Books For Slytherins

This was probably the hardest list for me to make. I swapped in an out so many books on this list because they all just felt wrong. I think the books I have on this list are good ones. I hope you guys agree.

Throne of Glass Series

“My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name's Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I'd still beat you, no matter what you call me.”

While this may seem questionable at first let me explain myself. The first book isn't really something entirely Slytherin esque. Books three and on I would say are pretty Slytherin novels. The way Celaena plays everyone around her like chess pieces made me immediately think of Slytherin. The way she played the political game and managed to outmaneuver others really cemented this series' place on this list.

Richard III

Since I cannot prove a lover…
I am determined to prove a villain.

This is not Shakespeare's most known play, but it's one of his most political ones. It's also one of his longest play. This play follows the titular Richard III as he attempts to take the throne. Richard is a very Slytherin character and the entire play is a really ambitious and cunning character. It really showcases what you should and should not do when attempting to take over a kingdom. If you find this one interesting a bonus read would be Machiavelli's The Prince. 

Cruel Prince

“If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.”

I was sitting here swapping books in and out of this list, nothing felt right. Then I realized this book/series is perfect for this list. All of the characters in this book are so ambitious. This book follows Jude as she attempts to become a knight. She has to deal with a lot of fairy politics and it is so incredibly Slytherin that I feel stupid for not thinking of it to begin with. The first book is okay, but the second and third book are amazing. 

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

“You could start a fire with the heat between you two."
"You're mistaking bitter animosity for heartfelt affection.”

Mara Dyer is a Slytherin. She isn't ambitious in the most obvious sense. She is ambitious when it comes to revenge though. You see a little peek of it in this first book but as the series progresses it is all laid out bare for you. She is also incredibly cunning and knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. To be clear I love her as a character and think she's so interesting. Just an overall amazing book, I read it in one afternoon. 

What books would you guys put on this list?

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Black Snow Spoiler Free Review

Black Snow
by Lena North

Release Date: October 24th, 2017

Synopsis:

Snow’s best friend is a bird. An osprey, to be specific.

Everyone knows Snow’s parents died a long time ago, and she has perfected her happy smile and girly giggle so no one suspects that she hides a darker side of herself deep inside. No one, except her bird – and Nick, who always seems to know how she feels.

Then Hawker Johns blackmails her into joining his covert group of protectors. The imposing sheriff from Norton sends Snow to the Islands to investigate Jamie Jamieson, one of her friends and a man she dates casually, and once the first fury has passed, she’s eager to go. Mostly so that she can come back and shove Hawker’s suspicions down his throat. 

Things are not what they seem on the Islands, though, and when Snow has been shot at, almost drowned and fallen through the roof of a cave, she starts thinking about her life, and her past.

Then she suddenly finds herself in a situation where she has a tough choice to make. Will she follow her heart or the pull from her family and friends? And will she ever find peace with her past?

Black Snow is the fourth book in the Birds of a Feather series, a young adult/coming of age series with paranormal elements, full of laughter, mystery, and romance.

My Thoughts:

***I recieved an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

I gave this book 3 stars. It was okay, a definite downgrade from the first three books in this series. I’m disappointed in this one.

I was so sad by this development, I loved the first three books, but I just felt like this  book didn’t have as much substance as the others. It was enjoyable, but that’s mostly because I was already accustomed to the characters and the world and the basic plot of the series. 

I can’t even really tell you what the climax of the story was. I can think of one part that may have been it, but at the time I didn’t know it and was actually surprised that I was done the book because I expected more. 

Not to say it isn’t still good, just not on the level as the other books. I am excited to read the final book in this series though. If you have read the other books in this series, then you should definitely still read this one. It’s still part of the story and I can’t wait for it to all be pulled together in the final book.

The romance in this book was cute, but a good romance isn't enough to make a book mind blowing and amazing, it can help it there, but it isn't the only factor. 

Top 10 Twins in Books

I myself am not a twin, but I've always thought having a twin would be pretty cool. If you're identical, you could pretend to be each other, if you got along, you have a built in best friend, you guys have never been without each other, so you have someone to lean on all the time. All in all I think it would be pretty cool. I was just thinking about the topic of twins when I decided to do a top 10 on it because we do see a lot of twins in literature.

10. Sheldon and Dash from the Broken Love Series

These two are brother and sister who always have the others back. They're best friends and love to bicker and they somehow make everything brighter when they are together even if their separate lives can get a bit dark. What makes everything worth while is the fact that you know they will defend each other to the death if they need to.

9. Harper and Cole from Why I Loathe Sterling Lane

While this book is mostly a romance with mystery elements, it's overall a story about a girl who is trying to look out for her twin brother and keep him out of trouble while he is doing his best to keep his troubles a secret from her.

8. Sawyer and Sebastian from the Royals Series

We don't get to see a ton of these characters, but they are really important to our protagonists and hopefully they will one day have their own books. There isn't too much I can say about their closeness without getting into spoilers, but know that they wouldn't be the same without each other.

7. Dean and Lesley from Hopeless

Dean is one of the main characters in Hopeless and while we don't get a lot on his relationship with Les in Hopeless we do delve a lot more into that in Losing Hope. Dean and Lesley are the epitome of functional siblings. At times they would disagree but they would always wanted the best for each other.

6. Cather and Wren from Fangirl

One of the biggest struggles that Cath faces in Fangirl is the fact that her sister is starting to branch off and make other friends. Up until that point they were pretty much inseparable and I feel like they really figured out where they were with each other in the book. They found a balance between what they both wanted from their relationship.

5. Ty and Livy from Lord of Shadows

These two had plans to be Parabatai, that's how serious their bond as siblings went. These two are two parts of a whole, they're just better together.

4. Cersei and Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire

We may not always like these two, but you have to admit they are pretty iconic.

3. The Shining

Probably the most iconic twins of all time, even Cersei and Jaime can't touch them. If you don't know what I'm talking about then do you even pop culture?

2. Jude and Noah from I'll Give You The Sun

You should have seen this coming. My favorite stand alone of all time, it's about the relationship between these twins and how it has changed throughout the years. Honestly, that's all I can say other than read it. It's a game changer.

1. Fred and George Weasley from Harry Potter

If this came as a surprise to you than this must be your first time reading one of my blog posts. Welcome, I'm Jessie and I love Harry Potter. Fred and George were the older brothers I always wanted. They are fun an mischievous and out to cause chaos. Harry Potter wouldn't be the same without them adding some elements of lightheartedness.

Who are some book twins that you guys think are worthy of the list?


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Things That Are Over Romanticized in Books

I'm on a blogging kick, I've already written three other blog posts in advance. I just feel like talking about books right now. Today I decided I wanted to talk about some things I thought were over romanticized in books, as you should know if you read the title of this post.

Death

There are so many books out there over romanticizing death that it isn't even funny. There are even romances where death is the fricken love interest. In reality death is scary and sad and we don't want to see it happen to those we love and we ourselves don't particularly want to die. Death is played out as if it isn't as terrible as it truly is.

Trauma

I feel like authors play a game of "who can give their protagonist the most tragic backstory." This is especially evident in Fantasy, I don't think I've ever read a book about a protagonist with a happy backstory. It's all death and destruction and pain. It gets to the point where in our real lives we don't feel validated in our sadness unless we have something that has caused it.

Mental Illness (Disorders)

This sort of loops back to the trauma. People don't feel validated with their unhappiness unless there is something outright causing it. I know people who have even faked eating disorders to try and gain that validation. In some books it's like the characters and the author are reveling in their problems. There are some really good books about mental illness out there, but then there are the ones that make you want to pull your hair out because they get the emotions and the feelings attributed with it so wrong, it's almost like they are glorifying disorders. Like, when a character likes things to be neat and they're like, "Oh my god, I am so OCD!!!" like no, Monica Geller is OCD, you just don't like living in a dump.

Being Mean (Rudeness)

In books there is a fine line between being sassy and sarcastic, and just being a mean person. Now, I am all for the sass, but there have been times where I was reading a book and just thinking to myself, "How can this person think that's okay?" or "This character is a total brat". Being rude doesn't make you superior. If someone is being rude to you go right ahead and sass them to death, but if you just decide you don't like them and they've done nothing to you and you're just sassing them to try and prove you are superior, you aren't, you're just a bitch. This honestly happens too often in books.

What things do you guys think are over romanticized in books?

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Just One of the Boys Spoiler Free Review

Just One of the Boys
by Leah and Kate Rooper

Release Date: October 2nd, 2017

Synopsis:

Alice Bell has one goal: to play for the elite junior hockey team the Chicago Falcons. But when she’s passed over at tryouts for being a girl, she’ll do anything to make her dream a reality…even disguising herself as her twin brother. With her amazing skills on the ice, Alice is sure she’ll fit in easily. That is, until she starts falling for one of her teammates…

Hayden Tremblay, star of the Falcons, can’t keep himself out of the penalty box. Constantly living in the shadow of his older brother, Hayden’s losing his passion for hockey. But when he gets shown up on the ice by the Falcons’ new rookie, Hayden’s determined to teach the kid a thing or two. Little does he guess that “Al’s” surprises on the ice are just the beginning... 

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush title proves that wonderful things can happen when you’re brave enough to go after your dream. Dream hockey player, that is! Warning--a few locker room scenes are included... 

My Thoughts:

***I Received an ARC through Netgalley in Exchange for an Honest Review***

I gave this book 4 stars. Many aspects of the story were so well done, I for the most part loved this book, there were a few things I wish we would have gotten into more, but considering this isn't exactly a long book, I can see why we didn't get into those. For what it was it was really good. 

This book was a level of whimsical fun that put me in such a good mood that I didn't even mind that Canadian jokes. Speaking of Canada, it was good to see a book that was actually partially set in a part of Canada other than Ontario. Every time I find a book and I'm like, "Oh it's set in Canada! I should read this! I wonder what part of Canada it's in?" it's almost certainly takes place in Ontario. I like Ontario, but there are other parts of Canada. Just saying.

I'm gonna start off by saying how much I hated Alice's boyfriend Freddy. He was a no good cheater who threatened to out a character for being gay. He was also just a trash human being and I'm glad that Alice dropped him because she was better off without him.

Onto the character that was gay, I won't tell you who it is because that would be a spoiler, so instead I'll just talk around it. I loved how the character was portrayed, they weren't just the token gay character that I hate so much, they actually had a large amount of significance to the plot and in the main characters life. Even though their sexuality was a secret it wasn't that hard for me to figure out. 

This book was no murder mystery, I had no problem whatsoever guessing the outcome and the secret that drove this story. It was nothing new, but still something I could sit down and binge. I read this book in one day, it was a really enjoyable read. I love these contemporaries.

Alice Bell has no time for sexism, if the coach won't let her on the team because she's a girl, she'll pretend to be someone else so that she can play. I admire that. It felt a lot like a cross between She's the Man and The Girl's Got Secrets by Linda Kage. Surprisingly this story didn't give me any second hand embarrassment. I suffer very badly from second hand embarrassment so the fact that I was okay with this one blew my mind a little bit.

I have nothing else to say other than I highly recommend reading this cute funny contemporary romance when it comes out in October! It will put you in a good mood.

Approximately Yours Spoiler Free Review

Approximately Yours

by Julie Hammerle

Release Date: October 2nd, 2017

Synopsis:

Danny Garland is so out of Holly’s league. And her family is only back in North Pole, Minnesota, long enough to sell Grandma’s house and say “Merry Christmas.” So telling her basketball-star, too-hot-to-be-real long-time crush that she’d like to kiss him under the mistletoe just isn’t going to happen.

And now he’s asked out her cousin, Elda. Elda is a mess at flirting, so when she begs Holly to intervene, she does. Holly helps her flirt with him over text. And then again. And again. Now she’s stuck texting him as her cousin, and Elda is the one going on the date. Holly thought she could settle for just conversation with Danny, but talking with him is some kind of magic. He’s got the perfect comebacks, she makes him laugh, they text until everyone is asleep.

She just can’t ever tell him it’s her he’s really texting.

Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book has hot texts, gingerbread wars, and a slow-burn romance that could melt a Minnesota winter

My Thoughts:

***I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review***

I gave this book 3.5 stars. It was cute and fun, but not really anything I hadn’t already read before. I still liked it, but it was nothing new, you know?

In the midst of my contemporary craze, I read this book fairly quickly. While it wasn’t eh best contemporary romance I had ever read in my entire life, it was still a book where I enjoyed the storyline and the characters.

Holly, is a complex. Aside from the puppy tattoo which I think is more cutesy than punk rock, Holly can seem a bit hard core. I mean, Danny was convinced she hated him despite reality being the exact opposite. Holly has really bad self esteem issues caused by constant rejection and I can’t help but relate to that. Holly was a character that I had no problem seeing her point. She pushed people away and was a bit mean to them at times because she was afraid of rejection.

Danny is a sweet guy. His ex girlfriend has definitely caused some damage. Especially considered his breakup happened right after he almost ruins his career by breaking his leg in a basketball related accident. I found it so cute that whenever him and his friends were talking about the Page girls, they would always talk about the hot one, now to everyone else the hot one was Elda, but Danny always thought they were talking about Holly. It was absolutely adorable his quiet crush on her. He was never the obnoxious athlete that is common in YA and teen movies. He was the gentle nerd/athlete who just wanted to be good at everything, I can appreciate that.

The two characters together was pure chemistry. They had so much in common and could talk about anything. Although, I have to dock points because they talked shit about Game of Thrones, and I’m obsessed with that show. Besides that obvious blunder, they were in fact, a very cute book couple. 

I would recommend this book to anyone currently going through a contemporary craze. It’s nothing that absolutely blew my mind, but it definitely helps with the craving. 

Waiting on Wednesday

The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One
by Amanda Lovelace

Release Date: March 6th, 2018

Synopsis:

2016 Goodreads Choice Award-winning poet Amanda Lovelace returns in the witch doesn't burn in this one — the bold second book in her "women are some kind of magic" series. 

The witch: supernaturally powerful, inscrutably independent, and now—indestructible. These moving, relatable poems encourage resilience and embolden women to take control of their own stories. Enemies try to judge, oppress, and marginalize her, but the witch doesn’t burn in this one.

My Thoughts:

All you need to know is that it's a sequel to The Princess Saves Herself in this One. It's a book of poetry, feminist/life poetry which I think is amazing. I don't read a lot of poetry but I'm really excited to read this book. I will leave links to the Goodreads pages and my review of the first book down below.

The Princess Saves Herself in this One Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30075802-the-princess-saves-herself-in-this-one

The Princess Saves Herself in this One Review: http://bookballistic.blogspot.ca/2017/05/the-princess-saves-herself-in-this-one.html

The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34518216-the-witch-doesn-t-burn-in-this-one


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Her Book Boyfriend Spoiler Free Review

Her Book Boyfriend
by K. R. Grace

Synopsis:

She believes the secret to love is in the tropes of her favorite romance novels. He’s the best friend prepared to prove her wrong.

Then comes the bet.

If she can’t land a boyfriend for prom by recreating the ten popular tropes in her favorite romance author’s books, she has to go to the prom with her.

The glitch?

They’ve been close their entire lives. He’s the rock god and school legend, while she’s the brainy sidekick who does all his dirty breakups. Thus, finding a guy who doesn’t think they’re already an item is going to be a lot harder than she thinks.

Will she land the book boyfriend of her dreams? Or will she be forced to go to prom with her best friend.

The truth is in the pages.

My Thoughts:

*** I received a copy through Netgalley for an honest review***

I gave this book one star. I went into this expecting a cute fluffy romance, a light read. Instead a got something rage inducing laden with misogyny. It was probably the worst book I read this year it made me so angry.

A book about a bookworm, what’s not to love? Well, a lot of things. I was really liking the protagonist, up until we found out about her list and she started saying things all these misogynistic things, like no, this is the twenty first century, girls can protect themselves. It bothered me more that she said this to her guy friends who were like “No, that’s stupid”. I’m a bit shocked by this.

The entire premise of this book was so interesting and cute, but the way it actually played out didn’t live up. The same girl who said “… it’s their [men’s] job to protect women” also had the thought “why does everyone think I was this helpless little zebra just waiting to be turned into a lions dinner?”

This book was also slightly offensive, but it didn’t know it was being offensive, that’s what made it worse. It made this 144 page book feel more like 500 pages.

The protagonist just got worse as the story went on, I wanted to shake her so hard because she was just so stupid. She would state a set of standards and then break those standards. Also, she was a Mary Sue, there was “nothing” wrong with her, and all the guys she “dated” became stalkers near the end because they loved her so much. It was sickening to read.

I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone. Usually I try to have something nice to say, but I have nothing this time.

Clashing Colors Spoiler Free Series Review

Clashing Colors
by Elin Peer

I never actually know how to set up my series reviews, so I feel like they will all be very different. So I'll try something a bit new with this one, see how it goes.

Book 1: Black

Synopsis:

Can a man who gives and takes orders for a living help a rebel who lives to break all the rules and answer to no one? 

Twenty-one-year-old Black is a homeless "Goth-rebel" who has broken laws to survive ever since she ran away from home seven years ago. When she is arrested for shoplifting, she's forced to reach out to the father who never wanted anything to do with her.

Gabriel is a decorated war hero who just returned from duty in Afghanistan. When he overhears his stepbrother having a phone conversation with a secret daughter that the family never knew about he is shocked to hear the hard rejection she gets. Since his stepbrother won't do the right thing, Gabriel steps up, committed to help his new step-niece get back on her feet.

But what happens when Black is forced to go into drug rehab with an unorthodox therapist whose methods are bat-shit crazy.How far is Gabriel willing to go to help her and can someone as cynical as her learn to trust anyone but herself?

Black is the first book in Elin Peer's Clashing Colors series. Elin Peer offers a new fresh style and a unique talent for developing characters that you will come to love. If you like fast-paced stories with quirky flawed characters, and you don't mind an emotional roller coaster, then this contemporary romance is for you. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4.5 stars. Looking back at all the books, this one is probably my favorite of the entire series. I loved Black aka Cia. In a lot of ways, we have the same personality. She's very vengeful and cranky and that's how I feel every day of my life, so it wasn't hard to relate to her. The story itself was so uncomfortable at times that I couldn't look away. I just meant to read a few chapters but then I couldn't stop because it weirded me out in the best way possible if that makes any sense.

Book 2: Violet

Synopsis:

"Ever since I fell in love with Jake as a child, I’ve thought of him and me as opposites that would complement each other. 

Unfortunately, adulthood has only increased our differences and to everyone around us we’re more like clashing colors, that should avoid mixing. 

I’m a psychic medium who works with spirits and tarot cards while Jake is a scientist who only believes in things that can be proven with hard data. 

It seems unfair that I can clear a house of spirits, but I have no clue how to clear my heart of Jake."

Violet is called upon by a group of scientist to investigate supernatural phenomena in their lab. It could be her chance to prove to Jake, her longtime crush, that what she does is valid. But can she produce evidence strong enough for the biggest skeptic to believe that all psychics aren’t frauds and that she doesn’t belong in an asylum for mentally unstable people?

My Thoughts: 

I gave this book 4 stars. Every time I think about this book I get so mad at Jake. He was just such a douchebag to violet, she deserved better than that. Violet is an amazing character. When I read that she was a psychic, and quirky, I immediately just thought of Phoebe Buffay from Friends, that's definitely not how she turned out, she was actually very down to earth and reasonable. Other than the psychic thing, she didn't really do anything that weird. As mad as I was at Jake, I'm glad that their relationship played out the way it did, Violet deserves someone who will appreciate her and treat her right. 

Book 3: Green

Synopsis:

How dare he? How dare he come into my store, The Green Vegan Shop, with a t-shirt saying: I didn’t claw myself to the top of the food chain to eat vegetables? 

I get it. He’s a chef and meat lover, but does he have to flash it in my face every time he shops here? Honestly, I try to be nice to everyone. I’m a vegan after all. We’re nice people… but this guy gets under my skin. Like a tick. And he brings out the feisty redhead lurking inside me. He is easily the most infuriating, selfish, and cruel bastard in the city of Seattle.

Melody is proving to herself and the world that she has what it takes to run a successful business, based on sustainability and fair trade. 

Her family thinks she should be focusing on starting a family since she’s already thirty-two, and she is trying. But even with the help of an agency, it seems impossible to find a decent man who matches her criteria and has what it takes to excite her. It’s not that she’s frigid, it’s just that she’s attracted to the wrong man. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4 stars. This book was where the hate to love trope came in. I've talked about this before, but it's the one trope I can't seem to hate. There is always so much chemistry where there is a hate to love relationship and Melody and Christian definitely had the heat. This book made me dislike the character Darren (a reoccurring character from the first two books) a lot more, he was an incredible douche to Melody for no reason and he didn't apologize for a single shitty thing he did to her. 

Book 4: Blue

Synopsis:

Have you ever told your darkest secrets to a stranger? What if that "stranger" was no stranger at all?             

Logan MacKay's sexy Scottish accent can drop panties on both sides of the pond.

But he's a shy tech-savvy introvert.

Complicated.

Logan's confident and flirtatious hiding behind his phone, but gloomy and withdrawn in the flesh.

And that compelling stranger he laughs with on the phone? Mary?

It's me.

But to Logan, I'm Faith. The vivacious cheerleader who sheds unwelcome light on his dark and debilitating anxiety when exposed to beautiful women. 

And I don't want a relationship with him.

No. Damn. Way.

I just want to help him get past his ridiculous and unfounded beliefs about the opposite sex.

You see, Logan MacKay has scars. Physical and emotional marks that he thinks make him undesirable. But he's not. Not by a long shot.

Damaged people like Logan inspired me to enter the mental health field. He's one reason I'm studying to become a psychologist.

With my eternal optimism, I can fix Logan. I know I can.

If only he would stop scowling at me and say yes to my brilliant idea of taking me in as his roommate. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 3.5 stars. This book felt a lot slower to me, I read it in about the same time it took me to read the other three books, but it just felt a lot longer. For the first half of the book, there isn't that much going on plot-wise, just a bit of character development. Faith was a very pushy and hilarious character, she definitely pushed Logan right out of his comfort zone. What I really want to read is that Highlander romance the characters kept acting out. I'm intrigued by the story there and I would like to read that. 

Book 5: Yellow

Synopsis:

“If you were a color, what color would you be?” he asked me. 

“I would be a rainbow of colors. Whatever color people wanted to see, I would be it.” 

“I’m not asking what color you think other people want to see. Tell me what color you are – at your core?” 

And then it hit me. I had absolutely no idea because I didn’t know who I was at the core. 

Twenty-six-year-old Chloe Olsson, aka movie star “Cleo,” is caught in a toxic world of fans, paparazzi, and a money-hungry agent. Being the girlfriend of pop star Niko is no dream either, and his constant jealousy has caused her to go into hiding for a time. 

Two weeks in the forest with famous Native American healer Onava was supposed to be a wonderful and relaxing detox. But when Onava is called away and her grandson Adam moves in to the small cabin instead, Chloe’s peace is over. 

Adam is rude and unimpressed by her fame. And what’s worse is his ridiculous idea that she’s in this mess because she doesn’t know how to set her personal boundaries. 

With only eleven days to teach her, he seems determined to give her plenty of opportunities to practice on him. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4 stars. In my opinion, Chloe was the most rounded character in this entire series. She was the girly girl who could be incredibly glamorous and a tad bit fake at times, but she also loved outdoors, she had no problem being without a lot of basic modern technologies while she was out in the woods. She even enjoyed it. Also for all her confidence, she could be a complete doormat, which was very surprising. 


If you've read this series I'd love to hear your thoughts!


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