tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82558637630699115612024-03-13T10:22:55.752-07:00Totally TansieBlogger, Writer, and Book Lover. Also, Iron Man is awesome.DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-1885983125833524652016-04-25T14:39:00.000-07:002016-04-26T16:13:54.288-07:00I'm LeavingI technically have already left my blog for almost two months now. I don't post anything. I don't link up with other blogs. I don't read enough books to have a review up every week and occasionally not even enough to have a review up every month.<br />
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The truth of the matter is, this blog is already pretty dead. </div>
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So, I guess what I'm doing is making it <i>dead-</i>dead. </div>
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I don't want to write a super long explanation because there really isn't one. Life got hectic and I got tired and that's about it. </div>
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Would I keep blogging if I wasn't so busy? Maybe. I'm not sure. At this point, blogging is not something that I see myself doing for another year or two. I've already had this blog for four years (and I have the horrible first posts to prove it, hidden in my drafts file) and honestly, it was always meant to be something on the side, never something that I took extremely seriously. It was fun while it lasted, but now I'm ready for it to be done. </div>
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Farewell, and seriously <i>thank you</i> to the people who took the time to comment and make my day brighter. You're the reason I stuck around as long as I did. </div>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-76472810856033177132016-03-14T10:12:00.000-07:002016-03-14T10:12:23.588-07:00Blogger Award: Sisterhood of the World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Briana @ <a href="https://readerwritercritic.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Reader, Writer, Critic</a> tagged me for the Sisterhood of the World award <i>(thank youuuu!!) </i>a couple weeks ago and after much avoiding-of-the-metaphorical-eye-contact it is here!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Rules</b></span><br />
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1. Thank the blogger who nominated you and link back to their website.</div>
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2. Use the award logo on your post.</div>
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3. Answer the 10 questions provided by the blogger who tagged you.</div>
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4. Nominate 10 bloggers.</div>
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5. Ask them 10 questions.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Answers</b></span><br />
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<b>1. What is your favorite book based TV show or movie?</b></div>
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I have one TV show and one movie that I want to use here because I love them both astronomical amounts.<br />
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Movie first, <i>The Help</i>, which is weird, because I have yet to read the actual book (I keep meaning to, but it's SO HUGE and I am afraid). But the movie was <i>amazing. </i>I both laughed and cried and it just had so much <i>depth</i>. </div>
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The message was and is so important.<br />
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For TV shows... <i>The 100</i>. And if you read my review of the book, you know I'm not a fan, but I am head-over-heals in love with the show and I always want to stop people from reading the book first because then they get the wrong idea about the show and... Gah.<br />
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Basically, the book is romance and teenage angst, and the show is death and tears and loss and just pain in general, really. The romance is a side plot (!!!) because the teenagers have to deal with things like <i>people they did not know existed trying to kill them</i>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone in this show needs at least three showers.</td></tr>
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<b>2. Do you write posts in the moment or way ahead of time?</b></div>
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It's a terrible combination of the two. </div>
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What I mean by that is, I get an idea precisely as I'm writing the now post. After I actually reach the time where I should publish that idea, I back out. I decide that it's terrible, toss it away, and come up with a brand new idea on the spot. Sometimes it works but usually it's awful. </div>
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<b>3. Do you ever get overwhelmed by the size of your TBR pile or do you revel in it?</b></div>
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Neither. I actually don't have that big of a TBR (this is basically the biggest crime a bookworm can commit, I know) and I only add books to it a couple times per year. I have 232 books on my TBR on Goodreads right now and most of those books I added years ago.<br />
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<b>4. What post are you most proud of this year? </b></div>
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I haven't got a whole lot to chose from. Buuut, probably my post about the duology I'm writing (which is literally the last post before this one). I opened up about a lot regarding the characters that I hadn't ever talked about before. </div>
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<b>5. When you aren't reading or blogging, what do you like to do?</b></div>
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A little bit of everything? Outside of school and writing (which I decided is too closely related to reading and blogging to count) I am an unorganized mess.<br />
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<i>Buuut</i>, I do particularly enjoy watching k-dramas. And I've been trying to watch more English-speaking shows (aka Supernatural and Jane the Virgin). And I occasionally draw. </div>
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<b>6. Do you read books little by little or all at once?</b></div>
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ALL. AT. ONCE.</div>
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Which is pretty much how I live my life, really. If I don't read the book in one or two sittings, I lose interest and have to start all over weeks or months later. Whenever I see the book sadly perched on some piece of furniture and the guilty to lazy ratio is tipped in the first's favor.</div>
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<b>7. Do you have any blogging or reading rituals when starting a new post or book?</b></div>
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Nope. I'm a fairly spontaneous person outside of school, so there's no <i>time </i>for a ritual. I must just furiously type or read away with no regard for anything else until I'm done or I pass out from over-exertion. </div>
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<b>8. What genres do you gravitate toward the most and what ones do you avoid like the plague?</b></div>
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I will read anything (and I mean anything) that promises snark and blood, but genre-wise I'm pretty chill?? I do love reading horror. OH. AND DARK FAIRYTALE RETELLINGS.</div>
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For some reason, I used to <i>love </i>contemporary romance-- but now I can hardly stand them. It takes a serious amount of willpower to read them and I always get bored somewhere during the process because they're so predictable. It's really frustrating because I don't want all of my reading experiences to be emotionally devastating. </div>
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<b>9. How do you balance blogging and reading with the other things is your life?</b></div>
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Badly.</div>
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Really, really badly.</div>
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<b>10. What are three of your favorite posts by other bloggers that you've read in the past month or so?</b></div>
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Oh, dear.<br />
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Well. I haven't really been present in the blogosphere for the past month. I've just kinda been on Youtube whenever I'm not doing school and avidly evading the Blogger logo so I don't feel guilty for not writing a post in almost three weeks.<br />
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BUT I AIM TO PLEASE and despite my amazing avoiding skills I still stalked some people so...<br />
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1. Cait's <a href="http://paperfury.com/unpopular-opinions-fictional-characters/" target="_blank">unpopular opinions on popular characters.</a><br />
2. Aimee's <a href="http://aimeemeesterwrites.blogspot.com/2016/03/things-books-taught-me.html" target="_blank">very serious guide to things books taught her.</a><br />
3. Sophia's <a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/2016/03/guest-post-staying-on-top-of-reviewing.html" target="_blank">guide to reviewing on a schedule that I admire while doing the opposite.</a><br />
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Annnd, I am breaking the rules doubly by doing this (first because the question specifically states 3, and secondly because the following post was published precisely a month and<i> three days</i> ago) but here goes. Skye did a post on <a href="http://skyehoffert.blogspot.com/2016/02/musings-of-overachieving-selectivley.html" target="_blank">not letting other people define you</a> that is <i>really important</i>.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">My Questions</span></b><br />
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1. Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite thing to munch on?<br />
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2. What inspired you to start blogging?<br />
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3. What are you the most confident about with your writing/blogging?<br />
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4. Permanent blue hair or permanent purple hair? This is a serious question. I must know.<br />
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5. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?<br />
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6. What book that you read this year has made the biggest impact on you? This can be anything.<br />
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7. Give an example of one or more characters (they can be from anything-- book, TV show, movie, or even comics) that you can relate you and/or remind you of yourself. Do you like those characters?<br />
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8. Do you have a thousand ideas for writing/blogging per day or do they come once in a blue moon? Somewhere in the middle?<br />
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9. Are you a morning bird or a night owl?<br />
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10. What music do you like listening to? Is music a big part of the writing experience for you?<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Nominees</b></span><br />
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I tag...<br />
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1. Aimee @ <a href="http://aimeemeesterwrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">To the Barricade!</a><br />
2. Skye @<a href="http://skyehoffert.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Ink Castles</a><br />
3. Ely @ <a href="http://emptycornerofmymind.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">what can I say?</a><br />
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...and anyone else who wants to join in! Drop a link in the comments and I'll check out your post and leave a comment.</div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-6363165753787347112016-02-21T11:00:00.000-08:002016-02-21T11:00:06.939-08:00On Writing: Untitled DuologyI have been working on this duo for <i>over a year </i>and it still has no title. This is infuriating to the highest degree, and a very big insult to my naming capabilities. (I usually name an idea seconds after having it-- in some cases, I even have the name before the idea).<br />
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But this idea is basically my child now. And yes, I love all my ideas (that's a lie. some I just stash in broken corners and ignore the existence of. I'm the most loving mother ever what are you talking about) but I'd be lying if I said this one didn't have a special place in my heart.<br />
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This "On Writing" post isn't going to be like my last one, where I briefly talked about what the book is about and then touched on the two most important characters <i>extremely </i>briefly. Yes, I'm still going to be talking about characters (and yes, there's two of them again), but it's not going to be brief and I don't talk about the plot at all.<br />
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Before I get in to it, I would like to mention: This is a stabby sequence of books. There is blood. (A LOT of blood). People die. (A LOT of people die). And the reason is this: It's a post-apocolyptic sci-fi-ish, dystopian-ish novel and I <i>really </i>wanted to touch up on the forever-question of <i>Can you kill people and do horrible things and still have your humanity</i>? After a lot of writing on this topic, the answer is both yes and no. Just... don't stab things alone. Have a friend. Make it a party. (Obviously, I'm kidding, please don't stab things omg).<br />
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The main character is Quinn Rivera.<br />
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Quinn is bottled up rage and pain at the age of seventeen. She's probably the most complex character I've ever written-- she has such deep fears and hopes, and even though she acts like a walking icicle armed with way too much sarcasm, love is her guiding force.<br />
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I filled out a character chart today about her characteristics. Basically, what makes her tick. And I realized, despite what I'd originally planned, she's not a broken person. She's one of the strongest character that's ever graced my thoughts, actually.<br />
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And even though that seems kind of obvious-- she's a <i>bounty hunter </i>so of course she's strong in the literal sense-- she was never meant to be. Quinn was always supposed to be fragile. Breakable. Forever on the brink of losing her mind but too afraid to let herself show it. Now, I know she was <i>always</i> strong, despite the cracks and the tears and the anger that rushed to disguise them.<br />
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Can you tell she's my favorite.<br />
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Ahem.<br />
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If Quinn is chaos, then Luna is the calm.<br />
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Luna is Quinn's older sister-- she's nineteen years old-- and she's pretty much Quinn's polar opposite.<br />
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She suffers through things quietly and softly. Never enough for anyone to notice, and just so little than everyone thinks she's fine. Better than fine. <i>Happy</i>.<br />
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Luna was always meant to be the hero of the story, and Quinn the sidekick, even though Quinn is the main character. From the moment I sat down and started plotting, that was just how it was going to be. In my mind, Luna was... well, the closest thing to perfect.<br />
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She's gentle and loving despite all that she's experienced. She's held on to the parts of herself that Quinn abandoned. She still finds it in herself to be able to love and trust those who probably don't deserve it.<br />
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And yes, she's still all these things. But now, she's so much more. She's a girl who doesn't know<i> who</i> she is, just that she's her little sister's protector. She didn't mean to be a hero-- she just didn't want to watch the world burn again. She's lost just as much as Quinn is, if not more.<br />
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So, yes, this is a book with aliens and guns and war. It features a <i>lot </i>of bruised knuckles and broken bones. But I never really wanted that to be all. I wanted it to be about Luna and Quinn. Sisters who would do anything to hold on to each other, even if it meant losing themselves.</div>
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I'm currently writing the second book-- I have everything plotted and this is the first time this has ever happened. Seriously. It's a miracle. And I'm also <i>super excited</i>-- which hasn't happened in a while. I'm over halfway done (!!!) and I'm actually not hating my writing (!!!!!!!). (And then after that comes edits and more edits and more edits and more edits and...). </div>
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/totallytansie/duology/" target="_blank">Pinterest Board</a> </div>
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This is the shortest post <i>ever </i>and I am super sorry because my brain is basically falling apart from exhaustion right now. <i>Anyways. </i>I may not be able to post next week. I probably will. This is just a precaution, so you know what I'm doing if I suddenly disappear. </div>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-4075689953835913622016-02-14T08:05:00.000-08:002016-02-14T08:05:56.588-08:00Reviewing: Believe Me, I'm Lying by Jordan Lynde<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When 17 year old Harley finds herself jobless, she needs a new job-- and quick. Her uncle comes to her house with a job offer. For her to become a teacher at his school. A school for delinquents.<br />
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<b>Published December 10, 2010 by Random House</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.jordanlyndeauthor.com/" target="_blank">Author's Website</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.wattpad.com/story/41030-believe-me-i%27m-lying-now-published-by-random-house" target="_blank">Link to the Book on Wattpad</a></div>
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Not gonna lie: When I first read the synopsis, I thought this was going to be a lot like <i>How to Lead a Life of Crime--</i> which, if I'm being honest, I completely loved-- so my expectations were a little high. <i>However, </i>after the first couple of chapters, the author says that this is supposed to be a romantic comedy with a little action thrown in. So-- probably no psychos trying to murder each other in between kisses. She also adds that this book does not have a plot, and that it's not supposed to. (I think what she actually meant by that is that there is no goal of the story, since technically every book has a plot, even if it's not very good).<br />
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I'm going to go ahead and say there was a <i>lot </i>that I didn't love about this book-- but <i>most</i> (read: not all) of them could be fixed with a little editing.<br />
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<b>This is a review of the unedited version. </b>It's like the <i>first </i>first draft-- there are plenty of typos and rough descriptions and the like.<i> So</i>, in order to be fairer, I'm going to be discussing/reviewing the story and characters. Not the grammar. (This is basically a warning for those of you who are considering reading this: If bad grammar makes your head hurt, try to find the published version).<br />
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Harley associates bad things with the rain. Her pet was killed in the rain, her grandfather passed away from cancer when it was raining, her parents were killed in a car accident when it was raining, and now, when she's fired from her job-- it's raining. Obviously, Harley is not a very happy person-- she's stressed out, she's trying to take care of her little brother, and... she's how old? <i>Seventeen. </i>This girl is <i>seventeen. </i><br />
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Maybe I'm just being picky, but <i>LEGALITIES</i>, peoples<i>. </i>They exist-- and they're kinda hard to avoid. She can't be a legal guardian until she's eighteen but she is.<br />
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Before you say that being a teacher at seventeen is also impossible,<b> Harley is pretending to be twenty-one</b> so that she can have this job.<br />
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Conveniently, the entire senior class (the one most of the book focuses on) is made up of boys. <i>All boys.</i> And, not to sound extremely rude, but are all teenage boys complete apes? I've never been to public school so I have no idea how it works, but <i>how the heck are they allowed to treat her like that. </i>Obviously, this is fiction, but I must know-- does this actually happen???<br />
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Harley is about as naive and innocent as a newborn child. In the time it took her eyes well up and her cheeks to flush ten times, I'd plotted each of their deaths three different ways. <span style="font-size: x-small;">This is arguably a side-effect of writing so many deaths, but oh, well. OFF WITH THEIR HEADS.</span><br />
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This is not an insult to her personality. Harley is sweet-- but that's about it. She's nice and trusting and thinks everyone should get along all the time. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Which drove me insane, to be completely honest)</span>. These are all good qualities! BUT. She is also incredibly stubborn. <i>Illogically </i>so. She won't take a job that could save her and her brother because it's offered by someone she knows so it's therefore "charity". She won't stop trying to see the good in people when they've harassed her 1332374687846 times and they've <i>physically assaulted </i>her.<br />
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I do not understand.</div>
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Seriously.</div>
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Someone explain.</div>
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On to the love triangle. Or should I say love octagon, because literally <i>every guy </i>has a thing for Harley. And they all like her because she's helpless. <i>What.</i> Also, before I talk about how completely abrupt it is (Example: "Hello, you are covered in flour because I dumped it on you and also you look sad let me help you up-- WAIT you are also a cute human... WHAT ARE THESE FEELINGS I AM A MANLY CRIMINAL") let me just mention how much Harley has no idea what she's doing.</div>
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She literally yells, at a classroom full of teenage delinquent boys whilst covered in flour, that they must respect her.</div>
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I felt real, physical pain. </div>
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Now, back to topic: <b>Oliver </b>and <b>Arden </b>are the love interests. The <i>main </i>love interests. They are nearly polar opposites in personality, with Oliver being cold and moody and Arden being flirtatious and outgoing, and they are leaders of two opposing school gangs. They're also ex-bffs but they don't like to talk about it. Both of them have their own secrets and bad qualities (Oliver has possibly the worst temper in the world and Arden has a tendency to lie about everything), but they're each also endearing in each of their ways. I will say this: It is adorable how all of Harley's students come to care for her as a person. </div>
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The ending is about as vague as it can possibly be as to who Harley <i>actually</i> sticks with, but I've heard the ending has been dramatically changed and that there's a new epilogue in the published version.</div>
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There are maybe three women who are mentioned more than once-- one is never actually shown, another is mentioned in passing, and another is there as a <i>friend</i> but it's never shown why they became friends at all. And they spend very little time together. </div>
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Now, peoples, don't get me wrong. This wasn't an awful book, no matter how much I've ranted about it. I was expecting an action-y, mystery-y, thriller-y book, and, obviously, that's not what this book is about. If you're looking for a light, cutesy read, full of cliches, then definitely go for it. If you're looking for something darker and more suspenseful, this is about the opposite of that.</div>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-13381544354815098072016-02-07T09:15:00.001-08:002016-02-07T09:15:52.825-08:00Reviewing: Follow Me Back by A. V. Geiger<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Tessa Hart has a secret - but she's too scared to tell a soul. She dropped out of school six months ago for reasons she doesn't dare speak aloud. Not to her mother. Not to her therapists. Not even to her brand new Twitter BFF...<br />
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Eric Thorn has a secret of his own - one that none of the girls would guess. He's dreamed his whole life of making it in the music industry, but no one seems to understand the harsh realities of fame. Not his manager. Not his record label. And certainly not the fan girl he starts talking to on Twitter late at night, for reasons he can't explain...<br />
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Now Tessa follows Eric, and Eric follows Tessa. But this is no fan-fiction come to life. This is a story of fan accounts and fake profiles, where no one is exactly who they seem, and where a simple tap of the "Follow" button has the power to lead to love... Or to something far more sinister.<br />
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<a href="https://www.wattpad.com/152986994-follow-me-back-complete-being-published-story" target="_blank">Link to the book</a></div>
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<a href="http://avgeiger.com/" target="_blank">Link to the author's website</a></div>
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Expected publication: 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Spoilers are between these: [ ] Highlight to read.</span><br />
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This was really good. It's not that often that I find an awesome book on Wattpad, either-- and this is the first draft. The unedited version. Which means it's going to get <em>even better</em>. *flails*<br />
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First of all, this is a mystery/thriller novel. It focuses on Tessa, a girl who dropped out of college in her freshman year due to <em>reasons</em> and is now terrified of being touched/watched/etc., and Eric... a celebrity in a downward spiral of paranoia after a fellow celebrity/popstar is murdered by a psychotic fan. <br />
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This is told sort of like <em>Dangerous Girls</em>-- you're given information from after everything happens, and then, in between these snippets of tantalizing clues of what the heck is actually going on, you get a few chapters filled with what happened a few weeks, hours, or months ago. It jumps around some, but that never felt like an issue as I was reading it.<br />
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Is it super intense? Yep. It is. But not in the don't-forget-to-dodge-the-bullets way. More in the... don't-turn-around-someone-is-watching-you sort of way. I was right at the most creepy part when I went to bed, and I actually did not want to close my eyes because of the creepery (that's a word) I had just read. Like... no. I felt pretty exposed and vulnerable, and I'm guessing that's what the author <em>wants</em> you to feel... [<span style="color: white;">...so you get a glimpse of the horror Tessa felt. Can I just say that thanks to Blair I am never sleeping 100% comfortably again? I can't imagine how horrified Tessa must have felt to see all those pictures of herself and realize that, no matter what she did, someone had <i>always </i>been watching her every move.</span>]<span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[...so you get a glimpse of how Tessa felt. Can I just say that thanks to Blair I am never sleeping 100% comfortably again? I can't imagine how horrified Tessa must have felt to see all those pictures of herself and realize that someone had <em>always</em> been watching her... and she'd sort of known, too, but not really. She hadn't known that it would be that bad. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
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May I add that I'm already kind of a scared person. Like, when I go out in public, I'm always checking where people are in the room/building in relation to me. I hate it when someone walks behind me. I hate it when people are paying a lot of attention to me. The curtains <i>have</i> to be shut at night. It's not like a phobia, but it's something that just makes me feel more nervous and anxious. This is the first book I've read that deals with stalkery, and may I just say it creeped me the heck out and made me want to nail boards over all the windows in the house.<br />
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When it comes to trusting people... HA. No such thing exists. You can't trust <em>anyone</em>. Not Tessa, not Eric, not any of the secondary characters, because EVERYONE is hiding something, everyone is a suspect, and <i>everyone</i>, at some point, seems like they're the one who is responsible for all the bad things ever. I felt <em>so</em> stressed while reading this, and it would be a severe understatement to say that I rushed. I did not simply <em>rush</em>. I did some amazingly epic Flash level of speed-reading that is deserving of a trophy and multiple pieces of chocolate. <br />
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The only things that I found iffy were A) the romance and B) some of the most important parts of the story happen in the POV of the character who wasn't there to witness it. For A, I liked the romance until nearing the end-- Eric was being a little bit of a prick. And he was jumping around with tactics. And it felt like he was being super inconsiderate. It was very out of character (to me). For B, I'm not sure if this was because the author didn't know how to write the intense scenes so she skipped to the other person, or if it's because she wants you to completely flip out with the lack of knowing happening. If it's the second, I salute her. I was so impatient to find out what happened that I think I sprained my thumb trying to scroll down the page at hyperspeed. <br />
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<i>Follow Me Back </i>ties very, extremely closely with the pressure a celebrity faces (and really makes being a celebrity seem horrible), as well as mental illnesses and how they affect a person.<br />
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There was a lot of "WHAT DO YOU MEAN"'s and "NOPE *throws phone" involved. Each of the police transcripts scattered throughout show a different part of the story. Parts that <em>completely contradict each other</em> at first glance but, after you read the whole story, make complete sense.<br />
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Also... the ending. I need all of my friends to read this so that we can trade ideas about what that ending meant. [<span style="color: white;"> The way it was put makes it seem like Tessa just traded one stalker for another. Blair to Eric. Both convinced they love her and want to be around her 24/7. Is it showing that Eric became his worst fear??? I HAVE NO IDEA SOMEONE TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS</span>.]<span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[The way it was put makes it seem like Tessa just traded one stalker for another one. Blair to Eric. Both convinced they love her and want to be around her 24/7. Is it showing how Eric became his worst fear??? I HAVE NO IDEA SOMEONE TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
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In conclusion: This was very tense and very twisty and I have ALL the theories and observations so someone needs to read this so I can talk to them about it.<br />
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Also: This book has ruined the name "Blair" for me. Like 100% RUINED. Apologies to any future Blair's I meet. You know who to blame.<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-38710518406704974202016-02-01T10:41:00.001-08:002016-02-01T10:41:57.689-08:00What's Happening in February AKA The Game Plan<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm probably going to have to check this post every time I come up with an idea for a post, just so I don't forget what I'm supposed to be doing, but here we go<b>: The Game Plan for 2016. </b>Otherwise known as: This post really should have happened in January but oh well. This is basically going to be a summary of different types of posts and what I'm going to be doing with them... or not doing.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Reviews</span></div>
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This month, I am only going to be reading and reviewing books that were first published on Wattpad. I have a serious problem with discovering new authors (AKA I never do unless the book is super hyped), and a serious problem with reading <i>at all </i>once school starts (for some reason I don't read paper books, I only read books that are online) so hopefully this will fix both problems. </div>
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This is only going to be going on in February. In March, it'll be something else, but from here on out <b>every month is going to have a theme. </b>Ex: In March, I might only read high fantasy, and in April I might pick steampunk. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Life Posts</span></div>
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There are going to be almost <i>none </i>of these. And that's because my life is ridiculously boring. </div>
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Moving on.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">On Writing</span></div>
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I'm going to be doing these approximately once a month. Sometimes it might be a little more, sometimes I might not do them at all (if I'm not currently writing anything), but these will just be about different aspects of my current WIPs. Like characters, plots, world building, etc.</div>
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Since I just did one last week, another one probably will have to wait until near the end of this month.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Link Ups</span></div>
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I hardly ever do these as it is, but now I am thinking of doing them once a month. Again, <i>hopefully</i>. I don't really know about a lot of link-ups, so that's going to be another thing I try to know more about this year. Also I don't really read a lot of blogs. I only religiously check three blogs for new posts and that is terrible. </div>
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Other than the types of posts I talked about above, there isn't anything else that I'm thinking about posting about. Occasionally there might be some lists (because, seriously, who doesn't like a good list)-- probably like the Top 5 Villains post I did forever ago. I am completely open to any other ideas, but for right now this is what to expect. </div>
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<b>I'll be posting on either Sunday or Monday each week.</b> </div>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-75740523560619979442016-01-24T17:49:00.000-08:002016-02-29T10:51:24.056-08:00On Writing: My Kingdom ComeThis is just going to be a short post about one of my current projects. It's not going to go crazy in depth-- only the basic idea and most important characters.<br />
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If you've been around for... I don't know, a <i>while</i>, you know that fantasy is not my thing. I don't write it. I rarely read it. I write futuristic, sci-fi-y (that's a word), dark stuff. I write stories about angry ghosts and alien races and girls with guns. So, of course, the only <i>logical </i>thing for me to do was to sit down and start plotting a <i>giant</i> fantasy book. Go me.<br />
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I'm very extremely psyched about it. Mainly because this is something that has been a part of my life for the past <i>forever. </i>I can't even remember when I started it. I was probably four or five, or even three. I've written (awful) versions of this story before. The idea of revamping it is, honestly, irresistible.<br />
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The story focuses on the lives of various people-- but, perhaps most vital to the story, are Princess Naomi and the High Princess Katherine. (Note that all of the names used are <i>original </i>and <i>very extremely </i>liable to change).<br />
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<b>Princess Naomi </b>is the heir to the kingdom of Fenn-- the only heir with a bloodline that goes back to the first ruler. The one with all the magic. This kingdom is known for its strategy, as brute force isn't possible with such few numbers. Engaged to wed the High Prince Matthew (name is also going to change) to solve the years of unrest between their kingdoms, Naomi travels to the other kingdom to meet him a month before the wedding.<br />
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While there, she meets the <b>High Princess Katherine</b> (her name is 100% going to change), the daughter of the Blood King-- the man who sent the Aeron back to its home in hell. To him, she's invisible, a placeholder for the greater power her future suitor will bring. But there are many, many secrets an invisible princess can learn. Her father will learn to regret what he forced her to endure.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">History lesson.</span></b><br />
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Roughly thirty years ago, there was a war that shook the world to its core. The Aeron had been in the world for years, corrupting and killing. The Blood King united the people and, since the Aeron is indestructible, used the last bit of magic in the world to lock the Aeron away, saving the world. He was immediately chosen to be the High King (which is the highest ranking you can ever have, ever).<br />
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Now, even though it's been a short time, children roll their eyes when their parents or grandparents tell them to be careful of the demons.<br />
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Of course, the Aeron is nothing if not resourceful. Crossing dimensions are nothing. Just knock on the door. <i>Someone's</i> bound to open it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.pinterest.com/totallytansie/my-kingdom-come-~-wip/" target="_blank">Here's the Pinterest board.</a></div>
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A lot of this is still under <i>serious</i> editing. Serious, as in, I haven't even started writing yet. It's a huge thing to tackle-- especially since I want to make each of the three kingdoms as unique as possible, with their own customs, languages, etc. because that's what real countries are like. It's<i> hard</i>. I've been questioning my sanity on a daily, if not hourly, basis. </div>
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About the new blogging schedule: It's hardly anything, really. I'm going to be posting once a week, but I haven't picked a day yet. It's going to be either Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday. They'll be scheduled to post at around 9 AM. Again, <i>nothing is set</i>, but I'm working on it. </div>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-76902186042172366712016-01-17T11:25:00.000-08:002016-01-17T11:25:21.755-08:00Reviewing: Winter by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles #4)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?</span><br />
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<tr><td colspan="1" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="readable reviewText" style="line-height: 21px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I am simultaneously heartbroken that The Lunar Chronicles are over and super, duper relieved because <i>GOOD GOD</i> this book is huge.<br /><br />I have no idea what I should talk about first, because everything was pretty much flawless (even though there were a couple things that I will mention later).<br /><br />The couples are all here, and excuse me while I cry over Scarlet and Wolf, please. I am also so, <i>so </i>ridiculously proud of Cinder. She accomplishes so much and gets hurt so badly, but she's still herself. Still her stubborn, sarcastic, heroic self. The book does, in fact, kind of focus on her more than in Scarlet and Cress.<br /><br />Cress gets so much stronger and braver (I'm really happy that she is portrayed as brave and strong even though she's not like Cinder or Scarlet), Thorne becomes the hero we all sort of knew he was, Iko is remains the quirky best friend, Winter is crazy strong and lovable (I love how she stays so loving and gentle despite all she goes through), and Jacin, that little prick, is actually a (selective) sweetheart. I AM SO PROUD OF EVERYONE. (And may I just say that my respect towards Kai has skyrocketed). And Cinder and Thorne have more sarcasm! <i>Yes</i>. I love it when they sass each other.<br /><br />I'm not disappointed about what happened. At all. Which is crazy, because with everything that happens you'd think at least one when get on my nerves. Don't get me wrong-- it is emotionally devastating and I'm pretty mentally exhausted right now. I'm probably going to be stuck in this haze for a couple days. But the things that happened seemed like they could and probably <em>would</em> if such a world existed.<br /><br />The ending felt like it was wrapped up in a pretty bow very, very quickly compared to everything else. But I wanted it so badly that I wasn't even mad. I mean, c'mon. Look at everything that they have all sacrificed! They all deserve to be happy, so that Scarlet and Wolf can be together on their little farm and eat tomatoes together. (<i>I </i>think tomatoes are the grossest things ever but each to their own). They all kind of go their own ways, but with bonds that will never be broken and friendships that will last for the rest of their lives. I could legit cry from how close they've all become.<br /><br />As always, Marissa Meyer's descriptions are flawless. The world of the Lunars is beautifully written and the emotions that the characters feel are written in such detailed beauty that you can't help but feel some of it yourself.<br /><br />One thing that became exhausting is the length. It's 800+ pages long. THAT IS TOO LONG. My head hurt, my eyes hurt, everything kind of hurt because I'm suicidal and have to read everything in one sitting. (In case you're wondering, no, I did not read it in one sitting, I read it in two). I finished this in a total of 7 or 8 hours. That's a little more than 100 pages per hour, each page packed with action and important information-- so, yes, my mind is currently numb, thanks for asking.<br /><br />My advice? You know how Marissa Meyer splits her books into littler books? <em>Winter</em> has five (<b>FIVE.</b> I am in disbelief). Read one each day. You'll finish it in 5 days, but you also won't feel like passing out afterwards. (Or you might, if the feels are just too much, which they probably will be).<br /><br />ALSO. <strong>Reading <em>Fairest</em> will help your understanding of what happens in this book. A lot.</strong> It's not like it's absolutely necessary, but, regarding Levana, you know so much more about <i>why</i> she does what she does. And it's not terribly long. (LIKE WINTER).</span><br /><br /></span></span></td></tr>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-637003501721236362016-01-05T10:30:00.000-08:002016-01-05T10:30:01.514-08:00Hi, 2016Obviously, I'm a little late. I wanted to post this on the 1st of January, but... I got distracted. That being said-- I'm back! At least... for a little while. School isn't heavy right now at all, so that means I will be posting more.<br />
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Anyways. This post is just going to be a list of resolutions. A lot of them are going to be simple, but hopefully they won't be too boring (<span style="font-size: x-small;">who am I kidding-- it's probably going to be 90% school</span>).<br />
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1. Get my driver's licence.</div>
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2. Join a club at my school.</div>
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3. Keep my 4.0 GPA.</div>
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4. Check out dual-enrollment at my local college.</div>
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5. Try something, <i>anything </i>new. (because my comfort zone is about the size of a miniature pea)</div>
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6. Finish one WIP-- <i><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/totallytansie/duology/" target="_blank">this</a> </i>one. (I am too distracted to hope for more than one)</div>
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7. Get down to some serious plotting for Shadows Dancing. (I think I've put this off for about 2 years)</div>
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8. Expand my music horizons. </div>
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9. Spend more time outside, just because.</div>
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10. Try to find more beauty in the simple things and not to get too caught up in what hasn't happened yet. (because I have a tendency to hyperventilate if I think about the future for too long)</div>
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11. Actually make a reading/posting schedule for my blog. (I think everyone can agree that it's about time)</div>
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12. Spend more time with my family.</div>
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13. Send my sister at least one letter while she's at college this year/semester.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">14. This year, I really,<i> really</i> want to find my happy place. </span></div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-79652307026364671522015-12-09T06:56:00.001-08:002015-12-09T06:59:33.017-08:00I DIDN'T DIE but hiatus begins againSo, if you read my last post/review, I put a little note thingy at the bottom that said I would be trying to post once a week now. <i>Obviously</i>, that was an epic fail. A little after I published that post, life got more intense, and I freaked out and ditched the blog to do school for a while and never said a word about my disappearance ever (sorry). I haven't even logged in to blogger in the past month, which is terrible.<br />
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Anyways.</div>
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Technically, I'm already on hiatus because I haven't posted anything in over a month. But this is me just making it more obvious than it already is and saying <b>I'm going on another hiatus, and I have no idea how long this one will last.</b></div>
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Honestly, I never know when I'm going to sit down and write a blog post. I always wing it, and now I know how terrible that is. Sometimes, I just can't think of anything because I'm constantly busy and my brain is exhausted. This hiatus isn't me just taking a break, it's me trying to figure out a way to blog without it feeling like a huge burden. </div>
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<i>However, </i>I'm not disappearing off the face of the internet. I might not do it a lot, but I will be commenting on other blogs and reading posts and all that.<br />
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See you all later!</div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-71647502224360482282015-11-03T08:37:00.000-08:002015-11-03T08:38:10.460-08:00Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer || END OF THE MASSIVE HIATUS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In this stunning bridge book between </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Cress</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> and </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Winter</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.</span><br />
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<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Mirror, mirror on the wall,<br />Who is the fairest of them all?</em><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. </span><br />
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<b>The best villains are the ones you understand.</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Before reading </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Fairest</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">, Queen Levana was just another villain. Sure, she was fearsome, twisted, and powerful. But she had little to no character development or backstory (even though she's SUPER intriguing). I could never think of her as a vulnerable young girl, lonely and terrified, but in <i>Fairest</i>, that is exactly what she is, and that makes it worse (or better. it depends) because you feel sympathetic towards her. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Seeing her change into the person she becomes is a slow and painful process.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is where I take a moment to applaud Marissa Meyer because A) she took the time to write this amazing book and B) she is </span><em style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">incredibly</em><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> skilled. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep in my mind that this is the person who wrote Cinder and Scarlet and Cress. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Cress. </i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Innocent, vulnerable Cress. And now she has written an actual </span>psychopath<span style="font-family: inherit;"> and it's just-- *flails*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This book felt so raw and powerful! Each sentence packed a punch, and even though I wanted to hate Levana with everything in me, I couldn't, because in the end I really just pitied her-- twisted mind and all. </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">However, understanding why she does horrible things (and questioning yourself because </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">really</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">, how can you </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">understand</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> such horrifying actions?) is not the worst (or best-- again, it depends) part. </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The worst part is seeing Levana talk herself out of feeling guilty each time, because she </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">deserves</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> the good she is going to get/has. The worst part is that the entire time, she just wants to be loved, and she has no idea that what she is doing is not loving or caring. It's obsession and cruelty and torture. </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Fairest</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> lasts over a long period of time. It starts when Levana is 15 years old, with a crush on a guard that she's had for 7 years-- ever since the first time she's seen him. She's lonely. She's scared. But she's hopeful that this person who has shown her kindness can care for her. </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Love</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> her. Pretty soon, she's convinced herself that he </span><em style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">does</em><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> love her. Despite the fact that he's only feeling sympathy for her, and wanting to be her friend because he sees her loneliness. I'm pretty sure this wins biggest misunderstanding of the year. Or decade.</span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And even though I just talked about how epically this was written, I'm going to say it again. IT WAS GLORIOUS IN PRETTY MUCH THE MOST AWFUL OF WAYS. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, I'm baaack! Finally. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep a steady stream of posts coming, but there will be (hopefully) at least one post per week. It's not much, but I'm just aiming for some structure here. </span></div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-78724025037848155942015-10-18T13:25:00.000-07:002015-10-18T13:25:05.699-07:00HiatusUm. Yeah.<br />
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I've kind of already <i>been</i> on hiatus. For a while. But this is just here to say that the hiatus will be going on a for while <i>longer</i>.<br />
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This is when I explain why.<br />
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School is really heavy, and <i>extremely</i> stressful. I have community service on the weekends (which is not fun because now it is very cold where I live). I have some big responsibilities that happen to be very time consuming, and they're higher on my list than blogging is.<br />
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SO. The Hiatus begins, and I'm not really sure when it's going to end. Probably sometime at the end of the month, or maybe even next month. When I <i>do </i>come back, it's mostly going to be reviews at first, because until this school year is done, I'm going to be busy.<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-22165504956698715042015-10-04T13:36:00.000-07:002015-10-04T13:36:26.455-07:00Reviewing: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass Bk.3) by Sarah J. Maas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.</strong><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b>*Contains spoilers from the previous books.</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I know I didn't review book two. I know I didn't like book one. But <i>dear God this book was epic.</i> </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First of all, Celaena (although I suppose I should call her Aelin now) grows <i>so much </i>in this book. Seriously. I was really mad at her in the first book because she seemed heartless and bitter and arrogant. And I get it. She's an assassin. But I really wanted to see her <i>feel </i>something. In this book, there's no more of her denying her feelings and running from her past. She faces it head on. She realizes she is lost and searches for her way back. It was both heart-breaking and awesome (in a non-mean way), to see someone so strong fall apart.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Again, SHE GROWS SO MUCH. Go her.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Chaol and Dorian are not the focuses of this book. Things (BIG things) are still happening in their lives as well, but I feel like Sarah J. Maas' intention was mainly Aelin. Which is great! Aelin <i>is </i>the main character. But I still wish we could have seen more of what was going on inside of Chaol's and Dorian's heads. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Which we <i>prooobably </i>would have had if a) like I said above, Aelin was less of a focus and b) new characters were not introduced.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manon Blackbeak is an Ironteeth witch, heir to the Blackbeak Witch Clan, leader of the Thirteen.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">"S</span>he counted to ten, because she wanted to hunt, and had been that way since she tore through her mother’s womb and came roaring and bloody into the world.<span style="font-size: x-large;">"</span></span></span></blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pleasant, I know.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've seen a couple people hating on Manon and I don't get it. I <i>loved</i> her brutality. I loved her cunning. I loved learning about the Thirteen. I loved seeing her change from a heartless witch into a considerably less-heartless witch. SHE WAS AWESOME. That is all.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Sorscha is a healer at the Glass Palace, incredibly shy, and has a massive crush on Dorian. I'm not sure how much I can say about her without exposing all the spoilers ever, but basically <i>stuff goes down. </i>And it's not good stuff.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And then we've got Rowan. Not gonna lie, I wasn't very impressed by all his manly, dangerous vibes. He seemed like your typical moody warrior man with tragic past. I eventually warmed up to him, but I don't <i>love </i>him. I felt like he was predictable.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hated the king so much in this book. UGH. Anger. Also suspense, because there is darkness and magic and ASDFGHJKL. I was <i>very</i> excited to see the dark forces and how they acted and how evil they were because um. MAGIC. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Apparently, there are demon-things that can bring your greatest fears/worst memories to life before your eyes, making it seem as you are literally reliving the most traumatizing parts of your life. </span></span><br />
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The ending was very cliffhanger-y. I'm pretty sure I sat there for ten minutes in complete suspense even though I already have the fourth book.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-50005070303497112015-09-22T08:02:00.001-07:002015-09-22T08:02:53.984-07:00Why I Don't Like Love TrianglesI actually have pretty intense feelings regarding love triangles. Intense, as you know by the title, in a bad way. I don't like to write them. If I read them, then there's a list of things that I like to have checked off. I'm picky. <i>Very</i>. (In fact, I should probably chill a little bit).<br />
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Before I begin the bashing, I should say that in a cute, fluffy contemporary, I don't mind love triangles. If that's the focus of the book and the MC is growing and finding who she is as a result of it, then I don't mind it at all. It's just that I think there are way too many love triangles out there that don't really have a reason to exist.<br />
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Since many of my reviews/posts include little hints at how much I don't like them, here's a list of <i>why</i>:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>It should be noted that I am referring to YA. </b></span><br />
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<li><b>It's cliche. </b>In my opinion, this is a bad reason-- I don't like to judge a book by what comes before it. However, if 9/10 of the books I read have the <i>exact same </i>love story, I am not pleased. You know what I mean by exact same. There are 2 options for what story the "good" guy will have. The first is childhood friend, trusted by the MC, but she just doesn't feel the same way. He's more like her big brother, and she doesn't want to break his heart. Option the second-- he brings out the good in her and makes her feel safe and loved. It's all butterflies and rainbows in this relationship. And the bad boy... does he really need a description?</li>
<li><b>I always like the wrong guy. </b>This isn't a legitimate reason but I needed to say that. Moving on.</li>
<li><b>It's unnecessary. </b>By unnecessary, I mean: <i>Is this really contributing to the plot? Or what kind of person the MC becomes? Does it help the story grow and gain depth?</i> A lot of the time, the answers to those questions are gonna be no. (Particularly in dystopian YA). </li>
<li><b>It's unrealistic. </b>For this one, I'm pretty much focusing on dystopian YA (though it can apply to various other genres as well), because I feel like dystopian should have the least love triangles while it has the <i>most</i>. About 99% of the time, the main character in a dystopian novel has her hands full. She's trying to save the world-- or <i>her </i>world. She's busy. And yet, she is falling in love with two separate guys-- so much so that it's all she can think about while a war rages on her doorstep. </li>
<li><b>No effort at all was put into creating the love triangle. </b>Sometimes, the love interests are two-dimensional. They're flat. They're echoes of hundreds of other characters, with no personality and no purpose other than adding drama. Sometimes, the main character already loves one of them, yet another character is thrown in last minute-- even though there is no reason for them to be there. </li>
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I'm not a big fan of the <i>The Hunger Games</i>, but I do appreciate the love triangle. Katniss handles it well. She realizes that she does not need either guy to survive and that she is completely fine on her own. She puts love aside at the moment, <i>because she's literally the symbol that started a war. </i></div>
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Of course, it's different if it's a fantasy novel or a contemporary novel. However, I think that regardless of the book, if there is a war/fight/greater evil in a book then that should be the focus. </div>
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All this aside, I do understand why love triangles are so popular. A lot of people like them. God knows the media loves them. What is more suitable to focus on in a book series than the love triangle?</div>
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End rant.</div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-42147550867166460802015-09-17T06:00:00.001-07:002015-09-17T06:00:28.812-07:00Reviewing: Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19732381-dangerous-boys"><br /></a>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19732381-dangerous-boys">Dangerous Boys</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551240.Abigail_Haas">Abigail Haas</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;">Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; text-align: left;">Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…</span></div>
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Before we start, I'm just gonna say that <strong>I didn't like this as much as Dangerous Girls</strong>. I'm not really sure <em>why</em>, even. Maybe it was just that Chloe was a tad less psychotic than I wanted at first, or the action/suspense didn't really start for me until halfway through. I'm gonna try to have absolutely <i>zero </i>spoilers, but a few teenie ones might slip through.<br />
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There is insta-love, which I loathe in books and believe very few can actually pull off. (I like a slow burn). Even more than I hate insta-love, I hate love triangles where the girl <i>knows </i>she likes the other guy more, yet stays with the sweet, oblivious one. Both happened, although I'm not really sure it could be called insta-<i>love</i> for the following reasons.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The "Love" Triangle</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">The apostrophes are there as reminders that there isn't really any love in this book. Just a lot of manipulation and obsession.</span></b></div>
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Ethan did not make Chloe happy in the relationship. If she'd broken it off as soon as she realized that she couldn't be 100% happy with him, I wouldn't be angry at her for leading him on. If their relationship wasn't literally based on the fact that Chloe wanted a distraction, I wouldn't be angry at her for leading him on. But it was and so I am.<br />
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Was he a little clingy? Yeah, a little. Was it unbearable? No. She's his girlfriend. He wanted to spend time with her. In my opinion, he was adorable. Sweet. Innocent. (And yeah, completely oblivious). Everything that Oliver, his older brother, was not.<br />
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Oliver was the "bad boy" of the love triangle, but really it runs a lot deeper than that. He's not just moody and snarky. He's <em>evil</em>. He's possessive and violent, but more than anything he's manipulative. <br />
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Oliver didn't make Chloe happy. He made her thrilled. The rush of adrenaline you get, the way you're suddenly aware of everything touching you, of the air rushing into your lungs, of your stomach in your throat and your heart pounding so hard you can feel it-- that is what Oliver made Chloe feel like. Like when you ride a roller coaster and it's about to drop. That crazy feeling of being wild and free and terrified at the same time. From the very moment she lays eyes on him, from the very first words he says to her, she feels like he knows the deepest, darkest parts of herself that even she is too afraid to get to know. She isn't wrong.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Main Character</span></b></div>
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Chloe herself is rather hard to describe. At the beginning of the book (or rather, before <em>things</em> start to happen) Chloe is sweet and hardworking. That isn't to say she isn't angry. She just keeps it covered. She cares for her depressed mother while trying to get ready for college while keeping her job. Yeah. She's got a lot on her plate. What is different about this book other than Dangerous Girls (amongst a whole lot of other things) is that there is no questioning what happened. You <i>know</i>. While I did like that, I feel like it took away some of the dawning horror that I felt in DG.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Overall Thoughts</span></b></div>
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This book (in fact, so is Dangerous Girls) is very character-based. I feel like the author's main intention was making the characters as layered and incredible as possible. She succeeded. <br />
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Another thing that I really dig about Dangerous Girls and Dangerous Boys is telling the ending before telling anything else. It does keep me reading, even if I get a little bit bored or lost. Serious props to Abigail Haas.<br />
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Also, THE ENDING. Was it just me, or was the last bit of the book by far the best? I was feeling quite bad because I was going to rate this book quite poorly, but then the ending came and whacked me in the face. I have nothing but love for the reveal. And the last couple of lines. GAH. *flails aggressively*<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-82454176930815438622015-09-09T06:53:00.002-07:002015-09-09T06:53:30.351-07:00The Milk Tea Book Tag<div style="text-align: left;">
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Aimee@<a href="http://aimeemeesterwrites.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">To the Barricade!</a> tagged me aaages ago and I feel really bad for not doing it for so long but TA-DA!! I finally got my life together enough so that I can do a blog post. Thanks for tagging me, Aimee!</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Tea: the foundation of your reading life. </span></b></div>
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The Phantom Stallion series is probably what got me into reading. I used to be obsessed with horses and read nearly every children's series that had horses in them. However, this is the only one that I finished and liked for more reasons than <i>oooh, horses</i>. (Jake and Sam for life, man. OTP). I own almost the complete series and I'm still upset that I'm missing a few. *grabby hands*</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Milk: a rich, smooth book.</span></b></div>
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What do you mean by rich and smooth? Do you mean descriptions? Because if you mean descriptions, Cruel Beauty had one of the richest settings and descriptions I've ever read. It was like you were right there. You could see the castle and feel the silky soft dresses.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Sugar: A book you love but is controversial </span></b></div>
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I wouldn't say I loved "To Kill a Mockingbird", but I did appreciate the message and the way it was delivered. I don't think I've actually read many controversial books, actually. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Ice: A book just for fun</span></b></div>
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Hex Hall is, in my opinion, an awesome lighthearted, snarky series. That's not to say it doesn't have faults-- it's got a whole lot of cliches. In fact, you can probably guess exactly what's going to happen. But that's why it's for fun! No stress, no flipping between the last few pages going <i>WHAT DID I MISS</i> (*cough* Dangerous Girls *cough*).</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Silk stocking: A book that's much better than it sounds</span></b></div>
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Answering this would be a lot easier if it was <i>A book that's much worse than it sounds</i>. (Because it's very easy for me to view things negatively). </div>
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Did I love <i>Twilight</i>? No. But it wasn't awful! And I went in fully expecting it to be the worst thing to ever exist. It changed my mind. There are many worse books. The book was great, in my opinion. The movie is not. So if you watched the movie, thought, "Well, that was awful," and decided never to read the book-- please change your mind.</div>
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Not only does everyone who has heard of Twilight think it's horrible and cliche and ridiculous, they refuse to give it a chance. Don't be that guy. </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Yinyang: A book with foreign influence</span></b></div>
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I'M SO HAPPY I HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THIS ONE. Shadow and Bone was influenced by Russian culture and it is quite wonderful. I'm just a teensy bit sad about this series because my ship is dead. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">And yet again, I have no idea who to tag.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Selena</a>, sister dearest, you are once again my go-to. You have 24 hours to accept the mission. This message will self-destruct. *Mission Impossible theme plays*</div>
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Anyone else who wants to join in, go ahead! Leave a link in the comments and I'll check your post out. </div>
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DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-85593392511463917152015-08-19T12:45:00.000-07:002015-08-19T12:45:30.198-07:00Reviewing: Gilded Ashes by Rosamund HodgeHellooo, lovelies. Today, for the first time in ages, I read something. I was pleased. I threw confetti. I danced in a circle. Beforehand, I had been staring at my August TBR and thinking "wow, I feel absolutely zero motivation to do anything." And then I realized I'd put a <i>novella</i> on my list. YES. SOMETHING SHORT. (I thought it would be best to ease back in to former reading habits, or else my already shriveled brain would suffer a complete collapse).<br />
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As I'd said before, I'd been wanting to read Gilded Ashes for a while, because A) Rosamund Hodge is fabulous and B) it is set in the same world of Cruel Beauty-- WHICH I LOVE.<br />
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(Also, Ignifex makes an appearance, except he is not referred to as Ignifex, because, well, obviously, the main character doesn't know his name. I nearly shrieked with joy when it dawned on me that he was in the book).<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Orphan Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings pain: Her dying mother made a bargain with the evil, all-powerful ruler of their world that anyone who hurt her beloved daughter would be punished; her new stepmother went mad with grief when Maia's father died; and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, yet she always spurns them. And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?</span><br />
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The world is still gorgeous (although I wish there were more details on its background), and Rosamund Hodge's descriptions are definitely 80% of why I love her books. The amount of detail she puts into describing each emotion is immaculate, and each sentence is tailored to perfection.<br />
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The other 20% is the characters. None of them feel two-dimensional. None of the characters in Gilded Ashes are reduced to <i>only </i>evil-stepmother, evil step-sisters, or ever-cheerful Cinderella. Each character has a reason for why they are what they are. Which is, of course, <i>awesome</i>. I am a firm believer that everyone needs a purpose. No one is bad for no reason, just as no one is good without reason.<br />
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Maia is no where near the same person as Nyx (the main character of Cruel Beauty). She is sweet and gentle and kind because she's trying to protect others from the wrath of her mother (who is a ghost). She's terrified of showing her real feelings, and she's hidden them for so long that sometimes it's as though she forgets she has them.<br />
<br />This is not a dual-POV novella. We never get to see what it's like in Anax's mind, only Maia's. Anax was an interesting character, although I admit that I found him a little unlikable at the beginning. He improves-- but I didn't love his character. He was just mediocre, in my opinion.<br />
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Another thing: Rosamund Hodge does <b>not</b> do happy endings. She dangles it in front of your face and you think <i>Oh, yes, this is exactly the goodness that these characters deserve </i>and then NOPE. There are tears and blood and so much happens that you wind up gaping at the book-- sort of happy, but mostly just shocked.<br />
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Rosamund Hodge does bittersweet endings.<br />
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Mostly bitter.<br />
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While I loved this novella to bits, the ending felt way too rushed. It felt like things were at a very nice pace-- and then everything bad that could possibly happen, happens. Don't get me wrong-- I actually like it when things go wrong in books. Destruction, chaos... it tends to liven things up a bit. But... it felt overdone.<br />
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<b>Would I recommend reading this book? </b>ABSOLUTELY. <b>Would I recommend reading Cruel Beauty first?</b> It's not necessary, but if you want a better understanding of the world, you probably should.<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-14834793924747571322015-08-11T19:57:00.000-07:002015-08-11T19:57:13.638-07:00Liebster Award { 3 }<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was tagged by Rebekah @ <a href="http://rlhendrian.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Worldsmithing and Worldbuilding</a> for the Liebster Award! 1) Thank you. 2) You are awesome. 3) *hands you virtual cake*<br />
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I'll try to find enough people to nominate to continue the awesomeness, but I might have to cut the number down since I... don't know a lot of bloggers, especially those with smaller amounts of followers. (I will admit I am very bad at finding new blogs to read-- if you have some favorites, let me know!).<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>11 Things About Moi:</b></span><br />
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1. I started driving recently, and the first time I saw another car on the opposite lane I flipped out and nearly drove into a ditch. (Not a proud moment).<br />
2. I have a very high tolerance for cold temperatures, but I hate the heat.<br />
3. I got back into drawing and have been trying a few new styles-- my favorite so far is realism.<br />
4. My favorite color is lime green. Then red, then black.<br />
5. My mom always gets frustrated with me when I get shoes, because they're always black.<br />
6. I can't stand tea, but I love coffee.<br />
7. I have only once cooked something other than ramen noodles, eggs, and bacon.<br />
8. I have been in 17 of the fifty states.<br />
9. I speak tid-bits of Chinese and Korean, although I've never been in either country.<br />
10. However, I have been in Taiwan, and the two main languages there are Chinese and Taiwanese. Chinese is the easier of the two. Also, Fun Fact: Taiwanese people do not speak Chinese with harsh "h" "sh" and "r" sounds. And so I also speak Chinese without a strong "mainland" accent.<br />
11. My favorite animals have always been horses, followed closely by dogs.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Rebekah's Questions:</span></b><br />
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<b>1. Do you listen to music while you write? If so, what? If not, why?</b><br />
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Yep. It feels weird if I write without it. Recently, I finished a second draft and I listened to the following album throughout the entire process.<br />
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It really depends on what kind of feeling I want. Music is all about emotion, so I think it's important to feel what your characters are feeling. I listened to a lot of sad songs (one of them being "Not About Angels" by Birdy) while writing a book about a ghost.<br />
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<b>2. Do you have a certain type of character that you always love/root for? (I.e. the orphan hero, the bad boy/girl with a heart of gold, the loveable rogue). Why do you like them?</b><br />
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Hm. I guess I root for characters who use a lot of sarcasm and seem cold and aloof on the outside, but are actually just as emotional as anyone else and are constantly aware of other people's feelings. So... bad boy/girl with a heart of gold.<br />
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I'm not really sure why I like them. It's pretty corny to say that I feel like I relate to them, but on a certain level, I feel like I do, so...<br />
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<b>3. Has your taste in books changed much in the past ten years? Do you find that you like a certain type of book now better than you did then?</b><br />
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I was five ten years ago.<br />
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Obviously, the answer is yes to both, but even if it was three years instead of ten, the answer would still be yes-- my taste in books has changed dramatically. I got into action, suspense, and dystopian books. Recently, I've been wanting to read more horror. Three years ago, I was allll about that contemporary.<br />
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<b>4. What literary trope or cliche do you hate the most? Which one really doesn't bother you?</b><br />
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I don't know if this counts, but it's happened in so many YA books that I'm gonna role with it. The main character falls in love with a dude that's been<br />
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A) Stalking the MC.<br />
B) Making many verbal jabs that are meant to hurt the MC.<br />
C) Physically threatening the MC.<br />
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Reading about a relationship like this always ticks me off.<br />
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For one that doesn't bother me, I'd have to say... the character not listening to a person who tells them a specific location is haunted or something like that. I mean, you know the character is in a scary book. They don't. If someone told you a house was haunted, would you believe them?<br />
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<b>5. Name one book that you love that no one else seems to have read. Include a picture and a link so the rest of us can check it out. </b><br />
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Um... I don't know about <i>love</i>, but I like<i> So. B It</i> quite a lot and would definitely recommend it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/237320.So_B_It?ac=1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386925805l/237320.jpg" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click on the pic to go to the GR page!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>6. Do you prefer contemporary novels or historical fiction? Why?</b><br />
<br />
That's a hard one. I would have to say historical fiction. I've read a few contemporary books, and they all feel mediocre to me. Maybe I'm just not reading the right ones.<br />
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<b>7. If you write (stories, novels, poetry, anything other than blog posts), do you write with the hope to publish, or just for fun?</b><br />
<br />
I write with the hope to publish. I really want to get my ideas and novels out there. I have for as long as I can remember.<br />
<br />
<b>8. Why did you start your blog? What keeps you posting?</b><br />
<br />
I started my blog when my sister did, and I thought it looked really cool. What keeps me posting... I don't really know. I guess I like having a place to write down my thoughts.<br />
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<b>9. If the internet disappeared overnight, how would you feel? Do you think life would be better or worse, and why?</b><br />
<br />
A) I WOULD FEEL VERY BAD.<br />
<br />
B) I think it would be worse. We live in a world that is so dependent on internet and being able to connect that <i>everyone</i> would flip out. Also, I go to an online school. Call me a giant nerd, but the idea of "cutting class" freaks me out.<br />
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<b>10. If you could have tea (or coffee) and a chat with any author living or dead, who would you pick? What would you want to ask? </b><br />
<br />
First of all, it would be coffee.<br />
<br />
Secondly, I'm not sure. Maybe Vivian Vande Velde? Maggie Steifvater? Neal Shusterman? I CANNOT PICK ONE.<br />
<br />
<b>11. What do you like best about your writing or your blog? Why?</b><br />
<br />
I like my dialogue in my writing.<br />
<br />
I've been told it's good. ;)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>My Questions</b></span><br />
<br />
1. Who is your favorite superhero and why?<br />
2. Top three genres? Why do you love them?<br />
3. Have you ever written or started a book? If yes, where do you get inspiration to write? If no, have you ever wanted to?<br />
4. What is the first book you remember reading? Did you like it?<br />
5. Check your Goodreads. What is the book farthest back on your TBR? Do you still want to read it?<br />
6. If you had to pick one character out of all the books you have read to switch places with, who would you pick?<br />
7. Do you try to read a book before the movie/tv show comes out, after it comes out, or is it no big deal if you never read it?<br />
8. On that topic, what's your favorite book to movie/tv show?<br />
9. What's your opinion on fairytale retellings? Do you love them, or do you feel like they ruin the magic of the original?<br />
10. Have you ever wanted to get a tattoo? Do you have one?<br />
11. Are there any countries that you want to travel to? If so, why that country?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">I Nominate... </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>
Skylar @ <a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Life of a Random</a><br />
Sophia @ <a href="http://ravens-and-writingdesks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ravens and Writing Desks</a><br />
Aneta @ <a href="http://spraypaintedtunnels.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Graffiti On the Wall</a><br />
<br />
... and anyone else that wants to join in! Leave a link in the comments and I'll make sure to drop by and check out your post.DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-5815159456397228322015-08-05T13:34:00.000-07:002015-08-05T13:47:13.010-07:00Beautiful People || Friendship Edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://paperfury.com/beautiful-people/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://i0.wp.com/paperfury.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/10928109_595959117172101_1450331761_n.jpg?resize=410%2C410" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click the pic for more info about Beautiful People!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Beautiful People is hosted by Cait at <a href="http://paperfury.com/" target="_blank">Paper Fury</a> and Sky at <a href="http://furtherup-and-furtherin.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Further Up and Further In</a>. They are both completely awesome and deserve all the cake.<br />
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<br />
The characters I chose are Quinn (17) and Luna (19), the sisters in that post-apocolyptic, alien-filled, also weapon-filled book I've mentioned on both this blog and on Twitter.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">1. How long have they known each other, and how </span><nobr style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">close</nobr><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"> are they?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They've known each other their whole lives. It's hard to say exactly how close they are. I mean, they trust each other with their lives, but at the same time, they're afraid to address certain "issues" within their friendship. They both struggle with sharing how they feel, but most of the time, they know the other person understands anyways. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>2. What’s their earliest memory of being best friends?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
Luna remembers taking care of Quinn as a little girl, huddled in the backseat of her dad's old truck while her parents tried to get away from the wide-spread panic and all the attacks.<br />
<br />
Quinn remembers throwing her Barbie doll at Luna when they were fighting. (Pleasant, as she always is).<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>3. Do they fight? How long do they typically fight for?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">See above.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
They fight a lot. Because of how unwilling they are to talk about how they feel while simultaneously being afraid of pushing the other person away, there's less talking and more poisonous looks and bitter retorts. Their fights last a while, and Luna is typically the first to try and smooth things over. Quinn tends to simultaneously want to confront the problem and ignore it. A lot of how she's kept herself together is by ignoring how she feels.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>4. Are their personalities similar or do they compliment each other?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Quinn is a ball of negative energy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Luna is a ball of noticeably less negative energy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
They're both stubborn and loyal, but Quinn tends to feel things in the extremes. She struggles with showing her feelings more than Luna and is cold and aggressive. This stems from the fact that she has never seen a world without war. Luna, on the other hand, is warmer and more accepting. She holds more responsibility than Quinn, which often results in her blaming herself for things that go wrong. Her positive outlook on life is what's kept her from destroying herself with guilt and worry.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>5. Who is the leader of their friendship (if anyone)?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Luna.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>6. Do have any secrets from each other?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
No. Even if they try to hide things, the other finds out soon enough, just by reading how the other one reacts to certain topics.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>7. How well do they know each other’s quirks and habits?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As well as their own, and, occasionally, better.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>8. What kind of things do they like to do together?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Is it bad that I laughed a little?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Talk, I suppose. Tease. Engage in playful verbal combat. They live in a world where you don't spend time doing things you enjoy. You spend time doing what you need to survive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;" /><b><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">9. Describe each character’s fashion style (use </span><nobr style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;">pictures</nobr><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"> if you’d like!) How are their styles different/similar?</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hm. Well, Quinn wears dark colors. She likes combat boots, loose t-shirts, and leather. Luna likes flannel, cargo pants, and layers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I imagine that if they could dress however they wanted, they would look something like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/66/73/17/667317f1dd29606afacadf60d22ae202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/66/73/17/667317f1dd29606afacadf60d22ae202.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luna</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3d/af/ba/3dafba3ceea4f63059067aa646f814fb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/3d/af/ba/3dafba3ceea4f63059067aa646f814fb.jpg" width="107" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quinn</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 28.7999992370605px;"><b>10. How would their lives be different without each other?</b></span><br />
<br />
They would both be dead.<br />
<br />
I tried to think of something more... pleasant, but I came up empty. Maybe Luna would have lived, but Quinn wouldn't have made it past a couple years.<br />
<br />
<br />
On that lovely note, thanks for reading! ^_^DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-73243397758050005232015-08-03T08:59:00.004-07:002015-08-03T09:02:56.675-07:00August TBR + Notice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404331702l/18460392.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
All links go to PDF forms of the books, and all author links go to the Goodread's pages of each author. Each of these books are <i>for sure </i>going to be read this month and also will have reviews on my blog. It's possible that I will read other books, but they likely won't have reviews here.<br />
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<a href="http://www.5novels.com/book2/u5979.html" target="_blank">All the Bright Places</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45592.Jennifer_Niven" target="_blank">Jennifer Niven</a><br />
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I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and I've wanted to read it for ages. I feel like this will be a very character-centric book, instead of focusing on the world or setting. (Which pleases me). <i>Plus</i>, it's about to be a movie.<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417961340l/16096824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1417961340l/16096824.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.5novels.com/fantasticfiction/u5998.html" target="_blank">A Court of Thorns and Roses</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3433047.Sarah_J_Maas" target="_blank">Sarah J. Maas</a></div>
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Dude. Fae? I'm in. All in. Even though I didn't really love Throne of Glass, I'm willing to give this one a chance (BECAUSE FAE).<br />
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Plus, Feyre sounds boss. She killed a wolf before she even knew anything about the Fae. Maybe it was attacking her and there was a desperate lunge for survival, but still.<br />
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<a href="http://www.5novels.com/fantasticfiction/u5991.html" target="_blank">Red Queen</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074943.Victoria_Aveyard" target="_blank">Victoria Aveyard</a></div>
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I've actually started this book before. Usually, if I don't read a book in a day, I forget I even meant to read it in the first place, and this was one of those times. Oops.<br />
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<a href="http://www.5novels.com/fantasticfiction/u5956.html" target="_blank">Crimson Bound</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474354.Rosamund_Hodge" target="_blank">Rosamund Hodge</a><br />
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I'm reading this for the same reason I'm reading Gilded Ashes. I <i>loved</i> Cruel Beauty (even though the ending wasn't very satisfying) and I love twisted fairytale retellings.<br />
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<a href="http://www.5novels.com/fantasticfiction/u5954.html" target="_blank">Gilded Ashes</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6474354.Rosamund_Hodge" target="_blank">Rosamund Hodge</a><br />
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Reason stated above.<br />
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I know there's only five, but school is starting soon (*sobs*) and so I won't be able to spend as much time reading and writing. Blogging will probably slow back down, but I've been planning a few posts, so if it does slow down, it shouldn't be <i>immediate</i>. Hopefully, reviews will still be coming, maybe with a few update posts thrown in just to keep you posted on how many tears I will crying over school and having to write huge essays again. (I know you love my whining).</div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-42721632028519851962015-08-02T11:37:00.002-07:002015-08-02T11:37:46.385-07:00Short Review: Coraline by Neil Gaiman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327871014l/17061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327871014l/17061.jpg" width="261" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What inspired me to read a children's horror/fantasy book was a Tumblr post including GIFs from the movie. I hadn't even known there was a book (oops) but once I did I <i>really</i> wanted to read it before I found the movie online and watched it come to life.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But it wasn't only the GIFs that made me want to watch. It was this quote:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It was a story, I learned when people began to read it, that children experienced as an adventure,
but which gave adults nightmares. It’s the strangest book I’ve written, it took the longest time to
write, and it’s the book I’m proudest of. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-Neil Gaiman </blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So I found a PDF file of Coraline online (<a href="http://share.dschola.it/turoldo/Lists/Announcements/Attachments/22/Coraline.pdf" target="_blank">teehee</a>) and got started.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">C</span><b>ORALINE DISCOVERED THE DOOR</b> a little while after they moved into the house. </blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It starts out as very many children's books do (brief description of where the MC is, his/her current situation, etc.), and the writing style is short and crisp. It's really easy to grasp, but it doesn't seem to lose anything (like detailed descriptions and whatnot). Through the simple descriptions and words the images seem to come alive even <i>more</i>, if you know what I mean. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But you know, from the first page, that this is going to be an "odd" book.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The reason you cannot see the mouse circus,” said the man upstairs, “is that the mice are not yet
ready and rehearsed. Also, they refuse to play the songs I have written for them. All the songs I
have written for the mice to play go<i> oompah oompah</i>. But the white mice will only play <i>toodle
oodle,</i> like that. I am thinking of trying them on different types of cheese.” </blockquote>
This delighted me.<br />
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The book does have a bit more telling instead of showing but I really liked it. The way the author put things (rather bluntly) made the book humorous in some spots and quite scary in others.<br />
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Even things you think are insignificant tie together and end up meaning so much more.<br />
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It was brilliantly done and I would recommend this book to anyone, child or not.<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-91348672247600692862015-07-29T10:24:00.001-07:002015-07-29T10:24:42.951-07:00Reviewing: End of Days by Susan Ee<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18500665-end-of-days"><br />End of Days</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4890182.Susan_Ee">Susan Ee</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After a daring escape from the angels, Penryn and Raffe are on the run. They’re both desperate to find a doctor who can reverse the twisted changes inflicted by the angels on Raffe and Penryn’s sister. As they set off in search of answers, a startling revelation about Raffe’s past unleashes dark forces that threaten them all.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When the angels release an apocalyptic nightmare onto humans, both sides are set on a path toward war. As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Forced to pick sides in the fight for control of the earthly realm, Raffe and Penryn must choose: Their own kind, or each other?</span><br />
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I was waiting for this book for forever. <em>Angelfall</em> shot up to my favorites with five stars, <em>World After</em> was four stars, and now End of Days. Not a bad record, so you'll understand why I was so psyched for this book. (PLUS THE COVER IS SO BEAUTIFUL I AM CRY).<br />
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First of all, I missed the emotional element in this book. Angelfall was very focused on it, on how Penryn was <em>feeling</em> on what made her feel. I feel like End of Days didn't quite capture it the same. It was packed with action, with less focus on the characters, in my opinion. <br />
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<strong>The Romance</strong><br />
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Penryn and Raffe are awesome. I really love them together-- their snark is hilarious, they truly need each other, and how much they care for each other, even though neither of them are very talkative about it, is very apparent. However, I have to say I didn't love Penryn as much in this book as the other two. I don't know. I suppose it felt very... uncharacteristic of her to be so enamored with Raffe while the end of the world is happening. Of course, I have never fallen in love during the apocalypse, but it seems like all the death and blood would be at least a little distracting. <br />
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<strong>The World</strong><br />
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Just as dark as before. In fact, maybe a little darker. I will say this: Susan Ee really knows how to describe the gore. It made me feel a little queasy to think about some of the things that Penryn witnesses. It is truly horrifying, and I'm glad, actually, that the author wasn't afraid to show that side of the world. It made it feel more real-- the fear more believable. You can practically feel the urgency and terror in your bones. <br />
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<strong>The Characters</strong><br />
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You learn a lot more about the Watchers in this book. They were not what I expected. Paige was also present, of course, and I was (again) really interested in the dynamic between her and Penryn. It didn't disappoint. Obi, Dee and Dum, Penryn's mom... they're there as well. Not nearly as much as the first two books, but their presence is mentioned often-- particularly in the case of Penryn's mom. She's always in the back of Penryn's mind, affecting Penryn's choices without Penryn even realizing it.<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-54737873252128299432015-07-28T14:10:00.002-07:002015-07-28T14:15:47.855-07:00Reviewing: These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman + Meagan Spooner<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13138635-these-broken-stars"><br />These Broken Stars</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5360335.Amie_Kaufman">Amie Kaufman</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Luxury spaceliner Icarus suddenly plummets from hyperspace into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive -- alone. Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a cynical war hero. Both journey across the eerie deserted terrain for help. Everything changes when they uncover the truth. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.</span><br />
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Spoilers are in these: [ ] Highlight to read.<br />
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I wanted to love this book lots. I expected a lot of sarcasm and banter between Lilac and Tarver. But it was more just "meh." There wasn't a lot of action, and there was a lot less space then I wanted. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was falling asleep reading this book-- I read in in a couple hours. But what kept me reading had nothing to do with questioning whether or not they would live due to the harsh circumstances. Rather about the planet itself. <br />
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<strong>Lilac and Tarver</strong><br />
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There is less sarcasm/banter and more just hating each other. And then they just... DON'T hate each other. For me, it was a very fast transition. I was a little confused. In fact, I thought they'd have to work out their issues or something. At least <em>discuss</em> some of the many reasons why their relationship WOULDN'T work out before actually being in a relationship. BUT NOPE. Their interactions go from heated arguments to passionate kisses within a page. WHAT. WHAT WHAT. <br />
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Individually, I have to say I liked Tarver a lot more than I liked Lilac at first. I thought she could have found better ways to handle things than by manipulating at every turn. You avidly flirt with a guy, then cruelly ditch him the next day? Um. Why would you even flirt with him in the first place if you KNEW it was never going to happen? Lilac did have a lot of development-- probably more than Tarver. She really matured, and I appreciated that. My only issue is that they seem a lot older than they are. Lilac is 16. Tarver is 18. They both seemed over twenty. And I hate to say this, but I didn't really see the two being a great couple. They seemed to be together mostly because of how much they needed and depended on each other for survival. Other than Lilac and Tarver, there is no one else interacting within the book.<br />
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<strong>The World(s)</strong><br />
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Well, obviously, the setting changes rather dramatically. First of all you're on the spaceship <em>Icarus</em>. The next, on a foreign planet with no other signs of human life. Maybe it was just me, but this book didn't feel very... survival-ish to me. I mean, yes, they're trying to survive, but it felt pretty easy. They had food rations. A canteen that purifies water. They were hiking through woods. I LIVE around woods. It's not that hard to find water sources or edible vegetation, <em>and</em>, if you can set traps like Tarver can, there are tons of little animals all over the place. Your problems lie solely in shelter and bugs. <br />
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Of course, there are the "hallucinations," but I thought that they brought about more questions to push the plot forward-- not that they added to the action or the element of survival.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">[</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: white;">Also, what was with the whispers and bringing Lilac back? I'm still not entirely sure how they were able to manifest other objects, even living objects, through their energy.</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">]</span><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[Also, what was with the whispers and bringing Lilac back? I'm still not entirely sure how they were able to manifest other objects, even living objects, through their energy. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction" href="https://www.blogger.com/null">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span><br />
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To be completely honest, I would have loved to learn about the other planets and how they functioned as well as how the Colonies were so different, and how they powered everything. I wanted to know the details of space life, but the only time the book really describes it in detail is in the first couple chapters.<br />
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In my opinion, the world was what made this book interesting, not the characters.<br />
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<br />DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-61046287741621702082015-07-27T08:30:00.005-07:002015-07-28T14:14:06.454-07:00BTS || Red Bullet Episode II || Chicago<div>
<b>WARNING: There is a lot of all caps and random screaming in this post. Also, it's all about k-pop, or, more specifically, BTS. More blog posts about books/reading/writing will be coming soon! </b></div>
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Also, be sure to read <a href="http://randomofalife.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Skylar's posts</a> about meeting blogger friends and the concert-- both in Chicago! She has pictures. ;)<br />
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Okay, so... July 24th, 8 PM. That was the plan. We got there at around 8:20, after an extra four hours of being held back by traffic jams. Two cars were on fire. There were accidents all over the place and a huge section of I-65 was shut off. Rosemont Theater isn't a huge as I thought it would be. Which is awesome, because it meant we were that much closer to BTS.<br />
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When we stepped inside the theater, we got our tickets scanned. My hands were shaking so bad I could hardly open up my ticket for the lady to scan. I could hear the crowd. At this point, my heart was pounding super hard in my chest and my stomach was in knots. We were <i>so late</i>. WHAT HAD WE MISSED. Not only did we hear screams, we heard Rap Monster talking. My sister and I traded desperate gazes and whispered screeches of "<i>I can hear him talking</i>!" HIS VOICE GAVE ME A STROKE. And yes, he sounds exactly the same in real life. There was no question whose voice it was.</div>
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So, my sister and I are running up those stairs about as fast as we can possibly go. I'm not kidding. I have never gone up stairs that fast. My heart is thudding super hard, my palms are sweaty, I feel on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. We show the guy at the top of the stairs where our seats are (or rather, my sister does), and he says, "I'm gonna take you guys closer. Okay?"</div>
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And OF COURSE we were like "Yeah," except my sister was the only one who answered. I was more just violently nodding. If I spoke, I was pretty sure I was going to A) hurl B) scream C) both. </div>
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We head in, and the screams hit me like a truck. (Although they were nothing compared to towards the end). The guy leads us deeper into the theater, towards the balcony, and I see BTS. I ALMOST DIE. Not even exaggerating. At this point, I'm not even hearing the guy talk anymore and this is going to sound incredibly corny, but I swear I wasn't even aware of anything else happening. It was like everything else was violently ripped from existence. </div>
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FIRST OF ALL. I spammed everyone who follows me on Twitter with stuff about their in real life beautifulness, but I still have so much more to tell on what happened.</div>
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<b>When They were Saying Good-bye:</b></div>
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V kept doing these super high notes where he went higher each time and the crowd copied the high notes. He went so high that even his voice cracked a little. He'd done it like four times when he yelled "I LOVE YOU" with a massive grin on his face. (Of course, everyone screamed). </div>
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J-hope yelled "Saranghaeyo!" and made a heart with his arms while hopping in a circle. His English was not the best but it was so adorable hearing him try. </div>
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Jungkook was so awkward and adorable. "I guess, um... I love you." He had the shyest smile on his face.</div>
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Jin made everyone be super quiet so he could talk. He put his fingers to his lips and just gave everyone a disapproving look until they were quiet. I kid you not the entire stadium went from screaming at the top of their lungs to low rumblings and occasional screeches of JIN I LOVE YOU in seconds. </div>
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Suga's voice is so deep and he talks pretty slowly. He talked about remembering us forever, and us remembering him forever too. He kept smiling while the crowd screamed before he'd even talked. I think he laughed a little, too. (HIS SMILE IS PRECIOUS).</div>
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Jimin was toying with the edge of his shirt the entire time with this mischievous grin on his face. He talked in this super dorky low voice that made the everyone laugh but I have no idea what was said other than "I lub you See-cago!" His voice is so cute. I am cry. (Also, what was he even doing with his arms? Air running?)</div>
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Rap Monster talked about knowing about Chicago since he was little and always wanting to come here to perform. I knew his English was good, but it's AWESOME. He has no accent at all.<br />
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<b>Other Details:</b></div>
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I know I've already said this on Twitter, but they all look tall and built. NONE of them look gangly at all. Not even Suga or Rap Monster! In my opinion, Jin, Rap Mon, and V are the most built. Their SHOULDERS. I was so stunned when I first saw them that I actually had to take time to locate them because A) I was hyperventilating B) and shaking AND C) they looked so different from how they looked in videos.</div>
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But they're all beautiful. Seriously. How are they all so gorgeous? </div>
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My sister and I both agreed that the best part of the concert was seeing how happy they were to see the crowd get so excited. Their smiles are all so proud and happy, and I'd be lying if I said seeing them didn't make me feel the same way. </div>
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They made us sing Miss Right, which we were... rather mediocre at the first time around. (We were horrible). J-hope just smiled hugely and gave us thumbs up and yelled (with a very strong accent), "SO GOOD. YOU ARE SO GOOD." Rap Monster said, "You can do better, c'mon, let's try again." So we did. We tried about three more times, and we actually got pretty good. J-hope even screeched/sang some of it for us so we'd do better.<br />
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The crowd got super hyped during Cypher. J-hope chucked an empty water bottle into the crowd after spraying it all onto them, and they all slayed the rapping SO HARD. Their energy was insane, but it still wasn't as much as it was at the end. The entire concert, the energy was just building and building.<br />
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Rap Mon taught us how to say "I like you," in Korean. Their reactions to the whole theater yelling "I LIKE YOU" were so adorable. They were all shy smiles and little laughs.<br />
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Best night ever, by far.</div>
DKHhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00510980156482870034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8255863763069911561.post-45527186284110313292015-07-19T20:59:00.002-07:002015-07-19T20:59:38.227-07:00Short Review: Nimona by Noelle Stevenson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from Noelle Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel is perfect for the legions of fans of the web comic and is sure to win Noelle many new ones.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read the first version of Nimona when it was being uploaded onto Noelle Stevenson's website. I read the whole thing in one day. And it's a good thing I did, because only a couple days later, it was taken down and replaced by the first three chapters. I knew it was being published, but I was still so delighted to see it in Barnes and Noble that I practically screeched in the middle of the aisle. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I then proceeded to drag my sister towards it while happily pointing and going, "LOOK IT'S NIMONA I LOVE NIMONA I NEED IT IN MY LIFE."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, I read it again and loved it <b>even more</b>. There are parts that weren't online, and an epilogue. PLUS, sketches of early versions of the characters, along with two Christmas specials that were online. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am very happy. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the cover, it says "Full of humor and heart." (Rainbow Rowell said that, in case you were wondering). I honestly couldn't have described it (at least, in one sentence) better. It's both hilarious and heart-warming. You become so involved with the characters-- even the ones you might not like. Noelle Stevenson's humor feels effortless. It's AWESOME. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The friendships between characters feel so real and, despite whatever has happened between them, the bonds always seem like they go beyond the jokes and snark you read. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It does get dark. I've read much darker and creepier books, but Nimona didn't flop in the "dark" department at all. In fact, I thought it was also brilliant. There are two sides to everyone, and Noelle Stevenson takes that to a whole new level. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, was it worth the money? YES. DEFINITELY. 100% RECOMMEND. </span></span><br />
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