Waiting on Wednesday -- Pretending to be Erica

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share upcoming releases!

Pretending to Be Erica by Michelle Painchaud
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Release Date: July 21, 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thiriller 

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Goodreads Synopsis:
We Were Liars meets Heist Society in a riveting debut!

Seventeen-year-old Violet’s entire life has revolved around one thing: becoming Erica Silverman, an heiress kidnapped at age five and never seen again. Violet’s father, the best con man in Las Vegas, has a plan, chilling in its very specific precision. Violet shares a blood type with Erica; soon, thanks to surgery and blackmail, she has the same face, body, and DNA. She knows every detail of the Silvermans’ lives, as well as the PTSD she will have to fake around them. And then, when the time is right, she “reappears”—Erica Silverman, brought home by some kind of miracle. But she is also Violet, and she has a job: Stay long enough to steal the Silverman Painting, an Old Master legendary in the Vegas crime world. Walking a razor’s edge, calculating every decision, not sure sometimes who she is or what she is doing it for, Violet is an unforgettable heroine, andPretending to be Erica is a killer debut.

Until next time,
xox

*Review* Locke and Key by Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez

Locke & Key by Joe Hill,
illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
Publisher: IDW, 2008- 2012

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy

Source: Scribd/ e-book 

Rating: 4/5

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Goodreads Synopsis
 Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them. Home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all...

Although I don't read them nearly enough, I really and truly love graphic novels, and this series is by far one of the best I've ever read. I literally forced myself to stay awake because I wanted to know what happened next. And anyone who knows me knows that's not a thing that happens often because I really love sleep, especially when I'm at college, which is where I was when I read this series. So, in short, this series is fabulous.

Seriously. I know this review is a little light on the review part of things, but that's because I don't have any actual words for this series. Just go pick it up. I promise on my un-dead cat's immortal soul that you won't regret it.

Until next time,
xox

*DNF Review* Those Girls by Lauren Saft

Those Girls by Lauren Saft
Publisher: Poppy: Little, Brown and Company
Release Date: June 9, 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary 

Source: NetGalley/Publisher

Rating: 2/5

Amazon || B&N || BAM || Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis
 Some girls will always have your back, and some girls can't help but stab you in it.

Junior year, the suburbs of Philadelphia. Alex, Mollie and Veronica are those girls: they're the best of friends and the party girls of the school. But how well does everybody know them--and really, how well do they know one another? Alex is secretly in love with the boy next door and has joined a band--without telling anyone. Mollie suffers from a popular (and possibly sociopathic) boyfriend, as well as a serious mean streak. And Veronica just wants to be loved--literally, figuratively, physically....she's not particular. Will this be the year that bonds them forever....or tears them apart for good? 

Lauren Saft masterfully conveys what goes on in the mind of a teenage girl, and her debut novel is raw, honest, hilarious, and thought-provoking, with a healthy dose of heart.

There's really nothing I hate more than DNFing a book, but sometimes I just have to, and unfortunately, this is one of those books.

Let me begin by saying that I didn't hate this book. I thought it was okay, to a point. What killed this book for me was the excessive 'mean girls' cliche, and the repetetiveness of the storyline. After awhile, it just felt like the book kept repeating itself, same bitchy girls, same asshole boys, different party. After a while, reather than being amused by the awful dynamic of friendship amoung the three female protags, I became annoyed and finally wanted to just slap them all and tell them to grow the fuck up. There's only so much bitching about boys and shitty friends I can take, in books and in real life, before I start to tune out.

I do wish the author would have explored some subjects she presented in this book a little further (although, I did only get through about 50%, so maybe she did in the last half), such as the one character's eating disorder. I feel like it could have been a great way to discuss a serious illness, instead of just tacking it on as an accessory.

I don't really know what else to say about this book other than you'll either love it or hate it.

Until next time,
xox

Waiting on Wednesday -- Delicate Monsters

Delicate Monsters by Stephanie Kuehn
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: June 9, 2015

Genre: YA, Contemporary, Thiriller 

Amazon || B&N || BAM || Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis:
From the Morris-Award winning author of Charm & Strange, comes a twisted and haunting tale about three teens uncovering dark secrets and even darker truths about themselves.

When nearly killing a classmate gets seventeen-year-old Sadie Su kicked out of her third boarding school in four years, she returns to her family’s California vineyard estate. Here, she’s meant to stay out of trouble. Here, she’s meant to do a lot of things. But it’s hard. She’s bored. And when Sadie’s bored, the only thing she likes is trouble.

Emerson Tate’s a poor boy living in a rich town, with his widowed mother and strange, haunted little brother. All he wants his senior year is to play basketball and make something happen with the girl of his dreams. That’s why Emerson’s not happy Sadie’s back. An old childhood friend, she knows his worst secrets. The things he longs to forget. The things she won’t ever let him.

Haunted is a good word for fifteen-year-old Miles Tate. Miles can see the future, after all. And he knows his vision of tragic violence at his school will come true, because his visions always do. That’s what he tells the new girl in town. The one who listens to him. The one who recognizes the darkness in his past. 

But can Miles stop the violence? Or has the future already been written? Maybe tragedy is his destiny. Maybe it’s all of theirs.

I LOVED Charm & Strange, so I'm super pumped for this new book! Definitely on the top of my to-buy list!

Until next time,
xox


Waiting on Wednesday is a fabulous feature hosted by Breaking the Spine where we feature our most anticipated upcoming releases.

*Review* The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath by Ishbelle Bee

The Singular & Extraordinary Tale of Mirror & Goliath by Ishbelle Bee
Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Release Date: June 30, 2015

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Steampunk 

Source: Netgalley/Publisher

Rating: 2.5/5

Amazon || B&N || BAM || Goodreads

Goodreads Synopsis
 1888. A little girl called Mirror and her shape-shifting guardian Goliath Honeyflower are washed up on the shores of Victorian England. Something has been wrong with Mirror since the day her grandfather locked her inside a mysterious clock that was painted all over with ladybirds. Mirror does not know what she is, but she knows she is no longer human.
John Loveheart, meanwhile, was not born wicked. But after the sinister death of his parents, he was taken by Mr Fingers, the demon lord of the underworld. Some say he is mad. John would be inclined to agree.
Now Mr Fingers is determined to find the little girl called Mirror, whose flesh he intends to eat, and whose soul is the key to his eternal reign. And John Loveheart has been called by his otherworldly father to help him track Mirror down…

I wish so much I could like this book more. The writing is beautiful, and reminds me so much of all the wonderful fairy-tales of my childhood, but it just lacked something. 

I don't know. Maybe it's just me, but I wish certain scenes were fleshed out a bit more. Things seemed to happen too quickly, and with no real, believable explanation, often leaving me confused as to what just happened.

Also, I couldn't quite get a grip on the characters themselves. I felt disconnected from them, and felt disoriented because this. I wasn't sure how old Mirror was, which was a huge problem for me, because at times I thought she was very young, like six or seven, but then her actions would make me think she was much older. This age thing also gave me problems when it came to Mr. Loveheart. I wasn't sure if he was a grown man or a child.

Even though there were several things I didn't like about this book, I didn't completely hate it. The story overall was really very lovely, and, as I said above, the writing is beautiful and poetic and is more than worth picking this book up.

Until next time,
xox

*Review* Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: February 1, 2013

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller  

Source: Purchased from Amazon Kindle 

Rating: 4/5

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Goodreads Synopsis
 A stunning debut novel in which a single mother reconstructs her teenaged daughter's life, sifting through her emails, texts, and social media to piece together the shocking truth about the last days of her life.

Litigation lawyer and harried single mother Kate Baron is stunned when her daughter's exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, calls with disturbing news: her intelligent, high-achieving fifteen-year-old daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating.

Kate can't believe that Amelia, an ambitious, levelheaded girl who's never been in trouble would do something like that. But by the time she arrives at Grace Hall, Kate's faced with far more devastating news. Amelia is dead.

Seemingly unable to cope with what she'd done, a despondent Amelia has jumped from the school's roof in an act of "spontaneous" suicide. At least that's the story Grace Hall and the police tell Kate. And overwhelmed as she is by her own guilt and shattered by grief, it is the story that Kate believes until she gets the anonymous text: 

She didn't jump.

Sifting through Amelia's emails, text messages, social media postings, and cell phone logs, Kate is determined to learn the heartbreaking truth about why Amelia was on Grace Hall's roof that day-and why she died.

Told in alternating voices, Reconstructing Amelia is a story of secrets and lies, of love and betrayal, of trusted friends and vicious bullies. It's about how well a parent ever really knows a child and how far one mother will go to vindicate the memory of a daughter whose life she could not save.

I didn't know what to to expect going into this book, but I fell into it immediately. This book grabbed me from the first page, and kept me in it's grip until the end. There were so many secrets and twists that it was a little difficult keeping things straight, but for the most part, I really enjoyed this book and was unable to put it down.

It was really interesting to get not only Kate's perspective on Amelia's death, but also Amelia's. You literally get Amelia's death from her own eyes, and although it's a little odd, it at least gives the reader some sense of definiteness concerning her death.

My only issue with this book was Amelia's response to the Maggies. I don't know. I guess I just felt like her reasons for joining them in the first place and not leaving when she had the chance were weak. Granted, she is a teenager trying to fit in, but I don't know. I just didn't like it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a fast-paced mystery.

Until next time,
xox

*Review* Tenth of December by George Saunders

Tenth of December by George Saunders
Publisher: Random House 2013 

Genre: Short Stories, Contemporary, Adult Fiction 

Source: Library borrow/ e-book 

Rating: 4/5

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Goodreads Synopsis
A new story collection, the first in six years, from one of our greatest living writers, MacArthur "genius grant" recipient and New Yorker contributor George Saunders.
The title story is an exquisite, moving account of the intersection, at a frozen lake in the woods, of a young misfit and a middle-aged cancer patient who goes there to commit suicide, only to end up saving the boy's life.
"Home" is the often funny, often poignant account of a soldier returning from the war.
"Victory Lap" is a taut, inventive story about the attempted abduction of a teenage girl.
In all, Tenth of December is George Saunders at his absolute best, a collection of stories and characters that add up to something deep, irreducible, and uniquely American. 

There was a lot of hype when this book first came out a couple of years ago, and I remember really wanting to read it, and then for no particular reason it fell off my radar until recently, when I decided I needed a nice break from all the novels I'd been reading.

Man oh man, this collection! Absolutely fabulous! While there were a couple of stories I slogged through as they just didn't interest me too much, as a whole, I love this collection. Saunders has an interesting way of writing that really puts you in the heads of his characters and makes you question what's really going on.

I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone and everyone. I can't wait to get my hands on more of Saunders' work.

Until next time,
xox

October Creep-Fest

Hey guys! In case you've just woken up from a month-long hibernation, it's FINALLY October! There are a couple of reasons why October is my favorite month- First, it's my birthday month! Whoot! Second, Halloween!!

Two awesome holidays in one month? (Wait, what do you mean my birthday isn't a nationally celebrated holiday????)

Seriously though, Halloween is a great holiday, and the perfect time of the year to knock some creepy reads off our TBRs. So, in celebration of the season, I'll be trying to read at least two creepy reads this month:

 
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski


I'll also be participating in a read-a-long hosted by Jackie's Bookbytes and reading Salem's Lot by Stephen King. You guys should all go check out her blog and join in, even if you don't have the book (Jackie has links to a free version of the book online, either as actual book or audiobook!)

What do you all have planned for this October?

Until next time,
xox

Banned Books Week- Some of my Favorite Banned and Censored Books

As you might know, this week is Banned Books Week, and in celebration and support of having the freedom to read and write without censorship, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite banned/challenged books. Feel free to visit the American Library Association's page to see what other books are frequently challenged throughout the years.


1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
2.The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
4. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan
5. Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
6. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
7. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
8. Cut by Patricia McCormick
9. Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine
10. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Each and every one of these books and/or authors have affected me in significant ways. I literally wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for these books, and many others like them. These books defined my childhood and adolescence- most of which were read while I was in junior high and grade school.

These books, and others like them, are important to so many. These books save lives. These books help explain and teach things in a way that's relatable and understandable. Depriving anyone of any single one of these books is a crime of the worst kind.

As a final thought, I'd like you to think of the good things that these books, and the hundreds of other banned/challenged books, can teach and help kids understand. Seriously. Think about it.

Until next time,
xox

Review #16- Blazed by Jason Myers

*Goodreads page*

Goodreads synopsis- Jamie uncovers life-changing secrets from his past when he’s sent to live with a father he’s never met in this gritty novel from the author of Exit Here. and Run the Game.

Jamie is invincible when he is high. His anger, his isolation, his mom’s manic mood swings—nothing can shatter his glass castle. But one brutal night upends everything, leaving his mom broken and Jamie betrayed.

Sent to live with a father he’s never met, Jamie is determined to hate the man he blames for his mother’s ruin. And he blocks out the pain with drugs, fierce music, and sweet, sweet Dominique. Except the more time Jamie spends at his dad’s, the more his mother’s scathing stories start to unravel. Who is he supposed to believe? And how much will he have to sacrifice to uncover the truth?

This actually isn't going to be so much a review as me rambling about how wonderful Jason Myers's books are why you need to pick his work up. Fair warning. 

Alright, so if you know me well enough, you know I LOVE all things Jason Myers.  Let me start off by saying that Myers's books are some of the strangest and most fucked up books I've ever read, and, again, if you know me well enough, strange and fucked up is my absolute favorite type of book. Granted, when I say strange, I mostly mean it explores a sub-culture I'm definitely not a part of but totally respect, and when I say fucked up, I mean take  just about every "bad" thing in life- excessive drug and alcohol use, profanity, sex, shitty life situations- and mush it all into one book, that's more or less what I mean. 

Myers crafts a world that's very real and that hundreds of thousands of people are living everyday, but that most people don't experience/notice. He then crafts very real characters and drops you into their lives and takes you on a journey in this world of theirs that's like the craziest roller coaster you've ever been on in your life that nearly destroys you by the end.

Now, most people I know would pick up one of Myers's books, read the first page, and toss it down in disgust. I'm here to tell you not to do that. Yes, his books have loads of profanity and drug and alcohol use from beginning to end, but you have to look further than that. His books really do have some great messages- the biggest of which, at least for me, is that life isn't all rainbows roses- that isn't an excuse to sit and wallow in self-pity, though. Live in the moment. Make memories with your friends. The only thing that really matters is right now.

Okay, this is starting to sound super freaking lame, and I'm not even coming close to doing justice to how amazing Jason Myers's books are, but trust me when I say they are worth it. These books really mean a lot to me and so many others, and they could mean a lot to you, too. And I guess these books probably speak more to people who've had shitty times, but I think everyone could take something from his books, especially Blazed.

And with that, I'll leave you with a couple of quotes that really spoke to me from Blazed, and hopefully they'll convey what I'm afraid I've been unable to adequately show in this rambling mess:

"I'll never compromise a thing I love in order to be liked by anyone else."

"All the monsters I've met in my life have come gift wrapped in gold or killer band shirts."

"...'What we might end up making is the only thing that's ever gonna outlive us. It's art, Jaime. It's timeless. Nobody can hear your excuses when you're dead. But they sure as hell can listen to your music.'"

"'Art is the only immortality we have,' Edie says.'To be able to positively affect people for generations after we're dead. This is what it's about.'..."

Until next time,

xox

Banned Books Week 2014- September 21-27

If you didn't know, today is the first day of Banned Books Week. If you aren't sure what Banned Books week is, here's a quick explanation from the About page of the website:

"Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read. Held during the last week of September, it highlights the value of free and open access to information. Banned Books Week brings together the entire book community –- librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types –- in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular."

If you haven't already figured it out from some of my rants on here, I'm not the biggest fan of the banning and censorship of books. I believe that everyone should have their own say in what literature they want to read, and not miss the opportunity to experience a piece of literature just because one person is offended by the content. Everyone has their own opinion on what is and isn't appropriate to read, and that opinion shouldn't be dictated by anyone else. 

Throughout this week, I'd like to share some articles and maybe some thoughts on this subject and generally just try to spread awareness as to why banning and censoring books, particularly in schools, should be rethought. 

I'm also going to take this week to read at least one "banned book", which will more than likely be The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger.  

I really hope you'll join me in spreading the discussion and leave your own thoughts in the comments. 

Until next time,

xox

Review #15- The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

*Goodreads Page*
I received a copy of this book for review from NetGalley

 

Goodreads synopsis-  What begins as a clever, gothic ghost story soon evolves into a wickedly twisted treasure hunt in The Supernatural Enhancements, Edgar Cantero's wholly original, modern-day adventure.

When twentysomething A., the unexpected European relative of the Wells family, and his companion, Niamh, a mute teenage girl with shockingly dyed hair, inherit the beautiful but eerie estate of Axton House, deep in the woods of Point Bless, Virginia, it comes as a surprise to everyone—including A. himself. After all, he never even knew he had a "second cousin, twice removed" in America, much less that the eccentric gentleman had recently committed suicide by jumping out of the third floor bedroom window—at the same age and in the same way as his father had before him . . .

Together, A. and Niamh quickly come to feel as if they have inherited much more than just a rambling home and a cushy lifestyle. Axton House is haunted, they know it, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the secrets they slowly but surely uncover. Why all the suicides? What became of the Axton House butler who fled shortly after his master died? What lurks in the garden maze and what does the basement vault keep? And what of the rumors in town about a mysterious gathering at Axton House on the night of the winter solstice?

Told vividly through a series of journal entries, scrawled notes, recovered security footage, letters to Aunt Liza, audio recordings, complicated ciphers, and even advertisements, Edgar Cantero has written a dazzling and original supernatural adventure featuring classic horror elements with a Neil Gaiman-ish twist.

I don't generally read this kind of book, mostly because I'm a little harsh when it comes to "scary" books because it's next to impossible to creep me out. Unfortunately, this book didn't succeed on that front. It did, however, make me fall in love with it's many other aspects.

This book follows A., a young man from England who has inherited a manor called the Axton House from his distant cousin, Ambrose Wells, from America. Along with Niamh, a mute teenage girl from Ireland, A. travels to Point Bless, Virginia to live in his new home. Not long after, A. and Niamh realize that things in this house and the late Ambrose's life were anything but ordinary. After finding a letter addressed in code to the missing butler, A. and Niamh find a series of clues that point toward the mysterious group that Ambrose was a member of and the possible cause of his suicide.

Add to all of that A.'s strange dreams, the appearance of several members of Ambrose's secret society, secret rooms, coded letters, and the installation of a swimming pool in the dead of winter, and we've got ourselves a pretty intriguing mystery!

The only thing I didn't like was that there are a few unanswered questions at the end of the book, all of which I hope will answered in a sequel, though *cough cough*.

Apart from that though, I really enjoyed this book. I stayed up much later than I should have just so I could finish this book, because I just HAD to know what was going to happen next, and there was no way I could sleep knowing shit was about to go down.

In short, pick this book up. You won't regret it.

Until next time,
xox 

WWW Wednesday #1

This is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading

All you have to do is answer these three questions:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you'll be reading next?

*What are you currently reading?*

Blazed by Jason Myers

*What did you recently finish reading?*

The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

*What do you think you'll be reading next?*





The Game by Barry Lyga

Review #14- I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

*Goodreads Page*
*NetGalley Page*- I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

 

Goodreads synopsis-  What if the world's worst serial killer...was your dad?

Jasper "Jazz" Dent is a likable teenager. A charmer, one might say.

But he's also the son of the world's most infamous serial killer, and for Dear Old Dad, Take Your Son to Work Day was year-round. Jazz has witnessed crime scenes the way cops wish they could—from the criminal's point of view.

And now bodies are piling up in Lobo's Nod.

In an effort to clear his name, Jazz joins the police in a hunt for a new serial killer. But Jazz has a secret—could he be more like his father than anyone knows?

I'd seen this book around, never really thought much of it and didn't really have it on my radar. I don't know. Some books just call to you the moment you see them, you know? This book didn't really do that for me. However, I'm extremely glad I picked this book up!

I don't even know where to begin. This book follows Jasper "Jazz" Dent, 17 year old son of the world's most infamous serial killer, Billy Dent. With Billy safely tucked behind bars, Jazz is trying to live some semblance of a normal life- or at least as normal as a kid who thinks he is genetically disposed to one day follow in his fathers footsteps can live. However, with a string of fresh murders, Jazz is convinced there's a new serial killer on the loose in the Nod, and he enlists the help of his hemophiliac best friend and his tough-as-nails girlfriend to help convince Sheriff G. William of the same. Add in a bat-shit crazy grandmother, a meddling social worker, and Jazz's own belief that he's a monster waiting to snap, and you've got yourself one hell of a novel!

Seriously, the only things that held me back from reading this book in one sitting  were classes and sleep. This book was seriously amazing, and Lyga had me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire thing, desperately trying to figure out who the killer was.

And the end? Holy crap! The end left me desperate for book two!

So basically, what I'm trying to say is, if you haven't read this book, you really should. It's more than worth it, and this review doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

Until next time,
xox

Top Ten Tuesdays #1

In an attempt to have more fun in the blogosphere, I'm going to try to participate in some fun memes, the first of which is going to be Top Ten Tuesday, a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten: Authors I've only read one book from, but am dying to read more by.Click the picture to visit each book's Goodreads page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Review #13- Jackaby by William Ritter

*Goodreads page*
*NetGalley page*- I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley
Release date- September 16, 2014

 

Goodreads synopsis-  “Miss Rook, I am not an occultist,” Jackaby said. “I have a gift that allows me to see truth where others see the illusion--and there are many illusions. All the world’s a stage, as they say, and I seem to have the only seat in the house with a view behind the curtain.”

Newly arrived in New Fiddleham, New England, 1892, and in need of a job, Abigail Rook meets R. F. Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with a keen eye for the extraordinary--including the ability to see supernatural beings. Abigail has a gift for noticing ordinary but important details, which makes her perfect for the position of Jackaby’s assistant. On her first day, Abigail finds herself in the midst of a thrilling case: A serial killer is on the loose. The police are convinced it’s an ordinary villain, but Jackaby is certain it’s a nonhuman creature, whose existence the police--with the exception of a handsome young detective named Charlie Cane--deny.

Doctor Who meets Sherlock in William Ritter’s debut novel, which features a detective of the paranormal as seen through the eyes of his adventurous and intelligent assistant in a tale brimming with cheeky humor and a dose of the macabre.

This book was FABULOUS! It isn't often that a book described as a cross between such and such actually turns out to be a cross between such and such. Let me tell you, this book was the PERFECT cross between Sherlock and Doctor Who!

There's really nothing better than an eclectic detective with a keen eye for paranormal detail. Add in a sharp and witty assistant, a string of unusual murders, and a few fantastic creatures and you've got an incredible book you'll stay up all night devouring.

If it weren't for the fact that sleep is a thing and that I had class in the morning, I totally would have finished this book last night, it was that great. 

My only issue with this book was the last few chapters- they seemed to drag on, and it felt like the author could have ended the book in any number of places, perhaps condensing the last four or five chapters into one, and ending it there. I don't know. Maybe it's just me. But really, apart from that little issue, this book excellent, and I truly hope there will be more to come!

Until next time,
xox

Review #12- Althea & Oliver by Christina Moracho

*Goodreads page*
*Penguin's First to Read Page*- I received an e-ARC of this book from First to Read
Release date- October 8, 2014

Goodreads synopsis- What if you live for the moment when life goes off the rails—and then one day there’s no one left to help you get it back on track?

Althea Carter and Oliver McKinley have been best friends since they were six; she’s the fist-fighting instigator to his peacemaker, the artist whose vision balances his scientific bent. Now, as their junior year of high school comes to a close, Althea has begun to want something more than just best-friendship. Oliver, for his part, simply wants life to go back to normal, but when he wakes up one morning with no memory of the past three weeks, he can’t deny any longer that something is seriously wrong with him. And then Althea makes the worst bad decision ever, and her relationship with Oliver is shattered. He leaves town for a clinical study in New York, resolving to repair whatever is broken in his brain, while she gets into her battered Camry and drives up the coast after him, determined to make up for what she’s done.

Their journey will take them from the rooftops, keg parties, and all-ages shows of their North Carolina hometown to the pool halls, punk houses, and hospitals of New York City before they once more stand together and face their chances. Set in the DIY, mix tape, and zine culture of the mid-1990s, Cristina Moracho’s whip-smart debut is an achingly real story about identity, illness, and love—and why bad decisions sometimes feel so good

Anyone who knows me knows that this type of book- YA contemporary, coming of age- really isn't my favorite. I have to be in the right kind of mood to want to read a book like this. And when I first picked this book up, I really wasn't in the mood- or at least that's what I thought.

I was hooked from the first sentence. That doesn't happen a lot. It usually takes me a few pages to fall into a book, or sometimes even a chapter. But this book- this book I fell in love with from the get-go. Moracho writes with such beauty and such wit that you can't help but fall into this book and wonder where her beautiful words will take you next.

I laughed, I cried, I cringed, and I reminisced on my days in high school and the pain and laughter and friends and adventures that go along with it. This is the kind of book that pulls at your heart, makes you stop and thing, pulls some more, and then lodges itself into the deepest crevices of your soul once it's all over. You won't forget this book, and you won't forget this author.

Until next time,
xox

Review # 11- The Quick by Lauren Owen

*Goodreads Page*

Goodreads synopsis- An astonishing debut, a novel of epic scope and suspense that conjures up all the magic and menace of Victorian London  
London, 1892: James Norbury, a shy would-be poet newly down from Oxford, finds lodging with a charming young aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to the drawing-rooms of high society, and finds love in an unexpected quarter. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Unnerved, his sister, Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine city that greets her, she uncovers a secret world at the margins populated by unforgettable characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a deadly secret, and the chilling “Doctor Knife.” But the answer to her brother’s disappearance ultimately lies within the doors of one of the country’s preeminent and mysterious institutions: The Aegolius Club, whose members include the most ambitious, and most dangerous, men in England.

In her first novel, Lauren Owen has created a fantastical world that is both beguiling and terrifying. The Quick will establish her as one of fiction’s most dazzling talents.

Named One of the Top 10 Literary Fiction Books of the Season by Publishers Weekly

Let me start off by saying that this book took me several tries before I got into it, but I'm beyond glad I kept trying!

Without giving too much away (because I feel like this book is one of those that you shouldn't know too much going in), this book is about a young man named James who has moved to London and is living with another young man named Christopher. Where James is quiet and bookish, Christopher is a partying, out all hours of the night, charming opposite.  James and Christopher eventually develop a relationship that inadvertently ends in tragedy. 

James is missing, and his sister Charlotte comes to London looking for him. What she stumbles upon and is pulled into will change her life, and her view of the world, forever.

Okay, so this is a little obscure, (hopefully not too misleading) but I promise you I'm leaving out a lot because there is a twist that I at least didn't see coming, and I really think if you go into this book knowing what that twist is, it won't be quite as enjoyable. I do promise that it's more than worth it! This book had me in tears, it had me screaming, it had me laughing. I honestly can't tell you the last time I enjoyed an historical novel so much! This book is dark and charming, and I honestly couldn't get enough!

The only thing I was upset about was the ending. However, that's probably because I like nice clean endings in these kinds of books, but at the same time the ending leaves room for a sequel (which I am fervently praying is in the works!).

All in all, this was a SPECTACULAR debut novel, and I really can't wait to get my hands on more of Owen's work! I urge you, if you have not done so already, to pick this book up! I promise you won't regret it!

Until next time,
xox

Book Banning and Censorship

First off, let me apologize for dropping off the planet! I'm in my second week of college and I've just been bogged down by assignments (I'm making an attempt to not shrug off my homework this semester!) and band practices. I promise I'm going to try to make more regular postings soon though!

I know I've made a post about this before, but I saw this link from the American Library Association, and I couldn't help but make a small rant on my personal Facebook about it, and I decided I wanted to share with you guys as well. So here it is. Please feel free to share your thoughts and feelings on this subject! I love to hear other opinions and views!

There is literally nothing that makes me angrier than the attempted censorship of literature, not even because I love to read myself, but because every one on this planet should have the opportunity to decide for themselves what is and isn't "appropriate". People have to understand that we live in a world with opposing beliefs, drug and alcohol use, differing sexual orientations, and many other ideas, products, and facts that one might not want to be exposed to. However, pretending like these things don't exist just creates a world full of ignorance, and believe me, there's nothing more dangerous.

Many of the books on these lists I've read myself, and almost all of them have helped me understand things in my life in a way that wouldn't be possible otherwise. I can understand wanting to shield your children from some things like drugs and alcohol, but would you rather your kids learn bout these things from the pages of a book, or out on the streets?

Take it from someone who grew up on books, and knows many others who feel the same way: many of these books that are considered "controversial" or "inappropriate" can and will save someone's life. Just think about that before you condemn a book.

 Until next time,
xox 

Bout of Books 11 TBR!

Hello fellow book lovers! Guess what? It's that time again! Bout of Books time!

In case you don't know what Bout of Books is, here's a quick blurb, straight from the Bout of Books team:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 18th and runs through Sunday, August 24th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 11 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team


This is my second time participating in Bout of Books, and let me tell you, I'm super pumped! Bout of Books 11 will be going on during my first week back on campus (thankfully not during classes-I have band camp the 16-22), so I've decided to make a TBR of 3 e-books and 3-physical books- while I do need to cut down my physical TBR, I have an equally massive e-book TBR that needs to be shortened!

So, the books I'll hopefully be finishing/starting this round are:
The Dark Monk by Oliver Potzsch
The Secret History by Donna Tart
Jackaby by William Ritter
Blazed by Jason Myers
The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I hope to see you all participating if you have the opportunity and I can't wait to check out what you plan on reading!

Until next time,
zoz