This Blog Has Officially Moved

SO IT'S TIME!

After a week of continuous techy-type stuff and switching over to wordpress and getting everything finalized, I have a new website! Which means that this beautiful blogspot is now my old blog and my new blog is:

radiantreads.com

I KNOW A DOMAIN AND EVERYTHING! So if you want to keep following this good 'ole blog, please make your way over there because this shall be my last post on blogspot.

Thank you so much for your patience and I'm excited to continue our journey other there!

-Harmony

This Blog Is Officially Under Construction

Hey guys! So I casually mentioned my move to Wordpress earlier this week and now I'm officially saying: YES. IT IS HAPPENING.

I won't be posting this weekend because of my insane fear something is going to go wrong if I do things on this website while everything is being man-handled so I will see you guys on Monday!

I'm seriously so excited for you guys to see the new design; it's gorgeous. As an apology for my lack of posting, here's a video of a scene from What's Left Of Me by Kat Zhang made by the awesome people at MainstayPro (same people who did the Katniss/Rue scene before the movie happened and the people who did the Finnick and Annie miniseries)



I hope to see all of you on the new site when I put the link up!
-Harmony

Top Ten Tuesday: Halloween Books!

I thought this looked fun and since Halloween is coming up, let's do this! (also just a warning before my official announcement: I WILL be moving to Wordpress this weekend. I know, I know, crazy.)

TOP TEN BOOKS THAT WILL (HOPEFULLY) FREAK YOU OUT.

1. Frost by Marianna Bear 

This is my go-to scary psychological freaky book. It's about a girl who moves in to an old boarding house with her friends for the school year and of course, horrifying stuff happens while she's there!

2. Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Girl with manic depressive disorder that moves to this small town in Texas that has a bunch of freaky secrets? Reeves is a master at writing weird, slightly disturbing books and while this is the milder of the two, it's no exception!

3. Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

THE DAUGHTERS OF A SERIAL KILLER WHO HAVE TEA PARTIES OF BLOOD AND DESTRUCTION. Like honestly, best description I can give you for this eerie book.

4. Ashes by Isla J. Bick

This one is less scary, more gory! But gore is kind of scary, right?

5. Enclave by Ann Aguirre

Another one that is kind of gory but plus it's ALSO about freaky zombie-like things coming to kill and eat you.

6. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Oh man, guys. I thought this wasn't going to be that scary but did McMann prove me wrong. The chapters told in the point of view of the actual scary creatures were the worst part!

7. Anything by Holly Black ever

It's dark and gritty and a great alternative if you don't want to get freaked out but you still want that kind of feeling of scary!

8. Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr 

Another dark series that I can definitely recommend!

9. The Diviners by Libba Bray

SO GOOD AND YES FREAKY. Not scary enough that you'll be completely spooked but just enough ghosts and killers to get your blood pumping.

10. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

I picked this one because the mystery and the unreliable narrator make for a very dark halloween-ish mood!

And that's it for me today!

State of the Union 10/15

Hey guys! There's going to be no "What I'm Watching" this week because it's all the same stuff! But here's a gif of one of the shows i'm watching anyway!

WHAT AM I READING?

I sadly haven't started anything extensively but I started Through To You! Sounds like some crazy no nonsense hacker-style awesome punch of awesome so I'm excited to get it really into it!

WHAT I POSTED:

Monday: Burn For Burn Review
Wednesday: Food For Thought: Siblings
Friday: The Vampire Diaries Recap

BOOK HAULING IT UP:

For Review:
Asunder by Jodi Meadows
Prophecy by Ellen Oh
Echo by Alyson Noel
The Bully Book by Eric Gale
The Lies That Bind by Lisa and Laura Roecker
Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick

Happy Reading!

The Vampire Diaries 4x02 Memorials: Let's Talk About It!

Hey guys! Welcome to another segment of what the hell is happening on Vampire Diaries! Terribly exciting! I predict Elena's breakdown, Caroline and Tyler 'thank god we're not dead' sex, and Damon being douchey.

• Little intro thing is playing and I hope the rest of them once we get into the season aren't this long. Last time: Elena became a vampire, Klaus is now out and about in his own body, and Bonnie killed her already dead grandmother. 
• We open to Elena and Stefan sleeping in the forest and then Damon berating Stefan because he wants to put Elena under an animal diet. I don't know why this is such a problem -- after Caroline had her first human feed, she was fine having animal blood. This irrationally over Elena is the kind of thing that gets on my nerves. I get she's the special snowflake of the show but she'll be fine given time considering the amount of people she has to help her through this. 
• She drank the blood and is freaking out with good reason and now she caught Damon and Stefan having a marital spat. Damon is being like YOU MUST BECOME KILLER PLZ. And I have no idea why he's trying to hard to make her into this hardened vampire hardcore person when she has the constitution of a butterfly. 
• Stefan and Elena are now intense vampire making-out in the forest. Jesus, doesn't getting slammed against a tree HURT? 
• AND then Elena vomits some blood; it's quite dramatic. 
• Now we have some guy coming in and oh! I recognize him from Tumblr! He's Connor, the new vampire hunter in town so we know shit's gonna start going down this very episode because unlike other shows were it takes ten season to do things, we get results in the same episode thank god. He's looking around the crime scene and takes some stuff. (crime scene being when the pastor burned them all). 
• Damon is drinking and Liz comes to accuse him of being the one to kill them all. He's surprised but really, Damon? Are you REALLY surprised? 
• Connor comes to speak with her in private and Liz gives Damon this "behave" face and it's amazing. 
• Jeremy and Matt are packing up some lanturns and stuff and talking about how Elena is fine but not fine. Matt still feels guilty and then that girl from Chloe King comes up and goes JEREMY. This is another new character I heard about (we're getting three this season, in case you're curious) and I gave her about five episodes before she's killed off. Considering they seem like they're going to be pairing her up with Jeremy, maybe three episodes. 
• April was at a boarding school but came for her DAD'S FUNERAL and it's clear there's no lost love between them considering she makes a joke about it. 
• Stefan takes out the champagne and he and Elena celebrate the fact she can now feed on animal carcasses! Yay!
• Elena goes to see Damon and he says the seat next to him is taken and oh my god it was Alaric's seat that is so sweet and sad urgh. 
• Elena accuses him of burning people to death and he's like: god, no, how could you possibly thing that? I'm always harmless when I'm brooding. PFFT. 
• Then Elena is like halp me I don't keep animal blood down, I need human blood. And so he thinks better alternative, drink from me even though it's apparently an intimate experience or something and so they do it and it's weird how into it they are, haha. 
• CALLED IT CALLED IT TYLER AND CAROLINE IN BED. And Caroline is like: there's dead people and we're having sex. And Tyler is like bro it's totally fine let's keep going and Caroline is like: no man. And he's like: okay, I love you. And this is what bothers me about their relationship these days: all they do is have sex. And more sex. Like okay I get it horny teenage vampires, it's alright. 
• Connor shows up at their doorstep and Tyler comes downstairs to I guess like have a manly-stare off? Connor takes his hand AND HIS HAND IS FULL OF VERVAIN AND HE SHOTS TYLER. 
• Caroline is running out of bed and honey put some clothes on. She does, just barely, and HOW are you guys about to have sex with his mother downstairs? Oh my god, no. 
• Stefan is extracting bullets from Tyler who would've died if he was a regular vampire but good thing he's not!
• Matt and Elena are handing out pamphlets of sadness through the church and her dress is pretty and quite innocent in contrast to her vampire-ness. 
• Elena goes to comfort April, who she used to babysit. They bond over how they went to each other's parent's funerals and April is freaking out because her dad sent her away and she doesn't like him but she doesn't want his part in the funeral to be empty. 
• Elena nearly bit April when she was stroking her arm in comfort and now she's vomiting blood again and it's really gross jeez. She has no idea what's going on through and yeah, this is weird. 
• Stefan is at Bonnie's house to ask her to look at the bullets I guess and aw, I love Stefan so much. He comforts everyone and he's so sweet. Bonnie is freaking out over the messages the witches sent and avoiding everyone. 
• Aw, Stefan is like: don't worry about what I was going to ask you because he's so sweet and nice, urgh. 
• WOW, Elena, there is BLOOD EVERYWHERE and so Damon is bringing her a different dress. 
• Connor and Damon are having a sass-off with Damon probably winning or something. 
• AND CONNOR JUST STABBED APRIL WOW I ACTUALLY GIVE HER TOO MUCH TIME. I thought I was being harsh!
• Why would her doppleganger blood be rejecting the transition IF KATHERINE IS A VAMPIRE DAMON. But for some reason, Elena is rejecting the blood, probably because she's so disgusted by it. 
• Stefan just saw Damon hide a blood bag and to prove his point, he's told Stefan that Elena hasn't been able to keep any blood down. INCLUDING HIS. Wow Damon, that was a petty move. 
• Stefan is like: Tyler, why you here if Hunter is after you? And he's like: I'm not gonna let any hunter stop me! Which is dumb but okay, Tyler (also smiling like that at a funeral probably isn't the best idea). And then Caroline, because she is awesome, says: And if he comes around here, I'm gonna kick his ass. Stefan is amused. I can't wait for their friendship to finally show some more. 
• Oh god, April is currently unconscious so Elena is getting up to say a few words about Pastor Young and Damon puts holy water on himself and yeah, I have to admit it's amusing that he's amused by that. 
• HA, Stefan just told Damon to bite him and this always amuses me when vampires say that. 
• BLOOD ON THE WALL. Caroline and Tyler immediately sense it and then Damon tells none of them to move because it's a trap. But Elena is on-stage and having some major issues. 
• Thank god Stefan went to rescue him because she was about ready to burst. He needs to get her out of here. Even Caroline is kind of struggling to keep it in although Tyler seems perfectly fine. 
• Matt is like: dude just feed from me. And you can see Caroline and Tyler on the other side of the church like: WUT? But Elena does it and manages to pull back with surprising ease and thanks Matt for being awesome. 
• OH MY GOD TYLER. YOU ARE AWESOME. He goes up even though the vampire hunter is after him so that he could take the attention off everyone else and they can go get April or do whatever they have to do.
• AND HE GETS SHOT. And everyone runs away and Caroline is like UM CALLED IT and runs over to pull the stake out once everyone is gone. Tyler is particularly hilarious in this episode with his: I'm gonna kill that bastard and his mom is like: OH MY GOD AMBULANCE. 
• HAHAHAHAHA oh my god best part of the episode. Stefan punches Damon while he's down
• And then, in an amazing way, they make it so that it's CAROLINE who is the one to keep Elena from her bloodlust, which is awesome. She manages to calm Elena down from attacking April AND CAROLINE IS SO PRECIOUS OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU. 
• Caroline says Elena needs to compel April but she doesn't want to but Caroline says that the only way Elena is going to learn is by doing it herself and god, Stefan and Damon should be fired because Caroline neither coddles her nor is mean and harsh to her so she is obviously the better caretaker. 
• And then Jeremy and Matt are joking around about how Tyler got shot and Jeremy compliments a drinking Connor on his tattoo BUT HE DOESN'T HAVE ONE IT IS A SECRET TATTOO ONLY SPECIAL JEREMY CAN SEE. 
• Maybe it's a dead tattoo? 
• Connor lives in a trailer and he reads the letter Pastor Young left April which says they'll all reach salvation and that jazz. 
• Stefan is mad at Elena for not telling him the truth because it endangered her life and Elena is like chill and Stefan is like: YOU FED ON HIM and urgh, calm down. 
• "I thought Damon would understand"? Yeah because Stefan wasn't a ripper or anything. 
• "I'm sick of crying"! Yeah damn straight Elena. So she said you wanna know what's heightening? And I thought she was gonna say the body count but that's too sassy for Elena so she said grief. 
• Now they're lighting lanterns to commemorate their dead friends and relatives and Damon is refusing because of his refusal to deal with the fact Alaric is dead which is SAD. 
• WOW, Jeremy, your count is way too high how are you still sane. 
• Oh my god Damon is drinking and snarking in front of Alaric's grave and even though I rag on Damon a lot, THIS IS REALLY SAD. Ha "lighting lanterns is a Japanese way of letting go of the dead. guess what? we're not Japanese!"
• AH OH MY GOD ALARIC IS THERE BUT NOT THERE I CAN'T. 
• Ha, Damon just called him and Stefan everyone's parents which is so true. AND THEN ALARIC SAYS MISS YOU TOO AND END OF EPISODE AW. 

What did you guys think of the episode? April gonna last a bit longer? Also WHERE is the Klaus in this episode, people?
Happy Reading!

Food For Thought: Siblings (13)

Hey guys!

One of my favorite things when I'm reading a story is the interaction between family and I think I've talked about that before but I want to focus on something much more in-depth: siblings. (I did do a Food For Thought on parents, in case you want to check it out!)

I think one of the most interesting relationships to read about in YA is sibling relationships because there's so many different ways you can go about it. There's something really special about having a sibling and I think that so many novels don't focus on the intense and intricate relationship some siblings have.

I think the two extremes are something that I'd love to see in YA more often: the rivalry and the intense devotion. I love the idea of having two siblings being pitted against each other (an example would be Prophecy of the Sisters). Because how do you fight (or kill!) someone who is..kind of a part of you?

And then you have on the other spectrum (an example would be the first Iron Fey book), you have this deep connection between siblings that makes one of them cross countries to get to them and to keep them safe. This is probably my favorite because you can have close friends or close family but nothing beats the bond between siblings that are willing to sacrifice their lives for each other.

Now enough of my rambling, I want to hear your opinion! Siblings, yay or nay? Any great books that have siblings in it that you'd recommend to me?

Happy Reading!

"Cause your red ribbon has me tied up in knots"

Title: Burn For Burn

Author: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian 

Release Date: September 18th, 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 

Pages: 368

Cover Judge: I love it! Each girl was exactly how I pictured them and the font is awesome

Quote Choice: I had a sneaking suspicion about this poem and I was right.
Source: For Review 

Goodreads: Link

Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.
Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay.
Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.
Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

So...this was a weird book, not going to lie. It's been like two days since I read it and I'm still confused on what was even going on. And it doesn't start that way! It starts out like a normal contemporary and then just...what in the world.

But I'll get into that later! What you need to know is that it's about three girls -- Lillia, Kat, and Mary -- who all want revenge on three different people for three different reasons. And so, they all team together to exact their revenge (even if some of it is undeserved). Now, for the girls, I did enjoy reading about each of them! Even though Kat's "too badass for you" attitude got a little tiring, she was a crazy chick. Lillia was probably my favorite because I could empathize with her character (maybe because that was totally me in Middle School) -- hanging out with a popular crowd but a major goody-two-shoes. But what I loved is that she also had a sarcastic, biting streak to her as well as the fact she was protective of the people she cared about. Finally, Mary..was a little weird. But I liked her!

As for the plot, this is where I was confused. The motives for revenge are all legitimate and damn, were these girls going to some extremes to get what they wanted. This isn't child's play, this was real and scary, especially their closing act. But every once in a while, with Mary, they would sneak in some...suspicious behavior. I don't know if it was just coincidence but I really doubt it...but I gave an element of supernatural to it that's difficult to explain unless you've read the book.

Truth to told, I kind of felt for Rennie. Yeah she was an awful girl who was way too selfish and immature, but you could really see some glimpses of her that showed she cared about her friends and the people around her. Reeve was a total asshole and I liked Alex even though I'm still suspicious of him.

The end is what got me just...shaking my head at the book. It ends on such an abrupt note I was turning the blank pages like: "what in the world?" I felt like the story didn't tie up or resolve and with so many unanswered questions it really ruined my view of the book.

But that's my opinion, have you guys read it? What did you think?
Happy Reading!

State of the Union: 10/8

Hey guys! This week was full of staying after school so sadly, I didn't get to post everyday. Shame! But here's my state of the union!

WHAT AM I WATCHING?

gif is not mine; found it on tumblr

1. Hetalia: World Series

Guys. Seriously. This show is just too damn funny and sometimes freaky accurate in it's stereotypes, hahaha. I'm not done yet but I"m almost there considering how small the episodes are.

2. Tonari No Kaibutsu-Kun

I really wanted to find a GIF that would show how crazy epic this anime is, haha. Might I point out though guys: It's a shoujo. And I'm liking it! THIS IS A FEAT! I don't usually watch a lot of shoujo (I did when I was younger however!) and I've only ever seen two that I liked. But this one is awesome!

3. Durarara!!

STARTED IT. I have absolutely no idea what it's about, haha. But it seems like it's going to be a wild ride! The main character is adorable and his best friend is the bomb and I want him to be my best friend ASAP.

WHAT AM I READING?

So I obviously finished Vessel but I also finished Burn For Burn! I was kind of disappointed in it and I'll give my whole explanation in my review tomorrow.

Now I'm finishing up Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin because I left it in my locker one day while I was half-way through and then just never got it again. But strangely enough, not because I didn't like it! Because I really was enjoying it, haha.

WHAT I POSTED:

Wednesday: Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
Thursday: If You Like....Journey Stories
Friday: The Vampire Diaries 4x01 Recap

BOOK HAULING IT UP:I'm so sad that I never make Book Haul videos anymore :( But until I get a camera, this can't be solved! Hopefully I can petition my parents for one soon, ha.

For Review:
Through To You by Emily Hainsworth
Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
The Steam Mole by Dave Freer

Bought:
This Is Not A Test by Courtney Summers
Death Note Volumes 1-3 by Tsugami Ohba & Takeshi Obata
Fullmetal Alchemist Volumes 6-8 by Hiromu Arakawa

Happy Reading!

The Vampire Diaries 4x01 Growing Pains Recap

Welcome to the premiere recap of The Vampire Diaries! In which I kept shouting at the TV screen MOVE OUT OF TOWN OUT OF THE COUNTRY ANYTHING JESUS.

If You Like...Journey Stories (3)

Ah, the blessed Journey stories. If you don't know what a journey story is it's pretty self-explanitory: it's a book about a person or a group or people that spend the entire novel traveling from Point A to Point B for some reason or purpose. It would range from roadtrips to high fantasy treks across deserts so let's do this!

Blood Red Road | Moira Young

No doubt about it, this is an epic journey story. Saba is an amazing heroine and her journey across desert, town, and mountains along with all the people she meets on the way is a book I recommend to everyone. The beginning is a little slow but once you hit the twenty page mark, you won't be able to stop.

Saving June | Hannah Harrington

A road-trip book! Sad, poignant  and just a damn good read. I seriously recommend it; it's probably my favorite road trip book.

Between Shades of Gray | Ruta Sepetys

Now some people might not consider this a journey story but once is Lena is constantly moving around from different work camps and harsh conditions, I'm counting it. This is a book I think everyone should read at least once (I've read it twice and am contemplating a third time) just because it's THAT good a book.

Graceling | Kristin Cashore

Haha, it's been a while since I've mentioned my favorite book! Of course Graceling is a journey story since the entire book is Po and Katsa's journey to finding his niece and discovering everything that's going down in Leck City and all that good stuff.

Brightly Woven | Alexandra Bracken

Another one of my favorite books (most of my favorite books are journey stories; I'm a sucker for them. Fun fact: most of the novels I write myself, when I do write, are journey stories) because it's so amazing! The characters are great, the world-building is phenomenal, and the writing is..well, it's Alexandra Bracken! Enough said.

Happy Reading and DON'T FORGET VAMPIRE DIARIES TONIGHT!

"At least you don't have to eat me."

Title: Vessel

Author: Sarah Beth Durst

Release Date: September 11th, 2012

Publisher: Simon and Schuster 

Pages: 424

Cover Judge: I love it so much I can't even tell you. The scarf, the colors, the oriental style that's going on and guys she's wasn't white-washed! 

Quote Choice: Liyana, you are too awesome for this world.
Source: For Review 

Goodreads: Link

Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

So I have a lot of feelings about Vessel and so, it's probably going to be difficult to write up this review but of course I'll try!

Vessel is a really unique story in both the plot and the way it's written. Plot-wise, it's about a girl Liyana who is a "vessel" -- a person chosen by one of the gods of the desert to be their human sacrifice of sorts. So she's all ready to be sacrificed but the problem is? Her goddess, Bayla, never comes. So when Korbyn, the trickster God, comes to her when her clan has exiled her and says the gods are in trouble and he needs her help, she jumps in to help. Now, the world-building in this story is amazing. I think it's what makes it so unique -- you have this fantasy world filled with these amazing myths and legends and desert people that worship these magical gods. But the thing I found really unique was the way Durst presented the story.

It's written in third person, for one. But it's written in a sort of...detached sense, if that makes any sense. I adored Liyana; I thought she was brave, fearless, and compassionate. She knew what she had to do and was willing to make sacrifices to do it (but she also knew that sometimes she just had to give herself a moment to cry). It was also very interesting watching her already, you know, get to have a life full of adventure as opposed to the sheltered life she's lived her entire life while being a vessel. But still, I was detached. I wasn't in her head but it really worked for the story because it made it almost like a myth itself.

I say this because a large part of the story is about the legends surrounding the gods and how this world was created. Liyana tells these amazing stories about sand worms and her deities and all this good stuff and so, it was written in way like that as well.

The other characters were great but you guys are going to be shocked when I say this but: I loved how subtle the development of the side-characters was. Really, none of them have much screen time which is usually something that gets me sad! But the way the characters of Pia, Maara, and Fennik are presented is just so nice and beautiful and seriously, I love Pia anyone who doesn't is wrong.

Finally, we have Korbyn. Not gonna lie, I was a bit disappointed at the fact it didn't really go anymore. It was subtle and beautiful and I would've wanted a more satisfying ending with that, even if they ended up not getting together. It felt like I was being teased for so long and it didn't end up amounting to anything. As for the other romance issue in the book, it fit but I wasn't very happy with it anyway. It was just thrust on me but at the same time...I was cool with it. Why? Because it felt like the ending to the epic that I felt like I was reading. It felt like it fit in well with the story and so, all the things I usually hate evaporated.

The point of this is: even the things you hate can be done totally right and you have to pick up this book.
Happy Reading!

State of the Union: Week of 10/1

Hi everyone! I've fallen in love with doing State of the Unions so this is definitely going to become a regular thing on the site. As for my return from not blogging, i'm loving it! And I'm so glad all of you decided to stick around in my absence, haha. There's going to be some big changes around here soon enough (once my new layout is finished, which will hopefully be some) and some features that will come along with the new look!

WHAT AM I WATCHING?

Erza is flawless. Natsu is adorable.

1. Fairy Tail

Guys. I seriously didn't think I was going to like this show that much but now i'm on episode 51 AND I LOVE EVERYONE. I honesty have so many feelings for the friendship between Gray, Erza, and Natsu that I can't express into coherent sentences. They are undoubtedly loyal to not only themselves but their entire guild and even though they constantly bicker (especially Gray and Natsu), they would sacrifice their lives for each other. I definitely recommend this anime!

This is really the only one I've been watching (and I've been rewatching Hetalia: Axis Powers because I can) but I'm going to be starting D. Gray Man and Duradura!! pretty soon so I'll fill you in next week!

WHAT AM I READING?

I'm going to start reading the Fairy Tail manga as well as continue the Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles since I haven't read them in forever and a half.

As for real people books, I finished The Diviners as you guys saw! Such a huge book but totally brilliant and I recommend it to everyone who loves good books.

I also just started Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst and I'm really loving it so far. This girl is a ritual sacrifice for a clan where if their god doesn't show up to collect the sacrifice, they will starve and die. And then their God doesn't show up. It's an awesome fantasy with a rich world and I'm enjoying the main character so this'll probably be good! Durst always has awesome books though so I'm not even surprised.

WHAT I POSTED:

Monday: Once Upon A Time 2.01 Recap
Tuesday: Food For Thought: Friendship is Magic
Thursday: The Diviners Review
Saturday: Favorite Book First Lines

BOOK HAULING IT UP:

For Review:
The Diviners by Libba Bray
Unremembered by Jessica Brody

Borrowed:
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Gifted:
Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (if you guys don't know the story: my copy got stolen at my school when I was halfway through it. And Katie, because she is awesome, gave me her second copy!)

Happy Reading!

Favorite Book First Lines: Again With The Shock Factor

Hey guys! So I was thinking about what I wanted to post about today and then I realized I didn't get to do Favorite Book First Lines on Totally Booksessed a few weeks ago and I want to do it here!

The first line of your book is arguably one of the most important. Once your cover and black/side flap interest your reader enough for them to actually open your book, you have one final impression to make before they dive in. If I'm at B&N, I'll give things a chapter to catch my attention. If it's a review book or a book I already bought, I'll give it 50 pages. But! Sometimes that first line is just so awesome, so epic, I have to keep reading and that's that!

"Imagine my surprise when, after three centuries of fighting with siblings ov a spare furry teat and licking my water from a bowl, I was given a huge human nipple, all to myself, filled with warm mother's milk."

- The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S King

Why: GUYS. If you know what this book is about, which I didn't have a very detailed notion of, you're immediately like WUT. 

"It did not surprise Fire that the man in the forest shot her." 

- Fire by Kristin Cashore 

Why: You'll probably stop to notice I love shock factor in my first lines. 

"Wait, did you, you just yawned!" The vampire's arms, raised over his head in a classic Dracula pose, dropped to his sides."

- Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Why: This is SO SO perfectly Evie, I adore it. Plus it automatically fills you in that this is going to be a funny book. 

"It was the first day of November and so, today, someone will die."

- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater 

Why: AGAIN WITH THE SHOCK FACTOR.

"I bear a deep red stain that runs from my left shoulder down to my right hip, a trail left by the herbwitch's poison my mother used to try to expel me from her womb."

- Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Why: This might be my favorite of all of them, actually! This simple line has so much pain, memories, and sadness in it that it makes you stop and gasp to yourself. 

I really want to hear some of your favorite first lines so leave them down below! Happy Reading!

“Charity begins at home.” “So does mental illness.”

Title: The Diviners (The Diviners #1)

Author: Libba Bray

Release Date: September 18th, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)

Pages: 578

Cover Judge: I love it! Elegant, classy, slightly creepy with the eye and the dark covers. 

Quote Choice: HA, I love Evie.
Source: For Review 

Goodreads: Link

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Now I can say for sure that Libba Bray's historicals are seriously what do it for me. I was discouraged because while I love her Gemma Doyle Trilogy, her last two contemporaries (although not really cotemporaries, what can I consider Beauty Queens and Going Bovine?) didn't really do it for me. But! The Diviners did not disappoint. (I can also officially say it's my favorite Libba book.)

One of my favorite things about Libba's writing is that although it's lush, descriptive, and prose-tastic, it's not boring and long. She writes with a simplistic style that doesn't make me want to keep flipping the pages but still manages to be not only beautiful but in this case? Creepy. If you don't know what the book it's about, a girl named Evie moves to New York to live with her Uncle at the same time that her Uncle starts helping out on this murder case that is strangely leaning towards the Occult. The story shifts from three main perspectives (aside from the killers): Evie, Theta, and Memphis but all in the third person. I loved this because while Evie is amazing, I loved hearing Theta and Memphis' stories, especially when they intertwined.

But seriously, Evie was awesome. Evie was "spoiled and a bit selfish" (as Jericho calls her) but also kind-hearted and witty and she just...she's the kind of character who you know if they were real, they'd be the type of people who light up a room when they get excited about things. She was upbeat and unrelenting in her originality and spunk which is a great contrast against Theta, who while still being spunky and fun, is much more inherently sad and her story much more dark. All the same, I loved her and I loved her relationship with her best friend, Henry. They were what best friends should be: teasing and fun but deep down they had this loyalty and honesty towards each other that I really loved reading about. And finally, Memphis! Memphis is someone you have to discover on your own people!

The murder aspect itself is creepy and crazy, as things usually get when they involve the occult and supernatural! The killer's chapters were dark and twisted and the way the supernatural in this world was woven into the story was very seamless and realistic.

And finally, the romance. There isn't much in the book but just enough to get my toes tingling, really. While there is no implicit love triangle or anything, there is more than one person vying for Evie's attentions. This is something I love about Libba: when she gives her main character more than one opinion, it never feels like it's suddenly a love triangle or a competition. It just is. And because of this, I have to mention Jericho who I love because gah he was so sweet and shy and stoic. I adored him and I adored him and Evie's moment in the story. That isn't to say I didn't love Sam! I mean, handsome, rakish, and just a little bit dangerous? That's practically the formula for every bad boy persona except Sam manages to pull it off with such a charm and candor that I actually enjoyed it instead of rolling my eyes all the time.

All in all, I recommend it a thousand times over! Happy Reading!

Food For Thought: Friendship is Magic (12)

Hey guys! Today I have a Food For Thought for you so prepare yourselves for epic.

I felt this was appropriate due to the title of this post, even though I've never seen the show!

So as I watch Fairy Tail (fangirling about my journey with this on State of the Union this weekend), I've been thinking a lot about how important friendships are when you're writing about a character's journey.

What happens a lot of the time is that best friends or even just friends are quickly shoved to the side in favor of whoever the love interest (or love interests) are at the moment. They get left behind for the magical journey. Hell, they completely disappear for no reason sometimes!

The reason I read is because I am fascinated by how people react to things. Seriously, it's something I discovered when I started roleplaying online last year. I love reading about how characters interact and feed off each other and connect and disconnect. So of course I love reading the evolution of love between people or between families but I think there's something really awesome and special about reading interactions between main characters and their friends.

One of the best examples of this I think is Kate from Angelfire by Courtney Alllison Moulton. Kate has NO freaking idea about anything that is going on in Ellie's paranormal life, right? And that's okay! But instead of just making her disappear because she's not essential to the main plot, she's an important person in Ellie's life. She's a constant and she matters and I don't know if Ellie would survive and adapt to this new life as well as she has without this girl by her side.

So authors! Friends! Important! And now I turn to you lovely people, what do you think? Also: give me some of your favorite awesome best friend examples from YA done below!

Happy Reading!

Once Upon A Time Recap: 2x01 Broken

Ah! Hey guys! I've missed you so much but I'm finally back and better than ever! Books have been read, ideas have been stewing, a big change is coming up soon since my new layout is almost finished, AND WE HAVE A RECAP! Once Upon A Time came back today so let's get started!

Official Hiatus Post: Rest of September

Hey guys!

So....I've sucked this past month. I know, you can tell me! I can take it.

I've posted nine posts in twenty days not to mention the fact I've hardly been able to read anything getting used to my new insane schedule. So...I'm taking the rest of September off. It's only ten days, not long, but it's long enough for me to get some books read, some ideas brewing, and everything set up.

You guys know I hate leaving. I love blogging and I'm not leaving it anytime soon so this is just me getting back into my element. Hopefully you all will be here once I'm back :)
So I'll be back in ten days and good as new!

See you soon,
-Happy Reading!

“Love sounded terrible if it made you so weak, you couldn't survive without it.”

Title: Outpost (Razorland #2)

Author: Ann Aguirre

Release Date: September 4th, 2012

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends (Macmillan)

Pages: 336

Cover Judge: It's really badass, I like it. 

Quote Choice: An example of the exploration of emotions Deuce has to go through, love it.
Source: For Review 

Goodreads: Link

Deuce’s whole world has changed. Down below, she was considered an adult. Now, topside in a town called Salvation, she’s a brat in need of training in the eyes of the townsfolk. She doesn’t fit in with the other girls: Deuce only knows how to fight.
To make matters worse, her Hunter partner, Fade, keeps Deuce at a distance. Her feelings for Fade haven’t changed, but he seems not to want her around anymore. Confused and lonely, she starts looking for a way out.
Deuce signs up to serve in the summer patrols—those who make sure the planters can work the fields without danger. It should be routine, but things have been changing on the surface, just as they did below ground. The Freaks have grown smarter. They’re watching. Waiting. Planning. The monsters don’t intend to let Salvation survive, and it may take a girl like Deuce to turn back the tide.

Sadly, I didn't like Outpost as much as I loved Enclave! I think this might be because in Enclave, all of the things happen. You're taken from below to above, going from places to places, meeting new people, discovering new things. But in Outpost, you're in the SAME place the whole time. I mean there's some revelations but nothing that really made me gasp and no action that had me flipping pages faster and faster.

However, one thing that is always consistent? How much I enjoy Deuce. While I said before that I didn't like Outpost as much as Enclave, I tore through Outpost. I read it in one sitting and even though I would think to myself "nothing's even happened", I couldn't stop. Aguirre has that sort of writing style and she really hit the mark with Deuce. This is a girl who is smart and capable and trained to be a huntress going through the internal struggle of having to figure out...well, who she is. The "girl" part of Deuce, as she likes to call it. Now that she's not constantly struggling for her life and living with a set of foster parents that offer her comfort and warmth, she doesn't know what to do with herself. I loved reading about her exploration of feelings and being able to be around people again, especially when it came to her foster mother. I thought that relationship was the strongest out of everyone's and it was something that nearly brought me to tears at one point.

The Freaks were terrifying, as per usual. But it's not the fact that it was slightly gorey and freaky like in the first book. No instead, it was horrifying because of the moral questions that start to come into place half-way through the book. The idea that maybe these Freaks are people too and the only reason they're attacking is because they see humans as a threat. I was definitely impressed with this area of the novel.

Finally, we have Fade. Ah Fade, I really liked you in Enclave. You were strong and silent, brave and understanding while still managing to be broken and flawed. But in Outpost? I just...didn't like you. Especially in the beginning! He was horribly jealous all the time, pretty emo, and super possessive. I understood where he was coming from but dude needed to calm down. His temper exploded throughout the whole book and it didn't remind me of the Fade I remembered in the first book. Stalker of course is the other romantic option but I'm sorry, I can't love A RAPIST. Like, this is something that is forgiven and forgotten from the first book? Seriously? Deuce is like: Oh man why does Tegan not like Stalker? Well, because he was one of the gang leaders of the gang who TOOK HER. Just...no. Tegan herself was awesome, as per usual.

Overall, it's a good book and a really good series that can be addicting regardless of its other problems!
-Happy Reading!

State of the Union: Week of 9/9

Hey guys! How you doing this fine day?

WHAT AM I WATCHING?

these are the main characters! 

1. Fairy Tail

So the reason I started this one is so silly: Guy With Pink Hair (it always takes me a while to remember people's names) looked a lot like Black Star (I spent the first three episodes calling him Pink Star). BUT I had also heard a lot of good stuff about it and it's really popular so I thought: why not! Most of the episodes are on Hulu and I'm really enjoying it so far. It's fun, filled with magic and some occassional deeper meaning, and badass-ness.

2. Sword Art Online

So I have so many mixed feelings about this series at the moment. SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EPISODE 9 AND UP. I mean, they're already MARRIED. I know it's meant to just be a short series but everything is happening so quickly and..booo. But Kirito and Asuna are still adorable and all that; I was just expecting some epic fighting and plot. I think it's just because I'm used to it but who knows.

3. Bleach

I know. I know. I am insane for starting this because it's on like episode 1000 but I wanted to ask you guys: worth it? I read the first volume at Barnes and Nobles yesterday and I liked it! But I've heard as the story goes on, the quality goes down.

WHAT AM I READING?

I finished Ao No Exorcist / Blue Exorcist manga! I really, really enjoyed it and I can't wait for the next chapter to come out. Rin is amazing and once I got to the Impure King Arc, I was sold.

I got half-way through Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi but...it got stolen. I KNOW I KNOW, evil school people. I'm trying my best to track it down but I have a feeling it's lost forever. And I was at a good part so just...all the suck. As for my thoughts on the book sadly, it's not living up to the first one for me. More details once my review is up but that's my general thought.

Other than that, I'm almost done with Beause it is my Blood by Gabrielle Zevin, the sequel to All These Things I've Done and I'm loooving it. Seriously, she writes awesome books. 

WHAT I POSTED:

Monday: Sarah Beth Durst Interview
Tuesday: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson
Thursday: If You Like....Post-Apocalyptic Madness
Saturday: Food For Thought: Character Appearances

BOOK HAULING IT UP:

For Review:
Fathomless by Jackson Pearce (excited! Jackson's book are usually hit or miss for me so we'll see!
Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst (SO PSYCHED OH MY GOD)
In A Fix by Linda Grimes (Haven't heard of it and it showed up unexpectedly! But it looks cool so I'm gonna give it a shot)

Bought:
Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 1 by Hiromu Arakawa (I've read the entire manga but since she is brilliant, I want to support her and buy the entire series. Slowly but surely!)
Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 4-5-6 by Hiromu Arakawa

Gifted:
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear (Ahh! Suzanne is so sweet and sent me one of her author copies signed!)

Happy Reading!

Food For Thought: Character Appearances (11)

Hey guys! So today's topic is a bit of a random subject but it's something I think about a lot: character descriptions.

I always see people getting annoyed when they have models on the cover that don't match their descriptions/models at all because it distorts the image in their head. The description of the character is the only thing that matters, you know?

But I don't pay attention to them. Like I could read a book where the main character's features aren't mentioned once and I'd likely not even notice.

I can't tell you the features of virtually away of my favorite characters (a few notable exceptions: I know Katsa's hair is brown, Meghan's hair is blonde, Four has a crooked nose)

I'm really curious if I'm the only one who does this? When I'm reading a book, the picture in my head are just like....blobs. I don't even know how to explain it coherently but it's just never something that comes to mind when I'm recalling a book I've read.

So let me know down in the comments and guys: if you want me to cover anything on Food For Thought (or if it's something lengthy, a discussion post) just leave it down in the comments below! You guys know I love writing discussion posts.
Happy Reading!

If You Like...Post-Apocalyptic Madness (2)

This week I have books for people who love post-apocalyptic novels! I think they're awesome because only dystopian which are usually about a uniformed society and breaking apart from it? THESE ARE ALL ABOUT CHAOS.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth 

Definitely! An earthquake shatters Los Angeles and you have: crazy cults, religious fanatics, powers, all that good stuff. 

Ashes by Isla J. Bick:

My favorite on this list without a doubt. Dark, well-written, and just gory enough that you might wince once or twice, it's an awesome book with zombie-like mutants. 

Enclave by Ann Aguirre: 

Again with zombie-like mutants! But Enclave is about a girl who lives in this underground warrior tribe and once she's kicked her, her and her partner, Fade, are forced to travel Above. 

Partials by Dan Wells:

I loved this book! Smart, funny, and addicting, it's definitely a thick book but a good read! Plus the heroine is seriously just the best. Determined, spunky without being overly sarcastic, and just plain cool.

And that's all for me! See you tomorrow!

Happy Reading.

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

Title: The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns #2)

Author: Rae Carson

Release Date: September 18th, 2012

Publisher: Greenwillow (Harper)

Pages: 410

Cover Judge: It matches so I like it! Plus, it has a very high fantasy-esque feel to it.

Quote Choice: Gargh, I don't have my copy today so I can't find the quote I chose for this review!
Source: For Review 

Goodreads: Link

In the sequel to the acclaimed The Girl of Fire and Thorns, a seventeen-year-old princess turned war queen faces sorcery, adventure, untold power, and romance as she fulfills her epic destiny.
Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds. A breathtaking, romantic, and dangerous second volume in the Fire and Thorns trilogy.

- from Goodreads

Oh my god, guys. So when I read Girl of Fire And Thorns I was like: nothing can top this. AND THEN I READ CROWN OF EMBERS. So you know to expect some fangirling in this review.

Elisa is queen now and between Inviernos threats that they thought they had eradicated coming back to haunt her and this crazy spirit journey she has to take to save her kingdom, you're in for a wild ride. Elisa, as always, was a great heroine. She's a girl who's been thrust into a position of power that she feels too inexperienced to deal with while having to deal with the fact that there's hardly anyone living in the castle that has her best interests in mind. She's young and confused but Rae Carson knows how to write a damn good heroine which means that for every flaw that this girl has, she is gifted with a lovely persona and a brave nature. With Elisa, there is always room for improvement because she is a wonderfully flawed character.

The plot is damn crazy, guys. I loved reading about it because I liked that the story isn't set in one place like I thought it was going to be: the castle. While we do stay there for a while to set the scene and see where the kingdom is since Alejandro's stepping down from the throne, we are almost immediately thrust into a journey that is even more treacherous than the first. And then of course, we have the Godstone drama. I love that while religion and the religion of this High Fantasy world is an important part of the story, it's not being shoved in your face. I mean, Elisa gets power from praying but I don't feel like I'm having religious preaching forced on me.

Guys. You thought the romance was good in GoFaT? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW MY HEART WAS LIKE ON FIRE. It looks a lot for me to full-on swoon and this book managed to make it happen multiple times. The sexual tension and the sadness at the idea that their love is so impossible while still holding a sliver of hope is just...lovely. Everything about it was lovely.

This book was just fantastic and it definitely lives up to the first book! Also can we just...mention that ending? Way to sever my heartstrings, gah. Can't wait for the final book.
Happy Reading

Author Interview: Sarah Beth Durst

Hey guys! So recently I've been on a bit of a semi-hiatus because I had to start getting used to...you know, life coming back. I'm in my third week of school and not only that, but I started my internship at Spencer Hill Press this week if you didn't see the news! But now I'm back and going to be posting regularly :)

And today! I have an interview with the lovely, awesome Sarah Beth Durst. Her next novel, Vessel, is coming out this month and I just love her other book, Drink Slay Love!

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love. Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.
Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.
The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

1) If you could live with three YA characters (not your own) in a house, who would they be?

Hermione Granger from Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (because a talented witch friend could be useful)

Daine from Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (because she can talk with animals)

Silk from the Belgariad by David Eddings (because he'd make me laugh)

2) Which character is most like you in any of your novels? Least?

Gillian (the best friend from INTO THE WILD) or Bethany (the friend from DRINK, SLAY, LOVE).  Like them, I tend to be relentlessly optimistic.  Faced with evidence of magic in the world, I think my reaction would be, "Wow!  Cool!"  Unlike them, I'd probably promptly be eaten by wolves or vampires.

Least like me... I think I'd have to choose Pearl from DRINK, SLAY, LOVE.  She's fearless.  She's evil.  And she drinks blood.

3) What’s your favorite Disney Movie?

Beauty and the Beast.  I love that library!  Plus, the dining room scene always makes me want to go to France and eat copious amounts of dessert.

4) You always invent these amazing worlds in your books -- from Enchanted Ivy's secret realm to Drink, Slay, Love's vampire lore and now a full-out high fantasy! How do you go about thinking up these worlds?

I like to start with the real world and then inject magic into it.  To create the desert land in VESSEL, I researched various deserts (the Sahara, the Gobi, a few deserts in the southwestern part of the United States), and then I set about dreaming up ways to make a desert as awesome as I could imagine it.  Seriously, that's the litmus test I ask myself as I write, "Is it awesome enough?"  I try hard to maximize awesomeness as I write.  :)

The world of VESSEL includes wolves made out of sand that hunt within storms, sky serpents made of unbreakable glass, monstrous worms, gods and goddess that inhabit human bodies, a young emperor, a trickster god, and a girl destined to sacrifice herself...  I had such a fantastic time writing this book!

And that's it! Thank you for coming to my blog Sarah and I'll see you guys tomorrow with a review!
Happy Reading!

"I've never been Action Girl. I've only ever been Kristen's supporting character.”

Title: Speechless

Author: Hannah Harrington

Release Date: August 28th, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 288

Edition: Paperback
Cover Judge: Bold, I like it.

Quote Choice: Perfectly describes her life pre-Speechless.
Source: For Review 

Goodreads: Link

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret.Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast—and nearly got someone killed.
Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence—to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed and even attacked is worse.
But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way—people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself.

Hannah Harrington has an amazing writing style that manages to be both filled with heavy meaning AND super easy and breezy to read. This is seriously one of my favorite things about her writing.

So I was a little apprehensive about diving into Speechless because I haven't been feeling the contemporary vibe lately but I'm so glad I decided to pick it up because looooove. It's about a girl called Chelsea who is tipsy and sees two boys making out at a party. As the sidekick of the head bitch of the school, she goes downstairs and tells everyone. Two of the popular boys get mad and chase after the gay boy, Noah, who is now leaving the party and the next day, he ends up in the hospital. She tells the truth about the two guys and in turn, her entire friend circle and school turns on her.

I loved Chelsea. She was just the right amount of superficial while still managing to be sincere and heartfelt and that made her a real teenager. It might be because I really connected with her (my middle school existence was spent almost entirely inside the "popular" crowd even though I didn't like many of them and I wasn't really being myself) but she was just a great character to me. Funny, resilient, and she didn't let things get  her down, even when it seemed the world was turning on her. Also: for a character who doesn't actually TALK (Chelsea takes a vow of silence and uses notes to communicate with people throughout the whole book), she was awesome.

The book does a really good job with addressing the consequences that come when you decide to take your own path in life even if it's not the one most taken. Chelsea is shunned by nearly everyone -- people write stuff on her locker, egg her car, bully her relentlessly. All because she turned in two boys who BEAT A KID INTO A COMA for being gay. While this book doesn't scream "issue book" (which I was glad for because I'm not into issue books much), the message was there and it was well-done.

SAM. SAM I LOVE YOU. Seriously guys I thought Sam was awesome. Definitely less angsty than Hannah's debut love interest in Saving June, Sam is sweet, funny, dorky, and can make a mean tuna melt. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that it's really short so I felt that a lot of development could've been explored.

But mostly I was sad because it ended!
Happy Reading!

Contest: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Hey guys! Thanks to the lovely people over at HarlequinTeen I have a giveaway!

Speechless by Hannah Harrington | Harlequin Teen | August 28th, 2012

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can’t keep a secret. Until now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast – and nearly got someone killed. Chelsea has taken a vow of silence – to learn to keep her mouth shut and to stop hurting anyone else.
Speechless explores the real-life teen issues of bullying, mean girls, LGBT awareness and hate crimes. Compared to the many books already out about bullies, Harrington’s novel stands out for its authentic voice and unflinching portrayal of what it means to be part of the bullying. In October 2012, Harlequin TEEN will be releasing a brand new survey that has interviewed 1,500 girls between 13-18 years old on the subject of bullying.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Harlequin has also partnered up with Louder than Words to promote this book!

About Love is Louder:
Harlequin TEEN has partnered with the nonprofit Love is Louder, a movement that started when actress Brittany Snow, MTV and the Jed Foundation decided to do something to help those feeling mistreated. Hundreds of thousands of people just like you have come together to raise the volume around the message that love and support are louder than any internal or external voice that brings you down.

And that's all for me! My review of this book will be up tomorrow!
Happy Reading!

State of the Union 8/27

Hallo everyone! I'm still slowly getting into the routine of school which is why my posts have been slightly sporadic.

WHAT AM I WATCHING?

this is who I want to cosplay as!

So I started watching a LOT of different anime this week so let's do this!

1. Sword Art Online

I'm actually all caught up with this since it's an ongoing anime (first time I've seen one!) and there's only nine episodes currently out in sub. This series is just...fun and cool. It takes place in 2022 where virtual gaming is really popular and a new game called Sword Art Online comes out. Thousand of people go out to get it, put on their Nerve gear, and dive into the game. But once they realize they can't log out, the creator of the game lets them know that they're stuck in there until they beat all 100 levels of the game. Worst part? If you die in the game, you die in real life. If a family member tries taking off your gear in real life, you die. So your only option is to him. My thoughts? Kirito is seriously so adorable. And the plot is really cool. (Also: there's a con going on this coming summer and I'm determined to cosplay as Asuna)

2. Arcana Famiglia

Anime always have the best premises, I swear. This is about this "family" called the Arcana Famiglia that protects this small trading island from...well, everything. But when the head of the family decides to retire and has to leave his legacy to someone, the entire family is engaged in a succession war using their "arcanas", each of them having powers that are a part of the usual tarot deck. The dilemma is simple: the winner gets to marry Fel, his daughter, who refuses to be a prize to her friends. I'll admit: it's not the best thing I've ever seen. But...I honestly can't stop watching and the characters are fun! I'm only on episode four and Noda is definitely my favorite.

3. Ao No Exorcist (Blue Exorcist)

And this is actually a well-known anime! It's about a boy who was raised by an exorcist and then finds out he's the son of Satan (basically he's a demon in a human's bodies). When dire circumstances cause him to activate his demon form, he decides to go to an academy to learn how to become an exorcist. I'm really liking this one so far: the characters are cool, the demons are freaky looking, and it seems like it's going to get intense!

WHAT AM I READING?

I FINISHED FMA MANGA EJNGk. So good, seriously. I'm going to collect them since I read them on MangaReader and I want physical copies.

Bookwise...I haven't gotten any reading done, sadly. 

WHAT I POSTED:
Monday: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody
Wednesday: Pretty Little Liars Recap
Thursday: If You Like...Slightly (or Very) Crazy Heroines

BOOK HAULING IT UP:

MY WEBCAM IS FIXED! VIDEOS STARTING AGAIN NEXT WEEK AND MONDAY ON TB!

For Review:
Defiance by C.J Redwine (unsolicited)
Reaper by K.D McEntire (unsolicited)

Happy Reading!

If You Like...Slightly (or Very) Crazy Narrators (1)

Oh my god Harmony is doing that thing where she makes a new feature and hopefully she won't abandon it in three weeks (I know, I know. But now that final renovations are on the way for my website and my move to wordpress, I'm slowly starting to put all of my ideas that I was waiting for the big change to reveal...but yup, there's a lot of stuff in store!)

This feature is pretty self-explanatory. If you like SOMETHING or want to try SOMETHING, I recommend to you a few books that have to do with that thing! It's mostly a way for me to bring some awareness to books I love, which is most of the point of this blog, but also because you guys have mentioned you wanted me to do this :)

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves    

a girl who is manic depressive in a crazy weird town in Texas 

        

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

now there's no concrete proof that Mara is crazy but she's definitely an unreliable narrator

Slice of Cherry by Dia Reeves

Basically anything Dia writes is crazy. Two sisters who are the daughters of a serial killer and

have inherited some....mutual interests. 

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Now I know you guys are all like: wha? But Shatter Me is written as a sort of stream of

concious first person narrative and Juliette is definitely damaged. (You notice it more so

in Unravel Me, which I'm reading right now, and that's why I included it. What do I think so far 

of it, you ask? Kenji is now easily in my Top 10 favorite characters.)

Life Is But A Dream by Brian James

A schizophrenic girl finds love in a mental hospital but things aren't what they seem, as usual. 

And that's it for me! See you guys tomorrow with my spoiler-y Full Metal Alchemist post which sorry of you guys who aren't into anime or manga but...no regrets. It's going to be something that happens every so often on the blog, I might make it a bi-weekly feature!
Happy Reading!