Liebster Award (12/22)

I was tagged by bookishwanderlust to do the Leibster Award last week (rules and other stuff below all my answers), and I’m just now getting around to it. Thank you so much for tagging me! These were really fun to answer 🙂

—

1. How many books are you planning to read in 2016?

I totally overestimated in 2015, so I’m planning to lowball 2016 (shhh). I haven’t actually decided yet. Maybe around 100?

—

2. Favorite book you’ve read this 2015.

Oh, so many. But probably the top of the list is Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I just loved it SO much. If you haven’t read it yet, READ IT NOW.

—

3. Books you’re ashamed you haven’t read?

Probably a lot of the classics. Actually, Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. (See, told you it’d be a classic).

—

4. Book that made you cry?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. You know when.

—

5. What book got you into reading?

I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love reading. As soon as I learned to read, I loved it. I’ve always enjoyed it, but the first series I remember totally fangirling over whas Nancy Drew. Totally wanted to be her.

—

6. What is your all time favorite book?

Can’t pick just one, are you kidding?! How about Jane Austen, JK Rowling and Tolkein. And we can call it a day.

—

7. What are your hobbies?

If I say reading, is this a cop out? (I keep answering your questions with questions, and that’s probably a cop out). I also enjoy movies/Netflix/TV, hanging out with friends, food/snacks, photography, ceramics, and exploring (flea markets, the outdoors and other places TBD).

—

8. Book that you hate but everybody loves.

Never was a big fan of The Mortal Instruments series, but I loved The Infernal Devices. So I was a big fan of the world, I guess. I don’t know if it was Clary that annoyed me? I’m going to give the new Shadowhunters TV show a shot, so we’ll see how that goes…

—

9. Who is your ultimate fictional book boyfriend?

Gilbert Blythe. (Husband: Mr. Darcy)

—

10. Fictional character that you could totally relate to.

Lizzy Bennet (sorry, not really tho)

—

11. Favorite bromance?

I never know what to do with this question. Is it about the friendship? I’m going to answer based on my favorite friendship: Harry & Ron, or maybe James & Sirius if I knew more about their friendship.

—

Liebster Award Rules

• Acknowledge the blog that nominated you and display the award.
• Answer 11 questions that the blog gives you.
• Give 11 random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5-11 blogs you think are deserving of the award that have less than 200 followers.
• Let the blogs know you have nominated them.
• Give them 11 questions to answer

—

11 (very) Random Facts 

• I love to read (duh, I figure 11 facts are going to be difficult)
• My favorite color is green (don’t judge me)
• My current favorite food is macaroni and cheese
• I like to interject random movie quotes into conversations
• I live in Tennessee, USA
• I majored in Fine Art in college
• I’m currently binge watching season 10 of Supernatural (I’m in love with Dean, it’s fine)
• Fall is my favorite season
• I love sweat tea
• Harry Potter is probably my favorite series of all time, probably
• I have brown eyes

—

Nominations

Your Daughter’s Bookshelf

Inked Brownies

Devouring Fictions

Londiniumgirlbooks

Mad Tea Party Books

—

Questions for Nominees

• What is your favorite type of book to read?
• Where is your favorite place to read?
• Do you have a favorite snack or drink for when you read?
• Do you listen to music or anything while reading?
• What is your favorite book quote?
• Who is your favorite author?
• If you could have any signed book, which would it be?
• If you could meet any three authors, living or dead, which ones would they be?
• If you could meet any three characters, living or dead, which ones would they be?
• Who is your favorite OTP?
• What book/series do you wish was a movie/TV show?
• Which Hogwarts House are you in?

—

(featured image source)

Fall Time Cozy Time Book Tag

I love the name of this tag. I think it’s so perfect for the weather/season right now. I just want to curl up in a sweater with a mug of something and just read. I love fall so much. The changing colors are the most gorgeous thing. I also really love the smell of all — I know that sounds odd, but I swear fall has a smell. There’s the obvious like campfires and smores and things like that, but just walking outside when the weather’s gotten a bit colder, there’s a certain smell, and it’s fall to me. Anyway, rant over, Fall Time Cozy Time Book Tag, here we go.

—

Crunching Leaves
The world is full of color, so choose a book that has reds/oranges/yellows on the cover.

I’m on a simplistic cover kick right now, and I really enjoyed The Help by Kathryn Stockett when I read it (and of course the movie, because Emma Stone). The irony, though, is that on trees, I prefer those trees with the bright red leaves, and the ones that tend to change all at once. So you have that one stark red tree against all the others in various shades of oranges and yellows. That’s my favorite. Anyway, really enjoyed this book & movie!

—

Cozy Sweater
It’s finally cold enough to don warm cozy clothing, so what book gives you the warm fuzzies?

Fall apparently also makes me nostalgic! My cozy sweater pick is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It’s my ultimate warm fuzzy story, and it will always be my go to for a wonderful, beautiful love story. (Nobody could tell it like JA).

—

Fall Storm
The wind is howling & the rain is pounding, so choose your favorite book OR
genre that you like to read on a stormy day.

That’s hard. I love to read when it’s raining regardless of the genre, but I think I’d have to choose historical fiction. There’s something so tangible about the weather and connecting you to the past. Everyone experiences weather even if we have all this new fangled technology that helps us survive better (like seriously, how did people live in the south before air conditioning?).

—

Cool Crisp Air
What’s the coolest character you’d want to trade places with?

Ginny Weasley from Harry Potter by JK Rowling. Truthfully, I just want to live in the Harry Potter universe and the Weasley family is the best family and since she’s the only girl daughter, well… there you have it. Also, she’s pretty awesome, and I’d love to be her IRL. Who wouldn’t? That’s what I thought.

—

Hot Apple Cider
What under hyped book do you want to see become the next biggest, hottest thing?

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. It’s not necesarrily underhyped, but it’s definitely not exploded across the young adult universe and I just want everyone to read it, and love it. I know it’s becoming a movie and that’ll really help attention, but I don’t want to wait that long. (Patience is not one of my virtues).

—

Coat, Scarves, and Mittens
The weather has turned cold & it’s time to cover up, so what’s the most embarrassing book cover you own that you like to keep hidden in public?

Well, I don’t actually own embarrassing books (sorry total cop out, I only buy my favorites in physical book form because I’m not made of $$ you know). But they’re totally on my kindle, and I don’t just let anybody go browsing through my kindle shelves for precisely this reason. There’s plenty of embarassing stuff on there! Doesn’t mean I have to tell you…

—

Pumpkin Spice
What’s your favorite fall time comforts food/foods?

All of Thanksgiving dinner. Haha every single dish my family traditionally makes to go with it is what I find myself craving in the fall. Also, soups. I love soup. I could probably have soup every meal of every day. If you could have breakfast soups, I would have soup for breakfast. Mmmmmm.

—

I never wait to be tagged ‘officially’ when I do these, but if you want to be tagged – then consider yourself tagged! 🙂

(featured image source)

The Reading Habits Book Tag

The Reading Habits Tag

Everybody has their own brand of weird reading habits. Or I certainly hope everyone has his or her own brand of weird reading habits. Because if it’s just me alone in my weirdness, then that is just plain sad (and weird). But the fact that this tag exists is encouraging, right? Security in numbers? Is that how the expression goes? (no)

—

Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

Negative, ghostrider. I’m up for reading whenever and wherever. Although I feel horizontal reading is always best. Makes for the most comfortable experience.

—

Bookmark or random piece of paper?

I actually realized after the last time I answered this question that I don’t really use bookmarks for either one of two reasons. One, I either remember the page number I’m on (don’t be too impressed, it’s usually for a very short period of time as I’m desperately counting down the minutes to being able to read again). Two, and this is the most common, I read the book in one sitting.

—

Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop at the end of a chapter / after a certain amount of pages?

Ha! I kind of answered this one early. I don’t really notice the chapters passing as I’m reading. They’re just extra white space on the page as I’m flipping (swiping) through.

—

Do you eat or drink while reading?

Duh. I’m a snacker. So I usually always have something to eat or drink while I’m doing anything.

—

Multitasking: music or TV whilst reading?

Yep, both. I usually prefer music. TV can be distracting, but when I was in high school I used to play the Harry Potter movies on repeat when I would get home from school just as background noise to drown everything else out.

—

One book at a time or several on the go?

I’m usually in the middle of several books at time. I know I said that I read books in one sitting, but I start books all the time. Once I get into them I commit. I get use to the feel of them, and once I get use to the feel of them, then I come back and sit down for the long haul. So I usually have a few to choose from when reading! It’s a process! I started this post with the disclaimer that we all have weird things!

—

Read at home or everywhere?

Everywhere! But like I said before, horizontal is best.

—

Read aloud or silently in your head?

Silently.

Do you read ahead or skip pages?

I wish I could truthfully answer this question with a resounding no, but I can’t. I’m guilty of flipping ahead and skimming just for a little peep. I remember doing that in one book and then taking what I skimmed completely out of context and being completely thrown off for the whole book, and then finally getting to the part I skimmed and just outright laughing at myself. I wish I could say I learned my lesson, but I didn’t.

—

Breaking the spine or keeping it new?

I don’t consciously do either, but I try not to make any physical changes to my books? So I guess keeping it new?

—

Do you write in books?

No, no, definitely not.

—

Tags

Dee at The Bookish Khaleesi

Macy at Can’t Stop Won’t Stop Books

Sanovia at CreatyveBooks

Ashley at Words We Heart

—

(featured image source)

The TBR Book Tag

Guess what! This book tag actually came to me in the normal way, i.e. I was actually tagged by someone! Shout out and thank you to Dee at the Bookish Khaleesi 🙂 I’m really happy I was tagged officially by Dee, because I hadn’t seen it before and it looked really fun. So now, all the details about my TBR…

—

How do you keep track of your TBR pile?

Poorly. I have random stacks of actual books piled around my room. (I have this weird rule about giving a “spot” on my small bookshelves to books I haven’t read yet. Thus, the piles). Not even counting my massive mental/Goodreads list of books I think sound really good. And then all my NetGalley books…. Yikes, I should probably look at all of those.

—

Is your TBR mostly print or electronic?

Well, as I just mentioned, I’m really bad at actually keeping up with TBR effectively. But the list is largely electronic. I don’t actually have that many physical books that I haven’t read.

—

How do you determine which book from your TBR to read next?

Excellent question. It depends on what I’m in the mood for, what’s readily available, and if I plan to review it or not. I wish I could say I respect the TBR and read the books in the order I added them, but I don’t do that. That speaks of a level of organization that doesn’t exist for my type B personality type over here.

—

Which book has been on your TBR list the longest?

According to Goodreads (I had to check), the first book I ever added to my TBR list was: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi back in April 2012.

—

A book you’ve recently added to your TBR?

Again, according to Goodreads, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. I’ve seen a lot of hype about this book and the blurb is definitely intriguing enough to spark my interest! It definitely sounds like an interesting read. It’ll just depend on that weird process I described above for selecting it to read…

—

A book on your TBR strictly because of the beautiful cover?

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. It’s so beautiful!!

—

A book on your TBR that you don’t actually plan to read?

Unwanteds by Lisa McMann. It’s been on my TBR almost as long as Under the Never Sky (how random that they both start with a U? I feel like that’s a rare book title letter), but I keep pushing it off. I just have some block towards actually picking it up.

—

An unpublished book on your TBR that you’re excited for?

Three guesses for this one, and the first two don’t count. Yep, you guessed it! That would be Winter by Marissa Meyer, the Lunar Chronicles fourth book.

—

A book on your TBR that everyone has read but you?

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. This book is one of those that isn’t in your face, but so many people have read it and loved it. I will read it (eventually) and I really want to read it, but I just haven’t yet!! Too many books!

—

A book on your TBR that everyone recommends?

I have seen very few people dislike A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray which is always a good indicator!

—

A book on your TBR that you’re dying to read?

I’m only dying to read the ones that aren’t published yet. Winter & An Ember in the Ashes #2 are probably the ones I’m most looking forward to right now though.

—

How many books are on your Goodreads TBR shelf?

Good thing I’ve still got that tab open. That would be a grand total of 131. But I’m really bad at keeping that bad boy up to date, so that’s a low ball.

—

Tag other blogs:

Tagging anyone who wants to be tagged! Comment below and I’ll add you 🙂

—

(featured image source)

Book Lover’s Tag

The Book Lover’s Tag

Here’s a short, fun tag that I pulled off Tumblr (because of course I did). The only rule is that there are no rules (my favorite kind of rule). I’m going to tag anyone reading this, because I realized I’m pretty bad at actually tagging people when I do book tags, so this is me easing my way into real tags. You’re welcome.

—

Name a book you’re embarrassed to say you haven’t read yet.

That depends on who you ask. The roommate would say Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, whereas my best bookish friend would say A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. But me? I would say it’s embarrassing that I haven’t read 1984 by George Orwell. Just haven’t gotten around to it.

—

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever used as a bookmark?

Oh gosh, I use anything and everything as a bookmark. Currently, I have a business card as my bookmark.

—

Look at your bookshelf. What’s the first book you see with a yellow spine?

I don’t appear to have a yellow spine (tragedy). Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by  RL LaFevers has a black spine with tiny yellow corners. Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling and This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner have orange spines. Which is close. Ish.

—

If you could have one new book from a deceased author, who would it be?

Jane Austen. She could write anything and I would love it. I’m drooling just thinking about a lost manuscript being discovered. GIVE IT TO ME.

—

Name an author who deserves more readership.

So many authors. I believe that every author deserves some dedicated readers! But one in particular that I feel is underloved: Kristin Cashore. I love Graceling and Fire and just don’t think enough people love them!

—

(featured image source)

Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

We all have books we love that others hate and books we hate that others love. Tis life. But let’s be honest, when someone hates your faves, a little piece of you withers and dies. Dramatic, but you can’t deny it doesn’t cut you to the core! Well, think about that the next time you rant about a book you hate; you never know who loves it! That said, I’m just giving my opinions here, and if you love one of the books I’m not a fan of, no worries, I’m sure we have other books/series in common 🙂

—

A popular book or series that you didn’t like.

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (My review here)

—

A popular book or series that every one else seems to hate but you love.

These Broken Stars / Starbound Trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I don’t know that everyone else hates this series necessarily, but I haven’t seen glowing reviews everywhere. (My review here).

—

A love triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with (warning: spoilers) or an OTP that you don’t like.

I always come back to this, but Jo from Little Women DID NOT end up with Laurie and to this day I get so angry just thinking about it. UGH.

—

A popular book genre that you hardly ever reach for.

A year ago I would’ve easily answered ya contemporary, but that just isn’t true anymore. I’ve been reading so much of it lately, though, that I can’t claim it here! I’m not really sure what my least favorite genre is… I’m not sure I have one! Maybe horror/gore? Yeah, I’ll go with that. Not much into the dark stuff.

—

A popular or beloved character that you do not like.

Kelsey from the Tiger Saga by Colleen Houck. I just did not like her character and didn’t enjoy that series whatsoever.

—

A popular author that you can’t seem to get into.

The Gone series by Michael Grant. I’ve tried so many times to get into this series, and it just doesn’t work for me. Sad. (Is it? I’m not sure, I just gave up)

—

A popular book trope that you’re tired of seeing. (examples “lost princess”, corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)

Love triangles. Hands down. If I have to read one more book about two equally hot/ mesmerizing/good/perfect/omg guys that are both equally in love/dedicated/obsessed with the main character, I’m going to quit reading forever. (Not really.)

—

A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Meade. I get that some people love this series, but I just can’t seem to find any interest in picking it up.

—

The saying goes “The book is always better than the movie”, but what movie or TV show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?

The Perks of Being a Wallflower! I remember seeing it for the first time and feeling like I didn’t know how to feel, because it was so perfect and magical yet heartbreaking. (I’m really hoping the Shadowhunters TV series is going to knock this out for first place, fingers crossed).

—

(featured image source)

A to Z Book Tag

I just realized that I love doing book tags but the whole purpose is that you’re supposed to be tagged by someone — not that that’s required (obviously) but it’s how it was created — and I don’t think I’ve ever actually done a book tag traditionally speaking. Huh. Oh well. Here’s another one I saw on Tumblr (and tweaked) because I liked it. This one is a little on the long side (because A to Z is a lot of questions!) but I kept them short (ish)…

Author you love the most
JK Rowling (I feel like a broken record)

Best sequel ever
Sequels are notoriously my least favorite! But Dark Passage by MJ Putney

Currently reading
Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas;
Gambit by CL Denault;
Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Drink of choice while reading
Tea or water

E-reader or physical book?
Both, depends on the book

Fictional character you could actually see yourself falling love with
Mr. Darcy (cliche much? I don’t even care)

Glad you gave this book a (second) chance
Queen’s Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
(my brother basically begged me to read this one)

How many books you’ve read
Goodreads says 1,081 books

Ice cream required to deal with all the feels
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Just finished
Spinning Starlight by RC Lewis

Kind of books you won’t read
There’s no set “kind”, it just depends on how I feel about it

Longest book you’ve ever read
I’m not even sure, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte possibly? (Will be Count of Monte Cristo once I finish that fella)

Major book hangover
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Number of bookcases you own
2 small ones & 2 full sized

One book you’ve read multiple times
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling holds the highest
number of rereads, hands down.

Preferred place to read
My bed, obviously

Quote that describes your life
“In new situations, all the trickiest rules are the ones nobody bothers to explain to you. (And the ones you can’t Google.)” from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Reading regrets
I know this is supposed to be specific examples, but my biggest regret is that I’m getting to the point where I’ve read so many books that they’re blurring together. I don’t like that at all. The books I love should not blur together, they should be distinct and unique and special!

Series you started but still need to finish
Dozens? Probably.

Top three (fantasy) favorite series of all time
1. The Harry Potter series
2. The Dark Mirror series by MJ Putney
3. The Study series by Maria V Snyder

Unapologetic fangirl
The Percy Jackson series,
I can just really get behind this one from a fandom/fanfic perspective

Very excited for this upcoming release
Winter by Marissa Meyer!!

Worst bookish habit
My TBR pile grows and I just ignore it when starting new books

X marks the spot: start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (supposedly next on my TBR… we’ll see)

Your latest book purchase
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Zzz snatcher book: last book that kept you up WAY late
All of them? Most recently was Spinning Starlight by RC Lewis because I finished it yesterday (last night)!

—

(featured image source)

The Fangirl Tag

In honor of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell coming soon (October 6), I wanted to get in touch with my inner fangirl (who isn’t so inner most of the time). I saw this tag on tumblr awhile back and wanted to do it! For a laugh, here’s urban dictionary’s definition of “fangirl”:

Not sure how much I agree with that definition, but don’t know what my reaction would be, honestly, if I was presented with my favorite fictional characters face-to-face…

—

The questions:

1. Who was your first fictional crush?
2. When/how did you discover fanfiction?
3. What is the weirdest fanfic you’ve ever read?
4. What was the first ‘fandom’ you joined? (Not specifically a Tumblr one, just a group that all had an interest in common)
5. Have you ever named anything after a book/tv show? Or plan to?
6. Give us a brief history of your otps, spanning from childhood up till now.
7. Do you own any fan merchandise for something? If so, what? If not, what would you like to have?
8. If you had the opportunity to be part of your favourite books, would you want to be? Or would you rather stay an observer?
9. When did you join tumblr?
10. If you had to pick one fictional boyfriend, who would it be and why?

—

Who was your first fictional crush?

My first real crush was probably Oliver Wood from the Harry Potter series. I really, really wanted him to be real, and short of being real, that JK Rowling had based him on a real person that I could meet. Before that, in my very much younger years, I had a thing for Ned from the Nancy Drew series. He was such a babe.

—

When/how did you discover fanfiction?

Actually, I don’t remember when/how I discovered fanfics… Must have been very unremarkable.

—

What is the weirdest fanfic you’ve ever read?

What fanfic isn’t weird? I mean they’re all a little off becuase the voice isn’t right, or they’re set somewhere completely different, or the characters are doing things they’d never do… That’s like asking me which orange is orange. I can’t rank them in order of weirdness!

—

What was the first ‘fandom’ you joined? (Not specifically a Tumblr one, just a group that all had an interest in common)

Oh, definitely, Harry Potter. Before my reading was very isolated, and I didn’t have book discussions or talks with people who loved what I loved. Until Harry Potter, and then my world exploded.

—

Have you ever named anything after a book/tv show? Or plan to?

Not yet! But I do have all my dogs’ names planned out and even some of kids’ names.

—

Give us a brief history of your otps, spanning from childhood up till now.

This would be endless, so how about top 8… four from childhood and four from now?
Daphne & Fred from Scooby Doo
Laura Ingalls & Almanzo Wilder from Little House on the Prairie series
Nancy & Ned from the Nancy Drew books
Jo & Laurie from Little Women
Harry & Ginny from the Harry Potter series
Lily & James from the Harry Potter series
Regina & Robin from Once Upon a Time
Amy & Rory from Doctor Who

—

Do you own any fan merchandise for something? If so, what? If not, what would you like to have?

Yesssssss. I have things & want all the things.
Harry Potter: wand, time turner, Gringott’s gold, Marauder’s Map, poster
Doctor Who: sonic screwdriver, poster, pin that says “Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey”
Green Gables Fables: script from a certain episode
Jane Austen: those couples postcards I mentioned awhile back

—

If you had the opportunity to be part of your favourite books, would you want to be? Or would you rather stay an observer?

UM YES WHERE IS MY HOGWARTS LETTER

—

When did you join tumblr?

Oh gosh, um, let me see if I can check my account… I couldn’t, but it was in my email (the benefits of never erasing emails!): April 3, 2013. My new tumblr anniversary.

—

If you had to pick one fictional boyfriend, who would it be and why?

Just one?! I can only have one?!?! Omg I don’t know that I can pick just one, I love too many of them! Okay, fine, this will likely change, but right now I’d want Gilbert Blythe. Ugh, I can’t believe you made me choose!

—

(featured image source)

ARC Review: Lumiere by Jacqueline Garlick

Lumiere (The Illumination Paradox #1) by Jacqueline Garlick

Release date: August 11, 2015

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Beware: some minor spoilers ahead

“One determined girl. One resourceful boy. One miracle machine that could destroy everything.

After an unexplained flash shatters her world, seventeen-year-old Eyelet Elsworth sets out to find the Illuminator, her father’s prized invention. With it, she hopes to cure herself of her debilitating seizures before Professor Smrt—her father’s arch nemesis—discovers her secret and locks her away in an asylum.

Pursued by Smrt, Eyelet locates the Illuminator only to see it whisked away. She follows the thief into the world of the unknown, compelled not only by her quest but by the allure of the stranger—Urlick Babbit—who harbors secrets of his own.

Together, they endure deadly Vapours and criminal-infested woods in pursuit of the same prize, only to discover the miracle machine they hoped would solve their problems may in fact be their biggest problem of all.”

—

I was really excited when I received this book through NetGalley and started reading it almost immediately! It sounded very steampunk and mysterious so I was all in!

The setting and worldbuilding were pretty great in Lumiere, and I really enjoyed seeing/learning more about it as we went through the novel. There were some definite steampunk themes going through, i.e. the gagdetry, the evil machines, etc. that I really enjoyed. JG did weave magic in with all the science and inventing, which was really interesting. The society had some very anti feelings towards magic and “wickedry” but science and inventions were just fine. This novel really explored the line between science and magic, and I really enjoyed that!

However, from there, my feelings kind of went downhill….

The main character, Eyelet Ellsworth, was not my favorite. She is very no nonsense, but not in a confident and inspiring kind of way, more along the lines of whiny and annoying. She didn’t really click with me. The other main character, Urlick (whose name I reinvented in my head to be Ulrick, because otherwise it just came out as “your-lick” where I imagined someone handing me a half eaten sucker. Sorry, but no), had a little more depth, but soon lost it when he became enamored with Eyelet. Their initial romance seemed stilted and out of place to me. I didn’t really feel them as a couple until more towards the end where they’re in some tight situations and have to rely on one another. At that point, I was all yes yes yes (Eyelick? Urlet? There’s no win here with these names).

Throughout the book, I felt like I was fumbling through this world without a real direction. An idea would occur to one of the main characters, and then the next few chapters would be a result of that. One would randomly remember this thing from his or her childhood which would be exactly necessary in this exact moment. It felt like a series of (unfortunate) events that were linked together as an afterthought, rather than flowing and building to a climax at the end.

Overall, I loved the world and the setting, but the characters and plot fell flat for me. Really wanted to love this one!

2 out of 5 stars.

(featured image source)

Inside Out Tag

So I loved the new Pixar movie Inside Out! I get Sadness and Disgust on an emotional level; I can’t choose between them. I saw this tag on Sanovia’s blog CreatyveBooks, and knew I had to do it. (Side note, if you aren’t following her, you totally should!).

Now in order of birth (inception?)

—

Joy

The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

This series will never not give me joy (double negative to mean joy = always). I just love, love, love this series. Just thinking about Harry Potter makes me want to read the books all over again. #always

—

Sadness

Persuasion by Jane Austen

I’ve already mentioned that I identify with Sadness on a deep, deep level, so matching this with Persuasion does not in any way mean that I dislike Persuasion (because I love it and Sadness, obviously). But, Anne has this deep, soul wearying sadness that she has to deal with on a daily basis, and watching her overcome it is why this is one of my favorites.

—

Fear

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I was simultaneous terrified and obsessed while reading this book. I had so many things to be frightened about happening to each of the two main characters throughout this book. My anxiety levels were just through the roof! I really did enjoy it, so don’t let fear scare you away from reading it (full review here). Also, that horrible, horrible and luckily brief moment where I thought this book wasn’t part of a series (but it is, don’t fret like me).

—

Disgust

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

This book just seriously grossed me out. The level of detail and thought that was put into murder and planning and just ugh. Every moment of that book had me just wanting to purge everything from my mind and take a long shower.

—

Anger

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

I was expecting something completely different with this book, and to say I was disappointed would be a drastic understatement. I personally didn’t enjoy this one (full review here).

—

  

(Featured image source)