To Read or Not to Read

This discussion is about picking up a book you've already started!

I'm having a mid-book crisis. I bought Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand over a year ago, and with being caught up in other things and other books, I've only managed to get a quarter of the way through. And if you've picked up the book, you know that's kind of an accomplishment. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the book is 1168 pages. Yes, you read that right. And on top of that, the font is tiny. Tiny, minuscule, so small that your grandma couldn't read a single word with her extra strength reading glasses.

So here is my dilemma. I want to finish the book, but I'm unsure of whether or not to restart the book or continue from where I ended off. Especially with a book that long.

What's your opinion? If you've left a book untouched for a while, do you pick it up and start again, or continue where you've left off? Let me know in the comments!

Temporary (Sort Of) Blog Hiatus

Hey, guys!

I just wanted to write this post to let you guys know that I'm going on a temporary (sort of) blog hiatus! I'll explain:

• School has really gotten in the way. I have so much due. My work has sort of blindsided me. Essays and tests everywhere; it's so much! 
• ARCs have been overwhelming. I blame myself for requesting more than I can handle, and I take full blame. More on this here. 
• I've lost my drive. Somewhere along the way, blogging has become a job. I have a blog posting schedule, and it's taken over my life. I've been way too committed to the dates I put on that calendar, and it's driving me crazy. I just need to take a deep breath as well as some time away from the blog. 

I say this is a "sort of" blog hiatus, because I'll still be posting reviews. I guess that means this really isn't a hiatus. I don't want to loose time where I could be posting reviews since I have so many of them, so I'll still post those every now and then. Also, I have a few prewritten posts and discussions that I'll format and post along the way. 

Really, I guess you can just say that this is a break rather than a hiatus. I'm going to step back and just blog when I feel like it or when I have the extra time. So you will see posts coming out here and there from now and June, but not many.

As for ARCs, I apologize. I have so many to read, because I bit off more than I could chew, and I'm so overwhelmed. I feel terrible for admitting that I'm going to be reading and reviewing ARCs after their release date, but there's nothing that I can do about that. No matter how much I value publishers' opinions of me as well as reading, school comes first. Volleyball comes first. Piano comes first. These affect me directly at this moment, and I'm thinking of the now. So, again, I apologize.

I hope you guys understand what I'm talking about. I think this really comes all down to time (which I have none of) and stress (which I have way to much of). 

I'll probably still post weekly wrap-ups; they'll just be less full. 

Honestly, by the end of this post, I can't really call it a blog hiatus anymore. I can just say that I'm cutting back and stressing less. I used to spend hours and hours on this blog each week. I realize that blogging is like a job, but I'm young right now and school is still going on. Realistically, school is my job. 

Wrapping this up, I just wanted to make this post to let you guys know what's going to be happening! I hope you don't think I'm slacking and lazy. I'm just burnt out and need a breather. I want to be able to post whenever I want regardless of the schedule.

Oh, this also means I won't be posting links to Facebook as well as Google+, so if you're a follower there and still want to read the posts we'll be making, follow us on Bloglovin! That updates automatically.  

Thank you so much for understanding!

Tori♡

Lindsay's Mini Review: Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3) by C.C. Hunter

Taken at Dusk by C.C. Hunter

Book 3 in the Shadow Falls Series

Published on January 1, 2012 by St. Martin's Press

Paranormal | Vampires | Young Adult

380 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Step into Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with supernatural powers. Here friendship thrives, love takes you by surprise, and our hearts possess the greatest magic of all.

Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she’s meant to be with—and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she’s about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever…and not always for the better.

Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it’s not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different—and more astonishing—than she ever imagined.

Do you ever go to the bookstore, excited to get new books and realize there's nothing there that you really want at that time? That's what happened when I bought Taken at Dusk. Now, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the series and hang onto the cliffhangers like my life depends on it, but I'm not completely invested in the series like I was in others.

The plot felt pretty lax compared to the other books. Sure, there were cliffhangers, but the book went up to a climax that fell flat. It wasn't all that exciting, and I was disappointed, but the underlining plots made up for it somewhat in how interested I was in them.

Character wise, the characters were realistic and with so many, it wasn't hard to follow. I felt like the scenarios were real, and I was interested in each of the characters as a whole.

I will be completing the series soon, hopefully, and I look forward to reading the next book when I have time to pick it up.

Tori's Review: Charm & Strange by Stephanie Keuhn

Charm & Strange by Stephanie Keuhn

Standalone

Published on January 11, 2013 by St. Martin's Griffin

Young Adult | Contemporary | Realistic Fiction

216 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

When you’ve been kept caged in the dark, it’s impossible to see the forest for the trees. It’s impossible to see anything, really. Not without bars . . .

Andrew Winston Winters is at war with himself.

He’s part Win, the lonely teenager exiled to a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of a family tragedy. The guy who shuts all his classmates out, no matter the cost.

He’s part Drew, the angry young boy with violent impulses that control him. The boy who spent a fateful, long-ago summer with his brother and teenage cousins, only to endure a secret so monstrous it led three children to do the unthinkable.

Over the course of one night, while stuck at a party deep in the New England woods, Andrew battles both the pain of his past and the isolation of his present.

Before the sun rises, he’ll either surrender his sanity to the wild darkness inside his mind or make peace with the most elemental of truths—that choosing to live can mean so much more than not dying.

To be frank, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I actually did. I've read so many rave reviews on Charm & Strange, therefore I expected something specular and riveting. What I got was extremely confusing and mediocre. Right off the bat, you're confused. You're thrown into this story that's being told by this unreliable narrator who's a bit on the crazy side, meaning he really doesn't know what the heck to think, because he may or may not be suicidal.

Honestly, as a reader, you never get any of Win/Drew's backstory from the actual story until the end or until you draw your own conclusion (that, if judging by the werewolf "callings," is probably wrong). Before reading the book, I had read the summary once, so I was a bit blind going into the book. At first, I thought Win and Drew were two completely different people. I mean, they lived such different lives! Long story short, by reading the summary you've pretty much read the book.

That leads me to my next point. You really get noting from the book. It probably would've been a more entertaining book if Win/Drew had turned into a werewolf. By the end of the book, I really wasn't sure what the heck I had just read. Honestly, I still don't know what the heck I had just read. This is horrible of me, but I think if this book hadn't been so highly "acclaimed" by bigger book blogger, I probably would've enjoyed the idea of the book more.

I understand that this was a coming-of-age story about a boy who was struggling with an abusive, trying past, but it was hard to see that when I was waiting for something jaw-droppingly amazing. The entire time, I had been waiting for something awe-inspiring to occur when really the ending was just...meh. And I never completely understood the point in Drew's point of view, aka Win's past. You never get anything from that. All the text and conversations were cryptic and mysterious, so much so that I didn't want to try and decipher the true meaning.

The one redeeming aspect of this book was Lex. I liked him. He had spunk. On one hand, he was a bully and wasn't very nice to Win, but then again Win wasn't the stablest of friends. To me, Lex took care of Win in a way that other people couldn't. I admired that about him.

In the end, Charm & Strange just managed to disappoint me, nothing more, nothing less. I didn't hate it or dislike it, I just didn't think it deserved all those five-stars that had been thrown in its face. Then again, maybe those bloggers felt something emotionally toward the book that I didn't. I guess you could say I didn't connect with any characters other than Lex or sympathize with Win/Drew. I would recommend this book to people who like slower books that are character analyses, and for people who aren't heavily influenced by hype like I am.

Top Ten Things on Tori's Bookish Bucket List

This week is my top ten bookish bucket list items!

1 — Read Harry Potter. Seriously. I've discussed this before, but Harry Potter needs to be read. I've read books 1-3, but nothing farther. That needs to get done. 

2 — Have a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf. These are so cool. Whenever I get a house, I'm getting/building one of these. They're just so cool, and it'll look so pretty with all my books just sitting on the shelves. My only problem would be that I'm short (5'2" English), and I wouldn't be able to reach the books on the top shelf...

Source

3 — Read one book a day for a month. This is literally a dream of mine. It would have to happen in the summer, but wouldn't that be a great way to get books off my TBR? Of course I'd have to write the reviews the same day too and post them. Maybe even make a challenge with some winners...

4 — Marathon Percy Jackson. I've read all five books in Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lost Hero, and The Son of Neptune, but I stopped there. And this happened a long time ago. I barely remember anything that happened! I've recently reread The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters, but c'mon... I want to read them all consecutively. 

5 — Have all my books read. This, realistically, will never happen, but I can dream. Yes, I mean bought books AND ARCS. I'm shooting high, guys. 

6 — Get my NetGalley percentage up to 100%. I'm not even kidding. This needs to happen. Maybe over spring break... 

7 — Read and review all ARCs two weeks before publication. This needs to happen as well. I'm sick and tired of cramming and making up for lost time with my scheduling and reading. Plus, if I read and review the ARCs asap, then I'll have more time to read the other books I want to! I'm tired of being restricted to reading ARCs. I'm tired of reading and reviewing a title the night before the review is scheduled to be posted on my blog. (That has happened way more than I'd like to admit it has.) 

8 — Reader faster. I suppose 100 pages per hour is pretty fast, but think about how many books I could read if I could read 150 or even 200 pages an hour. I'd be visiting the library more often since my wallet only stretches so far!

9 — Read more "classics." I've pretty much restricted myself to young adult and adult books with crossover-appeal. I want to read more classics, because I want to get the full affect of literature as its greatest. 

10 — Get more people into reading. I've gotten one person into reading: my best friend. My goal is to get more people into reading, because I think everybody should enjoy reading at some level. I think everybody could "get into" reading with the right book! 

So that's my bookish bucket list! What's yours? 

Tori's Review: Everbound (Everneath #2) by Brodi Ashton

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Book Two in the Everneath Series

Published on January 22, 2013 by Balzer + Bray

Young Adult | Fantasy |  Paranormal

358 Pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Nikki Beckett could only watch as her boyfriend, Jack, sacrificed himself to save her, taking her place in the Tunnels of the Everneath for eternity — a debt that should’ve been hers. She’s living a borrowed life, and she doesn’t know what to do with the guilt. And every night Jack appears in her dreams, lost and confused and wasting away.

Desperate for answers, Nikki turns to Cole, the immortal bad boy who wants to make her his queen — and the one person least likely to help. But his heart has been touched by everything about Nikki, and he agrees to assist her in the only way he can: by taking her to the Everneath himself.

Nikki and Cole descend into the Everneath, only to discover that their journey will be more difficult than they’d anticipated — and more deadly. But Nikki vows to stop at nothing to save Jack — even if it means making an incredible sacrifice of her own.

In this enthralling sequel to Everneath, Brodi Ashton tests the bonds of destiny and explores the lengths we’ll go to for the ones we love.

Immediately after reading Everneath, I had to go out and buy Everbound. I'm not even kidding. I finished Everneath on Friday night, and then I went to Barnes & Noble to buy Everbound Saturday morning. The series is that addicting.

There's just something about Ashton's writing and world that draws me in. In Everneath, I wasn't Team Jack or Team Cole, but, let me tell you, I'm definitely Team Cole now. I'm one for a "tortured" soul, and I'd most certainly call Cole a tortured soul. Everbound really explored the depth to his character more. And the ending really proved to me that Cole, although in love with Nikki, makes his decisions based on his motivations—to win the girl of his dreams.

While I love Cole, Jack on the other hand is lower on my radar. Jack is very dependant on Nikki, which I don't like in a character. I like a character that's strong, independent, and can kick butt. Jack is none of the above. Stuck in the Everneath, Jack is pretty much nonexistent in this novel other than the flashbacks that Nikki has of him. At first, I thought the flashbacks weren't going to work for me, but after the first two or so, they didn't annoy me as much.

Jack is basically the jock who is in love with the unknowing, pining main character and is jealous of every other guy to talks to said girl.

Ashton is extremely good at world-building. She meshes our world with the Everneath's so nicely, creating a wonderful urban fantasy novel. The fantasy aspect of Everbound flows so nicely, and I don't question anything, because Ashton says right out how things are. While Nikki is in the Everneath with Cole, it was so easy for me to picture myself in the Everneath along with Nikki. My one problem with Nikki and Cole going to the Everneath would be the fact that everybody made the Everneath out to be some terrifying and hard-to-navigate place (the labyrinth as well), but it only took them a couple days to reach the center [of the Everneath], which supposedly nobody had done before.

At the end, I'll admit that I guessed the identity of a certain somebody before it was revealed. Albeit, I didn't figure it out until about 10 pages before the big revelation, but nonetheless I figured it out. For some reason, the predictability of Ashton's writing isn't bad. I kind of like it. It's more of the, "YES! I guessed it right!" rather than the, "Oh my god, why do I keep guessing? That makes it a crappy novel."

While I guessed the identity of a certain somebody, I did not guess the very ending. I would've never guessed the very ending. It was just so shocking and amazing. I loved the ending yet at the same time I hated it.

In the end, I really enjoyed Everbound. I can't say I'm excited to read Evertrue though. I've just heard that so many people are disappointed by it. Right now, the Everneath trilogy is one of my favorite trilogies. I really don't want to be disappointed by the third book. Though I have to say that I really want to read Evertrue just to see who Nikki chooses, although I'm pretty sure I already know.

Stacking the Shelves (4)

Stacking the Selves is a weekly meme created by Tynga's Reviews where you can post a picture of the books you've recently acquired. 

I am NOT showing off. I promise! D: I haven't done a post like this in a month, so it's long overdue! 

I didn't mean to put Ruby Red in this picture!

Bought/Received

The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa

Splintered by A.G. Howard

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Tease by Amanda Maciel

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (I have a review for this!)

Everbound by Brodi Ashton

Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Revolution 19 by Gregg Rosenblum

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

See Me by Wendy Higgins

NetGalley/Edelweiss

Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Liv, Forever by Amy Talkington

Hexed by Michelle Krys

Boys Like You by Juliana Stone

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Camp Boyfriend by J.K. Rock

Camp Payback by J.K. Rock

Amity by Micol Ostow

Biggest Flirts by Jennifer Echols

Library

Evertrue by Brodi Ashton

More Than This by Patrick Ness

Immortal City by Scott Speer

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The Lost Prince by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Legends by Julie Kagawa

I should really do these posts more frequently so my hauls aren't so long.

So what have you guys gotten recently? :D I'd love to hear!

What Makes or Breaks a Blog

Topic: What makes you want to read a blog and what doesn't

I want to say that this topic really only pertains to book blogs, but honestly it doesn't. It can be any type of blog, to be fair. I'll just base this discussion post off book blogs since those are the main types of blogs that I read, because, you know, I'm a book blogger and all.

The first thing that really bugs be about book blogs is their design. If it isn't readable and if it doesn't load quickly (it'll load slowly if you have a lot of sidebar objects), then I probably won't enjoy your blog as much as I'd like to.

Readability is a big one for me. The font should be readable. I've come across a few blogs with cursive as the font for the body of their posts, and, I'm sorry, but I just can't stand to read that. I can read cursive just fine, but sometimes it's too much for my brain to handle. I like to be able to visit the post directly from the blog rather than on Feedly or an RSS reader, therefore I like readable fonts.

My internet already sucks, therefore a fast loading blog is my best friend. If you've got a million memes with a million gifs and pictures (I have a bunch of gifs in this one post, and I regret it greatly), my internet may not load it as fast as I'd like it to. This one isn't really a big deal since I understand that maybe I should get better internet, and it won't make me not read your blog, but it'll make me not read your blog on the days when my internet is exceptionally slow.

Lastly, design. I love pretty blogs. For example, The Story Siren, Read by the Undead, and Utterly Bookish are tree blogs that I follow that have the most beautiful blog designs I've seen. I don't know if they code them themselves or if they buy their themes, but they're absolutely gorgeous.

I've coded the majority of my blog, mostly the styling. The HTML is just whatever came with the basic layout for Blogger blogs, but other than the HTML, most of it's my own coding. (Basically, this is me accepting the fact that I'm pretty crappy at coding. I'm getting better!) And most of the graphics on this blog are made by me. Since I've coded a lot of my blog, I have respect for all those blogs that code themselves. It's difficult!

There are things that make or break a book blog for me! Readability, load-ability, and design! (Yes, I made up a word there.)

What about you? What are aspects that make or break a book blog for you? Let me know in the comments!



Tori's Review: Panic by Lauren Oliver

Panic by Lauren Oliver
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating: ♚♚♚½
Pages: 408
Published by HarperCollins on March 4, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.

Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.

Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.

For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

I expected a lot from this book. I didn't get exactly what I was hoping for, but I wasn't disappointed either. The pace was decent, and the plot was sort of thrilling. The characters were typical, but I connected with them a bit as in they made decisions that seemed realistic and matched their personalities. In a way, the characters made the plot predictable, but not too terribly so. The world-building, in all, was pretty good, and I wasn't left hanging.

This book had been raved about a lot, therefore I was expecting something spectacular. Sadly, Panic is pretty average. The pace wasn't fast paced, but it wasn't slow either. A bit slow at first, but after the first 50-60 pages, it picks up more. I read it in a single night, because I had to know what was going to happen to Heather and Dodge next. It was a page turner for sure!

Dodge was dodgy to me. Really. I like an unreliable narrator though, so I sort of liked Dodge. The one thing that really got to me about him was that he was obsessed with Nat, Heather's (the main character's) best friend. It was cute at first, but after so long I got irritated with him and his infatuation. The same thing goes for Heather and her obsession/infatuation with her ex-boyfriend Matt. There was this line at the beginning of the novel that I felt was extremely true.

There's just something about her.

Something about her. Which meant: Nothing about you.

I felt like that is how a lot of girls feel after a guy uses the line, "It's not you; it's me." Not the same line, but still. Same meaning. Trying to pin the blame on themselves or some imaginary force that doesn't exist. Heather just seems so dead set on being with Matt. It's sort of sickening, and it got annoying. Plus, the players' motives for participating in Panic didn't really fly with me. Their backgrounds/histories were a bit shady, which ultimately made them shady as characters.

The one character I liked through and through was Biship. His motives were a bit predictable and cheesy, but in the end I liked him a lot more than the other characters. I originally thought I'd like Dodge, but I ended up not liking him as much. I liked Bishop more than Dodge.

On the world-building side of the story, it was good. There was a page or two in the beginning that explained the background of the city Carp. Usually, this wouldn't work since it would be considered a form of info-dumping, but since the book is written in third person (she, he, they), I think it worked out a lot better than if it was in first person (I, me, we).

Panic was nothing like I expected. I thought it was going to be more action-y and adventurous, but it ended up being thrilling and suspenseful, maybe even a bit mysterious. I'd recommend it to people who have liked Oliver's previous works since the writing is still really good as well as people that are just interested in the synopsis in general. I don't think you'll be too disappointed with Panic if you're already interested in reading it. I think I'll leave this review with my favorite quote.

"That's the thing about trust. You don't know [if you can trust me]."

Lindsay's Review: How to Love by Katie Cotugno

How to Love by Katie Cotugno
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚♚♚
Pages: 398
Published by Balzer + Bray on October 1st, 2013
Amazon | B&N

Before: Reena Montero has loved Sawyer LeGrande for as long as she can remember: as natural as breathing, as endless as time. But he's never seemed to notice that Reena even exists until one day, impossibly, he does. Reena and Sawyer fall in messy, complicated love. But then Sawyer disappears from their humid Florida town without a word, leaving a devastated-and pregnant-Reena behind.

After: Almost three years have passed, and there's a new love in Reena's life: her daughter, Hannah. Reena's gotten used to being without Sawyer, and she's finally getting the hang of this strange, unexpected life. But just as swiftly and suddenly as he disappeared, Sawyer turns up again. Reena doesn't want anything to do with him, though she'd be lying if she said Sawyer's being back wasn't stirring something in her. After everything that's happened, can Reena really let herself love Sawyer LeGrande again?

I'm hesitant to pick up hardcover books because of the price and also if they're really popular. I never seem to fall into the books that everyone seems to enjoy. However, How to Love surprised me.

How to Love switches every other chapter from Before, to After. Before is when Reena first meets Sawyer, the drama in between, and how she becomes pregnant. After is Reena's life with her child, her heartbreak and the happenings that come when Sawyer returns after disappearing for two years.

I can't say I've read a novel with two perspectives like these, and when I realized what they were, I was wary. But this book did not disappoint. Both perspectives were amazing and I never leaned towards liking one more. Before Reena is a naive teenager, and After Reena is a mature, adult mother. Though the same character, the changes in Reena are perfectly done, and the end of each chapter had me excited for the next one in that perspective.

Though Reena's life felt really real and her character was someone who I sympathized with, I had trouble feeling that Sawyer was believable. There are times when he is so sweet and I love him but his personalities in both perspectives aren't consistent. Also, Allie's character wasn't prominent throughout the book like I thought it would be. When a character's death has an impact on the MC, it shouldn't be a touch and go situation. It should provoke thoughts, emotions and sometimes actions. I didn't think that happened.

While reading, I couldn't put this book down and annoyed those around me who wanted to talk to me. It was a great, wholesome read and is now one of my favorites despite it's flaws. For a standalone book, it ended wonderfully, and the whole book kept me pulled in with each and every word.

Tori's Review: The Iron Daughter (The Iron Fey #2) by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
Series: The Iron Fey #2
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚
Pages: 359
Published by Harlequin Teen on January 1, 2010
Amazon | B&N

Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

You know that series that doesn't impress you that much, but you keep reading for the sake of finishing the series and because you have to know what happens or if it gets better? Well, The Iron Fey is that series for me. If you've read my review of The Iron King, then you'd know that I wasn't all that impressed with The Iron Fey's first book. Surprisingly, I liked this one more, hence the extra half star/crown. 

Just like last time, Meghan annoyed me. Someone needs to tell that girl that Ash is not the center of the universe. Primarily, this is the only part of this book series that really annoys me. Obsessing over Ash lost this book 1.5 stars/crowns. The first half was so irritating just because of Meghan's infatuation over Ash. In my opinion (Ash fans, please don't gouge my eyes out), Puck is a much better match for Meghan. They've known each other longer, and I think he compliments her well. He's always there for her when she needs him, despite the fact that she's all for Ash. The thing is that Puck knows patience. He even said himself that he was going to wait for Meghan. Oh, yeah, and there's the fact that he doesn't reject her every 50 pages.

Yes, there's still time for me to switch ships. I did it with the Shatter Me trilogy, and I can do it again.

Honestly, I wish I could look this aspect over since I'm so engrossed in the Nevernever, but I really can't. I absolutely hate clingy main characters. So much. Although, Kagawa creates such an intricate world, and I believe it. I believe that the fae could be running around the place, disguising themselves at humans. Kagawa's world is very addicting as is her writing. No matter how much I dislike Meghan and Ash, I can't stop reading the books. And this is literally what keeps me coming back for more.

I put the next two books on hold. As well as the novella book. As well as the first two books in the spin-off series. I'm so marathoning the books. As I said, they're so addicting.

I have to say that, yes, the first half of the book is Meghan obsessing over Ash, but after page 60 or so, things got a lot better (for me, anyway), because Puck showed up! I was missing Puck since he got injured in the previous book, but now he's back, and I'm loving him. Meghan's love *cough* for Ash remained while he was gone, and when Ash came back (because Ash always comes back, right?) all of Meghan's progress toward obsessing over Ash less vanished. Back to square one.

In the end, this is a good series. I'm pretty much the only person that's majorly ticked off by Meghan and Ash it seems, and I feel like I'm reading a completely different book than everyone else who's in love with Meghan and Ash. Oh, well. I heard the next book, The Iron Queen is a lot better, and I can't wait to continue on with the series to see what happens with Meghan (and Ash)!

(I just need to clarify that I am not an Ash hater. I like him; I do. I just don't like how clingy Meghan becomes when she's around him.)

WoW: Hungry by H.A. Swain

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine!

Hungry by H.A. Swain
published by feiwel & friends on june 3, 2014

In the future, food is no longer necessary—until Thalia begins to feel something unfamiliar and uncomfortable. She’s hungry.

In Thalia’s world, there is no need for food—everyone takes medication (or “inocs”) to ward off hunger. It should mean there is no more famine, no more obesity, no more food-related illnesses, and no more war. At least that's what her parents, who work for the company that developed the inocs, say. But when Thalia meets a boy who is part of an underground movement to bring food back, she realizes that most people live a life much different from hers. Worse, Thalia is starting to feel hunger, and so is he—the inocs aren’t working. Together they set out to find the only thing that will quell their hunger: real food.

H. A. Swain delivers an adventure that is both epic and fast-paced. Get ready to be Hungry.

So many people think this book looks weird. I guess it sort of does look weird. But the cover is just so pretty, and I'm willing to give the book a chance. I can't judge it before I've read it! I think if Swain does this book well it could be great.

Tori's Review: Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #1
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal
Rating: ♚♚♚♚½
Pages: 370
Published by Balzer + Bray on January 24, 2012
Amazon | B&N

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath. Now she's returned-to her old life, her family, her boyfriend-before she's banished back to the underworld . . . this time forever. She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these precious months forgetting the Everneath and trying to reconnect with her boyfriend, Jack, the person most devastated by her disappearance-and the one person she loves more than anything. But there's just one problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who enticed her to the Everneath in the first place, has followed Nikki home. Cole wants to take over the throne in the underworld and is convinced Nikki is the key to making it happen. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back, this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time on the Surface draws to a close and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she is forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's queen.

The first thing that really stood out in this book to me was the world-building. Ashton was able to create a world that felt real even when it wasn't. The mythological aspect in this was super fascinating, and I loved how Nikki was submerged into the world of the Everneath. Her interactions with the characters in the story were realistic and didn't seem forced at all.

The only person in this book that I didn't like was Jules. She just didn't seem as genuine and as real as Cole and Jack were. She felt more as a person who was there just to move the pace along. This wasn't a big deal, but I think it's important to mention. She ended up being more a nuisance more than anything.

Personally, I'm more toward Jack in this book. Cole doesn't seem like the type of person that one can depend on. He doesn't seem committed to anything other than himself. He's such a stereotypical bad boy, too. Although I'm more toward Jack, I'm still not in love with Jack nor do I love him. I think the only reason I couldn't give this book a full five stars is because I'm not completely convinced that I need to be in love with these characters. They seem real and all, but I just haven't formed an emotional connection to them (yet).

I have to admit that I do personally really enjoy that Jack never gives up on Nikki. It's sweet, and I loved that about him. I suppose Cole doesn't really give up on her either, but in a different sense.

I think Aston created the perfect atmosphere for this book with her writing. She really set the tone as mysterious and borderline fantasy, which I love. For some reason, I particularly enjoy urban fantasy, so this book was perfect for me.

This book is mostly romance and relationships, so I was extremely happy when the romance didn't outside and block the plot. That just didn't happen, and I loved that about this book. I honestly tried to find something that I hated about this book and couldn't stand.

I came up blank. I recommend this book to nearly anyone. I think so many people will enjoy reading it.

Library Books—Yay or Nay?

This week’s discussion post is about whether you’re for borrowing and reading books from the library or against!

Tori:

I love using the library when I want to read a book that I’m unsure about! It’s a way for me to try a book but not make a commitment like buying the book.

Lindsay:

I agree, but I have two major issues with libraries. One is that they don’t usually have the popular books for quite some time, at least the libraries I’ve been to, and the other is that when I go, I end up getting 15+ books and only reading a small fraction of them.

Tori:

Yes, exactly! Usually, my library has a big selection, and if they don’t have the book I want, I can have my library transfer between branches, or I can put it on hold. As for the 15+ books, I completely agree. Right now I have 3 books checked out, and I haven’t even finished one. I try to only get the books that I’ve put on hold when I visit my local library.

Lindsay:

I never put books on hold. I have no idea why. I think it has to do with how impatient I am. I’m like the toddler who wants something and wants it right now.

Tori:

Same! When I really want a book, I’ll just buy it. Especially with series. If I liked the first book, I’m just going to buy the second unless it’s at the library when I visit. Does the condition of library books bother you at all? I find the “used book” thing to be fun yet irritating because of my bookish OCD habits.

Lindsay:

I actually like reading used, tattered books which is weird because if they’re my own I freak about little bumps and scuffs. But what else bugs me is that if I read a book in a series at the library and have other books in the series at home, it looks empty. But I don’t want to flesh out the money for a book I just read.

Tori:

Yes! For some reason, I have a problem with buying books that I’ve already read if I don’t plan on reading them in the immediate future. I always think that the money could go to a different book that I could be reading. I’m constantly looking for new books to read even though I already have enough.

Lindsay:

You have enough to get you through the year.

Tori:

Or two.

Tori's Review: Mind Games (Mind Games #1) by Kiersten White

Mind Games by Kiersten White
Series: Mind Games #1
Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy
Rating: ♚♚
Pages: 237
Published by HarperTeen on February 19, 2013
Amazon | B&N

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

The thing about Mind Games is that I was terribly detached to all the characters right from the start. If I made any connection with any of the characters, it would have to be James. He actually had a compelling "backstory," and he actually had normal, human feelings, unlike Fia and Annie. For one, Fia really doesn't have a personality. Or if she does, it just describes her as one word—crazy. She's legitimately crazy. And her sister Annie isn't much better. Annie might not be crazy, but I'm certainly not crazy about her.

Right off the bat this book caught my attention, but within 20 pages, it lost it. I thought Adam was going to be an interesting character to read about, but he wasn't present for the majority of the novel. The idea of Fia being trained from a young age to assassinate people and then choose not to assassinate a geeky teenage boy over a dog is ludicrous. (Fia sees Adam petting a dog on the side of the street, and she decides to not kill him. Like what?)

Enough about the characters. The world-building/writing is a whole other matter. For one, as a reader you're thrown into the plot unexpectedly. At first, that worked toward the book's advantage, instantly showing the reader action. But as the book went along, the lack of world-building really irritated me. I never really knew what was going on. I picked up on certain aspects of the novel, but it took the entire 237 pages to figure out the majority of the plot. And it took me a good 30-50 pages to figure out that Annie was blind.

Also, the writing was enough to get me to groan. Fia did things three times. Three. Freaking. Times. She tap, tap, tapped and pop, pop, popped. Yeah, well, she drove, drove, drove me insane. OH, YES. And Annie had NO REGARD for her sister whatsoever. Annie was always talking/thinking about how she loved her sister, but she didn't really show it. In my mind, Annie was holding Fia back unknowingly.

I really don't know what to say about this book, because there really isn't much to say. After 50%, the plot got really slow and somewhat meaningless. I felt like it was a gigantic prologue, especially with the constant flashbacks. I would've been semi-okay with the flashbacks if they actually moved the plot along, but the thing is, the flashbacks did nothing for the novel, which once again lowered my rating for the book.

Despite my two star rating, I didn't dislike this book, but I didn't like it either. I don't really have any strong feelings toward it (okay, maybe strong feelings toward snapping Fia's fingers off if she tap, tap, taps them one more time, but that's beside the point); I'm pretty neutral about the whole book. I won an ARC for Perfect Lies, so I'll be reading the next book, but it's not high on my TBR. I wouldn't really recommend this book unless you're looking for a quick read and don't mind not feeling anything for the characters/plot/world-building.

Tori's Review: Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe #1) by Rosamund Hodge

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Series: Cruel Beauty Universe #1
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Rating: ♚♚♚♚
Pages: 346
Published by Balzer + Bray on Janurary 28, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.

Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.

I'm going to start off this review saying that Rosamund Hodge can create the perfect atmosphere for a fantasy novel with her beautiful writing. Let me also say that I wasn't a fan of her character's relationships with each other. I liked the characters by themselves but not with each other.

Nyx was a fun protagonist, but she was also sort of irritating when she kissed Shade in the beginning, and for an assassin, she sure lusted over Ignifex a lot. But take those boys out of the equation, and I enjoyed her personality a lot. She was strong, and she knew her priorities. In the beginning (note that I say "beginning"), she doesn't let Ignifex's appearances (he's gorgeous) get in the way of her mission, which I loved.

Also Ignifex interested me. His entire story interested me. Some aspects of the novel felt unexplained to me (the darkness eating him. Correct me if Hodge did elaborate, and I'm just forgetting it), but maybe that's just me. His perspective regarding the people he made bargains with was fascinating as well. It allowed me to understand his character on a deeper level. And the fact that the never got angry with Nyx for her antics (you know, trying to murder him and all) was intriguing and made me like him as a love interest even more.

On the other hand, Shade seemed uninteresting to me. He was also irrelevant to me. I wish he had played a larger role in the novel so I could've gotten to know him more as a person. In honesty, I didn't really like his personality. From what I read, for someone who had been around Ignifex for so long, he sure didn't know much about his master. And all he ever talked about was how Nyx was their last chance. Talk about repetitive.

Nyx's relationships with both boys didn't really settle with me correctly. I didn't think she had a bond with either of them, Shade even less than Ignifex. Sure, Nyx and Ignifex has some cute/adorable lines in the course of the novel, and I liked them, but I didn't like them as a couple. They just didn't mesh well for me.

The world-building was amazing. Seriously. Despite a few holes in Ignifex and Shade (I think they were warranted with his situation), I thought that the history of Arcadia was explained very well, and I loved that aspect of the novel. Also, Hodge's writing just made everything so much better. Her word choice was marvelous.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book, but honestly not to the extent that I wanted to. Before reading this book, all I read were rave reviews, so I was expecting something jaw-droppingly amazing. It was good, but not a favorite. It was a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, so if you're looking for one of those, go right ahead!

Reviews—Does Size Matter?

In Literary Exploration's discussion post about the art of reviews, she mentioned that she doesn't usually read long reviews because she already has so many to read. This really got me thinking. I looked at all my reviews and realized that 'oh, jeez, my reviews are really, really long.' Ultimately, I'm at a stalemate. I really don't know what to do with my reviews. So I came up with a new reviewing/rating system.


I'm going to use five aspects that I think make up a great novel—plot, characters, writing, world-building, and emotions (emotions meaning how the book made me feel)—and give each aspect 10 points. I'm going to rate the novel that I'm reviewing/rating on a ten-point system for each aspect. Then I'll add together all the points that each aspect gets. For example:

Plot: 7
Characters: 6
Writing: 9
World-Building: 4
Emotions: 10

Add all these points together, and they equal 36, which can be rounded to 35. On my "rating scale", this is three and a half stars. As for the actual review, I'm going to talk about each aspect in turn. The goal is for my review to be no more than 7 paragraphs, at the most. In my opinion, it's fairly easy to read 7, short and to the point paragraphs. I want to be done with elaborating and adding extra information that doesn't necessarily need to added in a review.

The only drawback is now I feel like I'm not explaining what I thought about the book enough for the people that read my reviews. I feel like I'm skimping on the actual review.

But on the other hand, I completely agree with the post. This is my face when I see a review that's 10 or more paragraphs long and to the point that it's more like a 6th grade essay rather than a review.

I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes I will not read a review if I haven't religiously followed the blog for over a year and know I will find said reviewer's review insightful and entertaining. Sometimes the review is simply too long for me to handle. And this makes me feel like a bad person! (I honestly hope I'm not the only one.) Also, if I haven't read the book, I probably won't read the review. I might post about this later. 

Basically, I just made this post to ask you what you prefer, you know, since you guys are the ones who will ultimately be reading my reviews. My recent reviews are written in the format that I talked about above and the ones earlier than Ignite Me are written in my usual rambling and long review format. (Who am I kidding? I didn't have a format. I just sat down for about an hour and wrote an honest review.)

So what do you guys think? Does the size of a review matter or is it the content? Would you like my reviews to be lengthy and in-depth or more to the point? 

 

gif 1 - gif 2

Tori's Review: Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski
Series: None
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Paranormal
Rating: ♚♚
Pages: 336
Published by Delacorte Press on March 11, 2014
Amazon | B&N

Contemporary teen fiction with romance, secrets, scandals, and ESP from the author of Ten Things We Did (And Probably Shouldn't Have).

We weren't always like this. We used to be average New York City high school sophomores. Until our homeroom went for flu shots. We were prepared for some side effects. Maybe a headache. Maybe a sore arm. We definitely didn't expect to get telepathic powers. But suddenly we could hear what everyone was thinking. Our friends. Our parents. Our crushes. Now we all know that Tess is in love with her best friend, Teddy. That Mackenzie cheated on Cooper. That, um, Nurse Carmichael used to be a stripper.

Since we've kept our freakish skill a secret, we can sit next to the class brainiac and ace our tests. We can dump our boyfriends right before they dump us. We know what our friends really think of our jeans, our breath, our new bangs. We always know what's coming. Some of us will thrive. Some of us will crack. None of us will ever be the same.

So stop obsessing about your ex. We're always listening.

NOTE: I received this review from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pointless. I'm sorry, Mlynowski, but it was. I was really excited to read Don't Even Think About It when I got an email from NetGalley saying that I was pre-approved for this title, but once I started reading it, I wasn't so sure anymore. This was definitely a fast read regardless of it lacking plot, and I appreciated that, hence the two stars/crowns. I felt that its pace needed to be recognized. And the writing was good, which also deserved a star/crown. The lack of the other three stars is the characterization, world-building, and my emotions throughout the novel.

For one, I felt no attachment toward the characters by the end of Don't Even Think About It, and I wasn't okay with that. There were two characters that I liked: Tess and BJ--BJ more than Tess. I just didn't agree with the way that Tess thought/did things. She mind slut-shamed Sadie, which was not okay, and she was always talking about how she wanted to lose weight so badly...and then she'd eat cheeseburgers, a milkshake, and fries. BJ was hilarious. Besides the fact that his name is BJ for the stupidest reason (because he thought it was funny), I liked him as a character. He was nice to Tess.

Two characters I couldn't stand at all would be Mackenzie and Pi. I just couldn't with those two. Mackenzie was pompous, and she thought everyone lived to serve her. Same thing with Pi. And that ending? What the heck, Pi? She ruined the ending for me. (Actually, they all did.) I just couldn't stand her character or her. She admonished the others for cheating on tests and then she goes and cheats, using her powers to read the smartest kid in school's (the one she envies) mind during a test. Hypocrite much? It's not his fault you didn't study!

There was practically no world-building. All the kids know is that their powers came from a batch of flu shots. By the end of the book, all the kids know is that their powers came from a batch of flu shots. Can you see the problem here? Literally nothing is explained by the end, and I wasn't okay with this just like I wasn't okay with the characters.

This ties in with my lack of feelings for the characters, but I could've cared less about these kids. The entire novel was a drama-infested high school, and it made me want to hurl, maybe even rip my hair out. It was annoying, and it irritated me to listen to their thoughts. They had nothing interesting to say. Ahem, I mean, think. I was excited to read about super powers, but this book lacked in that department too. And everyone was trying to be funny, but they just weren't. A character would say something "funny" and another character would laugh. But me? I didn't. I didn't laugh.

In all, I didn't dislike this book so much that I'm never going to read another Mlynowski book. I haven't completely written her off. I still enjoyed her other novel, Ten Things We Did. I'm sad to say that I wouldn't recommend this book for anybody unless they're looking for a drama-driven novel.

Lindsay's Review: My Life Next Door (My Life Next Door #1) by Huntley Fitzpatrick

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Series: My Life Next Door #1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Rating: ♚♚♚♚♚
Pages: 394
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers on June 14th, 2012
Amazon | B&N

"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time."

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.

As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase's family embraces Samantha - even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha's world. She's suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A transporting debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another.

I loved this book. Loved, loved, loved. I was a little cautious at first because the premise of the-boy-next-door is always overused and the same, but My Life Next Door is nothing like that.

Samantha's mother is running for a political position and urged Samantha to keep two jobs all summer to keep herself busy while her mother is working late and her sister is on vacation. With so much time alone, Sam builds a relationship with the family next door who make her feel like she belongs, instead of being second to her mother all the time.

As a main character, I sympathize with Samantha and was happy with how real she seemed. I felt like we connected and I honestly felt her emotions throughout the book. The only thing I struggled with was how she reacted to her mother because I am so outspoken that I was practically screaming at the page for Sam to freak out.

And then there's Jase. As a romantic interest, he is so perfect. And it's not too perfect either, when the plot comes into play. I think that's why I loved him so much was because he was actually an amazing guy to Samantha, and didn't do anything wrong like in other stories of the like.

So many things happened in this book that kept me prolonging my real life. I really don't have anything bad to say and to gush would be to reveal too many spoilers. Have you ever read a book that you just felt happily speechless about? This is that book for me.

Originally I thought My Life Next Door was a standalone, and it ended so well that I was okay with that. And now that I realize it's a  series, I'm unsure of how to feel. I don't want the second book to be disappointing after such an amazing opening novel because it will ruin it. It was a fantastic standalone book and now I'm skeptic about how Fitzpatrick will follow.