The Ultimate Book Tag

I was not tagged again. I just wanted to. I think I've established this 30585720 times already, so let's begin.

The Original here: Chapter Chicks

1. Do you get sick while reading in the car?

Not even a little bit. I read both the Raven Boys and A Monster Calls during a road trip, not a problem.

2. Which author’s writing style is completely unique to you and why?

I feel like this is most people’s answer for this question, but Tahereh Mafi. If you read her books you would understand, it’s just something everyone has agreed on.

3. Harry Potter Series or the Twilight Saga? Give 3 points to defend your answer.

Harry Potter:

1. It was my childhood
2. I related more with the characters in Harry Potter than I ever did with any of the Twilight Characters
3. Harry Potter got me into reading, it’s got a special place in my heart.

4. Do you carry a book bag? If so, what is it in (besides books…)?

Stuff for school. Textbooks, pens, other boring school related things that are nowhere as interesting as books.

5. Do you smell your books?

No, of course not! Where would you ever get that idea? (Yes, yes I do)

 6. Books with or without little illustrations?

I don’t need the illustrations, but when they are there I do enjoy seeing them.

7. What book did you love while reading but discovered later it wasn’t quality writing? 

House of Night Series. I loved everything about this series back in the day. I recently tried to reread some of the books and I couldn’t do it. They are awful.

8. Do you have any funny stories involving books from your childhood? Please share!

I don’t really think I have any stories that are funny. Embarrassing and stupid maybe, but nothing funny.

9. What is the thinnest book on your shelf?

I’m 99% sure it’s the Great Gatsby. That book is tiny.

10. What is the thickest book on your shelf?

Without a doubt that would be Under the Dome. I still haven’t gotten all the way through it.

11. Do you write as well as read? Do you see yourself in the future as being an author?

I would like to see myself become an author, but I do think I have a long way to go. I’m a bit of a distracted person so I’ll have to work on that if I ever want to write a whole book.

12. When did you get into reading?

I always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with reading, sometimes I could not put a book down and others you couldn’t force me to look at words on a page. The tipping point was when I was in the fifth grade and finally read Harry Potter. The rest was history.

13. What is your favorite classic book?

I love Jane Eyre so much. That book is something everyone should read, I devoured it.

14. In school was your best subject Language Arts/English?

It was for a while, but by the late years of my high school career I somehow managed to get a better grade in Chemistry.

15. If you were given a book as a present that you had read before and hated…what would you do?

Well, the person probably would have gotten a gift receipt so I would probably just tell them I already had it and just return it. I don’t know how I would get into this situation in the first place, I have a birthday list.

16. What is a lesser known series that you know of that is similar to Harry Potter or the Hunger Games?

I honestly can’t think of one right now.

17. What is a bad habit you always do (besides rambling) while blogging?

I use useless words. Ill start off sentences with, okay, or so. I really hate when I do that, I need to stop.

18. What is your favorite word?

Flabbergasted in English and pamplemousse in French.

19. Are you a nerd, dork, or dweeb? Or all of the above?

Nerd for life.

20. Vampires or Fairies? Why?

I can’t help but see this as comparing Damon Salvatore and Tinkerbell. Of course I have to choose Damon, so Vampires.

21. Shapeshifters or Angels? Why?

Shapeshifters. I’m just not all that big on Angels. I don’t know why.

22. Spirits or Werewolves? Why?

Ghosts are cool, but I love werewolves more. I like dogs a lot.

23. Zombies or Vampires?

I don’t read a lot of books with zombies, so I don’t care all that much about them. I’ll never get over the vampire phenomenon though.

 24. Love Triangle or Forbidden Love?

You guys know how much I hate love triangles. Forbidden love I can work with, love triangles I cannot.

25. AND FINALLY: Full on romance books or action-packed with a few love scenes mixed in?

Always action with bits of romance. I tend to get bored if all we focus on is whether two people hook up, I like other things to occupy my time too.

If you too want to do this tag, then go for it, I tag you.

The Last Ever After Review

The Last Ever After
by Soman Chainani

Spoilers

Synopsis:

In the epic next chapter of Soman Chainani’s New York Times bestselling series, The School for Good and Evil, everything old is new again as Sophie and Agatha fight the past as well as the present to find the perfect end to their story.

As A World Without Princes closed, the end was written and former best friends Sophie and Agatha went their separate ways. Agatha was whisked back to Gavaldon with Tedros and Sophie stayed behind with the beautiful young School Master.

But as they settle into their new lives, their story begs to be re-written, and this time, theirs isn’t the only one. With the girls apart, Evil has taken over and the villains of the past have come back to change their tales and turn the world of Good and Evil upside down.

Readers around the world are eagerly awaiting the third book in The School for Good and Evil series, The Last Ever After. This extraordinary new journey delivers more action, adventure, laughter, romance and fairy tale twists and turns than you could ever dream of!

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 4 stars. I definitely didn't love it as much as I loved the first, but it was still better than the second.

I had such a hard time trying to sympathize with Sophie. I liked her, she was a ridiculous and hilarious character, but she was just so selfish. She just had to keep trying to take everything that Agatha had. The worst part was that Agatha was totally letting her. I did appreciate her character development though, she finally realized she didn't need a boyfriend to validate herself.

I like the thought of her and Hort more and more by the minute. Hort has become his own person and Sophie has finally become who she's supposed to be. They'll work it out, hopefully, in the next book.

I felt like a lot of the characters in this book didn't act like people. That was a reoccurring thought I had while reading it. The characters were all either givers or takers, there weren't really many in the middle. For example, Agatha would just take every bad thing that happened to her, basically saying it was her own fault. She never got angry at Sophie for trying to steal her boyfriend. I'm pretty sure if I had a boyfriend that my best friend was trying to steal I would be pretty angry with them. It just didn't seem realistic. I also don't think it's realistic to try and talk your best friend into letting you steal her boyfriend, like Sophie did.

I loved the plot of this book. Each of these books has brought out a completely new set of differences, first being good and evil, second being boys and girls, and finally in this book, new and old. I loved the fact that it didn't feel like the author was just reusing old plots, trust me, that gets really old really fast. 

It was everything I expected from a middle grade book. The writing was easy to follow, I was never confused by anything that was happening. I was endlessly entertained by the stuff these characters would do, they were hilarious and lovable. One of my favourite things about it is the imagination; it's endless.

I love a good plot twist, and believe me, this was one of the best. Agatha and Sophie twins? I was under the impression that they were just really close! But this just makes so much more sense now, there was so much secrecy going on, I didn't know what to think. 

The one complaint I have about this book is that it's so small but thick that when I was reading it I cracked the spin without meaning to. It was heartbreaking. I didn't even try to crack the spine.

Once again, I didn't like this book as much as the first, but considering this is a book aimed at a children demographic, I don't think I should judge it so harshly. 

Quotes:

“To find a happy ending with someone else, first you have to find it alone.” 

“It wasn't goodbye forever. Only goodbye for now. And if ever the distance was too much to bear, she would just look inside her heart, for Agatha was already there.” 

“Rat #1 got you through the gates, didn't it?" said Anadil, stroking the still-pooped pet in her pocket. "Rat #2 gets you to the tower.""And Rat #3 negotiates world peace?”

“Even fairy tales have limits," said Sophie. "Three people can't have an Ever After. Not without me being alone.” 

Descendants Spoiler Free Review

Descendants
by Rae Else

Release Date: April 12th, 2017

Synopsis:

There are lots of stories about the children of gods. But what about those cursed by the gods, and their descendants...

El, a seventeen-year-old has inherited an ancient and deadly power. She loses control of it, causing a horrific accident, and becomes the prey of a secret organisation, known as the Order.

Forced from her family and home, she hides in plain sight amidst the crowds of London, and is thrust into a world she never knew existed; one full of arete: beings with extraordinary powers like hers. 

Arete are beings that can trace their lineage and powers from ancient Greece. They do not claim their inheritance comes from the gods, rather legend says they are descended from cursed beings, such as Medusa. 

At the heart of their world is the kerykeion, the symbol that protects them from the humans and the humans from them. El is trapped between two factions, one that has built an empire around the kerykeion and another that is determined to bring it down.

As she is drawn deeper into the conflict, the only way to find the truth is to take matters into her own hands, and the line between friend and foe becomes dangerously blurred. 

Descendants is the first book in the Young Adult, Urban Fantasy trilogy: The Arete Series.

My Thoughts:

***I Received and ARC through Netgalley***

I gave this book 2.5 stars. I had a rough time getting into this book. I was kind of confused at some parts, it just jumped right in without really explaining anything. I liked that it jumped into the action, but with little explanation it was hard to follow.

The protagonist was okay, but I just wish she had more dimension. She didn’t seem to have anything special about her other than her powers. I want to know her interests, what she likes, what she doesn’t like, her hopes and dreams, even just the small things. I just didn’t seem to get a lot from her, she was just a very flat character.

I really did enjoy some aspects of this book. The entire plot line was pretty cool, I mean, Descendants of those cursed? I mean, being a descendant of someone so famous, that’s just so cool to me. I would say who the ancestor was, but I feel like that’s too much of a spoiler, so I won’t. You can figure that one out for yourself.

I was a bit annoyed because this book started off well enough, declined a bit, but it was going well for a bit. But then, the author decided it would be a good move to throw in a love triangle. Why? My most hated trope and the author just had to put it in there. That lowered my enjoyment of this book a lot. It was completely unnecessary. 

The climax made the overall average go up, I enjoyed it, but it still had a rough time getting through that part of it. The end definitely didn’t make up for everything I didn’t like about it. 

Top 10 Contemporary Novels

I have recently been on a contemporary kick, so this just felt like the right list to make this week. I've also decided to limit myself to one book per author, just to make it fair.

10. Dare You To 

My favourite Katie McGarry book. I've reread this book a billion times, I just love Beth.

9. I Swear

This book had a huge impact on me. I didn't think I would like it all that much, but I really did.

8. Fangirl

Must I explain why? Okay, I will. I related so much to this story. Honestly, all I ever want to do is get lost in the story, real life sucks and I don't want to be a part of it, but I know I'll have to and I find that scary.

7. The Summer I Turned Pretty

I expected to hate this book, but my friend made me read it. I was completely wrong, this book is amazing. 

6. Perks of Being a Wallflower

This book took my thoughts and feelings and put it into literary form. I related to this book so much, it will always be a favourite of mine.

5. Thirteen Reasons Why

This is probably the book that had the deepest effect on me. It just made me think about everything I'd ever done or said to other people and things people had said and done to me. It was so eye opening and heartbreaking. Regardless of my mixed emotions on this book, it had to make the list.

4. Everything Everything

I just recently read this book and the entire time, I just could not put it down. I had such a great time reading this book, I absolutely loved it.

3. My Heart and Other Black Holes

I'm sensing a theme with the books on this list. Lots of suicide and attempted suicide. I'm starting to think I have a dark taste in literature. 

2. The Secret of Ella and Micha

This will always be one of my favourite books of all time. It had such great friendships and great loves. I finished this book and then read it straight through again, repeating this process several times over. If you haven't yet read this book, you should.

1. I'll Give You the Sun

Finally, number one. My favourite book of all time (other than Harry Potter). This book had so many ups and downs, but overall, this book showed me that no matter how bad things get, they will get better. 

What contemporary novels do you guys love?

Sinner Review

Sinner 
by Maggie Stiefvater

Synopsis:

found.

Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get Isabel Culpeper back. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn't just want her. He needs her. 

lost. 

Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It's not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes...but what's the point? What is there to win?

sinner.

Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to save each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go. 

My Thoughts:

I gave this book 5 stars. This is my favourite book by Maggie Stiefvater, also one of my favourite books of all time. I've lost count of how many times I've read this book, but let me just tell you, it's a lot. 

After having read the Shiver, Linger, and Forever, I was left wanting to know what happened with Isabel and Cole. When I found out this was going to be a book I was so excited. To be honest, if it had been another book about Sam and Grace I'm not sure I would have read it at all. Because it was about Isabel and Cole I ended up buying this book the day it came out, despite having obtained a very bad sunburn that day and being in incredibly bad pain. A fangirl's work is never over.

Now, I might have been a bit nervous going into this book, thinking things like "What if it isn't as good as I hope?" And "What if they don't end up together?". Well thank the gods, because this book did not disappoint me in the slightest, it had everything I ever wanted while I was reading the first three books in the series. My one complaint is that the font wasn't coloured like it was in the other books. But that's more of a cosmetic issue, nothing to reflect on the actual content.

In this book Cole was as Cole as ever, same with Isabel. Isabel was as Isabel as ever. Sometimes, I've noticed that in book series's when they switch to different main characters during the series, the characters are different than what they originally were from the other characters' points of view. In this book Cole and Isabel didn't lose what they were. Cole was strange, charismatic, and slightly broody, just as he always was. And Isabel was still snarky and cold, just like she always was. Neither of them lost their key characteristics. 

As always, I love Maggie Stiefvater's writing style. There is so much soul in what she does. She brings the world and the characters to life with her imagery and equal parts showing and telling. 

Quotes:

“It sure is ugly.”“Ugly, never hurt a thing.” I scoffed. “Oh, ugly has hurt some things. It’s just that pretty hurts more.” 

“Internet: What do you want for your birthday?Virtual Cole: to stay young foreverCole texted me: Actually I want you” 

“It was the first time I'd really realized I'd lost my soul and that the beauty of not having a soul was that you couldn't seem to care that you no longer had one.” 

“I asked,”Are you going to pick up next time I call you?””I did this time didn’t I?”“Say yes.”“Yes. Conditionally yes.”…...…”What conditions.?”“Sometimes you do things like call me forty times a day and leave obscene voicemails and that’s why I don’t pick up.”“Ridiculous. That doesn’t sound like me. I’d never call an even number of times.” 

“It wasn’t that I didn’t understand Jeremy getting a new band while I was missing/dead/etc. I was sure I would have done the same thing in his position. Well, I would have started one, not joined one, because I don’t really like team sports unless I’ve invented both the team and the sport.”