Book Tag – Cookies!

I saw this tag posted by Boston Book Reader and thought it looked like fun! I hope you enjoy reading as much as we enjoyed writing!

Chocolate Chip – A classic book you love or really enjoyed

Amanda: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Antonia: The Count of Monte Cristo is my new favorite classic.

Thin Mints – A fandom that you really want to join and/or a hyped up book you want to read

Amanda: The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. I have this on my shelves and I’m DYINGG to read it.

Antonia: A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas.

Shortbread – An author you can’t get enough of

Amanda: John Green forever, but also Sarah J. Maas.

Antonia: I literally never get sick of Nora Roberts.

Samoas – An emotional rollercoaster

Amanda: Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Antonia: Inheritance by Christopher Paolini.

Oreos – A book whose cover was better than the story or whose story was better than the cover

Amanda: The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco i didn’t like this story as much as i thought i would but the cover is to die for.

Antonia: I absolutely love the cover for The Gilded King by Josie Jaffrey but didn’t love the story quite as much.

Tagalongs (Peanut Butter Patties) – A book that wasn’t what you expected

Amanda: Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. I didnt expect to learn so much about the French Revolution and enjoy it.

Antonia: I really wasnt expecting much from The Dragon’s Gift series by Linsey Hall but ended up absolutely loving all the subseries.

Snickerdoodles – A book you may never stop loving or rereading

Amanda: I’m going to have to say A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (but only because i already answered a question with Looking for Alaska)

Antonia: The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory will forever be my favorite.

Book Tag – Back to School

It’s that time of year bookworms! Back to school is an exciting time of year. New pens, pencils, and markers. New notebooks and planners. Back to school shopping was always my favorite kind of shopping! This tag originally comes from a YouTuber named Jenny Unscripted.

English/Language Arts – Name your favorite author or books’ writing style

Amanda- John Green is my favorite author. But Ellen Hopkins is my favorite writing style. The way she writes her books in such a poetic way is incredible.

Antonia- I really love the way Patrick Rothfuss writes in The Kingkiller Chronicles. It’s as though the main character is telling the story directly to you and it adds so much depth to his character.

Math – A book that made you frustrated

Amanda- The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. I just wanted to get some answers. I almost dnf’d it.

Antonia- Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima. I character I loved from the previous series died in this one and I’m still so mad about it. (Note: I resent the fact that this one is for math because math was always my favorite subject.)

Science – A book that made you think or question things

Amanda- Any book by John Green. Also The Alchemist by Paul Coelho.

Antonia- The Shack by William P. Young.

History – Your favorite book from a different time period

Amanda: My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand and Jodi Meadows for a historical fiction. And The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien for a book that’s actually from a different time period.

Antonia- I love any of the regency romance novels by Julia Quinn.

Art – Your favorite book with pictures

Amanda- Moon Chosen by P.C. Cast. This book (and the second one) have actual pages with pictures in them rather than just cute little pictures with the chapter headings.

Antonia- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.

Drama – A book you would love to see adapted to a movie or TV show

Amanda- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas would be excellent to see as a tv show for sure.

Antonia- I totally agree with Amanda but to choose my own, I think The Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory would make amazing movies.

Music – Name a character you think would have the same musical taste as you

Amanda- I think Charlie from Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow has potential to have the same musical taste as me. Likely some moody alternative music but also sometimes some poppin’ rap/hiphop.

Antonia- Simone from Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts. She mentions what music she’s listening to often and I loved all her choices.

Lunch – A food you would love to try from a book

Amanda- I’m going to be basic on this one but I’d love to try butterbeer or any of the candies from the Harry Potter books.

Antonia- I always wanted to try all the foods from the epic feasts in the Redwall series by Brian Jacques.

Bus Ride Home – A book or author that is relaxing

Amanda- I’d have to say the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich. Reading this series is like hanging out with an old friend. Always a good time guaranteed to have some laughs.

Antonia- Beastly by Alex Flinn. I’ve read it so many times at this point that it’s like hanging out with an old friend.

Extra Credit – A book someone else told you to read and you ended up enjoying it

Amanda- Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. My step sister told me to read this and I’m glad she did. It was super good.

Antonia- Most of the books Amanda yells at me to read. Most recently was the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova.

Book Tag – The Summer Tag

I found this book tag over on Boston Book Reader who has all the fun book tags! I thought this would be a fun one now that summer is coming to an end.

What book cover makes you think of summer?

Amanda- Meant to be Broken by Brandy Woods Snow.

Antonia- Island of Glass by Nora Roberts

What book has brightened your day?

Amanda- The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich. This series never fails to make me laugh.

Antonia- How am I supposed to choose? Books from my childhood are usually the ones that make me happiest.

Find a book cover with yellow on it.

Amanda- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Strong Larsson.

Antonia- Warrior Rising by P.C. Cast.

What is your favorite summer beach read?

Amanda- Pretty much anything by Nora Roberts or Janet Evanovich.

Antonia- I love reading Julia Quinn’s books at the beach. They make me laugh so hard.

What action book had you running to the ice cream man for some snacks?

Amanda- Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts for sure had me running for snacks to keep my hands as busy as my brain was.

Antonia- Hmm… I pretty much always have snacks no matter what so I can’t really answer this.

What book has left you with a bad or painful ending like a summer sunburn?

Amanda- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. The events that occurred in this book were not okay.

Antonia- Inheritance by Christopher Paolini. I loved this series but the ending killed me.

What book gave you happy feelings at the ending like a sunset at the end of a wonderful day?

Amanda- Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum. This book was too good and I totally loved the ending.

Antonia- Beheld by Alex Flinn. This book had me grinning like a lunatic.

What book cover reminds you of a sunset?

Amanda- Come Sundown by Nora Roberts. It actually has a sunset on the cover.

Antonia- If I Should Die by Amy Plum. It also has a sunset on the cover.

What is one book or series you hope to read this summer?

Amanda- The Mara Dyer Trilogy by Michelle Hodkin. Summer is basically over at this point so my hope of reading this series is quickly dwindling.

Antonia- I’d like to finish the Air Awakens series by Elise Kova.

Amanda’s Top Ten Tuesday – Hidden Gems

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. Each week we talk about our top ten with a different topic provided by Jana. This week’s topic is top ten – Hidden Gems books that haven’t been talked about as much or haven’t been marketed as strongly that I think deserve some recognition.
ttt1. Flamecaster (The Shattered Realms series) by Cinda Williams Chima – I love this series and this author. I just feel like I don’t really see her books advertised anywhere. I don’t see other bloggers talking about her books like I do. I definitely think she should be a more widely read author with the incredible worlds shes built full of diverse and loveable characters.
2. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead – This one I feel is always overlooked in favor of Vampire Academy. Because they’re part of the same world everyone turns to VA instead of talking about these books.
3. A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest – I found this series on my Kindle but it’s definitely one that I think more readers should try. The reviews vary but I think Forrest has built quite the reading adventure with this 50+ book series.
4. Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum – Buxbaum’s debut novel was so excellent. I thought I would hear more about it from my fellow bloggers. It makes me sad that I don’t hear more about it.
5. Sleeping Giants (Themis Files) by Sylvain Neuvel – I listened to this audiobook at the recommendation of a BookTuber (Thoughts on Tomes) but aside from the brief mention as one of her top audiobooks I haven’t hear others talk about this series. This is a mistake because Sleeping Giants was insane and amazing.
6. Moon Chosen (Tales of a New World) by P.C. Cast – I found this series outside of the blogging world. I haven’t heard a single blogger talk or write about this book/series. It’s a shame because they’re super interesting books with unique storylines and great character development. I can’t wait for the third to be released later this year.
7. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher – An older book, but still great. Creative and full of mystery. I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this story.
8. Talon by Julie Kagawa – While I see that her other series, The Iron Fey, get attention I never see bloggers reading this series.
9. The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa – See above comment.
10. Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Deborah Biancotti, and Margo Lanagan – With the superhero obsession that’s been going on the last few years I’m unsure how this series hasn’t made a bigger splash in the reading world.

What books do you love that you think deserve more attention?

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Goodreads summary:
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, that’s what it feels like during her first week of junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Just when she’s thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short), offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?
It’s been barely two years since her mother’s death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to live with her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son.
In a leap of faith—or an act of complete desperation—Jessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie can’t help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?

Review:
Okay, I totally loved this story. I borrowed this book as an audiobook from my library because I liked the look of the cover. Then I read the book summary and thought it could be something I would like. I had doubts at first because I was really annoyed listening to the narrator reading the email addresses over and over and I almost DNF’d the book about 20% in. But I didn’t and I’m glad I didn’t.
I LOVED Jessie. She’s a girl who’s trying to find herself. Her mom died and she’s trying to figure out how to continue living without the one woman that’s supposed to be there for her whole life. On top of all of this her dad has married a new woman, a complete stranger, and totally changed her life by making her move across the country. So this poor girl is still trying to figure out how to keep on living without her mother and also going to a new school where she doesn’t know anyone, living in a new house that doesn’t feel like her own, trying to figure out how to accept all these changes and be happy. I admire the crap out of Jessie for the strength she shows because I would have lost my freaking mind trying to deal with all of that at sixteen.
Enter “Somebody, Nobody.” This mysterious person who starts emailing Jessie with the advice of who to befriend, who to avoid, and how to survive at this crazy new school. I loved the idea of SN keeping an eye out for Jessie and helping her navigate this new school. Though about halfway through the story I just wanted to yell at him to TELL JESSIE WHO HE IS ALREADY. (We sadly don’t find out who SN is until Jessie does.) We are left guessing at the identity of SN for most of the book. I liked this a little because I spent most of the book arguing in my head with Jessie about whom she thinks SN is. That’s all I will say about SN except that I totally knew who it was and I’m SO HAPPY that SN is who I thought they were.
I think the family dynamic was written really well. I come from a pretty dysfunctional family. I have step parents and siblings and know how hard it is to adjust to having a new family living in one house and learning how all the different people work together and around one another. The family dynamic was written and portrayed accurately and I really liked that. I feel like there aren’t enough books that have stepfamilies and crazy broken, makeshift families that are outside of the norm of a mom and a dad or a single parent home.
I ended up really loving this book way more than I thought I was going to. I thought I would like it well enough, but I definitely loved it. There really is nothing negative to say about it aside from the annoyingness of reading the email addresses, but that’s only because it’s an audiobook. I adored the characters. They all played their own parts very well and each added something to the story. I loved the message that the story gave. Jessie learned so much about herself, but she also learned so much about how she treats others and what she deserves from life. I think this is an excellent young adult story and should be read by anyone and everyone.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our affiliate link (just click on the book cover) to support us!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

GoodReads Summary:
First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic, an intellectual and artistic benchmark from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman. Now, discover the mystery and magic of American Gods in this 10th anniversary edition. Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece by the one, the only, Neil Gaiman.
A storm is coming….
Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life. But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.
Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined. It is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own.
Along the way, Shadow will learn that the past never dies; that everyone, including his beloved Laura, harbors secrets; and that dreams, totems, legends, and myths are more real than we know. Ultimately, he will discover that beneath the placid surface of everyday life, a storm is brewing – an epic war for the very soul of America – and that he is standing squarely in its path.

Review:
This review is almost painful for me to write. I have so many different thoughts on this story, but also not that many. How that even makes sense, I’m unsure. I’ve recently dived into the world of audiobooks from my library. So I get the audiobook for two weeks on the app my library uses. Let me just tell you. This book was so long and so, just, so much that I could only listen to it at certain times and in small doses. Because of this, I had to renew (which meant that I had to put it on hold, again, and wait another two weeks to get the book back because it’s popular and many others were requesting to borrow the audiobook as well) this audiobook FOUR TIMES. This book is a twenty-hour long audiobook because it’s the anniversary edition, so we get a bunch of extra tidbits from the author in the beginning and the end. I feel like I invested so much more than twenty hours into listening to this book.
Okay, now to my thoughts on the actual story. First of all, I loved that we were given a few tidbits actually read by the author. It was a nice touch to this book. Second, the narrators did an AMAZING job reading this book. There were SO many different characters and so many different things all going on at the same time in different places. I think the narrators did an excellent job of giving each of the characters a different voice and really showing the personality that Gaiman wrote for them.
I am having a hard time thinking of the words I’d like to use to describe American Gods. It was such a complex story with so many details and plotlines and characters. It was just on the border of being too much. There were definitely a few times I asked myself what was going on and what the relevance to the story of our main character was, but everything was always brought back together and connected. I found myself saying, “No waaay.” And “Oh my god, shut up,” quite a few times when Gaiman caught me by surprise with the direction of the story and some details here and there.
As I mentioned, American Gods is full of different characters so I’m not going to talk about them like I usually do in my reviews. I will, however, talk about the characters overall. They were incredibly written. Each character had such a distinct personality. Some funny, some terrifying, some annoying. Each character played an important part in the plot and brought something unique to the story being told. The characters were well written and I felt like I really knew them by the end of the book. I mourned some and was glad to lose others. I admired all of them.
The story itself was astounding in all the best ways. Right, when I thought I knew what was going on Gaiman said, “HAHA, YOU THOUGHT.” And totally changed the direction of the story. This happened a few times before we had enough of the pieces to actually understand the story. I can only hope to be as excellent of a writer as Neil Gaiman someday. The way he led us around on this wild ride wondering where the hell we were going and why we got in the car in the first place. There were so many aspects and elements to American Gods, but not so much that it was hard to keep them straight, instead of leaving the reader wondering what the hell was actually going on. I found myself asking that frequently in the first half of listening to this book. “What the hell is even happening right now, I just don’t get it.” Now, on the other side of the book, having learned what was actually going on I’m still a bit blown away and processing the crazy words that make up this adventure.
To keep it simple, this book was awesome. It was an investment, of my time and emotions. The characters were wonderfully written and the story was incredibly complex. If you like mythology stories, you’ll love this book. Just make sure you have the time and mental wherewithal to handle the craziness that is American Gods.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our link (just click on the book cover) to support us!

ABC Book Challenge |J|

Hello, Bookworms! This week we are talking about books with the letter J.

For those of you that are new here – each week we post about books beginning with a specific letter of the alphabet starting with A all the way through Z. We’re going to mention one or sometimes a few books that were memorable with the letter of the week and also books that are sadly still living on our TBR lists. So without further ado.

Read last week’s post here.

This week’s letter is – J

Most Memorable Books

Amanda

Jane, Unlimited by Kristen Cashore – I was so excited for Cashore to come out with another book. I absolutely adored the Graceling books (once Antonia finally bugged me enough that I read them). So I was excited to see what she was going to come up with next. I liked it well enough, but not nearly as much as her other books.

Antonia

Joust by Mercedes Lackey – This is the first in her Dragon Jousters series. It’s one of my favorites. Dragons are pretty much an autobuy topic for me and I absolutely love the way Lackey portrayed them in this series; more like really intelligent animals that can be domesticated. I highly recommend this one to any fantasy lovers.

Books Still on Our TBR Lists

Amanda

(A) Jungle of Rogues by Bella Forrest – This is the fourth book in the newest season of Forrest’s A Shade of Vampire series. I haven’t read any of the books in this season yet because I hate waiting for the next one to come out. I also have a ridiculous TBR list, so I’m fine waiting and being able to binge read the whole series in a few days.

Antonia

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne – I’ve read Around the World in 80 Days and loved it so I’ve been wanting to read more of Verne’s books.

 

Book Tag – Unpopular Opinions

Hello, Bookworms! This book tag was created over on YouTube by The Book Archer. I love a good book discussion and I thought this unpopular opinions could really provoke some interesting thoughts from us as well as anyone that’s interested in commenting!

What is a popular book or series that you didn’t like?
Amanda- I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman. I listened to this recently and I just didn’t love it. I was disappointed because so many peope liked it. I had high hopes and ended up disappointed.
Antonia- Divergent by Veronica Roth. So many people love these books but I could never make myself get into them.

What is a popular book or series that everyone else seemed to hate but you loved?
Amanda- Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. I understand why so many people hate these books, but I love them anyway.
Antonia- The Age of X series by Richelle Mead. The ending of the second book outraged fans. (I don’t want to give anything away so this might not make much sense if you haven’t read it.) Readers were so mad about what happened that I think that’s a big part of why we haven’t seen anything about a third book. I suppose I sort of understand where people are coming from but I had absolutely no problems with this book.

What book or series had a love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did not want them to end up with?
Amanda- Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter. I wanted Kylie to love Derek so badly. I love me some fae and I totally shipped Derek and Kylie instead of Lucas. But I guess you can’t win them all.
Antonia- I guess I’ve been really lucky in this regard. I avoid love triangles as much as I can. I’ve certainly wanted an MC to end up with someone else but I’m always at least a somewhat happy with their choice by the end of it. The most recent example is Talon by Julie Kagawa. I spent most of the series wanting Ember to end up with Riley but I loved Garret by the end of the series.

What is a popular genre that you hardly reach for?
Amanda- Horror. I do NOT like to be scared. I don’t like horror books or movies or anything scary.
Antonia- Same^. I am such a wuss when it comes to scary stuff.

What is a popular or beloved character that you do not like?
Amanda- I don’t want to say that I didn’t like him because I could totally change my mind with the second book. Adrian from Renegades by Marissa Meyer was honestly so annoying.
Antonia- Jason Grace from The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan. I wouldn’t say I dislike him but he’s definitely my least favorite of the group.

Who is a popular author that you can’t seem to get into?
Amanda- Holly Black, but not because I don’t like what she’s written more because I just haven’t had any strong desire to pick up any of her books and read them. Though everyone rants and raved about her books so I will likely read them eventually.
Antonia- Neil Gaiman, I’ve wanted to read his books for a long time but can’t manage to actually start one.

What is a popular book trope that you are tired of seeing?
Amanda- Insta Love. So overrated and overdone.
Antonia- In an effort to stop being a broken record, I’ll pick something different for once. (*Cough* Love Triangles.) Damsel in Distress is one that I would have thought we’d be done with at this point but that I still see way too much. Granted, a woman being saved isn’t something we can entirely avoid and I don’t think we should. People need saving sometimes, especially when there’s lots of action. I just want them to be saved by another woman, or a man needing to be saved. I’m really sick of books where you have this super strong, powerful woman who suddenly needs to be saved by the male MC. She can save herself thanks very much.

What is a popular book or series that you have no interest in reading?
Amanda- Every Day by David Levithan. Just meh.
Antonia- Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. I love the show but could really care less about the books.

What is a movie or TV show adaptation of a book or series that you liked more than the books?
Amanda- The Vampire Diaries. I totally loved the books, but once I watched the show I could never go back and read the books again even though the show was super different in the end.
Antonia- This is such an impossible question for bookworms to answer. The only one I can think of is The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I much preferred the ending of the movie to that of the book.

Magical Readathon – O.W.L.s Wrap Up

For those of you that missed my TBR post for this reading challenge (find it here) or my mid-readathon update (find it here) here’s the deal. A YouTuber by the name of Book Roast created this awesome reading challenge. We read books that meet certain requirements for each of the classes that you could take an O.W.L. exam for. I chose a book for each of the provided courses but definitely didn’t plan to read them all. Just as many as I can to have more options when I decide to do the N.E.W.T. Exam reading challenge.

owl.jpg

So I’m going to go over the books I read and those that I didn’t manage to get around to or finish before the readathon ended. I had fun with all my choices on my TBR list. Without further delay here’s my wrap up!

O.W.L. Exams Completed

Ancient Runes – A book with a symbol on the cover

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw (print book)

the wicked deep

Divination – A book featuring prophecies

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa (ebook)

shadow of the fox

Defense Against the Dark Arts – A book about or with a secret society or club

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (print book)

city of bones

History of Magic – A historical fiction novel

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Jodi Meadows, & Brodi Ashton (print book)

my lady jane

Muggle Studies – A muggle non-fiction novel

Yes Please by Amy Poehler (audiobook)

yes please

Potions – A book with or about alchemy 

Allies by Bella Forrest (ebook)

allies

Transfiguration – A book with transfiguration / shapeshifting or a book with a cat on the cover

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White (audiobook)

paranormalcy

O.W.L. Exams Not Completed

Arithmacy – A book with a number on the cover or in the title

Zeroes by Scott Westerfeld, Deborah Biancotti, & Margo Lanagan (print book)

zeroes

Astronomy – A science fiction novel

This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada (print book)

this mortal coil

Care of Magical Creatures – A book that includes magical creatures or features magical creatures on the cover

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling (print book)

hp - sorcerers stone

Charms – A fantasy novel

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab (print book)

ADSOM

Herbology – A book with a nature-related word in the title

Air Awakens by Elise Kova (ebook)

air awakens

Pass

Outstanding – sit and pass at least 5 OWLs
Exceeded Expectations – sit and pass at least 3 OWLs
Acceptable – sit and pass at least 2 OWLs

Fail

Poor – sit only one OWL
Dreadful – start but not finish any OWLs tasks
Troll – do not show up at your OWLs examinations

So according to our grading scale for these exams, I will be receiving an O for Outstanding. I completed seven books during this reading challenge. This was so much fun and I look forward to taking part in the N.E.W.T.s magical readathon in the near future!

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

GoodReads Summary:
Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.
But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

Review:
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White is a book that I read years ago when the whole series was first released. I remember liking this book so much more than I did this time. Though last time I read the books and this time I listened to the audiobook via my library.
I loved the audiobook honestly. I loved the narrator. She did a great job differentiating between the various characters. She was an excellent voice for Evie. She really kept me interested in the story even when Evie’s actions and some of the things she said had me rolling my eyes.
The story and plot was super interesting. I liked the uniqueness of the paranormals characters. This wasn’t just another supernatural story with the same old characters. There were obviously the usual vampire and werewolves, but they weren’t the typical beautiful vampires and big macho wolves. I like that White made these popular kinds of characters unique and different.
I adored our love interest, Lend. He’s a shapeshifter so he can be whatever hunk we want him to be. He’s also fiercely loyal to those that are part of his circle. He’s funny and sarcastic and sweet. I just loved Lend. I loved how he wanted to look out for Evie and do everything he could to help her in whatever way she wanted, even if that way was getting to spend a day in high school.
As for our main character, Evie.  Honestly, she annoyed me a little. She’s kind of super immature and I can’t remember if that changes in the next books, but I’m hoping that it does. She was super boy crazy until she met Lend. Then she was Lend crazy. She was so focused on wanting to have a ‘normal teenage life’ getting to go to high school and prom and all of the things she would see on her favorite high school drama TV show. I understand it a bit because she’s never had a normal life. She craves the normalcy that she sees on her favorite show, but she just talks and thinks about it to the point where it’s a little annoying. Even after her situation changes, but she’s still getting new information that could help with the craziness that’s part of the story, she doesn’t do anything to help or share her information at first. She tries to just pretend she’s not a part of it anymore and give up any sort of responsibility. She drove me a little nuts for a decent amount of this book, but she got a bit better at the end. She made the right choices and accepted responsibility, her part in all of everything going on.
Overall, I really liked the unique plot. I liked the interesting twists on the typical paranormal sorts of characters. I loved Lend and I grew to love Evie. I’m excited to see where the second book goes. This book was one that I picked for the Transfiguration (a book with a shapeshifter) requirement during the Magical Readathon – O.W.L.s.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our link (just click on the book cover) to support us!

Yes Please by Amy Poehler

GoodReads Summary:
In Amy Poehler’s highly anticipated first book, Yes Please, she offers up a big juicy stew of personal stories, funny bits on sex and love and friendship and parenthood and real life advice (some useful, some not so much), like when to be funny and when to be serious. Powered by Amy’s charming and hilarious, biting yet wise voice, Yes Please is a book full of words to live by.

Review:
I picked this audiobook to listen to purely because it fulfills the Muggle Studies – A muggle non-fiction novel O.W.L. Exam for the Magical Readathon that I am participating in this month. I don’t frequently pick up non-fiction novels on my own for pleasure reading. Generally, if I read non-fiction it’s for one of my college courses, so this was a little bit outside of my normal reading choice.
I’ve loved Amy Poehler since I first saw her while watching Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope is hilarious and Amy plays her wonderfully. So this opportunity to learn more about who she really is, not who she is as a character, was too fun.
I absolutely love that Amy is the one that reads this book. After watching so much of her on Parks & Rec I could totally picture her reading the story to me. She made it so much fun with her reading as well as the different guest stars she also had come in and read a few chapters. I loved that she made it so fun. It was more of a story than some non-fiction that I’ve read. It was actually more a collection of shorter stories throughout her life.
I learned a lot about Amy and some of it really surprised me while some of it did not. For example, I was surprised to learn that she was born and raised in Massachusetts (this is where I grew up and lived for most of my life) so all of the stories that she shared of her growing up really were some that I could relate to because I grew up similarly (even though we grew up in different times). I also loved seeing how growing up where she did affected her throughout her life – forever referencing the Boston accent she got rid of when she moved away.
I really enjoyed getting to know Amy Poehler in this book. I think I enjoyed it even more because Amy read it to us herself. It was hilarious and entertaining and I loved every minute of it.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our affiliate link (just click on the book cover) to support us!

ABC Book Challenge |I|

Hello, Bookworms! This week we are talking about books with the letter I.

For those of you that are new here – each week we post about books beginning with a specific letter of the alphabet starting with A all the way through Z. We’re going to mention one or sometimes a few books that were memorable with the letter of the week and also books that are sadly still living on our TBR lists. So without further ado.

Read last week’s post here.

This week’s letter is – I

Most Memorable Books

Amanda

Identical by Ellen Hopkins – This is my second favorite book by Hopkins. The story was incredible and really shocked me with its creative plot twists. I didn’t see any of the craziness coming that happened in these pages.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher – I read this book (and its sequel) years and years ago when I got it from the library. The story has stuck with me so much so that when I saw them recently at my local bookstore I just had to buy them. They’re actually also on my TBR list for a reread sometime in the future.

Antonia

It’s in His Kiss by Julia Quinn – This was the first book I read by Quinn. I was probably only 16 or so and hadn’t read too much romance yet but couldn’t find anything at the library. The title was what made me pick it up first, then the summary sounded funny and within a day she was one of my favorite authors.

(The) Immortal Hunter by Lynsay Sands – This was also my first book by Sands. Yes, it’s technically the eleventh book in the series but they can all be read by themselves. These are not books with much depth in them but they’re amazing when you just want a quick, light read.

 

Books Still on Our TBR Lists

Amanda

Inferno by Julie Kagawa – The final book in the Talon series. I will eventually get around to rereading the whole series because I don’t remember anything that happened.

Ice like Fire by Sara Raasch – I loved this series the first time I read it. I read them when I was slacking on being a book blogger. So I’m planning to reread the whole series (this is the second of three) so that I can review them for all our wonderful readers.

Antonia

Inkspell by Cornelia Funk – I want to continue this series because the first book was really good.

(The) In Death series by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) – This is another series that I’ve started and would like to continue because the first was super good!

 

 

Book Tag – Courts of Prythian

Now that Antonia has finally gotten around to reading my favorite series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, we can do this fun book tag. I love all things ACOTAR related. So I’ve been dying to do this one.

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Seasonal Courts

Spring Court – High Lord Tamlin

“Beautiful, everlasting spring but with a bit of a dark side, much like its High Lord, who you might have loved when the series started and rooted for him and Feyre but now you feel completely different.”

Name a book or series that you loved in the beginning and ended up hating.

Amanda- House of Night by P.C. & Kristin Cast. I loved this series so much in the beginning, but after so many books I just couldn’t bother keeping up and finishing it.

Antonia- Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I wouldn’t necessarily say hate, but I was obsessed with these books when I was fifteen and after the movies I just couldn’t do it anymore. I tried to reread them years after the movies came out and couldn’t get past the first couple chapters.

Summer Court – High Lord Tarquin

“A court that wants equality for all fae and is working on achieving that. A place that receives everyone.”

Name a book or series with the most diverse characters that you’ve read.

Amanda- Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima. (reviewed here). This is book three in the Shattered Realms series. This series is full of diverse characters from all over their world. People with powers, people without powers, dark-skinned islanders, light-skinned northerners, LBGTQ characters and dragons of course.

Antonia- Most recently I’d say Year One by Nora Roberts. It follows several characters during the apocalypse and they’re all so unique. Even the supporting characters had their own distinct personalities.

Autumn Court – High Lord Beron

“Filled with conflict and power struggles under the rule of ruthless High Lord.  Most likely where we will be going in the next books in the series.”

Name a book or series that you could not put down because you had to know what happened next.

Amanda- I’m going to choose an audiobook for this question. Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel. I could NOT stop listening to this book. It was read by the narrator wonderfully and the story was absolutely incredible. I’m still not so patiently waiting for the second audiobook be available from my library. Read my review for this story here!

Antonia- Well I’d like to say ACOTAR but in an effort to not be too redundant I’ll pick The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. This entire series had me hooked but I absolutely could not stop with this amazing conclusion.

Winter Court – High Lord Kallias

“A beautiful and cold landscape and very hard to read people.”

Name a book or series that you picked up because of its cover and it ended up being hard to read.

Amanda- The Princess series by Alexa Riley. I found these on my Kindle and loved the pretty dresses on the covers. I’m a sucker for some pretty dresses. But these were just not good. They’re super short so I read a few, but they were just bad and hard to read.

Antonia- The Everneath series by Brodi Ashton. I absolutely love these covers and bought them immediately but now I find myself really reluctant to actually pick them up for some reason.

Solar Courts

Dawn Court – High Lord Thesan

“Healing and inventions are the core of this court.”

Name a book that lightens your mood after reading it.

Amanda- Any of the books in the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. They’re funny and entertaining and never fail to make me laugh.

Antonia- Anything by Nora Roberts or Julia Quinn usually does it for me. They’re funny, have swoon-worthy romances, and fantastic characters.

Day Court – High Lord Helion

“The court of light and knowledge.”

Name a book that you found to be the most inspiring.

Amanda- A book that my aunt forced me to borrow, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. This was an incredible story of hardship and struggle and I’m super glad I read it. Check out my review here.

Antonia- The Shack by William P. Young. I first read this in high school and, especially at a time when I was trying to figure out who I was as a person, this book really made me question what my beliefs were; not specifically religious beliefs, it more made me look outside of myself and the little world I lived in. It really inspired me to form my own opinions about life instead of constantly listening to what other people told me I should think.

Night Court – High Lord Rhysand & High Lady Feyre

“With its two subcourts, it’s the perfect example of the dual nature of everything.”

Court of Nightmares 

“Just as the name states this court is full of monsters and evil intentions.”

Name a book, series, or character that you hate with a passion.

Amanda- I don’t usually hate books and if I do I certainly don’t continue reading the series. So a character that I hate with a fiery passion is Maeve from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas. She’s a crazy lady that needs to be put down. I’m so psyched for the final book to come out later this year.

Antonia- Fallen by Lauren Kate. You can read my review of this one here.

Court of Dreams

“The utopic court, where we all would love to live.”

Name your favorite read of the year (so far). A book that blended everything you were looking for.

Amanda- Air Awakens by Elise Kova. Strong female lead. Crazy adventure. Hunky book boyfriend. Crazy cool magic. Five stars for sure.

Antonia- Once again, I’ll resist choosing ACOTAR. I think the Talon series by Julie Kagawa. All of the books exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend them.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

Summary:
You make think you know the story. It goes like this: once upon a time, there was a sixteen-year-old girl named Jane Grey, who was forced to marry a complete stranger (Lord Guildford or Gilford or Gifford-something-or-other), and shortly thereafter found herself ruler of a country. She was queen for nine days. Then she quite literally lost her head.
We have a different tale to tell.
Pay attention. We’ve tweaked some minor details. We’ve completely rearranged major details. Some names have been changed to protect the innocent (or not-so-innocent, or simply because we thought a name was terrible and we liked another name better). And we’ve added a touch of magic to keep things interesting. So really anything could happen.
This is how we think Jane’s story should have gone.
Review:
I’ve heard nothing but good things about this book and it’s second that came out this summer (My Plain Jane). My bookish twin, The Bookish Chick (check her out she’s amazing!) ranted and raved about the audiobook and I knew I had to read it. I couldn’t wait for the audiobook to be available through my library so I bought the book when I saw it available on Book Outlet.
This story does not disappoint in the least. It’s full of hilarious and loveable characters. I knew I was going to love this book after ten pages. I was cracking up pretty much the entire book.
I adored Jane. A fellow bookworm that’s not afraid to speak her mind. She ends up in all kinds of ridiculous situations and manages to get herself out of them as well. She’s smart and clever, funny and sassy, but also kind and loving. She’s incredibly protective over those that she loves and will do anything in her power to make sure they’re safe. I adored everything about Jane.
Gifford, preferred to be called G, was entertaining, but slightly annoying. He doubted Jane for most of the story and it really bugged me. Instead of just talking to Jane and asking her about the things he was assuming, he just let himself stew and feel bad. Other than this, I liked him. He did what he thought was right. He tried to protect Jane, even if that meant causing her to be ridiculously mad at him.
Edward, King of England, was funny and infuriating. He had some really backward ideas for most of the story. Ideas about men being superior to women and such. I liked Edward only because of the wonderful development he did throughout the story. He met a girl that helped him see how wrong all of his ideas really were. I liked that we got to see this change and development. It’s really what made me like him.
Overall this book was hilarious and I just couldn’t get enough. I don’t know too much about the real story of Lady Jane Grey, but I’m sure it wasn’t nearly as entertaining as this book. If you like historical fiction, you’re going to love this story. The characters were wonderful and kept me wanting to get the rest of their story. I also loved that the narrators kept chiming in with little tidbits. It just made the story that much better. I really liked that the narrators (I don’t know if it’s called the same thing as is it with the movies, but I’m going to go with it) broke the fourth wall and addressed the readers directly. It was a really interesting aspect of the story and just added that little extra. I think all different kinds of readers would love this story. I will for sure be recommending this book to many readers.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our affiliate link (just click on the book cover) to support us!

Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa

GoodReads Summary:
One thousand years ago, the great Kami Dragon was summoned to grant a single terrible wish—and the land of Iwagoto was plunged into an age of darkness and chaos.
Now, for whoever holds the Scroll of a Thousand Prayers, a new wish will be granted. A new age is about to dawn.
Raised by monks in the isolated Silent Winds temple, Yumeko has trained all her life to hide her yokai nature. Half kitsune, half human, her skill with illusion is matched only by her penchant for mischief. Until the day her home is burned to the ground, her adoptive family is brutally slain and she is forced to flee for her life with the temple’s greatest treasure—one part of the ancient scroll.
There are many who would claim the dragon’s wish for their own. Kage Tatsumi, a mysterious samurai of the Shadow Clan, is one such hunter, under orders to retrieve the scroll…at any cost. Fate brings Kage and Yumeko together. With a promise to lead him to the scroll, an uneasy alliance is formed, offering Yumeko her best hope for survival. But he seeks what she has hidden away, and her deception could ultimately tear them both apart.
With an army of demons at her heels and the unlikeliest of allies at her side, Yumeko’s secrets are more than a matter of life or death. They are the key to the fate of the world itself.
Review:
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa is a book that I received from Net Galley as an ARC to read and review. This book is scheduled for release later this year in the beginning of October. Julie Kagawa has become an auto-buy author for me, so when I heard about this book I was wicked excited for its release. I was even more excited after I read the synopsis. This book was different from her others. When Net Galley approved me I definitely squealed more than I’m willing to admit.
Our story starts with a girl, Yumeko, who is part human and part kitsune. I loved getting to see the world through her eyes as she went on the adventure in this book. She’s been raised by monks in an isolated part of the world that Kagawa has created. She has learned everything she knows about the world from the monks that raised her. So when everything falls apart and she needs to flee the only place that she’s ever known as home and essentially go and save the world. A lot of responsibility for a girl who’s never been out into the real world, so it was funny and interesting to see the world through her fresh eyes, to learn things as she embarks on her journey. She sees the best in everyone and looks on the bright side of everything.
This brings us to our second perspective, Tatsumi. He’s the complete opposite of Yumeko. He thinks the worst of everyone. He’s been all over the world doing his samurai duty. He’s seen the worst of the worst of people and other sorts of things. He is mostly pessimistic until he starts to travel with Yumeko. She starts to break down his walls, which may not be the best thing for him.
I so loved seeing them interact. These two characters were so opposite and it made for a funny and interesting story. The story itself was fabulous. I loved the Japanese mythology aspect of it. It’s something that I haven’t really read much about so it was new and unique to me. Because of this, I had to take my time with the book. It’s not a book that could binge because there’s so much information that I needed to read slowly and make sure I didn’t miss anything. Shadow of the Fox was a fascinating story and I don’t know when the second book comes out which makes me so sad.
Kagawa has done it again with a wonderfully written and extremely entertaining story that left me wanting so much more. She built an incredible world filled with characters that made me laugh and shake my head. I took like two weeks to read this book because I just did not want it to be over. For the readers out there that like mythology, this is for sure a book to keep your eye out for when it’s released this upcoming October.

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Please be aware that the book cover on this post is a link to purchase this book through Amazon. Feel free to purchase with our link (just click on the book cover) to support us!