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!