondering: Should you read it? From a critical view, I’ll admit this isn’t the best book, but from an entertainment perspective, it definitely isn’t the worst book out there–it’s quite good, actually! If you’ve taken into account all the above info, and think it’s a good fit for you, I don’t see why you shouldn’t read Red Queen! If you go in with lowered expectations, you should be fine. (Or so I hope!) I, for one, can’t wait to get my hands on Glass Sword, the sequel, if only to see what will happen next! ❤

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Now, it’s time to talk! What did you think of Red Queen? What parts did you like/dislike the most? Also; how do you feel about having themes and tropes from other books being included in another book? Are you planning on continuing the series, or are you quitting? Do you want to read this book? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below!

Thank you for reading (even if you didn’t read the whole thing :P) and Happy Monday!

Burn, Rewrite or Reread | BOOK TAG

Hey there! I found this book tag type thing from Victoria @ Addlepates and Book Nerds A LONG time ago, and had it sitting in my drafts for so long..! So I thought I might as well do it—even though I have tons of tags I actually was tagged in to do, because I make perfect sense that way. 😉 (Also, hush, this is not a last-minute post because I forgot to do a review today, whaaaat?) Also, do note; I do realize using the term ‘burn’ in reference to books is quite a crime—I am no book burner! XD Remember not to take it seriously, haha.

What to do:

-Randomly choose 3 books. (I used the ‘Random’ option on my Goodreads read shelf.)

-For each group, decide which book to burn, which one to rewrite, and which to reread. (A lot like Kiss, Marry, Kill.)

-Repeat until you completed three rounds (—though I’m doing more because why not?)

Let’s get started!

Round 1

Burn: Matched by Ally Condie. It was kind of a conflicting decision, to put this either in burn or rewrite, because truthfully this book would be completely fine, if it were to be rewritten differently, but in the end, this is going to have to go into the fire! This book really was no fun for me.

Rewrite: Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid. This was not that bad of a novel—I guess there were just too many elements that I wasn’t a fan of. So a rewrite it is!

Reread: Out of these three, hands down, Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi! No competition. I enjoyed it so much more than the other two, and it was such an amazing series ender!

Round 2

Burn: Reawakened by Colleen Houck. Another disappointment! In light of my other choices, this is definitely going to the fire.

Rewrite: The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked this book, except as a series finale and with my high expectations, this book is in need of a few rewrites, in some parts! But overall I still liked it.

Reread: The Young Elites by Marie Lu. Currently working on a review for it—it’s simply amazing. A definite reread! ❤ If you haven’t read this book or series yet, definitely do so (or if you want, you can wait for the release of the third book to binge-read it.)

Round 3

Burn: Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier. This wasn’t a bad book, really. It just wasn’t the BEST, and out of these three, I’m afraid this one is what I’m gonna have to go with—though this could just as easily fit into ‘rewrite’.

Rewrite: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Although I enjoyed this well enough, it would’ve been better if some parts were written differently, in my opinion.

Reread: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. Come on, you all saw this coming, right?? I loved this book and would not mind rereading it at all.. I’m actually considering re-reading it before the release of the second book, but that’s a maybe. 🙂

Round 4

Burn: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Is it bad that I kind of had no qualms of choosing burn for this one? At least among the other choices. I mean, I don’t know. This just wasn’t something that clicked with me.

Rewrite: Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover. This wasn’t a BAD book, persay, but it did have its faults! So definitely rewrite.

Reread: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. This was such an entertaining book! I saw some mixed reviews on this before and after reading it, but to me, it was as good as any. Reread for sure!

Round 5

Burn: Bossypants by Tina Fey. Unfortunately I have no qualms about choosing this one for burn either..? Non-fiction/memoirs aren’t exactly my forte…

Rewrite: Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I actually found this to be pretty good (unlike Allegiant…) but it did have a few parts where I wasn’t a big fan.

Reread: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. Gosh, THE FEELS in this one is so intense! I would absolutely love to reread this. *Heart-eyed emoji*

So that’s it for the Burn, Rewrite and Reread tag! To spread some of the fun, I tag:

• Aentee @ Read at Midnight
• Ali @ Arctic Books
• Becca @ Becca and Books
• Bhramori @ The Crazy Perfectionist
• Carolyn @ A Hundred Thousand Stories
• Charley @ Books and Bakes
• CW @ Read, Think, Ponder
• Cristina @ My Tiny Obsessions
• Emma @ Emma the Book Lover
• Erika @ Erika in Bookventureland
• Isabella @ Gryffindor Books
• Kat @ Life and Other Disasters
• Kimsiang @ The Spines Breaker
• Kyra & Nikki @ Book Allure
• Joey @ Thoughts and Afterthoughts
• Josie @ Josie’s Book Corner
• Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books
• Poulami @ Daydreaming Books
• Prima @ Panda Hearts Books
• Rachael @ Parawl Perwyl
• Rae @ Bookmark Chronicles
• Raven @ Dreamy Addictions
• Sara @ Freadom Library
• Sarah & Faith @ Sublime Reads
• Trisha @ The Bookgasm
• Wesaun @ Oreo & Books

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Of course, like always, if you’ve done this tag or don’t want to do it, feel free to ignore! If you weren’t tagged but you want to do this tag, please go ahead! Let me know and I’ll add you to the list. ❤ As always, comment with your thoughts below!

Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend! (Although I don’t blame you if you’re sad it’s over, haha.) Hugs! 

Where I share awesome bloggers and cool blog posts (and other stuff..?) | Spotlight Saturday #3 (January 23rd)

Yay for the weekend! It feels like it’s been forever where I actually get the whole day off from school and just life in general. *SIGH* So, it’s been a while since I did a Spotlight Saturday post, so I figured I might as well do it for this week! It’s a super fun meme hosted by Josie @ Josie’s Book Corner; here’s the official blurb of it from her blog!

Spotlight Saturday is a weekly feature, created by Josie at Josie’s Book Corner [aka, moi], dedicated to spotlighting and pinpointing some of the things over the week that have caught my attention more than usual, things I’ve particularly loved, etc.

Spotlighted Blogger

Blogging has been made such an incredible experience thanks to MANY amazing people, but for now, I’m just going to spotlight a few who I’ve admired and interacted with for a while—almost since the beginning of my blogging journey.

• Marie @ Drizzle and Hurricane Books

This girl has such an amazing blog. Her posts are always fun to read—not to mention I can almost always count on her recommendations. 😀 Her reviews, discussions, etc. are always so insightful. Go show her some love if you haven’t already!

• Becca @ Becca and Books

Another lovely blogger, Becca is so inspiring! She’s genuine, funny, and her blog posts are always great. 😉 Her reviews are also definitely something I love to read! (And her graphics are pretty cool too!) Again, go and show her some love, because she deserves it.

• Summer @ Xing Sings

Summer’s blog is one of the firsts I started following! One of my first memories of her and her blog is when we first talked about the VA series by Richelle Mead, LOL. We both came such a long way since then and I’m so glad to have met her!

• Bhramori @ The Crazy Perfectionist

I know I’m repeating things here—but what can I do if so many bloggers are so wonderful?! Bhramori is another fabulous blogger who has always supported me and her comments are so lovely! She’s such a fun person and great to talk to.

And, also, a few bloggers that I would absolutely LOVE to get to know more…

• Tanaz @ Bookish Freaks

I actually had been following Tanaz for quite some time I think, but only recently really talked to her! And I’m sorry it took so long, because she and her blog are both absolutely lovely. ❤

• Brigitte @ The Book and the Bone

I only recently discovered Brigitte’s blog, but I’m so glad I did! This blogger has been super nice to me and her blog seems great. So go ahead and show her some bookish love!

• Prima @ Panda Hearts Books

I’m not exactly sure for how long I’ve followed Prima over at her blog Panda Hearts Books, but one thing’s for sure: I definitely want to get to know her more! She is lovely and her blog is great. 🙂

• Cait @ Paper Fury

Again, I don’t exactly know how long I’ve been following this blog, but this blog and its owner is fantastic. I’ve only recently started to actually talk to Cait, but she is SO NICE and her posts are always so much fun to read. (Also, her discussions are simply on point!)

A LOT more bloggers come to mind but alas, I cannot spotlight all of you (uhhh, let’s see, that would be around 500+? JK, but you know what I mean. :P) All of these bloggers are amazing though and I’m so glad I came across them in the blogging world.

Spotlighted Blog Posts

Yay, blog posts! There are so many floating around the blogosphere these days, it’s hard to keep track, but here are some you should definitely check out!

• Becca @ Becca and Books posted a second part of 10 Weird Things Bookworms Google. This was so much fun to read!
• Aentee @ Read at Midnight posted an amazing discussion post talking about the integrity of book bloggers. Definitely go check it out!
• Qui @ Qui Reads posted a discussion about going into books blindly. This is something that I often do (unintentionally but still), so this was a cool post!
• Emily @ Books and Cleverness posted a discussion about how it’s okay to participate in blog tours. She makes some great points!
• Ari @ The Daydreaming Bookworm posted a relatable and funny post about things that piss off bookworms. Lots of fun to read and so true, haha. 😉

Spotlighted Book

Guess what book I recently started?! Yep, I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. How could I not? After seeing SO MANY amazing reviews on this, I finally gave in and I’m reading it. 😀 And so far, I’m really liking it!! ❤

Spotlighted Moment

Huh. I’m not exactly sure about this one! Nothing exciting really happened, to be honest. Mostly just work, work and more work. Oh, and school. And work. And studying. -_- Although I was planning on going to watch The Fifth Wave yesterday (the day it released here in North America), unfortunately things got in the way. I hope to watch it soon though! It seems really good!

Spotlighted App

Same old, same old…nothing new for this one either! LOL I’m so boring sometimes. XD

Spotlighted Song

Hm.. I kind have been listening to I Know What You Did Last Summer lately? I think? I actually haven’t been sticking to one song, so…

Spotlighted Quote

Am I the only one who thinks this quote basically represents half the characters in books? The right path for them is almost always not easy, lol. But this could just as well represent real life, yes? 🙂

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So that’s it for this week’s Spotlight Saturday! My week hasn’t been that interesting, but oh well. What to do? This was still a lot of fun to do and write though—don’t forget to check out some of the spotlight bloggers and blog posts! I’m sure you won’t regret it. ❤ How have your lives been? Are any of you as bombarded with work as me? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below. LET US TALK!

Why It’s 100% Okay to Write Negative Reviews | Book Snacks Babbles

Book Snacks Babbles is a discussion feature here at Book Snacks where I talk about all things bookish & bloggish! For more info, check out my intro post here. 

Hello everyone and welcome! As part of an attempt to follow one of my resolutions for this year (to write at least 1 discussion post per week), I’m back here today with another discussion post for you all! This topic was actually pretty unplanned; I was going to go with another topic for this week, but I decided to do this one instead because writing negative reviews is generally something of a gray area for me, and I find it to be a pretty interesting debate. It’s always kind of hard writing them, especially when it’s a book that a) you REALLY wanted to like, and/or b) it’s a VERY popular book loved by the nations—but then, it could also be kind of fun. If you’re looking for some inspiration or motivation to post that drafted negative review, read on for today’s post will be dedicated to why writing negative reviews is totally OKAY!

1. They offer a different perspective on a book.

Whether the book is popular or not, negative reviews are useful and essential because they show us the other side. The side where it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, you know? Particularly in the case of a hyped book; it’s refreshing to see an opinion of the book where the less-than-perfect aspects are shown. And I’m talking from personal experience; whenever I see a more negative review of a very hyped book, it’s interesting to see why the reviewer didn’t like it. It gives me the opportunity to really judge if the book is a good fit for me or not, among other things. So if you’re ever worrying about the response your negative review might get—don’t sweat it! The bookish community is always really understanding and will instead appreciate the fact that you shared your thoughts on it, even if they were less than stellar.

2. They offer an amazing opportunity for discussion. 

Just as positive reviews (of hyped books, especially) bring out great discussion, negative reviews do the same. Why? Well, it’s kind of obvious; in a negative review, there are usually several aspects of the novel that the reader perhaps did not enjoy, and those aspects generally provide for interesting topics of discussion. For example, perhaps you didn’t enjoy the plot of a novel because it dragged out too much. Topics like the types of plots you usually DO enjoy, or ways the book could’ve been better, are things to talk about. For hyped books, you may be even more worried about the negative review. But never fear! If you didn’t enjoy a popular novel, write about it! Don’t be afraid to post that negative review, for it might just open up the gateway to many new ideas and conversation with other bloggers.

3. They give you the chance to RANT.

Everyone likes a long little rant every once in a while, right? And there’s nothing more satisfying sometimes, to simply let out all your frustrations over a book. Of course, it’s important to still remain respectful to the author and to people who did enjoy the book, but your opinion stays the same, yes? It’s useless to keep your opinion on a book to yourself just because you didn’t like it—by sharing it, you’ll be able to accept the parts of the book that made you mad or frustrated (if there were any parts like that).

4. You will most likely be able to find someone else who shares your opinion.

The best thing about the book blogging community is the fact that there’s so many people out there, there’s almost no chance of you NOT being able to find someone sharing similar ideas as you. YOU ARE NOT ALONE! In sharing your negative review, it opens up the possibility that people who share the same idea will see it—and you will no longer be the only black sheep! (Not that there’s anything wrong with being a black sheep, mind you.) Believe me, it always feels better when you find someone else who also didn’t enjoy the book! You have nothing to lose by posting a negative review, really. Unless you count gaining a new bookish friend as a loss…which you really shouldn’t! 😛

5. What you found to be negative, might be someone else’s positive.

Everyone isn’t the same! Say, your tastes in books might be different from the reading tastes of your next-door neighbor. A person across the country in, say, Antarctica might hate the exact books you love, or vice versa. You might hate the love triangle in the book you read, but someone else might love that kind of thing. You never know! Just because you disliked a book doesn’t mean everyone else will, and in sharing your thoughts on it, who knows? Maybe a fellow blogger will stumble upon it and find that the book you seemed to dislike seems to be right up his or her alley. So really, you’re doing yourself and others a favor by posting a negative review.

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Aaaaaand, that’s a wrap! There are tons of more reasons to name for why writing negative reviews is perfectly fine, but we’d be here for hours if I were to list them all! Which means it’s now up to YOU all to continue the discussion. Here are some questions to get you started!

• What do you think of writing negative reviews?
• What other reasons are there as to why writing negative reviews is perfectly fine and useful?
• Have you ever had those times where you were unsure over whether you should post your review or not?

Even if you’re not a reviewer, you can still join in the discussion—in fact, you should! 🙂 How do you feel about reading negative reviews? Do they do more harm than good? What do you love most about negative reviews?

Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below! Discussion is always lots of fun, so don’t hesitate to join in! 

WWW Wednesday #37 (January 20th)

Hey everyone! It’s Wednesday once again, and you know what that means! I’m trying to get back into the habit of CONSISTENTLY posting WWW Wednesdays, since, well, inconsistency bothers me to no end. XD Also because the thought of having to make another 4-week edition of this is not appealing whatsoever, lol.

By the way, WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words), where you answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Feel free to join in if you want!

Now, without further ado, my reading progress for this week!

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Currently Reading

• Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision
• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

I’m still continuing my read of Threats of Sky and Sea on my Kobo. I haven’t been getting much time to read these days so right now I’m pretty satisfied with my pace (kind of). Hopefully I’ll be finishing this up soon!

I have Falling Kingdoms in hardcover (IT’S SO BEAUTIFUL) and I just started it a couple of days ago (as part of a read-along hosted by 5 bloggers—Jess, Drew, Tamara, Josie, and Lillie). I’m not too far into it, but so far it’s off to a promising start!

Recently Finished

• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

The Sword of Summer was a great read! I read it super quickly, in the span of a day or two. A fun mythology-filled book that I definitely recommend—you can check out my review of it here, if you need more convincing. (Unashamed self-promotion, right here, LOL.)

I finally found the motivation to continue (and finish) You Were Here. YAY. I had been ‘reading’ (basically half-heartedly flipping pages) this book for around two weeks, and I was really starting to become fed up with my attitude! Haha. But I did manage to finish it this week, and it wasn’t half as bad as I’d thought! It actually turned out to be pretty good, so I’m happy. 😉

Read Next

• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
• Truthwitch by Susan Dennard
• I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
• Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Passenger is on my list again, as I didn’t get to it last week—not sure yet whether I’ll actually be reading it this week though!

Truthwitch is another very hyped fantasy (?) read that I’ve been looking forward to reading! I bought a copy of it, and I’m hoping it’s worth it. 😉

To take a break from all the fantasy-type reads, I’ve added I’ll Give You the Sun and Tonight the Streets are Ours as possible reading material. I own a physical copy of the former, and an ebook of the latter. It’s doubtful that I’ll be able to get to them both, but oh well.

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So that’s how my reading went for the week! Tell me; how has your reading been going? Which one of these books have you read or want to read? Let me know, in the comments! ❤

Happy Wednesday!

2016 Resolutions | TAG

Hello! (No Adele joke this time, I promise.) I’d usually have a Top Ten Tuesday post up today, but I decided to do the 2016 Resolutions Tag today instead, created by Trisha Ann @ The Bookgasm. I know we’re more than halfway through January 2016, but there’s still plenty of time left for completing resolutions, am I right?! I was tagged by Summer @ Xing Sings; Thanks, girl! I had been meaning to do a post like this earlier this month, but never got around to it—now I have reason to, haha. I know this sounds hella repetetive, but I promise you, Summer’s blog is absolutely lovely. Definitely go and show her some bloggish and bookish love!

Now, let us get onto the tag of really ambitious resolutions…

BOOKISH RESOLUTIONS

In 2016, I will…

1. Read at least 170 books.

I set my Goodreads goal to 200 this year, which I will admit might’ve been a bit too ambitious and a bit too unreasonable when taken into account the amount of time I’ll actually have to read. So I’ve decided that if I read at least 170 books, I’m satisfied. But of course, I’m still aiming for 200! XD

2. Diversify my reading. 

I really want to continue the trend of reading diverse books! I know there are a lot of them that I missed in 2o15 so hopefully 2016 is the year I’ll be able to read more of them.

3. Read the books I said I would read in 2015, but didn’t.

There are a LOT of books I meant to read last year, but didn’t, so I’m hoping to read those books this year! I’ll probably start with the ones on this list. Fingers crossed I’ll actually be able to read them this year!

4. Complete the ten series I want to read in 2016.

If you click on the link, you’ll be led to my TTT list of series I am hoping to read this year. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to all of them, but I really hope so. They all seem so great!

5. Refrain from buying too many books each month. 

I haven’t done many book haul posts for a long time, but let me tell you, I haven’t been holding back from buying books! I have been going waaaay too overboard. I should give mercy to my wallet! Not only am I quickly running out of shelf space, I’m spending way too much money.

6. Organize my Goodreads shelves.

I really want to sort out my TBR into smaller chunks. Make more shelves, categorize the books into priority and not-so-much-of-a-priority, you know? My TBR is absolutely enormous, but it’s all over the place. I’m hoping to change that this year!

7. Find the courage to send emails to publishers for ARCs I REALLY want.

I keep chickening out of sending emails to publishers! I’m hoping this year I might find the courage to do so. I don’t want to go crazy with my requesting, so I’m mostly thinking of requesting ARCs of books I really want. (Some sequels, some stand-alones,etc.)

8. Make a TBR jar…?

As you can probably tell from the question mark, I’m not as sure for this one. Maybe I will, maybe I won’t, you know? But the idea of it is definitely appealing! The TBR jars I’ve seen always look so pretty and it’s a good way to choose what book to read next off my TBR.

9. Visit the library more often (instead of the bookstore!)

Although bookstores are absolutely fabulous and bookworm heaven, I’d really like to visit the library more often as an attempt to lower the amount of money I spend on books. I haven’t been visiting it as often as I would’ve liked to, so hopefully that will change this year!

10. Make sure that at least 25-50% of the books I read this year are books I bought in 2015 or earlier.

I own way too many unread books, so hopefully if I follow this resolution I might be able to cut down on the amount of unread books I own. Fingers crossed!

BOOK BLOGGING RESOLUTIONS

In 2016, I will…

1. Have a wider variety of posts each month.

There are so many post ideas I have, yet I never seem to get around to writing them! I’m hoping to make 2016 the year where I actually get those posts written, whether they’re discussion posts, book reviews, book tags, whatever.

2. Try to post at least 1-2 discussion posts per week.

This one is one of the most ambitious resolutions, I think. Unless I had superpowers like Cait who is able to write tons of amazing discussion posts, that is. But alas, I don’t, so I’m just going to have to go off the fact that if I put in some more effort I might be able to post more discussion posts this year! Nothing wrong with aiming high, right? (That question is going to come back to haunt me, I know it.)

3. Reduce the amount of unpublished drafts I have.

The last time I checked (not that long ago) I had almost over a 100? Some of them date way back to when I first started blogging… Yeah, a clean-up is in order for sure!

4. Catch up on my tags and award nominations!

I appreciate SO MUCH (like, really, you have no idea HOW MUCH I appreciate this) all the nominations and tags bloggers have given me over the course of 2015! I promise I will try my best to get to them all this year. ❤ THANK YOU.

5. Be able to find a consistent balance between blogging and life.

I really want to find a good schedule that works for me! Right now I’m doing okay, but it would be tremendously helpful if I were to find a way to get a good balance between blogging and school. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD THAT IS. But I am trying!

6. (Try to) Reply to comments as soon as possible.

Often times school and life gets in the way in blogging, and I find it difficult to find the time to answer to comments sometimes! Which really sucks because I appreciate your comments so much and I love talking to you, yet I don’t always get to. So, this year, I want to stay on top of the comment game!

7. Become a blog-hopping pro. 

Now this one is kind of related to #6. With school and everything, it’s hard to always visit EVERYONE’s blog. I really wish I could visit ALL the blogs, but sadly I just don’t have the time and sometimes I’m just too lazy. Attempting to be a ‘blog-hopping pro’ is quite far-fetched, but I’m hoping to at least be able to visit the most blogs as possible this year.

8. Write book reviews more often.

I’m testing out different methods of reviewing right now, and as I have A HUGE pile of reviews that I want to write, I’m hoping to be able to write book reviews more often! Even 1 per week is better than nothing, right?

9. Be more active on Twitter.

It’s amazing seeing how much social media can impact our lives these days. Twitter seems to be a popular platform to meet and talk to other bloggers, which I’m always happy to do! So hopefully I’ll use it more often in 2016.

10. Schedule more of my posts.

WordPress offers the use of a great tool: scheduling! That way if I have a post ready to go, I can schedule it so that it posts automatically when I want it to. This could prove to be very useful at times when I’m really pressed with work—so I’m hoping to use it more often this year!

CAREER/ACADEMIC RESOLUTIONS

In 2016, I will…

1. Be more attentive in class.

It’s so difficult to stay focused sometimes! GAH, school. Why must it be so boring? Alas, there’s nothing to do about it other than manage to stay on top of it all. 2016: Time to focus!

2. Try to complete all homework assignments as soon as possible.

Although I’m usually pretty good at this, there are times where I end up prioritizing other things than homework, and in 2016 I hope to prevent that by finishing all homework asap!

3. Try my best to do well in school.

It’s my last year of high school, after all, and I don’t want to be slacking! XD I might as well put all efforts in now—it’ll only help me more in the future, right?

4. Keep my notes organized.

I usually do well enough with keeping notes organized, but I want to take it a step further and actually MAKE SURE that my notes are in order and good to use. Because we all know how hard studying without notes can be!

5. Make sure my locker stays organized.

It’s absolutely horrible when lockers are unorganized! Most of the time it’s really hard to find anything, and it’s never a good sight. So this year, I’m definitely going to focus on keeping my locker in a good condition.

PERSONAL RESOLUTIONS

In 2016, I will…

1. Try to be organized in all areas!

Whether it’s school, blogging, or simply just things I need to do, I want to keep organized. I love making lists, so I’ll probably start there. 😉 I know there are many more ways to stay organized though, so I’ll be trying out different methods!

2. Stop devouring all the chocolate I can get my hands on.

If you didn’t know already, I kind of love chocolate..!! And I probably have been eating too much of it lately (IT’S JUST SO GOOD) so hopefully I’ll be better at controlling my chocolate-eating habits. LOL.

3. Get over my fear of dogs.

I’m kind of stretching it here, as I had a fear of dogs for many, many, years now, but baby steps, right? Dogs are absolutely adorable, but I’m always too scared to be around them..!

4. Stop wearing mismatched socks.

I know this is kind of silly, but I have a habit of often wearing mismatched socks—and it’s gotta stop! Hopefully 2016 will be the year it does. 😉

5. Learn to not completely fail at baking.

Me and baking are well-acquainted with eachother…although perhaps not in the good way. Let’s just say I’ve had my fair share of faux pas in the kitchen, okay? There’s tons of delicious-looking recipes I always want to try out, and I really want to do them this year.

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Whew, it looks like I have a lot to do this year! I’m kind of curious as to see how it will turn out in the end—will I actually be able to complete these resolutions? It’s doubtful that I’d be able to complete ALL of them, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!

Now it’s your turn! You tell me: how ambitious are your resolutions for 2016? How ambitious do you think MINE are? Too much? Too little? 😛 Do you even make resolutions, or do you just go with the flow? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below! (THAT RHYME THOUGH.)

Cheers! Hope you all are enjoying your Tuesday. ❤

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan | Book Review

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Publication Date: October 6th 2015
Publisher: Disney – Hyperion Books
Genre(s): Fantasy, Humor, Young-Adult
Series Status: Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1
Page Count: 491
Source & Format: Owned, Hardcover

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Magnus Chase has always been a troubled kid. Since his mother’s mysterious death, he’s lived alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, keeping one step ahead of the police and the truant officers.

One day, he’s tracked down by a man he’s never met—a man his mother claimed was dangerous. The man tells him an impossible secret: Magnus is the son of a Norse god.

The Viking myths are true. The gods of Asgard are preparing for war. Trolls, giants and worse monsters are stirring for doomsday. To prevent Ragnarok, Magnus must search the Nine Worlds for a weapon that has been lost for thousands of years.

When an attack by fire giants forces him to choose between his own safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents, Magnus makes a fatal decision.

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die . . .

Hello bookworms! In an attempt to stay on top of my reviews for this year (not going so good right now, but oh well) I’m here today with a review on the first book in the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series, The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan, which I completed not too long ago. 🙂

Rick Riordan has been one of my favourite authors since I was very young. I read his whole Percy Jackson series as well as his Heroes of Olympus series AND the Kane Chronicles, and have been eagerly anticipating whichever book he publishes next. For 2015, The Sword of Summer became the book I anticipated, and I finally got around to reading it.

In a sentence, the best way to describe The Sword of Summer is to say it’s filled with humour, action and mythology; a great start to a brand new Riordan series. Truthfully I’m finding it kind of hard to think of a way to describe this book in my usual reviewing fashion, so I’ll make it easier on myself and you guys by giving you guys 4 reasons why you should read this book! (And a few things to keep in mind before/while you do.)

1. It’s funny.

Okay, not like, thigh-slapping funny, but it’s funny. It’s just simply FUN to read. And fun is good. In classic Riordan style, there were sarcastic comments and sassy comebacks; what more could I ask for? I found myself smiling and chuckling at several points throughout the story, and it was great in between the bouts of action and everything. Magnus’ character was definitely one of story’s biggest providers of humor, which was great as he’s our protagonist. 😉 His snark and commentary, although not exactly refreshing, was familiar and fun to read!

OH, AND. I can’t forget to mention the chapter titles—definitely one of my favorite parts!! From things like Let’s play frisbee with bladed weapons to A Lovely Homicidal Sunset Cruise, the chapter titles always brought a smile. They are fabulous. Read the book and you will understand..!

2. Adventure and lots of near-death galore…

YOU MUST DIE. Just kidding, I love you. But that’s kind of how things went in The Sword of Summer (the ‘you must die part, that is)…only half joking, haha. Because again, in classic Riordan style, there was lots of adventure (OF COURSE.) and many, many, MANY near-death experiences. (And some may or may not have been a near-death, without the ‘near’, if you know what I mean.) So, basically it was almost non-stop action, and was terribly addicting. I finished this within a day of starting it! #sorrynotsorry

3. Yay for fun characters and diversity!

Magnus was fabulous. Of course, with a name like Magnus, how could he not be? 😛 Though I have to say Magnus’s voice DID remind me of Percy’s. A lot. I probably wouldn’t be able to discern the two if they both were to talk. BUT when it comes down to it, they’re both pretty different—and it was a small factor because it didn’t really bother me AS much overall.

Samirah (the female MC) was great too, though she reminded me of Annabeth. AGH, I KNOW, it sucks, but I can’t help but compare, especially when their characters are so similar. Hot-headed? Check. Generally more smarter than Percy Magnus? Check. But despite these similarities, I enjoyed her character anyway.

A few things I appreciated about her : 1) she’s Muslim (though not sure yet how she could be Muslim and still serve Norse gods..) 2) she’s in love with the guy she’s arranged to marry: There’s this idea that all arranged marriages are terrible and everything, so three cheers for Rick in taking a step to change that—’cause it’s not always the case and 3) Snark! Samirah wasn’t a fan of Magnus from the start, and it was lots of fun seeing her be snarky towards him (and most other people too). *ALSO: NO ROMANCE between her and Magnus. Quite rare to see a platonic boy-girl relationship these days, so yay!

Apart from Magnus and Samirah, I had the pleasure of the company of Blitz and Hearth! They’re both absolutely hilarious, and I loved them! Hearth also happens to be deaf–another cheer for diversity! Although I have to admit the fact that he is able to read lips perfectly is kind of doubtful, he still was a great addition to the cast of the novel.

4. Yum, mythology..!

As with the Percy Jackson series, The Sword of Summer put a fun spin on ancient mythology, this time going with Norse instead of Greek. Quirky, modernized Norse gods meant more humor while still giving us a Norse Ed. course.. so yay! I do realize that there’s no way for me to be sure whether the information in the book is 100% accurate, but at least I know more than just the names of Thor, Odin and Loki. (Is it just me who never knew a god named Frey even existed?!)

Things to keep in mind:

• The plot isn’t anything especially new. If you’ve read a lot of Rick Riordan’s books, you know that they generally follow similar plot lines; characters go on a quest, they kill monsters, almost die, and fulfill quests. Generally. This is how it goes. And basically it’s how it went for this one..? Truthfully this didn’t bother me much at all, but it’s something to keep in mind, is all.

• There ARE similarities between it and Percy Jackson (but that’s not necessarily a bad thing). Although it can bother me when another series by the same author copies things from their other series (like Reawakened by Colleen Houck), in this situation it wasn’t that bad since there was so many other things that I enjoyed. It depends on the person, though. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 😛

• This book is marketed as YA, but I’m warning you: this book will probably seem more juvenile. This didn’t particularly bother me personally, but I did notice it and I know several readers complained about this, so I’m going to mention it here. Do try to remember that a lot of, or at least some of Magnus Chase’s readers will be readers who are coming from the Percy Jackson series, which means this book should be suitable for younger readers as well as more older readers. No matter what is the case, this book will probably be enjoyable either way! 😉

• It’s REALLY LONG. This is the one thing that actually did kind of bother me, or, crossed my mind more than just 10 seconds. Some parts of the book just seemed unnecessary? That isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy those parts; I did, but it just could’ve been shortened, that’s all.

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Have you devoured this book yet?? If you have, tell me!! 🙂 I’m always looking to fangirl with someone, LOL. (If you want, you can even check out this book trailer of it too!) If you haven’t read this book yet, do you plan to? Let me know your expectations, your hopes! What are you looking forward to the most? Or on a bigger scale; how do you feel about books similar to other books? Does it taint your enjoyment of a novel? Let me know whatever thoughts you may have below!

Happy Monday, everyone! ❤

My Thoughts On…Shadowhunters TV Show | Episode 1: The Mortal Cup

Shadowhunters. The time has finally come! After months upon months of waiting for its release, the first episode of the Shadowhunters TV show, based off of the bestselling The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, came out on Netflix—and naturally I had to watch it! I’ve seen tons of posts lately from other bloggers sharing their thoughts on the first and/or second episode, so I decided, why not? I have a lot of thoughts to share on it, so let’s get started.

Let’s start with the best and good parts, shall we?

Castings and Characters

• Simon WAS PERFECT. I must admit, I wasn’t completely sold on Alberto Rosende (the actor) at first, but after seeing him in the first episode, I gotta say, he’s great. Fingers crossed that the great acting will continue!

• Simon and Clary’s friendship was sweet! Simon and Clary got along really well, and I really liked how the two actors pulled off their friendship.

• Alec‘s portrayal by Alexander (CORRECTION: Matthew) Daddario was really great. Mostly it’s just that Alec was basically everything I imagined him to be like! Protective of Jace and Isabelle, hostile to Clary. Can’t wait to see more of him as the show continues.

• As for Isabelle (Emeraude Toubia), I have to admit that I was expecting her to be more, I don’t know, hostile and more angry. I feel like the show tamed her down a bit more in comparison with the books. I really liked the actress who played her, though! And although some of her lines were terrible, I liked her parts well enough. (She could still kick butt, that’s for sure.)

• Alan Van Sprang shone through as Valentine! He wasn’t exactly how I pictured him, but he turned out to be pretty good.

• Jocelyn (Maxim Roy), too, was alright. I was kind of? skeptical of both her and Valentine’s casting, but she turned out to be alright as well. (But why on earth did she give Clary a stele??)

Plot

• The Pandemonium scenes were really good! Not horrible, at least. Especially the part where Jace, Alec and Isabelle was hunting down the demon (though what was the use of Isabelle’s wig when she takes it off anyway?)

• To be honest I’m not quite sure how I feel yet about the inclusion of the mundane blood thing going on, but for now I’m just gonna place it with the good parts of the episode, because, well, it wasn’t necessarily a bad addition. Obviously there has to be some changes where the plot’s concerned to not make it identical to the book.

• Having Luke as a policeman was an interesting idea! I wasn’t sure if I’d like it, when I first heard of it, but now it doesn’t seem to be that bad.

• I feel like there’s more I have to say about the storyline and everything, but… my memory kind of sucks right now?

Where things became ‘meh’

• So.. Maureen is friends with Simon and Clary, and is the same age as them now? Not sure how I feel about this either. I suppose it’s not exactly a bad thing, but it has me questioning as to where it will lead.

• The special effects. More specifically, the portal. I’ve been seeing talk about how the show’s on a low budget and everything, but really? Was that the best they could do? Again, it wasn’t BAD persay, but it could’ve been better.

• Magnus Bane… what even happened? I’m not even sure how to explain this one. His character just seemed so.. wrong somehow? Maybe? I don’t know. (I seem to be repeating ‘I don’t know’ really often, but oh well…)

• The institute is now full of people and really modernized… not sure how I feel about this?? 

Reasons for angry stomping and lots of frowns:

• DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE DIALOGUE. Gah. Sometimes I was able to ignore it, but there were several times where the dialogue became cheesy and cliché as hell. I cringe just thinking about some of them.. PLEASE MAKE THIS BETTER, I BEG YOU. (Don’t ask to whom I’m begging… I don’t know, maybe the gods of TV shows?? #Totallymakessense)

• The acting. NOT ALL of the acting, mind you. Most specifically I mean the delivery of lines from Dom Sherwood and occasionally other actors. But mostly Dominic, who plays Jace. I swear, the way he says his lines makes me cringe. Don’t ask why, because I can’t really pinpoint the reason… but let’s just say right now I can’t seem to fully accept him as Jace. I really hope he improves as the show goes on…

• No chemistry between Kat and Dom. Dominic looked like he’s in pain half the time anyway and had terrible lines, but still. None. Nada. If there was any, I was oblivious to it. Which is quite a shame! There was a lot of places where the movie went wrong, but on-screen chemistry wise, Movie-Clary (Lily Collins) and Movie-Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower) were great. Or at least, pretty decent. So it was kind of sad to see that the show lacked this. Having said that, I’m not too sad seeing how this is only the first episode. BUT STILL.

• What happened to the weapons?!! Those seraph blades look like cheap plastic lightsabers.. and just… no. What happened to the naming and all of that? Grrrr.

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Phew…I think that’s mostly it! At least, that’s all that currently pops into my brain. The show has been getting some mixed opinions as far as I’ve seen, but to me, it wasn’t horrible. It didn’t follow the book page-for-page, but it did keep some of the main events and key details, and it still was entertaining despite the meh and the bad parts—so I will definitely be continuing the series! Plus, it’s just the first episode, right? Plenty of room for improvement and second chances.

Do let me know what YOUR thoughts on the show are! I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to continue to write a post for each episode… maybe I’ll do one post at the end of each month with comments on each of the episodes released during that month? Whatever the case is, right now, let me know whatever thoughts you may have about the first (and/or second) episode, or just this show in general. Discussion is always fun! 😀

Enjoy the rest of your weekend! ❤

Is YA Fiction Too ‘Dark’ For Young Adults? | Book Snacks Babbles

Book Snacks Babbles is a discussion feature here at Book Snacks where I talk about all things bookish & bloggish! For more info, check out my intro post here. 

Say hello to the first discussion of 2016!! Woot woot! After starting my discussion feature, Book Snacks Babbles, last year, I severely lacked in keeping up a consistent schedule, but for this year, I’m hoping to have more of them written! They’re lots of fun to do, and it’s always great to have conversation with other bloggers, so fingers crossed I’ll have more free time to do them.

SO. This question kind of stemmed from when I was reading the controversial Wall Street Journal article by Meghan Cox Gurdon about how YA is too risky and too dark for the targeted audience. And I know many people argued back against this, but I’ve decided to join in as well. I mean, Gurdon does have a point… about how YA is becoming more and more dark, that is. In the quest to get more diverse books out there, there are books talking about all sorts of topics judged as ‘dark’: suicide, murder, cancer, and many more. So yes, I do acknowledge the fact that YA books can and do have more ‘darker’ content. But is that necessarily a bad thing? In my opinion, definitely not—and let me tell you why, in a very helpful list, if I do say so myself. Get comfy, and let’s babble!

Note: Please, I must ask that comments be kept respectful. I understand that this is a more controversial topic and may be subject to different opinions—and I’m all for discussion!—but please, no rude or disrespectful comments.

What is Dark YA anyway?

I know some of you may be asking this question to yourselves—and if you are, I don’t blame you. Really, there is no specific words to describe what it really is, but I’ll try anyway.

According to most people, and specifically Gurdon, dark YA are books that include topics that are generally considered inapporitate for the intended audience of 12-18. Things like abuse, violence, suicide, cancer, even vampires, included in the novel. I know that’s a pretty small definition—and I’m sure there is a much better way to explain it, but I’m assuming you all get the gist of it, right? If anyone has anything to add to it, feel free to tell me below.

The Importance of Dark YA

Truthfully, I hate calling books that deal with what people deem as risky or inappropriate as ‘dark’ but for the sake of shortening things down, that’s what I’m going to use. But really, just because a book deals with suicide, or murder, or cancer, or anything like that, it doesn’t mean it’s ‘dark’. It’s a part of YA fiction, and life, at that. But I digress.

One of my biggest arguments about this whole topic is how dark YA is important, essential, even, for readers. Teens, and adults, read young-adult fiction to fall in love with a story, to read about different characters, yes, but also to explore and learn about the things that fascinate or even scare them, in a way. Death, murder, suicide. Books dealing with social and personal problems are ways to show readers that there are ways to cope. The world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, and in the world we’re in today, it would be naive to believe that people are oblivious to that.

Reading about these supposedly dark topics, represent and answers those questions teens and older people will inevitably ask to themselves. Books about death aren’t just about death, they answer questions surrounding the topic, about how to cope. Books about suicide aren’t trying to encourage it, they’re trying to explain. I can’t account for ALL the books out there talking about these topics, but I can believe in my heart that no author would intentionally be trying to encourage the behavior in their novels. In reading books surrounding ‘dark’ topics, younger and older readers alike aren’t corrupted (as far as I know), but instead is given a way to relate their own lives with the lives of others—even if the ‘others’ is fictional.

Reasons Why I Love Dark YA

It’s important that dark YA exists, but there are a few other reasons why I enjoy reading it:

• It’s an escape from reality. And I know some of you might be wondering, why would you want to escape into a reality that may (or may not) be worse than yours? Well, I can’t give you an answer for that any more than the answer you’d give for why you read a dystopian novel whose world is at war. Because yes, it’s true that perhaps our reality might be better than what happens in the book, but it’s that difference, that makes it an intriguing read. Also, I guess sometimes, when reality becomes too much, reading about how another person copes with a reality much worse than ours puts things into perspective, and in a way, is comforting (as odd as that may sound). Yes? (I hope that made sense..)

• Because it’s a glimpse into a different life. At the base of it all, fiction lets us imagine the life of another person. Just as with any other YA book, dark YA fiction tells a story about another person. The only difference (in most cases, at least) is that it includes a more sensitive story—and that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Instead, in seeing this story, this different life of a character, is enlightening and thought-provoking.

• It pushes me outside me comfort zone (sometimes). From time to time, I find it to be helpful if I read something that really makes me think, you know? Yes, it’s something that I don’t usually read, (and we all know how difficult it can be to accept a kind of story you’re not used to) but that’s what challenges me to reconsider my opinions and to see things from another point of view.

So… IS YA Fiction Too Dark For Young Adults?

Maybe it’s a matter of opinion, maybe not. But for me, I’d say no. At least not for the majority of it. As a general statement, I don’t believe dark YA is meant to corrupt young adults—or anyone. Adults and teens alike are old enough to realize what books suit their fancy, and just because books deal with more sensitive topics does not mean it’s bad or inappropriate for teens. These days, people deal with a variety of problems and situations. Bullies, violence, suicide. If there weren’t books representing both the good and the bad, then it wouldn’t be the truth. With so many causes of problems out in the world, the last thing anyone needs is a lack of books that represent those problems, right?

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So what is your opinion? As I mentioned at the start of this post, please keep comments respectful! I’d love to know what you think: What IS dark YA, really? Do you stay away from it, or accept it? Does it seem to you that YA fiction is becoming too ‘dark’? Let it be open for discussion!

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray | Book Review

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Publication Date: November 3rd 2015
Publisher: Harper Teen
Genre(s): Sci-fi, Romance, Young-Adult
Series Status: Firebird #2
Page Count: 424
Source & Format: Owned, Paperback

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents’ invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions.

Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared.

The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.

Hello bookworms! It’s been such a long time since I posted any reviews here on my blog—I guess I just can’t keep up in writing reviews when I have a huge snowball of them! But that’s not the point here. Today I’m here to share my thoughts on Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray! Apart from the fact that the cover for this is absolutely gorgeous (!!!), I had been really looking forward to reading this one ever since I finished A Thousand Pieces of You last year.

So, I finally read it—and I have to say, I really enjoyed this one! I’d go so far as to say that I liked it even more than the first one. There’s a lot that I really enjoyed in this one, but there were also a few little things where I was a bit more frowny. I’ve decided to deviate from my usual reviewing style to make my thoughts more clear. 😉 (I’d love to know what you think!) SO LET’S DO THIS. For all of you who haven’t read the first book, don’t worry ’cause this review is completely spoiler-free!

Design credit goes to Freepik; edits were done by me.

Why there was lots of devouring and happiness

• DIMENSION TRAVELLING! It was one of my favourite parts of the first book, and I think I loved it even more in this one. Not only is simply THE IDEA of it so cool, it made for such an entertaining story and was executed very well.

• It made me THINK. And I know some of you may be groaning right now, but I praise Claudia Gray for including interesting themes and bringing forth conflicting questions throughout the story. Things like the more negative side to dimensional travels and the ethical issues it brings forth are an added plus for the story’s value and complexity. Three-cheers for thought-provoking books!

• This book had such an amazing bromance going on. Seriously. I loved Theo and Paul’s brotherly relationship so much! The love Theo had for Paul, and Paul for Theo, was so sweet. We really need more bromances around like this!

• I didn’t want to put it down. (Then again, I almost never want to put any book down, but shhhh.) Seriously though, it was addictive. Hardly a boring moment—as far as I remember, at least. And seeing how I read this not-too-long-ago, I’m pretty sure I remember correctly. LOL.

• Two words; Plot. Twists. They were everywhere! (Or maybe it just felt like they were everywhere, but SHHHH.) In some cases plot twists can become annoying and predictable, but this was not one of those cases.

• This book is not as much romance-focused as the previous book. There is still plenty of romance, but unlike the first book where a lot of it was focused on only the romance, now there is additional focus on other things too, which was appreciated! (Although, you have been warned; there is a love triangle.)

• THE COVER. I’d read any book with that cover. Just kidding! Mostly. Kind of. #Judgeabookbyitscover But seriously though, the cover is beautiful—and the story inside was just as good!

Where Frowns and Raised Eyebrows Emerged

• I was lost for quite some time when starting the book, especially when it talked about events that happened in the previous book—although that’s more of my fault. I definitely recommend skimming or re-reading A Thousand Pieces of You and jog your memory of what happened in it, (if you don’t remember much of it) before reading the sequel!

• While Marguerite’s character could’ve been worse, she still wasn’t such a great one—but that’s just my opinion. To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the book any less because of it, but certain times, I just couldn’t take her seriously and would have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. Other times, she was just so repetitive, that it became quite bothersome. Thankfully I still ended up enjoying the book despite these parts!

• Maybe it’s because of the main character’s lack of advanced scientific understanding (she’s more of an artsy person), but it felt like a lot of things surrounding the scientific aspect of the novel were left unanswered. Or things that weren’t explained that well or didn’t make sense. I don’t know. I just hope these are all cleared up in the last book!

Overall…

An entertaining novel! I was hooked from start to finish (even if I was lost for some parts) and there were lots of aspects to it that I enjoyed. I really loved reading about Theo and Paul’s bromance, as well as the dimension travelling aspect. (IT’S MAGIC. But not.) Would I recommend it? For people who are uncertain about continuing the series, well, it depends on what exactly was your problem with the first book, but generally, I’d say the second one was better than the first, so… it’s up to you now. For all of you who haven’t read it yet, I recommend you to do so! Unless you’re REALLY against romance in sci-fi or something, this series is a pretty good one.

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SO. Now it’s your turn to talk! (Because this can’t just be a one-sided conversation!) Tell me, what are your thoughts on this book and/or series? And tell me which book cover do you like better, in this series?! Because #important. ALSO. Let me know what your thoughts are on not-so-likeable characters! Do you condemn the book if they annoy you? LET US TALK. 🙂

WWW Wednesday #36 (December 23rd, December 30, January 6th & January 13th)

Seriously, I just can’t keep up with anything anymore. SOB. It’s been 4 weeks since I last participated in this. 4 WEEKS. Gah. Inconsistency is driving me crazy. Oh, and lack of time. ANOTHER SOB. (And angry stomping.)

So today, as you can see I have another collective edition of WWW Wednesday, for the past 4 weeks! I swear I hadn’t meant to miss so many WWWs, but…I guess it happened anyway! Oops!

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On a World of Words), where you answer the following questions:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

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December 23rd

Currently Reading

• The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

Recently Finished

• The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

This book was a very unique read! I have to admit it was kind of hard for me at first to judge whether I liked it or not, because it was different from what I’m normally used to.

Read Next

• The Rose Society by Marie Lu
• Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
• Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

Basically all is the same as last week’s read next, save for the fact that I’ve decided to get rid of Invaded by Melissa Landers. Can’t really specify why, but I guess I kind of just lost interest..? Okay, fine, maybe not lost interest, but I’m just happy to leave it as is for now.

 

December 30th

Currently Reading

• Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine

Recently Finished

• The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski
• The Rose Society by Marie Lu

The Girlfriend Request was a pretty fast read, and a pretty cute one at that! Having said that, I must admit it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for me. There was a lot of raised eyebrows throughout the story, meaning there were just things that didn’t sit that well for me. But overall a cute contemporary!

The Rose Society… ah, I’m at a loss for words. Can I just say that it was incredibly stupid of me to not wait for the last book to be released?! Though at the same time I’m kind of scared… I just have this feeling that things aren’t going to end well—and I really hope I’m wrong. But The Rose Society was a great novel, I flew through it.

Read Next

• Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray
• You Were Here by Cori McCarthy
• Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision

Ten Thousand Skies Above You is definitely next on my list for this upcoming week! Along with that I have also added You Were Here, which is an e-ARC I received via Netgalley. And on a spur of the moment decision, I have also added Threats of Sky and Sea, which is a fantasy novel that seems like it’ll be amazing! This is more of a maybe option, but I guess I’ll see!

January 6th

Currently Reading

• You Were Here by Cori McCarthy

Recently Finished

• Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine
• Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray

I finally read it! Ink and Bone had been on my read next for SO LONG but I finally read it; and I’m happy to say that I liked it! I had previously read negative reviews on it and it kind of made me prepare for the worst… but thankfully it ended up being entertaining. Especially since I kind of adored the characters…! They were complex and diverse, which is almost always a good combo.

I swear, I was literally speechless after finishing Ten Thousand Skies Above You. My memory occasionally blanked out when it came to remembering the events of the first book, so it did take me a while to get my bearings. Even then there still were parts where I was like, whaaaaa? When did that happen again? But nonetheless, I greatly enjoyed this read.

Read Next

• Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision
• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I’ve decided to add Threats of Sky and Sea once again, because, why not? Passenger was released early this month, and it seems pretty interesting, so I’ve added that too, though chances are I won’t be reading it this week, unless I manage to get a copy of it. And finally I have added The Sword of Summer—I’ve been meaning to read this ever since it’s been released, hopefully I’ll get around to it.

January 13th

Currently Reading

• You Were Here by Cori McCarthy
• Threats of Sky and Sea by Jennifer Ellision

Yep, I’m still reading You Were Here… and I’m not even near finishing it. I don’t know. For one thing, I haven’t been getting much time to read this, but apart from that, I’m not really feeling it. I don’t know, I can’t seem to muster up the level of enthusiasm I want, no, need, to actually get myself engaged in the book. And truthfully, I can’t decide yet whether it’s me or the book, either. Sigh. I’m planning on taking a break for now…Hopefully things will turn better later on!

Taking a break from You Were Here, I’ve decided to read Threats of Sky and Sea. It’s on my Kobo, which makes it convenient since these days I’m always either on the bus or at school.. both cases where I already have my hands full with heavy books. So far it’s pretty entertaining!

Recently Finished

SNIFFLE. No, more like SOB. I didn’t manage to finish anything this week, unfortunately. (My goal of 200 books read this year is seemingly becoming more and more impossible…)

Read Next

• The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan
• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
• Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

The Sword of Summer and Passenger are both on the list once again, but this week I’m also adding Falling Kingdoms because I’m going to start it January 18th, as part of a Falling Kingdoms series read-along (that’s being hosted by Josie, Jess, Drew, Tamara and Lillie.) You can check out either or all of these blogs for the information post they all put up! If you could join, it would be great.

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I haven’t been getting much time to read these past weeks, but I’m managing so far! How have your weeks been? Let me know what you think in the comments! Feel free to leave your link down below so I can come hop by your blog later. 😉 Have a great day, everyone!

I swear I meant to read these last year…but I didn’t | Top Ten Tuesday #29 (January 12th)

Hello! (It’s me.) Sorry, had to do that. But yes, hello everyone and welcome back to another Top Ten Tuesday, a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! I seriously haven’t been able to find the time to literally do ANYTHING, but it’s time to break this pattern of no-posts-for-a-week, don’t you think? 😉 Anyway, 2015 was a great year for books…though I must confess, there are a lot of books I meant to read—-but didn’t. SO LET’S DO THIS.

1. The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Patrick Ness, is, of course, fabulous which is why I have been anticipating the release of his newest book ever since I heard of it! And I swear, I meant to read it around the time of its release—or at least in 2015—but, unfortunately I didn’t. BUT I WILL. Yes, I definitely will. (HUSH even though that’s what I said last year…)

2. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I absolutely devoured Rick Riordan’s previous series, Percy Jackson and the Heroes of Olympus back when I first read them, and so I had really wanted to read The Sword of Summer as well, the first book in his newest series, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. But alas… I didn’t. SIGH.

3. More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Since and before its release, I had been hearing glorious praises about this book! (There was even a cool book tag based on it made too!) It seems like the kind of contemporary that I would love to read, so I had been wanting to read it for, oh, you know, the whole year of 2015? But obviously I didn’t so I will definitely try to read it this year!

4. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

If you guys have been around the book blogging community for, say, the past 2-4 months, I’d bet you know what I mean when I say this book blew up, literally EVERYWHERE. I’m only half-joking, hush. So color me curious, because (hopefully) all that hype can’t have been running on nothingness.. right?

5. Soundless by Richelle Mead

Now, my expectations for this one is not that high, seeing how I’ve braced myself with the knowledge of bad reviews (LOL, that sounds so dramatic when I put it that way)—BUT, I still want to read it because, obviously, I want to see for myself how it is. 🙂 And as such, I had planned to read it last year, but didn’t get around to it. THIS YEAR. It shall happen.

6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Everyone seems to have read this book!! (Except me, SIGH.) I really can’t wait to read it though, it seems like it’ll be a great read! I’m starting to feel like a broken record, just replaying the same thing over and over again, but I WILL GET TO THIS. HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR, and not, you know, in the next century. If that’s even possible.

7. The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

After reading Robyn Schneider’s sophomore novel, Extraordinary Means, I really wanted to see how her debut turned out. I had a library copy of it and everything, but unfortunately I didn’t get around to it. It seems to be a good book though!

8. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

Along with Vicious (by the same author, but not the same series), A Darker Shade of Magic was really hyped in the more earlier months of 2015, (and even now, to be honest, especially with the release of the second book coming up this year). And I kept telling myself (and everyone else) that I would read it or Vicious sometime soon, but, as what seems to be the sad pattern, I didn’t get around to it. *Crawls into hole*

9. After You by Jojo Moyes

I absolutely loved Me Before You, kind of unexpectedly seeing how I don’t venture much into adult fiction. But I did, and afterwards when I heard about After You, a kind of sequel to the first, I was really excited. I haven’t really read many reviews on it though, to be honest, so I’m not quite sure what to expect. Fingers crossed!

10. The Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker

Marketed as the Graceling meets Game of Thrones, The Witch Hunter had been on my TBR list ever since its release. I mean, I haven’t read the Game of Thrones, but I know enough to assume that this book will definitely be one heck of an adventure. Right? Not to mention the glowing reviews…Hopefully I’m not going to be let down. I honestly meant to read this so long ago, but, come on, you all know me by now. LOL.

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Gah, this list feels so long! And this is all without counting ALLL the other books on my TBR…Yeah, seeing how that’s over 500, I doubt we want to go there. (I swear, if anyone is able to come up with a machine that stops time whenever I want to read, I WOULD LOVE YOU. Even if you were an axe murderer. :P) But still, for now, I’ll limit it to just trying to keep up with all these books! Here’s hoping I’ll be able to read these books this year.

Now it’s your turn! Tell me, which books on here have you not read either? WE CAN BE BOOKISHLY LONELY TOGETHER. (Because that totally makes sense.) And if you have read any of these, tell me your thoughts!! I’d love to know so I may be prepared for the future. 😉 Also, I’m curious—which one of these books do you find were hyped the most? Really, basically all of them were, so… TELL ME.

Happy Tuesday!