tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59488061793420329422024-03-19T18:20:08.344+00:00Jellyfish ReadsYA and fantasy book blog.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-33946122992510101522014-10-31T14:48:00.000+00:002014-10-31T14:48:16.729+00:00I've moved!Hi! I know I haven't updated this blog in ages... And I finally update to say that I'm moving! I have started a new blog called <a href="http://afterwritten.wordpress.com/">Afterwritten</a>. If you go over there, <a href="https://afterwritten.wordpress.com/2014/10/31/moving-day/">you will see that I explain my reasons for moving and my lack of updates recently.</a> Come say hi! <br />
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I've moved Twitter accounts as well: please follow me <a href="http://twitter.com/afterwritten/">@afterwritten</a>!<br />
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I will no longer be updating this blog in the future. <br />
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My dear readers, I had a good time here at Jellyfish Reads getting to know all you lovely people! Thank you for following me. Please consider continuing to follow me at Afterwritten, where I will keep blogging about books.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-67246990749394731232014-08-06T10:00:00.000+01:002014-08-06T10:00:03.716+01:00Review: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJUsr_9fGs5kt1T9jttUKRfv6rz9U-SzcEYtbzfLAW0fcQ7eaNFlRoh42e65NH0xLHHCaEUOXTFmLCAaAeyGBEIxFKPCKrC78j9wF6rb8ryTl7l3epkAouMoEaMPU5Yl7AZLPA1XDgJw/s1600/ruin+and+rising.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJUsr_9fGs5kt1T9jttUKRfv6rz9U-SzcEYtbzfLAW0fcQ7eaNFlRoh42e65NH0xLHHCaEUOXTFmLCAaAeyGBEIxFKPCKrC78j9wF6rb8ryTl7l3epkAouMoEaMPU5Yl7AZLPA1XDgJw/s1600/ruin+and+rising.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></div>
<b>Ruin and Rising </b>by Leigh Bardugo (#3 in the <b>Grisha </b>trilogy)<br />
<b>Format: </b>eBook<br />
<b>Published by </b>Indigo on 19th June 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>368<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22547630-ruin-and-rising">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as Alina begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction - but claiming it could cost Alina the very future she is fighting for.</blockquote>
Thrilling and beautifully written, a stunning conclusion to the trilogy in my opinion and far better than the first two books. I know that not many people will agree with me, but damn, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Although I liked the first two books okay, I wasn't head over heels in love or anything – until this book happened to me. I wasn't expecting to be blown away because the first two hadn't impressed me hugely, but blown away I was.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I think this is because this book actually was everything that I'd wanted out of this series but hadn't really yet got. I wanted a better romance, better female characters and friendships, less Darkling, and also a queer character or two. AND I GOT ALL OF THOSE THINGS. Plus, I got more of Nikolai being awesome, so I'm happy.<br />
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Alina in this book gathers the few allies she has left and tries to find the firebird, the third amplifier, but realises that there's a lot more to it than she'd expected.<br />
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If you read my review of <i>Siege and Storm</i>, you'll know I was hoping that Tamar was queer. And guess what? SHE TOTALLY IS. VICTORY. This is not a spoiler because I don't think anyone's sexuality should really be a spoiler, plus it was dealt with in a really casual way in the book; queerness doesn't really seem like a remarkable thing in the world of Ravka at all, and I really appreciated that.<br />
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Also if you read my previous reviews for this trilogy you will know I don't care about the Darkling. I still don't. I have to say, if you love the Darkling you might not love this book. There's actually an unexpected lack of him in this book. He's there, but he's much less there than you might expect. A relief for me, but probably not wonderful for his fans.<br />
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So: MAL AND ALINA. Honestly, I don't know how because their romance was just endlessly frustrating in the previous book and I pretty much completely lost interest in Mal, but I thought that this book excelled in really bringing their relationship back to life and showing me the spark in it, the light and the sweetness and the way they really do truly care for each other and the lengths they'll go for each other, and I was so completely into it. I was honestly smitten. They were finally honest to each other and it was breathtaking to read about. I loved all the scenes between the two of them; some of them almost made me cry. There was never any doubt to me at any point in the series who Alina would end up with, but I hadn't really been completely happy about that until this book.<br />
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This book fixed a HUGE problem I had with the other two books, which was that pretty much every other female character apart from Alina seemed to be portrayed as shallow and annoying, and that Alina had a distinct lack of female friends. But this problem is gone. I loved the interactions she had with various female characters, I loved the way their friendships added warmth and humour to the story. Remember Zoya, the girl who was just pretty much the Mean Girl of the first book and who just made me roll my eyes continuously because I was just sick of all these high school antics in a high fantasy book? SHE TURNED AWESOME. She was so funny. Also, Genya kicked ass.<br />
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I personally really enjoyed the plot and thought this book was well-paced and gripping. This was definitely helped by how much less Darkling there was than I'd expected, and also by how much I was utterly invested in Mal and Alina's romance. There were some interesting twists, and I found the ending surprising and satisfying, and very meaningful. Bardugo's writing was so pretty in this book too, I think noticeably more so in this book compared to the previous two. Seriously, all those scenes between Mal and Alina. My heart.<br />
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All in all, I have few complaints about this third book. A stellar end to a series that got off to a bit of a rocky start for me. I'm looking forward to whatever Bardugo will be writing next!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-60861732779929223452014-08-04T10:00:00.000+01:002014-08-04T10:00:04.596+01:00Review: Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhO9cQIjrcSjp6RrwR3HSnHRVaQz2aiT29XpLNrxCcHzJ3Fcr9aAb_wUiA2ajVMRcoLgg9QqBaKGOSpSk-3qJphtWswRwUd1U0-xUmcun5LTvaWaiLdreoeF_Td4Mw4suLZgVqWA1GXU/s1600/only+ever+yours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixhO9cQIjrcSjp6RrwR3HSnHRVaQz2aiT29XpLNrxCcHzJ3Fcr9aAb_wUiA2ajVMRcoLgg9QqBaKGOSpSk-3qJphtWswRwUd1U0-xUmcun5LTvaWaiLdreoeF_Td4Mw4suLZgVqWA1GXU/s1600/only+ever+yours.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<b>Only Ever Yours </b>by Louise O'Neill<br />
<b>Format: </b>eARC<br />
<b>Published by </b>Quercus on 3rd July 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>400<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Sci-fi, Dystopia<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsuXOmRMyaExKN2UHWlBAQS3hraH_GoXoiOrsWDqneg-dqxuDcStp-jRwovtVH-iThqm6JPy8w4EuO-gAQGuobghLpL7OBKNg_dVh2N9yHubo_SRLNh81djA0kvoC2Xce-lcDkY8ji2E/s1600/halfstar.png" /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21805717-only-ever-yours">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
In a world in which baby girls are no longer born naturally, women are bred in schools, trained in the arts of pleasing men until they are ready for the outside world. At graduation, the most highly rated girls become “companions”, permitted to live with their husbands and breed sons until they are no longer useful.<br />
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For the girls left behind, the future – as a concubine or a teacher – is grim.<br />
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Best friends Freida and Isabel are sure they’ll be chosen as companions – they are among the most highly rated girls in their year.<br />
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But as the intensity of final year takes hold, Isabel does the unthinkable and starts to put on weight… And then, into this sealed female environment, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride.<br />
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Freida must fight for her future – even if it means betraying the only friend, the only love, she has ever known…</blockquote>
**I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.**<br />
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Warning: this book is SO DARK and deals with a LOT of triggering themes. Eating disorders, body dysmorphia, rape, homophobia, addiction, abuse, suicide... I'm probably missing something. But god, I wish everyone could read this book.<br />
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Like, you see that cover? Just look at that cover and think about it for a moment. Think about that title, that tagline, all the implications of it: "Choose a girl to own forever." Jeanette Winterson was totally right when she said, "A dark dream. A vivid nightmare." That's what this book is. I have to say: I fucking loved this book. But it was also really, really depressing.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It's probably one of the most gripping books I've read this year. The blurb makes the premise pretty clear, but here's a quick rundown. Women in the future can no longer produce female babies naturally. So girls are bred. Created. And they grow up in a female-only environment, a school where they learn from the age of four how to please men, where they need to always look their best and stay at the ideal weight. Because when they turn sixteen, their fates will be decided. There are three things they might become: a companion, a concubine, or a chastity – a teacher at the school.<br />
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Companions are perfect wives. They serve their husbands and bear them sons. Concubines are essentially prostitutes, and they serve any man who wants them sexually. This is a world where every man, married or not, participates in sexual activities with concubines. Even boys who are only twelve years old. This is a world where the concept of consent doesn't exist anymore. Women are expected to do whatever men want. Companions and concubines are terminated at the age of 40, when they are too old to be of use to the men.<br />
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This is an example of the sorts of messages that are engraved in the minds of these girls:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>What do you do if you failed to produce sons? Throw myself on the pyre before my Termination Date so my husband can marry someone better. What would you do if a man asked you for sex when you were feeling unwell? Always be willing. What would you do if a man asked you to perform a sexual act you felt uncomfortable with? Always be willing.</i></blockquote>
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Just let all of that sink in.<br />
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So we meet Freida at the beginning of the book. She's about to start her final year at the school. At the school, every girl is rated according to their appearance. Freida has a good chance of being chosen as a companion because she's ranked highly in her year. Her best friend, Isabel, is ranked first in the year. They used to talk about their future as companions, how they will still be friends when they leave this school. But we learn that the two girls have been drifting apart for some time now; Isabel has been distant and gaining weight and Freida doesn't know why. And as the year goes on, Freida's ranking starts to drop, and her desperation for a good future as a companion mounts ever higher.<br />
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One thing that immediately jumps out when you start reading is the fact that female names are not capitalised in the book: it's actually freida and isabel. Male names, you eventually discover, are capitalised. This was a small but remarkably telling detail, and I loved it.<br />
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I was so distressed by this book. Reading it hurt me viscerally sometimes and made me feel sick in places. It was so incredibly incisive, reflecting our own world in too many ways. The oppression of men, the way they feel so completely entitled to women's bodies, and the way these girls have internalised the vilely misogynistic attitude of the world they inhabit as they tear each other down, fake friendships and compliments for the sake of popularity, constantly criticising the appearances of others. Always judging. It explores all the confusing and harmful expectations that women are faced with, especially the angel/whore dichotomy. This book just felt so real. I felt like I knew this world intimately already. Like O'Neill took our present world and just shone a harsher light on it, until all the shadows became more sharply-defined and dramatic.<br />
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I wish we could have got a fuller sense of Freida and Isabel's friendship and the extent of their affection for each other. Because the book begins when they're already barely talking to each other, I feel like the emotional impact was lessened. We got some flashbacks of what they were like as best friends, but I never felt like I got to know that version of them, only the broken pieces.<br />
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Still, the book was absolutely excellent otherwise. It was brutal and chilling and thought-provoking, so well-written. It lingers and haunts forever afterwards. This is a story that needed to exist in this world, and I certainly hope it will be widely read.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-53861140749043076322014-08-01T10:00:00.000+01:002014-08-01T10:00:01.535+01:00Review: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b7Tg2M3MZPvQW1ozKi9VGatt1-Z9eJ2s2vh40dhshSlBEhAwHyiJ35qf_4sekJ8bl267hqrfe9vgm2DQax_YJ7R7gCoq15iHjfBUPDFDGO5S-l_vfnk4utTxd7hX6mpHc4f6wmRRBgs/s1600/everything+leads+to+you.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8b7Tg2M3MZPvQW1ozKi9VGatt1-Z9eJ2s2vh40dhshSlBEhAwHyiJ35qf_4sekJ8bl267hqrfe9vgm2DQax_YJ7R7gCoq15iHjfBUPDFDGO5S-l_vfnk4utTxd7hX6mpHc4f6wmRRBgs/s1600/everything+leads+to+you.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Everything Leads to You </b>by Nina LaCour<br />
<b>Format: </b>Hardcover<br />
<b>Published by </b>Dutton Juvenile on 15th May 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>307<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667779-everything-leads-to-you">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
<b>A love letter to the craft and romance of film and fate in front of—and behind—the camera from the award-winning author of <i>Hold Still</i>.</b><br />
<br />
A wunderkind young set designer, Emi has already started to find her way in the competitive Hollywood film world.<br />
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Emi is a film buff and a true romantic, but her real-life relationships are a mess. She has desperately gone back to the same girl too many times to mention. But then a mysterious letter from a silver screen legend leads Emi to Ava. Ava is unlike anyone Emi has ever met. She has a tumultuous, not-so-glamorous past, and lives an unconventional life. She’s enigmatic…. She’s beautiful. And she is about to expand Emi’s understanding of family, acceptance, and true romance.</blockquote>
I'd been waiting for Nina LaCour to write a romance with two girls since I read <i>Hold Still </i>back when it came out (and loved it), so I did a happy dance when I first heard about <i>Everything Leads to You </i>and saw its gorgeous cover and intriguing blurb. But guess what? It turns out that the romance wasn't the best thing about this book. In fact, I was possibly a little disappointed by the romance, but more on that later. Why did I like this book so much? Because Emi's world, the world of set design, was simply enchanting.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Emi, who lives in LA and works as an intern in set design, discovers a letter left behind by Clyde Jones, Hollywood film star and Western icon, after his death. In trying to deliver the letter to its addressee, Emi stumbles upon something of a mystery and encounters difficulty after difficulty. Along the way, she meets Ava and falls in love.<br />
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Emi was delightful. I loved her passion for her work, I loved everything she did in this book. I just really enjoyed spending time living her life with her, and getting to know her and learning about set design. I guess it's really rare in a YA book that you really get to see a character doing an interesting job in detail, not just some quick descriptions of the fast food joint they work at, and of course that's understandable and true to life. But I mean, I'm sure there are some teens out there who get to do some more interesting internships too! I'd be happy to read stories about them.<br />
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I just loved how much time the book spent on describing what sort of things she did for work. What decisions she made, and what <i>mistakes </i>she made, how she grabbed hold of the opportunities offered to her and how she grew as a set designer over the course of the book. It was all just so fascinating and I'm sure I'll pay more attention to the set the next time I watch a film now that I have more of an understanding of how much work goes into everything you see in the background.<br />
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Emi's family was so interesting too! Her brother also works in the world of film as a location manager, and her parents are both professors; her mother is a professor of Gender Studies and Black Studies, and her dad is a professor of pop culture. Everyone is super cool. I would have loved to see even more of her family. Emi's best friend, Charlotte, was also lovely and so supportive of her and also super competent as she helps Emi both at work and in her personal life.<br />
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As for the romance part of the book, well... Emi breaks up with her girlfriend, Morgan, at the beginning at the book, whom she claims to love a lot, but she seems to get over Morgan remarkably quickly, which bugged me a little bit. Like, there was one night of sadness and suddenly she seemed to be pretty much completely fine. I don't know, I just think maybe that was a little unrealistic? Partly because of this, the romance between Ava and Emi was not wholly convincing to me, because Emi just seems to fall for Ava so fast and so soon after Morgan.<br />
<br />
But I very much appreciated the fact that we got a book about two girls falling in love that wasn't about the girls struggling to come to terms with their own sexuality or with coming out, and where both girls had been with other girls before. As much as I think Emi moved on a bit hastily, I'm still always happy to see YA books that deal with break-ups that involve real heartbreak.<br />
<br />
I liked Ava, and I liked her backstory, but personally she just never seemed as real to me as Emi did. She comes to Emi as an enigma, and I feel like she kind of still remains one even at the end of the book, though the book tries to tell me otherwise. I think part of this could also be because this book felt a little too short. Everything came together a bit too quickly at the end. I felt like this book could have been at least 100 pages longer, so that Ava and Emi's romance could develop at a more natural pace and come to life more.<br />
<br />
Still, I was utterly drawn into Emi's world and I was enthralled by this book even if the romance wasn't as magical as it could have been for me. The writing was just so easy to sink into. I do hope LaCour writes more stories about girls falling in love!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-91894740368086984142014-07-30T15:53:00.000+01:002014-07-30T15:53:02.896+01:00Review: Ask Again Later by Liz Czukas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZjBWrRks4UIn92W7zDPQsGzn0wWRycKY4BGr8JTuguR8aoXyL8cJmauPZOt1FhIomRKlRcO-mRsNtwBIBAwBKWZmiC6kH9Ece6OCQvm2Yltp2qREqAq10lO76xkR8Q94B8XOUn0vOlk/s1600/ask+again+later.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ZjBWrRks4UIn92W7zDPQsGzn0wWRycKY4BGr8JTuguR8aoXyL8cJmauPZOt1FhIomRKlRcO-mRsNtwBIBAwBKWZmiC6kH9Ece6OCQvm2Yltp2qREqAq10lO76xkR8Q94B8XOUn0vOlk/s1600/ask+again+later.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>Ask Again Later </b>by Liz Czukas<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>Published by </b>HarperTeen on 11th March 2014
<br />
<b>Pages: </b>336<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16090645-ask-again-later">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
Despite what her name might suggest, Heart has zero interest in complicated romance. So when her brilliant plan to go to prom with a group of friends is disrupted by two surprise invites, Heart knows there's only one drama-free solution: flip a coin.<br />
<br />
Heads: The jock. He might spend all night staring at his ex or throw up in the limo, but how bad can her brother's best friend really be?<br />
<br />
Tails: The theater geek...with a secret. What could be better than a guy who shares all Heart's interests<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">—</span>even if he wants to share all his feelings?<br />
<br />
Heart's simple coin flip has somehow given her the chance to live out both dates. But where her prom night ends up might be the most surprising thing of all...</blockquote>
Well, this was a quick and fun read! I wasn't blown away, but it was an enjoyable way to pass a couple hours, and the voice was a delight, funny and engaging.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It's very much a prom book, with 90% of the book set on the night of prom itself. Our lovely protag, Heart, who has sworn to never date anyone because of issues regarding her family's past, has decided to go to prom with her friends. But then she is asked to prom by two different guys: Ryan and Troy. Ryan is the theatre geek and Troy is the jock. Troy didn't even really ask: he's best friends with Heart's brother and since Troy broke up with his girlfriend recently, Heart's brother told Troy that Heart would go with him. Heart hardly knows Troy.<br />
<br />
Ryan did ask, and Ryan is already kind of friends with Heart; they're partners in French class. And they get to know each other better over the course of the novel, and it is awesome. Their friendship pretty much made the book for me. Ryan was so good to her, and he was an invaluable source of insight and humour in the book.<br />
<br />
Since Heart is totally unable to decide between the two (though honestly, if I were Heart, the choice would be obvious – Ryan is obviously the one to go for!), she flips a coin. For the rest of the novel, we get to see how prom night unfolds in two different ways which alternate between chapters: what happens if she goes with Troy, and what happens if she goes with Ryan. This was an interesting method of story-telling, and I enjoyed seeing how different the two scenarios are.<br />
<br />
Ultimately it was very predictable though, and you can probably guess from a mile off which guy Heart will end up with. I wasn't a fan of the romance, which... pretty much means that this book was destined not to get more than three stars from me, since the romance is kind of the point? Also, you know one of my book pet peeves? When characters in the book are already friends at the point the book begins, but the book offers very little sense of the history of their friendship. So it was with this book. Almost zilch history of any of the friendships. The most important friendship in this book was that between Heart and this guy she's nicknamed Schroeder; I kept hoping to find out more about Schroeder, but the book offered very little. Also, what made it worse was that he was kind of a jerk at times. I just didn't find him very likeable.<br />
<br />
So, I didn't fall in love with this book, but it had its cute moments and I'm definitely interested in reading Czukas' next book (<i>Top Ten Clues You're Clueless</i>, out in December!). Hopefully I'll be more into the romance next time!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-25716564075285524472014-07-04T10:13:00.000+01:002014-07-04T10:13:10.632+01:00Review: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJqr80hfaqbSB1CoMgU-IOPNfxofW0P2xI2cvV791jBl_lP9uIqT55IP5MqnI4kqElvvgWJm1eGi9duxtCO0ZXXqW1iTD0ObsiISk_nRk7swVB14mtMNl_HZrl9qDyQlM6TuL5IDT8Xw/s1600/days+of+blood+and+starlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJqr80hfaqbSB1CoMgU-IOPNfxofW0P2xI2cvV791jBl_lP9uIqT55IP5MqnI4kqElvvgWJm1eGi9duxtCO0ZXXqW1iTD0ObsiISk_nRk7swVB14mtMNl_HZrl9qDyQlM6TuL5IDT8Xw/s1600/days+of+blood+and+starlight.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
<b>Days of Blood and Starlight </b>by Laini Taylor (#2 in the <b>Daughter of Smoke and Bone </b>trilogy)<br />
<b>Format: </b>eBook<br />
<b>Published by </b>Hodder & Stoughton on 8th November 2012<br />
<b>Pages: </b>528<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating:</b> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17154677-days-of-blood-and-starlight">Add on Goodreads</a>
<br />
<blockquote>
Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a new way of living - one without massacres and torn throats and bonfires of the fallen, without revenants or bastard armies or children ripped from their mothers' arms to take their turn in the killing and dying.<br />
<br />
Once, the lovers lay entwined in the moon's secret temple and dreamed of a world that was a like a jewel-box without a jewel - a paradise waiting for them to find it and fill it with their happiness.<br />
<br />
This was not that world.</blockquote>
This started out kind of slow (all the jumping around many different POVs took some getting used to), and then it just sort of... exploded.<br />
<br />
It took a while for me to adjust to how much more... expansive this feels in comparison to <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone</i>, and how much darker and more harrowing it is. <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone </i>was about love. And this series will surely always be about love, and the things that love can achieve. But where <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone </i>showed the brighter side of things, and was filled with sweetness and joy and happiness and hope, <i>Days of Blood and Starlight </i>introduces the reader to despair, and grief. The landscape of the book is bleak. There is so much death, and pain, and horror. This book shows us how complicated everything really is. It lays bare the realities of war. The despicable lengths that both sides, chimaera and angel, will descend to.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>We meet many new characters, and we see a lot more of the world of Eretz, the world of these chimaera and angels. <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone</i>, though it had told of the war, had felt so... narrow, in a way. Not that that was a bad thing, but it was a story very much focussed on Karou and Akiva, on the mystery of their entwined past. But now we realise how much more there is to their story than the two of them. How much must come between them, the new depths of cruelty that the war has reached, the unyielding hatred that is every moment reaching new heights between their two peoples, all the intrigues that lie hidden, unfurling on both sides. How Akiva's vengeance would seem to have burned away any hope that ever existed in his heart, and in Karou's. Any hope of a real future, for them both, and for Eretz. And the pleasure of reading this book is in finding out how that hope can be rekindled.<br />
<br />
Everything is so much heavier in this book. Karou and Akiva and the burdens they have to carry. They are separated for most of the book, and both are desperately trying to atone for things they believe to be their fault. Karou works in a secret location in the human world with the few chimaera left, becoming their new resurrectionist and taking on Brimstone's job, tithing her pain to build more monstrous bodies for the chimaera forces, better to kill angels with. Akiva works in Eretz with the other Misbegotten, the bastards born of Joram, the seraphim emperor, and their task is to destroy all the chimaera they can find. But Akiva will not. He will try and preserve as many as he can, instead.<br />
<br />
Karou is so miserable for most of this book, it made my heart hurt to see her like this. Her anger at Akiva is justified and understandable, but oh, Akiva is so GOOD in this book. He is so heroic and stoic and he does so much for her, and he hopes against hope and he saves chimaera and believes that things can be different, believes still in their dream, their dream of harmony with the beasts, or some semblance of that dream, and it is just. So amazing. And the complicated web of their feelings for each other, the palpable pain they both feel at this shattered thing that lies between them... It is just incredible.<br />
<br />
I have to say, I adore Zuzana and Mik so much and I am so glad for their presence in this book. I love the lightness and humour and warmth they bring. I love how much Zuzana cares about Karou. She's just so awesome! So tiny and fierce and funny and wonderful. And her relationship with Mik is just so sweet and well, <i>uncomplicated</i>. That was sorely needed in a story that was just so very, very complicated otherwise.<br />
<br />
I also loved Ziri, a new character in this book. A Kirin, like Karou used to be in her past life. The last of the Kirins, in fact. And he was so lovely to Karou. He was just so brave and pure-hearted and it made me terribly sad for him, because he loves Karou so much and Karou is just too embroiled in fighting off her feelings for Akiva to ever fall in love with anyone else.<br />
<br />
Laini Taylor writes villainy so well. Remember how I said I don't seem to care much for villains, so that they hardly even leave an impression on me most of the time? Well, I'm not forgetting Thiago anytime soon. I absolutely despised him, and fairly seethed every time he appeared in the book. Oh, and Jael. Another terrifying and contemptible and believable villain. And both of them, Jael and Thiago, so horrifically compelling. I am in awe. Just thinking about them makes me shudder.<br />
<br />
The last 30% was breathtaking. God, does Laini Taylor know how to plot. I was just on the edge of my seat the entire time.<br />
<br />
Ultimately this was a gripping read, and a very powerful and painful look at war and all its implications. It's very different from <i>Daughter of Smoke and Bone </i>in tone, and contains a lot less romance, though I still really adore all the things this book does have to say about love. If you've read the first one but not the second one yet, be prepared for something much more grim and nightmarish. The prose continues to be exquisite, but the content is a lot more bloody and violent. It's also more exhilarating, in my opinion, and it's just pretty fantastic fantasy.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-29706169573839892502014-07-02T09:25:00.001+01:002014-07-02T09:25:53.133+01:00Monthly Wrap-Up: June 2014<h4>
On the blog last month</h4>
June wasn't a great blogging month for me. It's taken me until 2 July to even put this wrap-up post together... I haven't replied to comments in forever, I haven't read nearly as many books as I would like, I've been failing to keep up with other blogs for the most part, I haven't managed to do Sunday Posts for the past two weeks... ): But hopefully July will be a better month!<br />
<br />
I reviewed 10 books in June. Of these, 5 were for Mental Health Awareness Month (I've put an asterisk by those).<br />
<br />
<center>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PuTz2yyFX1SCB-a6qTcI_3wx7DM0rcRj1rn-QTk7EGobR8km__obzr4syMU6vyKqZBpwswePizKDJ33E5FnykaqOQWt90mge1STsoS4mSqIHwCwzKlXEkOUkPKgaCfltmF8VssOFfgw/s1600/these+gentle+wounds.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oU61XKHPImwXFW83NM49fizWFPbjvqkRkexfg9kqUb1BstrgkY9tYU9dfpPfJ5Ivc9MhlnEuYBfN-XLkMIOYVH7X2AinKrN8CYD_HKn7ihphjIU25qAP2eDbxwC0wIZ_HnHhwYDTS6U/s1600/snake+charm.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcxasiIvnXYmyEDIDToWWE17NPS8XerP5kiWCJybwFSCVWuv87pi44dy_U8ofP_5IXsPDEynaBLq7NpnPJB_MjEGZgnlI90qd2KZRMsdDwyTyyEcOluD_1K1aNS58eOjU-wmpfeiwbrw/s1600/crazy.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_F8cw49O89TK_yInJaWMfHhQnLwh4_wAQYMIJWA2KiXywizRzY5C04EaH2024I8J3PmqCFM8zJlO1ggh6tPxIlsqZU6wTVS2WBCT3V4R4ErpJrRR4z9vW2nMKgJp0pBImKZ2izjF1EA/s1600/the+truth+is+a+cave+in+the+black+mountains.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRJuMlyq8o_jfWbBLmcgZs-OHKz5YpIjlZtVIBANyLVPfTEaW-LNybleDI4rGsOVFIU6McTrAqhHvV2JpaK0ImeLaaOUntwpXSw7OlG7Kn7siUt72vPTUho9M4PEu3Iw8MfZ3wLvH_pc8/s1600/shadow+and+bone+indigo.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02xLd39oXKVW8IU7qsc9-QSBKfFMNWBQt-w1XCI1J16q6qotz_200iYfjn0PzKCxcKtnJab3u3QD6cjou6StmfCKF7GIgYzIsMdFDuwckl4PbUcyD3t335bsAFPaHovoGLMoHID2zQGQ/s1600/siege+and+storm.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOpjrhL6uvwjYFl616KqxE8b4yNQ4ghOLqubfLMyHugMo8dUTBtCahTgwd5WEPtaluwS-NVadAOpJ4NlpUhfYiLhYx43RPvs4oE-MYakD6R6u5lrBgcmrpqTI5lb2KhnmnTI0VcAxnp8/s1600/i+dont+want+to+be+crazy.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofTomgFPZITRaukujZEJBYhyphenhyphen9DreVFQ95wOB0J3d6xbZ1Vwf9KD5cJAz48aXGHGWV_43ZOTK856qeeIdZUYW2enj2fqIGxK0YEyRJzdjkJ6idJvcJ5-5Jlea4nIahxwvausX2MUziVuo/s1600/dorothy+must+die.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W-CXKGRRBjvI9Q0mIVPtbTwfWtXAloWkdbPwbZ9-uLR55CKZW9ON8wvxwPMp4v93P-cLSuQh4K6W2n0M3HbZo4zM0N5A8KKzgzpd4vi_Upxu8VtvpPoAMWJatdqZIiLQ18ZItmcM8MU/s1600/dr+bird%2527s+advice.jpg" height="150" /> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWla6VaY_jZmXb6YB7CTGOha8lCaaAcOjP3oX1DpbcVTbSzeCvoWuCykrHM_RjGs8VI41ATPQS1MXzD6og4F1PqUyBljO2PKooXYgIsCNu2B-JbmX_jLxMyGxlOs8c2Sp5LaSie4WxzkI/s1600/amy+and+matthew.jpg" height="150" /></center>
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-these-gentle-wounds-by-helene.html">*Review: These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar (3 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/mini-review-snake-charm-by-laura-lam.html">Mini-review: The Snake Charm by Laura Lam (3.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-crazy-by-amy-reed.html">*Review: Crazy by Amy Reed (4.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/mini-review-truth-is-cave-in-black.html">Mini-review: The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-shadow-and-bone-by-leigh-bardugo.html">Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (3.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-siege-and-storm-by-leigh-bardugo.html">Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-siege-and-storm-by-leigh-bardugo.html">*Mini-review: I Don't Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-dorothy-must-die-by-danielle.html">Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-dr-birds-advice-for-sad-poets-by.html">*Review: Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-amy-matthew-by-cammie-mcgovern.html">*Review: Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern (3 stars)</a></li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Best of the bunch? </b>That would be <i>Crazy </i>by Amy Reed, which I loved for its interesting format (the story is told mostly through emails between the two MCs) and its heartfelt emotion and gut-wrenchingly beautiful writing. A dizzyingly captivating story about a girl with bipolar disorder and the boy who falls in love with her.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed Mental Health Awareness Month, though I was planning to read at least 6 books for it and I only managed to read 5.<br />
<br />
Even though June was Pride Month, I failed to read any books with a real focus on LGBTQ content. This makes me sad. <i>The Snake Charm</i> is a short story set in the universe of the Micah Grey series though, which is a wonderful LGBTQ series, and the MC of <i>The Snake Charm </i>is Drystan, who as we know from the series is not straight, though this is not brought up in <i>The Snake Charm</i>. <i>Crazy</i> featured an unusually high number of side characters who were LGBTQ (four!) for a book whose MCs were not queer. But other than that, none of the books I read even featured any minor LGBTQ characters.<br />
<br />
I bought <i>Otherbound </i>by Corinne Duyvis thinking I would manage to read it in June, but that did not happen. I will try to read this month or next.<br />
<br />
(Cayce @ Fighting Dreamer made <a href="http://nijiclovers.blogspot.hk/2014/06/i-wanted-to-make-something-special-for.html">an absolutely awesome rainbow of YA LGBTQ books</a> for Pride Month though! :D Go check it out!)<br />
<br />
What have I been doing the past two weeks? Uh, I watched <i>The Fault in Our Stars</i>, which made me weep starting from about halfway through the film till the very end. Strange experience, watching half the film through such blurry vision. I went to Scotland. The Isle of Skye is so pretty! What with all the long car journeys I had, I finally managed to catch up with <i>Welcome to Night Vale</i>, which is ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS. Then I went to a ball which lasted from about 8pm till 6am, which was fun. After that I flew home to Hong Kong. And now here I am in Hong Kong. Until 27 July, when I will fly back to England again to start my summer internship.<br />
<br />
I don't really have any special plans for July, only the hope that I'll at least read one LGBTQ book. Plus I've been meaning to do a Strange Chemistry giveaway ever since I heard the sad news about them closing, so hopefully I will get around to that soon!<br />
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<b>How are you all? Sorry I've been so terrible at replying to comments! I WILL CATCH UP SOON, I PROMISE.</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-5056332083665509442014-06-30T17:58:00.002+01:002014-06-30T17:58:49.983+01:00Review: Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWla6VaY_jZmXb6YB7CTGOha8lCaaAcOjP3oX1DpbcVTbSzeCvoWuCykrHM_RjGs8VI41ATPQS1MXzD6og4F1PqUyBljO2PKooXYgIsCNu2B-JbmX_jLxMyGxlOs8c2Sp5LaSie4WxzkI/s1600/amy+and+matthew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWla6VaY_jZmXb6YB7CTGOha8lCaaAcOjP3oX1DpbcVTbSzeCvoWuCykrHM_RjGs8VI41ATPQS1MXzD6og4F1PqUyBljO2PKooXYgIsCNu2B-JbmX_jLxMyGxlOs8c2Sp5LaSie4WxzkI/s1600/amy+and+matthew.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a><b>Amy & Matthew </b>by Cammie McGovern (also known as <b>Say What You Will </b>in the US)<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>Published by </b>Macmillan Children's Books on 27th March 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>336<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22386415-amy-matthew">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This is the story of Amy and Matthew. It's about being different. It's about feeling alone. It's about finding each other. It's about falling in love.</blockquote>
I don't know whether I just read this book at the wrong time or what, but I feel like any thoughts I have about the book are sort of swamped in a haze. I just can't seem to figure out how I feel about it.<br />
<br />
I was really drawn to this book at first because Matthew has OCD and the whole premise of this story made it seem like it was the closest I was going to get to reading a book about a girl who falls in love with a guy who suffers from anxiety. (As I've said before, my boyfriend suffers from anxiety.) In the end, I figure the world kind of still needs another story like that, because this one didn't quite work out for me.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The subtitle of this book is "A Love Story". I guess I expected more relationship stuff from this book, but there was really none of that. Most of the book is just Amy and Matthew struggling to make their feelings known to each other. It takes a ludicrously long time. And it's kind of frustrating and possibly just not quite my cup of tea. I've made it clear before that characters who suck at communicating with each other are just not my thing. I find it hard to root for a ship like that. And here were Amy and Matthew, constantly failing to tell each other how they really feel. Not reaching out for each other when they should. It just takes them way too long; too many misunderstandings, too many mistakes, and I kind of lost interest.<br />
<br />
I wasn't sure about the way Amy dealt with Matthew's OCD either. I felt like she could be really selfish, and she pushed Matthew a bit too hard sometimes. It did not feel to me that she was present and supportive, ready to be there for him whenever Matthew was having a particularly bad time, but that she just wanted him cured of his OCD and that was it. Matthew's recovery also seemed oddly easy and smooth to me. Like, I know he still isn't really fully recovered by the end of the book, but I just feel like I was never shown the full impact of his OCD and his anxiety on his life and on the lives of those around him. On Amy's life.<br />
<br />
I think Amy got given a far more complex and well-developed arc. I have very little knowledge about cerebral palsy; it was nice to read a book with so much focus on that, and so much on Amy trying to move beyond that too, to learn her place in the world and how to define herself on her own terms. I liked seeing her struggles with her overprotective mother. Amy was selfish, yes, but she was such a teenager. She wanted to live, really live the way she hadn't managed to yet; she wanted to be liked, she wanted to make an impression on the world, and the choices she made were rash and bold and risky. I think she learnt quite a bit about life by the end of the book.<br />
<br />
Despite all this, I sympathised with Matthew much more as a character. The way he viewed the world and the sadness he carried with him just made him so much more compelling to me. I loved the way this book explored what sexuality meant to both Amy and Matthew, how they had very different takes on the subject, and this bit of the book, from an email that Matthew sends to Amy, was so raw and beautiful:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I understand what you were trying to say, but I also have to say I don't believe there's such a casual sex for people like you and me. How could there be? We don't have casual relationships with our bodies. They're unpredictable, humiliating things that have failed us so much it's hard not to hate them, and impossible to imagine being naked with another person and relaxed at the same time. I don't know. Maybe that's not it at all.</blockquote>
It's just heartbreaking.<br />
<br />
Still, much of my enjoyment of the book was dampened by the fact that it feels to me much less like a love story than a story about two people who need to just learn to communicate already. And also by the fact that I wasn't always comfortable with the portrayal of Matthew's OCD and Amy's attitude towards that. For these reasons, I was never convinced by the romance, and that just isn't great for a book subtitled "A Love Story".
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-54801287000458152292014-06-24T23:44:00.002+01:002014-06-24T23:44:35.715+01:00Review: Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W-CXKGRRBjvI9Q0mIVPtbTwfWtXAloWkdbPwbZ9-uLR55CKZW9ON8wvxwPMp4v93P-cLSuQh4K6W2n0M3HbZo4zM0N5A8KKzgzpd4vi_Upxu8VtvpPoAMWJatdqZIiLQ18ZItmcM8MU/s1600/dr+bird%2527s+advice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8W-CXKGRRBjvI9Q0mIVPtbTwfWtXAloWkdbPwbZ9-uLR55CKZW9ON8wvxwPMp4v93P-cLSuQh4K6W2n0M3HbZo4zM0N5A8KKzgzpd4vi_Upxu8VtvpPoAMWJatdqZIiLQ18ZItmcM8MU/s1600/dr+bird%2527s+advice.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets </b>by Evan Roskos<br />
<b>Format: </b>Hardcover<br />
<b>Published by </b>Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on 5th March 2013<br />
<b>Pages: </b>310<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15764032-dr-bird-s-advice-for-sad-poets">Add on Goodreads</a>
<br />
<blockquote>
“I hate myself but I love Walt Whitman, the kook. Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”<br />
<br />
Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant.</blockquote>
James Whitman is a teenage boy who loves Walt Whitman. He loves poetry and photography and trees and birds. He hugs trees to make himself feel better. He suffers from anxiety and depression and has an imaginary pigeon as his therapist. His parents are abusive, and his sister no longer lives in the house with them, ever since she got into a fight at school and was expelled and subsequently kicked out of the house. He wants his sister back.<br />
<br />
This book is about James trying to get his sister back. Trying to figure out what exactly happened that led to her getting expelled. Trying to understand her more, and realising they have more in common than he'd thought. And that everything is more complicated than it seems.<br />
<br />
It's about James dealing with his anxiety and depression, confronting the problems in his life, learning to stand up for himself and for his sister.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>It was a very engaging read. I absolutely loved James' voice. It was so earnest and authentic. I was originally going to do this review as a joint review with my boyfriend but he couldn't find the time to finish the book. He did read about half of it and he said he found it difficult to read because of how much he identified with James' experience, as someone who suffers from anxiety himself, and he found that James' thought processes were very similar to his own, so I suppose Roskos got that part spot on. I just found myself utterly immersed in James' thoughts and in his life. This is one of those books where you really do just sort of live in the narrator's head for a while, and it's brilliant.<br />
<br />
James has a crush on a girl called Beth, who's head of the literary magazine at school, but Beth has a boyfriend. I thought there was going to be more romance than there actually was, but I think I appreciated that in the end, because what with all the other stuff that's going on in James' life, I think it was really nice just to see him become good friends with Beth over the course of the book and learn to savour that friendship as it is.<br />
<br />
James doesn't have many friends, but he does have a best friend called Derek. I really enjoyed their friendship in this book. It was the biggest source of humour. I just loved their conversations, their jokes, the way James started to be able to share deeper stuff with Derek and confide in him about his problems, how Derek was so willing to help him and just instantly so accepting.<br />
<br />
Despite the heavy subject matter, the book is full of humour. It's sad, yes. How could it not be? There are many little devastating moments, but there are also moments of wonder and optimism. I thought maybe the ending was a little too easy and too positive after all that has preceded it, but anyway, it is definitely a very hopeful book for all its pain and sadness.<br />
<br />
To sum up, this book is kind of a delight. It's a little weird and sad but it's so refreshing and funny and sweet too. James tries to celebrate life the way Walt Whitman's poetry does. A lot of the time he fails. But sometimes he succeeds. And it's really a joy to read about it all.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-83306280110896517702014-06-21T22:46:00.000+01:002014-06-21T22:46:34.399+01:00Review: Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofTomgFPZITRaukujZEJBYhyphenhyphen9DreVFQ95wOB0J3d6xbZ1Vwf9KD5cJAz48aXGHGWV_43ZOTK856qeeIdZUYW2enj2fqIGxK0YEyRJzdjkJ6idJvcJ5-5Jlea4nIahxwvausX2MUziVuo/s1600/dorothy+must+die.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofTomgFPZITRaukujZEJBYhyphenhyphen9DreVFQ95wOB0J3d6xbZ1Vwf9KD5cJAz48aXGHGWV_43ZOTK856qeeIdZUYW2enj2fqIGxK0YEyRJzdjkJ6idJvcJ5-5Jlea4nIahxwvausX2MUziVuo/s1600/dorothy+must+die.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>Dorothy Must Die </b>by Danielle Paige (#1 in the <b>Dorothy Must Die </b>series)<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>To be published by </b>HarperCollins on 3rd July 2014 (first published on 1st April 2014)<br />
<b>Pages: </b>464<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" /><br />
<b>Purchase from: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dorothy-Must-Die-Danielle-Paige/dp/0062347047/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400603220&sr=1-1&keywords=dorothy+must+die">Amazon (UK)</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18053060-dorothy-must-die">Add on Goodreads</a> | <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbKJoaSWAFc">Watch the book trailer</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dorothymustdie">Like the Facebook page</a><br />
<blockquote>
I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero.<br />
<br />
But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know?<br />
<br />
Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. But I never expected Oz to look like this. A place where Good Witches can't be trusted and Wicked Witches may just be the good guys. A place where even the yellow brick road is crumbling.<br />
<br />
What happened? Dorothy.<br />
<br />
My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas.<br />
<br />
I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and I've been given a mission:<br />
<br />
Remove the Tin Woodman's heart.<br />
<br />
Steal the Scarecrow's brain.<br />
<br />
Take the Lion's courage.<br />
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And then—Dorothy must die.</blockquote>
**Thanks HarperCollins for sending me a free review copy!**<br />
<br />
I thought this book was fantastic and so much fun to read.<br />
<br />
I have to say though, the blurb is a tad misleading. You know all that stuff down there with the mission and all those parts to it? "Remove the Tin Woodman's heart, steal the Scarecrow's brain, take the Lion's courage"? That's not really a big part of this book. I'm thinking it more generally describes the series as a whole rather than this book in particular. But, that said, this is still an eminently enjoyable book in its own right, and as long as you don't go into this book expecting everything in the blurb to happen, you're going to be fine.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>What I've said makes it sound like this book might have First Book Syndrome. You know, when you read the first book of a series and it feels like it's just laying down groundwork for the next book(s)? And so it feels like the plot's kind of barely there, and nothing much actually happens apart from a whole lot of waiting for what comes next? Well, this book doesn't suffer from First Book Syndrome at all, in my opinion. I thought this book held up really well on its own, even though the ending was kind of really really rushed and abrupt. But the rest of it was pretty great plot-wise. The plot is not quite as advertised, but there's definitely plot. Things happened. Interesting things, exciting things. Twisted things.<br />
<br />
I fell in love with Amy's voice from the beginning. I love how it's just a touch cynical and resigned and sad. It's the voice of a teenager unsure of who she is, who's lived a crappy life and has had to deal with a lot. Her dad left her mum when she was little, and her mum's just kind of signed out of life after that, becoming addicted to her pills and not doing a whole lot of taking care of Amy. Amy lives in a trailer in Kansas. She's bullied at school. And then one day, her trailer gets swept up in a tornado and she lands in Oz.<br />
<br />
But it's not the Oz that we all know from the stories. It's a grim place. All the life is being sucked out of Oz, all the magic robbed from the very earth. The people are suffering terribly. And Dorothy is responsible. Dorothy, who decided to come by to Oz to enjoy fame and power after she realised that going home to Kansas wasn't good enough for her anymore.<br />
<br />
And Amy somehow ends up getting landed with the task of killing Dorothy. But it's not easy, and she doesn't know whether she wants to do it, whether she really can do it. Doesn't know whether it would just make her another Dorothy. Another girl from Kansas who wanted too much.<br />
<br />
I loved the darkness in this book. There's a lot of violence, cruelty, implications of horrific torture. Dorothy and her loyal minions, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion, are all terrifying in their own ways. They're unimaginably vicious. And Dorothy does it as she's smiling all the while. It's creepy and awful and I loved every second of it. I loved the moral ambiguity in certain characters; I loved how this book grappled with the concepts of good and evil (well, Good and Wicked) and I love how complicated everything was.<br />
<br />
I loved Amy. She was a heroine who really did get <i>angry</i>, whose anger was such a vital part of her. I loved that anger. It was so understandable and so real, and I loved how she harnessed it, how she used it in this book. I love her frustration with her life, with the situations she finds herself in in this book, her moral conflicts. The way she is so alone, has been alone her whole life and how she has to deal with that, how it's emphasised so clearly in this book that she can trust no one but herself. But she <i>can </i>trust herself. And that's what she has. She has her own identity, her own strength. And it's so perfect, watching her come to terms with that and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants.<br />
<br />
I wasn't a huge fan of the romance in this book, but that wasn't a major component of the book. It was actually kind of negligible, and I wonder if it had been a heavier focus, maybe it would have been better developed. As it is, her love interest was a little boring, and also barely present for most of the book. But the real focus of the book is Amy. Amy and her decisions, her struggles, her actions. And she absolutely shines as a character. I love her to bits, and I can't wait to see more of her kicking ass in the next book!<br />
<br />
All in all, if you love dark and twisted, you'll love this.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-89772160205056753462014-06-19T20:30:00.000+01:002014-06-19T20:30:07.119+01:00Mini-review: I Don't Want to Be Crazy by Samantha Schutz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOpjrhL6uvwjYFl616KqxE8b4yNQ4ghOLqubfLMyHugMo8dUTBtCahTgwd5WEPtaluwS-NVadAOpJ4NlpUhfYiLhYx43RPvs4oE-MYakD6R6u5lrBgcmrpqTI5lb2KhnmnTI0VcAxnp8/s1600/i+dont+want+to+be+crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHOpjrhL6uvwjYFl616KqxE8b4yNQ4ghOLqubfLMyHugMo8dUTBtCahTgwd5WEPtaluwS-NVadAOpJ4NlpUhfYiLhYx43RPvs4oE-MYakD6R6u5lrBgcmrpqTI5lb2KhnmnTI0VcAxnp8/s1600/i+dont+want+to+be+crazy.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<b>I Don't Want to Be Crazy </b>by Samantha Schutz<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>Published by </b>Push on 1st August 2007 (first published on 1st July 2006)<br />
<b>Pages: </b>288<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary, Memoir<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2215551.I_Don_t_Want_To_Be_Crazy">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
The harrowing, remarkable poetry memoir about one girl's struggle with anxiety disorder.<br />
<br />
This is a true story of growing up, breaking down, and coming to grips with a psychological disorder. When Samantha Schutz first left home for college, she was excited by the possibilities – freedom from parents, freedom from a boyfriend who was reckless with her affections, freedom from the person she was supposed to be. At first, she revelled in the independence... but as pressures increased, she began to suffer anxiety attacks that would leave her mentally shaken and physically incapacitated. Thus began a hard road of discovery and coping, powerfully rendered in this poetry memoir.</blockquote>
I'm finding this book very difficult to review, for some reason.<br />
<br />
It's not an easy read either. It's a verse memoir documenting one girl's life as she leaves home for college and how she begins to suffer from anxiety. <i>I Don't Want to Be Crazy </i>traces Samantha Schutz's through her college years, from just after she finishes high school, to when she's got one of her first jobs after college.<br />
<br />
It shows us Samantha as she keeps trying, time and time again, with therapists and medication, to recover from anxiety; she thinks she gets better but the anxiety resurfaces, worse than before, and grips her again. It's a very intense read. There are detailed descriptions of what anxiety attacks are like for her. It's terrifying and sad and, as the blurb promises, "harrowing". Because recovery isn't a smooth process for her, or for most people suffering from mental illnesses. It's awful and scary to be confronted with the reality of that, of how you take medication and then stop taking it for months and think you're better now only to plunge into even worse anxiety attacks than before.<br />
<br />
I felt very empty and depressed reading it. I've always known that this is the reality of things, but to read about it, about one girl's real struggles with anxiety, was really tough. I feel like it's a very important book though, to help and to inform, because a lot of people don't realise that this is how severe anxiety can really be. How it can really take over your life and make you unable to carry on as normal. If you're seeking to understand anxiety more, this is a good read. It's very well-written and the ending is a glimmer of hope. But yeah. It's a heavy read. Very real and devastating at times. Only read if you're prepared for the reality of the way things are.<br />
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<a href="http://blogoferised.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/mental-health-awareness-month-start.html"><img alt="MHAM" src="http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b621/BlogOfErised/MHAMsmall5_zps44d65e7f.png" style="border: none;" /></a></center>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-88899591323899111312014-06-17T10:00:00.000+01:002014-06-17T11:05:35.344+01:00Book Blitz: Fan Art by Sarah Tregay + Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSN5rJKCMLmbpKCI59DmceM_vYTsgzwx7wTAYVAyNCyDIlVvdhYsxGqtLOQLs0jS3nZcwgKcCzFfcDA82D382W8QzIHIlHFdR_hKvlt9xKLbXgEWnslhn8L2zpkYLgZ8EsEmhO6uuGd4/s1600/fan+art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSN5rJKCMLmbpKCI59DmceM_vYTsgzwx7wTAYVAyNCyDIlVvdhYsxGqtLOQLs0jS3nZcwgKcCzFfcDA82D382W8QzIHIlHFdR_hKvlt9xKLbXgEWnslhn8L2zpkYLgZ8EsEmhO6uuGd4/s1600/fan+art.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>Fan Art </b>by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3413449.Sarah_Tregay">Sarah Tregay</a><br />
<b>Published by </b>Harper Teen on 17th June 2014<br />
<b>Purchase from: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fan-Art-Sarah-Tregay-ebook/dp/B00FJ34ZYU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1402853009&sr=8-1&keywords=fan+art+by+sarah+tregay">Amazon</a> | <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fan-art-sarah-tregay/1117005012?ean=9780062243157">Barnes & Noble</a> | <a href="http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fan-art-1">Kobo</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Fan-Art-Sarah-Tregay/9780062243157">Book Depository</a>
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17924987-fan-art">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
When the picture tells the story… <br />
<br />
Senior year is almost over, and Jamie Peterson has a big problem. Not college—that’s all set. Not prom—he’ll find a date somehow. No, it’s the worst problem of all: he’s fallen for his best friend.<br />
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As much as Jamie tries to keep it under wraps, everyone seems to know where his affections lie, and the giggling girls in art class are determined to help Jamie get together with Mason. But Jamie isn’t sure if that’s what he wants—because as much as Jamie would like to come clean to Mason, what if the truth ruins everything? What if there are no more road trips, taco dinners, or movie nights? Does he dare risk a childhood friendship for romance?<br />
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This book is about what happens when a picture reveals what we can’t say, when art is truer than life, and how falling in love is easy, except when it’s not. Fan Art explores the joys and pains of friendship, of pressing boundaries, and how facing our worst fears can sometimes lead us to what we want most. </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiOSqIfMaIvp3q2Xa821GijTOnaDoCdKce0mbrdQdcZhyphenhypheniNEceu2YHGd3z13x_FkvZj8hYr7Qv76Q6XjYCrmMBxczmsfbPlK5gAaWJ32_wgYF3Fz5fIYoDOyn0OPyy2gIQAZNm6NwdOU/s1600/Fan-Art-Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJiOSqIfMaIvp3q2Xa821GijTOnaDoCdKce0mbrdQdcZhyphenhypheniNEceu2YHGd3z13x_FkvZj8hYr7Qv76Q6XjYCrmMBxczmsfbPlK5gAaWJ32_wgYF3Fz5fIYoDOyn0OPyy2gIQAZNm6NwdOU/s1600/Fan-Art-Banner.jpg" height="118" width="320" /></a></div>
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<small><b>Book Blitz Organized by:</b> <a href="http://yaboundbooktours.blogspot.com/">YA Bound Book Tours</a></small></center>
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This book comes out today and I am super excited to share this excerpt with you all! This is an LGBTQ contemporary and it seems really fun and light-hearted. There's prom! And crushing on your best friend when he's apparently straight. I really want to read this; hopefully I can get my hands on a copy soon. But for my US/Canada readers, there's a giveaway at the end of this post for 2 signed ARCs of the book! Whoo!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>
<blockquote>
<i>In art, Ms. Maude has the lights off and the projector on, and we’re flying through art history at breakneck speed. We started the semester with the cave paintings in Lascaux and, with three weeks of classes to go, we are up to Marcel Duchamp and his urinal. Ms. Maude is certain we’ll get up to present-day art by the end of the term, but the class has a bet going—most of the girls say she will and the guys say she won’t.<br /><br />
I write </i>$1<i> in my notebook and slide it across the table to Eden.<br /><br />
</i>In my pocket<i>, she writes back.<br /><br />
I’m about to write </i>No way<i> when Ms. Maude leaps ahead half a decade and sums up Dadaism in one sentence. </i>No fair. <i>She segues to the Bauhaus, and I know I should be listening. Those Bauhaus dudes are the founding fathers of graphic design.<br /><br />
But I’m not listening. </i>You going to prom?<i> I write. Again I slide my notebook to Eden.<br /><br />
She looks at me, an are-you-crazy? expression on her face.<br /><br />
I gesture at the note.<br /><br />
She writes something. Slides the notebook back. </i>No.<br />
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Why not?<i> I scribble.</i><br />
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<i>
She doesn’t wait for me to pass the notebook; she just reaches over and writes. </i>No date.<br />
<br />
Be mine.<br />
<br />
<i>
She looks at me again then writes: </i>I thought you were gay.<br />
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<i>
I freeze. How the hell does she know?</i><br />
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<i>
Eden takes the paper back before I write anything. </i>And you want to go to prom with me?<br />
<br />
Yes.<br />
<br />
Not possible<i>, she scribbles.</i><br />
<br />
Why not?<br />
<br />
<i>
Ms. Maude glances our way, and Eden pretends she’s taking notes on the lecture. When she slides my notebook back, it reads: </i>You’re out of my league. Not to mention the wrong gender.<i><br /><br />
The wrong gender? I try not to look surprised and I ignore that part. </i>What league?<br />
<br />
The popular one.<br />
<br />
I’m not popular. I’m in band.<br />
<br />
<i>
Eden sighs as if I’m clueless, and she pushes my notebook back at me without an answer.</i><br />
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Please<i>, I write. I didn’t know dating involved so much persuasion.</i><br />
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Why?<br />
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Because you’re cool.<i> I offer her the notebook.</i><br />
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<i>
She reads my note and shakes her head.</i><br />
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<i>
I try again. </i>Because I want to get to know you better.<br />
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<i>
She fake gags on her finger.</i><br />
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Because I’ll have a good time if you’re there.<br />
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<i>
Eden smiles.</i><br />
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<i>
And I have a prom date.</i></blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibC8-dmMk4v_C-C4PgXQOV7UG-BVr37cdQjc-s_5PGC3LWSU2KGRFbPbx5SxcQ3uljJ1Kzgam_1mQQ2gDlEcLUcPVavoag4psqdY07wTBXrS7sc3ormsuKJwhIkABVQ174B_Bxy9-G-9c/s1600/caelacarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnJp2Gzhksd4iKlFOxLJ-UBpyv0CzwM8UAzAu1RHFiUx9OUhdo83cyrMD5cFZKMwhBmzuXyROUsfx42Axl2p22eB0mur4OvOubqGSBAALG5soijMOy_ClilT5Yw-BCD8K8S0-qgpfGNDk/s1600/sarah+tregay.jpg" height="220" /></a>
<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Raised without television, Sarah Tregay started writing her own middle grade novels after she had read all of the ones in the library. She later discovered YA books, but never did make it to the adult section. When she's not jotting down poems at stoplights, she can be found hanging out with her "little sister" from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Sarah lives in Eagle, Idaho with her husband, two Boston Terriers, and an appaloosa named Mr. Pots. Her next book, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17924987-fan-art">Fan Art</a>, will be released in June.<br />
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<a href="http://www.sarahtregay.com/">OFFICIAL WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3413449.Sarah_Tregay">GOODREADS</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarahtregaybooks">FACEBOOK</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/sarahtregay">TWITTER</a> | <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/sarahtregay">PINTEREST</a></div>
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<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/2348b9277/" id="rc-2348b9277" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-29425909518640956262014-06-15T12:54:00.002+01:002014-06-15T12:54:32.515+01:00Sunday Post #6<center>
<img border="0" src="http://i59.tinypic.com/se0wgo.jpg" />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/the-sunday-post-meme">The Sunday Post</a> is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. </blockquote>
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Okay, I have been absolutely appalling at keeping up with blogging this week. I'm sorry! I have not replied to any of the comments I've received since last Sunday and I've not really been commenting on other people's blogs either. It's just that it's starting to get near the end of term here and I always feel a little out of breath during this time, like there's still so much work left to do, and I want to hang out with my friends here as much as possible before term ends, and I'll have to pack all my stuff. And then after term ends I'm going to Scotland with my dad for a week before coming back down to Oxford for a ball and then I'm flying back to Hong Kong two days after that. Um. Yeah. SO MUCH STUFF IS HAPPENING. I will probably continue to be terrible at blogging for maybe the next two weeks.<br />
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(Hopefully I will get to see <i>The Fault in Our Stars </i>soon though! I've been to the cinema twice in the past two weeks, saw <i>Maleficent </i>and <i>22 Jump Street</i>, both of which I thought were excellent.)<br />
<h4>
On the blog this week</h4>
<div>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/mini-review-truth-is-cave-in-black.html">Mini-review: The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-shadow-and-bone-by-leigh-bardugo.html">Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (3.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/06/review-siege-and-storm-by-leigh-bardugo.html">Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (4 stars)</a></li>
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<h4>
Elsewhere on the Internet</h4>
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<ul>
<li>Miranda @ Tempest Books <a href="http://tempestbooks.wordpress.com/2014/06/09/confession-my-boyfriend-doesnt-read-books/">confesses that her boyfriend doesn't like to read and asks whether your ideal partner would love reading</a>.</li>
<li>Kayla @ The Thousand Lives <a href="http://thethousandlives.wordpress.com/2014/06/12/to-reread-or-not-to-reread/">wants to know: to reread or not to reread?</a></li>
<li>We're halfway through Mental Health Awareness Month and Leah @ Uncorked Thoughts has a <a href="http://uncorkedthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/giveaway-guess-book-cover.html">Guess the Cover game</a>! Guess the covers of 10 books to do with mental health to enter the giveaway.</li>
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<h4>
This week's book haul</h4>
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<b><u>FOR REVIEW</u></b><br /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Zgy05WoJYGk2hXesGXKd4n0h0RA9na3nkawJF0X6-Iif76vDYnV3a_bssxBBvtmXJ_tFoAMg5QUZWK0TcVf2YNwDexgjyvIGCoqRlNtxhDxuPWgsRJ1fU9kAKLPfE4uDyTkedqAk_xc/s1600/salt+and+storm.jpg" height="200" width="132" /><br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18302133-salt-storm"><b>The Witch of Salt & Storm </b>by Kendall Kulper</a>: Also known as <i>Salt & Storm </i>in the US, so I'm using that cover since we haven't got a UK cover yet.</center>
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<b>That's it from me this week! I haven't bought any books this week since, like I've said, I've got a lot on my plate at the moment.</b><br />
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<b>How has your week been? Feel free to link me to your recaps/hauls!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-24347358259538265922014-06-14T01:50:00.000+01:002014-06-14T01:50:07.785+01:00Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02xLd39oXKVW8IU7qsc9-QSBKfFMNWBQt-w1XCI1J16q6qotz_200iYfjn0PzKCxcKtnJab3u3QD6cjou6StmfCKF7GIgYzIsMdFDuwckl4PbUcyD3t335bsAFPaHovoGLMoHID2zQGQ/s1600/siege+and+storm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02xLd39oXKVW8IU7qsc9-QSBKfFMNWBQt-w1XCI1J16q6qotz_200iYfjn0PzKCxcKtnJab3u3QD6cjou6StmfCKF7GIgYzIsMdFDuwckl4PbUcyD3t335bsAFPaHovoGLMoHID2zQGQ/s1600/siege+and+storm.jpg" height="320" width="199" /></a></div>
<b>Siege and Storm </b>by Leigh Bardugo (#2 in the <b>Grisha </b>trilogy)<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>Published by </b>Indigo on 6th June 2013 (first published 4th June 2013)<br />
<b>Pages: </b>386<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17415685-siege-and-storm">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
<i>The Darkling cupped my cheek with his hand, and when he spoke, his voice was almost tender. 'This is just the beginning,' he whispered.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Alina</b> thought she could run from her past and escape her destiny. She can't.<br />
<br />
<b>Mal</b> hoped he'd done enough to protect the girl he loved. He hadn't.<br />
<br />
<b>The Darkling</b>, more powerful than before, is hungry for revenge. He needs Alina.<br />
<br />
Soon Alina must choose between her country, her power, and the man she loves – or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.</blockquote>
**I won this through Goodreads First Reads.**<br />
<br />
A bit better than the first book, I think, but it's still not quite amazing yet. Looking forward to <i>Ruin and Rising</i> though!<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>As it turns out, I still don't care about the Darkling. At all. I feel like after two books we still barely know anything about him. All we know is that he's really interested in Alina, and he's dark and scary and all that. Which is all stuff I already know from book one.<br />
<br />
You know what I do care about? The darkness in Alina. That's the part of the story that really captures my imagination, and I love it to bits. I don't care about the Darkling at all but I care about the way Alina thinks about the Darkling, the way she relates to him. The romantic aspect doesn't interest me in the slightest. It's the way the concept of the Darkling has infused itself with how Alina views herself, how her character arc is about her struggling with that idea, that darkness, split between fighting it and embracing it. The darkness in her that makes her cruel, makes her prepared to do things she would never have done before. Makes her too much like the Darkling. The way she relishes power, the way it changes her. I am a hardcore fan of this stuff.<br />
<br />
What I continue not to be a hardcore fan of is the romance in this story. I just. God, I cannot stand characters who are so appallingly bad at communicating with each other. Alina and Mal seems to go like five billion steps backward for every step they take. This is just not that kind of romantic plot that appeals to me at all. I just want people to TALK TO EACH OTHER PROPERLY and sort their goddamn feelings out. Alina and Mal spend most of this book sullenly staring at each other, misunderstanding each other because they refuse to actually just pause for a second and listen to each other for real, and just generally being complete idiots. I know their love story is meant to be so complicated because she's the Sun Summoner and she should be the queen of Ravka, and Mal's just a peasant boy with no Grisha abilities, and only the Darkling can understand Alina because of her power and her darkness, blah blah blah, but I just wasn't compelled. Is it so hard for them to have a real conversation?<br />
<br />
As a result, I wanted Alina and Sturmhond to get together so bad. Sturmhond is a character introduced in this book, and he is pretty awesome. When we first meet him, he's a highly competent, suave and swashbuckling pirate, but there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. Alina and Sturmhond talked! THEY ACTUALLY HAD SOME REAL CONVERSATIONS. They had a genuine connection! They cared about each other, Sturmhond was charming and interesting and complex and his sense of humour brought some much-needed relief from all of Mal's depressing antics in this story.<br />
<br />
I continue to lament over Alina's lack of female friends. There was a really great new female character, Tamar, a warrior from Shu whom we first meet as one of Sturmhond's crew. She's an extremely strong fighter. When she first appeared I was so excited, but we did not get to see nearly enough of her in this book. I honestly wanted her to do so much more than she actually did. (Also, I was totally expecting her to be in love with Alina too, since Tamar said that Mal was handsome but wasn't her type, and Alina thought that Mal was everyone's type. I thought I picked up more hints that Alina was more her type, but I was sad when that never seemed to become a thing. Was I the only person who saw this? OR AM I JUST A SAD DELUDED QUEER GIRL. I just wanted there to be a queer character at least somewhere in this series and Tamar seemed a likely candidate.)<br />
<br />
*cough* Anyway, the plot was okay. I thought a lot more happened in this book than in the first book, so I was happy about that. I especially liked a lot of the beginning of the book, which happened at sea and made for a breath of fresh air in terms of setting, and I could have done with a lot more of that. I really liked all that pirate-y stuff. And Sturmhond. I love Sturmhond. The story also had a came to a rather thrilling climax, which threaded in a lot of that stuff I mentioned above about Alina's darkness and was consequently super satisfying for me to read. I will always lap that stuff up.<br />
<br />
So, since I am hopeful that the next book will continue to do some pretty great stuff with Alina's darkness, I am very excited for <i>Ruin and Rising</i>! Sadly, I will have to continue to put up with more appearances by the Darkling. I am conflicted, since Alina's darkness obviously won't mean anything without the Darkling to reflect it, but at the same time I don't care about the Darkling himself at all. I only care about what he means in terms of Alina's character. But I cannot wait to see where Alina's character arc will take us. I can only hope her arc will continue to be as beautiful and breathtaking as it has been so far.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-7305345326406150582014-06-11T18:49:00.000+01:002014-06-11T18:49:34.437+01:00Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzLIpOPg3-G2vDLtTZQUPoiQ7N0nuUTX-MmRZ5pJYA_ULhKGvUW6sFsjQNO3hQf8u-91tN9Zb90I4HyDIcgpHtk6_9l5xD8mzjjKoOwZN7WhkwT7c9Tb-aa6wcfYRsqAONoSUZoKzZQY/s1600/shadow+and+bone+indigo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzLIpOPg3-G2vDLtTZQUPoiQ7N0nuUTX-MmRZ5pJYA_ULhKGvUW6sFsjQNO3hQf8u-91tN9Zb90I4HyDIcgpHtk6_9l5xD8mzjjKoOwZN7WhkwT7c9Tb-aa6wcfYRsqAONoSUZoKzZQY/s1600/shadow+and+bone+indigo.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<b>Shadow and Bone </b>by Leigh Bardugo (#1 in the <b>Grisha </b>trilogy)<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>Published by </b>Indigo on 6th June 2013 (first published 17th May 2012)<br />
<b>Pages: </b>308<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsuXOmRMyaExKN2UHWlBAQS3hraH_GoXoiOrsWDqneg-dqxuDcStp-jRwovtVH-iThqm6JPy8w4EuO-gAQGuobghLpL7OBKNg_dVh2N9yHubo_SRLNh81djA0kvoC2Xce-lcDkY8ji2E/s1600/halfstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18001355-shadow-and-bone">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
<i>'I've been waiting for you a long time, Alina,' he said. 'You and I are going to change the world.'</i><br />
<br />
<b>The Shadow Fold</b>, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.<br />
<br />
<b>Alina</b>, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the world of the kingdom's magical elite - the Grisha. Could she be the key to setting Ravka free?<br />
<br />
<b>The Darkling</b>, a man of seductive charm and terrifying power. If Alina is to fulfil her destiny, she must unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.<br />
<br />
But what of <b>Mal</b>, Alina's childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can't she ever quite forget him?</blockquote>
I have no idea what to make of this book or how to sum up how I feel about it in a snappy sentence. I certainly like it enough to read the sequel, though.<br />
<br />
For most of it, I felt like it was only just okay. Fairly good but a little bland and unremarkable. The ending managed to elevate it from a solid 3-star read to 3.5 stars. If I were to make a chart of how much I enjoyed the book as I was reading it, it would probably look roughly like this (the percentages are very rough):<br />
<br />
<center>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf53Bj9Wo1zWDfHXGf1-AKe416v5XbAA6wTenAeLTSTKEvrj-vodVMoQxKjgnKjHBsFkMR2ZlGG8rlYpRlhzIIAC-CGMlQWR19Jo32gXX71zS5VG05pA3NDp4qZ9qx6e4adXQPx96Ow4/s1600/enjoyment+level+of+shadow+and+bone.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmf53Bj9Wo1zWDfHXGf1-AKe416v5XbAA6wTenAeLTSTKEvrj-vodVMoQxKjgnKjHBsFkMR2ZlGG8rlYpRlhzIIAC-CGMlQWR19Jo32gXX71zS5VG05pA3NDp4qZ9qx6e4adXQPx96Ow4/s1600/enjoyment+level+of+shadow+and+bone.png" width="500" /></a></center>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>Honestly, I kept feeling like nothing much exciting was happening until the last third. I felt like the worldbuilding was also a bit lacking, and there wasn't anything particularly intriguing or fascinating about this world. Oooooh, ~the mystery of the Shadow Fold~. I felt like that was the only thing remotely interesting about this world, and even that wasn't all that mysterious and strange after a while.<br />
<br />
I know Ravka is Russian-inspired, but apart from all the Russian words that kept popping up all over the place and the Russian place names, I wasn't sure I got a sense of the culture of Ravka at all. I feel like Bardugo relied too much on using the Russian words and not enough on imbuing her whole story with the culture of the place. And I had no sense of what the world outside of Ravka was like. Fjerda and Shu Han were mentioned a lot but I didn't know what these places were like apart from a quick paragraph that summed up what their people's attitude towards Grisha were.<br />
<br />
I was pretty enchanted by the prologue, where we saw Alina and Mal when they were children, orphans who had grown close together, and I thought I would be in for a good ride. I <i>really</i> loved the ending of the prologue:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
... they did not see the girl reach out to clasp the boy's hand or the look that passed between them. The Duke would have recognised that look. He had spent long years on the ravaged northern borders, where the villages were constntly under siege and the peasants fought their battles with little aid from the King or anyone else. He had seen a woman, barefoot and unflinching in her doorway, face down a row of bayonets. He knew the look of a man defending his home with nothing but a rock in his hand.</blockquote>
But then Alina and Mal grow into teenagers, and... Alina's in love with Mal, but Mal has no idea. All the other girls are into Mal too, and he's also into a lot of other girls. But Alina? He doesn't really seem to care much about Alina anymore.<br />
<br />
Alina and Mal are in the army together. They're not Grisha. Grisha are people with magical abilities; the people of Ravka seem to be tested when they're children for these abilities, so that those discovered to be Grisha can be taken away and trained. But oh wait... when Alina and Mal cross the Shadow Fold, some terrible things happen and it turns out Alina might be Grisha after all. She has a unique ability that might just be able to destroy the Shadow Fold and save Ravka. So she gets whisked away to Os Alta by the Darkling, the leader of the Grisha, who tells her the story behind the Shadow Fold, and she starts her training in Os Alta.<br />
<br />
A lot of things annoyed me about this story. First of all: I can't help it, but I really dislike stories where girl is secretly in love with boy, boy has no idea, doesn't appear to like girl at all, and then all of sudden he realises HE'S BEEN IN LOVE WITH HER TOO ALL ALONG. This happens here. I did not like it. I just never really buy it when that happens. I mean, it probably does happen in real life? I guess? But it just seems so stupid to me. HOW CAN YOU NOT REALISE IF SOMEONE'S MEANT TO BE THAT IMPORTANT TO YOU. Mal, you idiot. (Once we climbed over this annoying trope though, Mal and Alina were admittedly pretty cute together. Mal is so sweet to her. I can't wait for more!)<br />
<br />
Also, Alina's attraction to the Darkling. She's moping over Mal, and she and the Darkling basically have never ever had a conversation that lasted more than like, five minutes, but she's soooo attracted to the Darkling. I... was a little irritated by this. I get it, you can be attracted to someone without even having to speak to them, and I guess Bardugo never tried to portray this as love, which I was thankful for, just as pure wanting. I did think there was one scene between Alina and the Darkling which was pretty smoking hot, and I applaud Bardugo for managing to make me feel weak in the knees despite how much I was not fond of this thing between Alina and the Darkling. But I don't know. I just never liked the Darkling very much. In fact in his later appearances in the book I was just so done with him and I wanted him to disappear. (Like, when he appears again late in the book, that's when this book dipped to 2 stars for me. WON'T HE JUST GO AWAY.) I'm not compelled by his character. I'm hoping the second book will change my mind, because I know he's here to stay and he's not going to just disappear no matter how hard I wish. I mean, he's kind of crucial to the plot. *grumble grumble*<br />
<br />
What also annoyed me was how alllll the other girls in this story were portrayed apart from Alina, with the one exception of Genya. Alina basically has no female friends at first because, she tells us, all the girls who were so eager to befriend her initially turned out to only want to be her friends to get closer to Mal. Then, once Alina gets to the palace at Os Alta and meets all these Grisha girls, they were all portrayed as super annoying and bitchy and shallow as well. It was like a typical high school story. It's just the sort of stuff I am so bored of seeing in books. I didn't want to see it in a fantasy book too.<br />
<br />
There was, thank God, ONE young female character, Genya, whom Alina liked enough to become friends with. It sort of redeemed the story for me that this female character was basically really into make-up. That's kind of her specialty. To make people look more beautiful. It was nice that the one female character that Alina becomes real friends with was the one who had the sort of ability that might normally seen as a trait of superficial girls who care about nothing but their appearance. But there was a lot of interesting stuff going on under the surface with Genya which I loved, and I want to see more of that! I hope to God Alina makes more female friends in the next book or I will throw stuff.<br />
<br />
I liked Alina's character arc. I wasn't overly impressed by her at first, but her arc was fascinating and empowering in unexpected ways, and that was where the book kept on surprising me, to my delight. Though sometimes I wasn't sure whether the book was undermining itself again in that area, ultimately, I really liked that the book was about Alina trying to discover who she was on her own, her power and her potential. Defining herself as an individual. Not as the girl who grew up with Mal and is in love with him. Not as the girl who wants the Darkling's attention, who wants to prove herself to him. But just as Alina, strong and whole for the first time in her life even without the boy she's in love with by her side.<br />
<br />
And it was awesome, the direction that this book took at the very end. I LOVED IT. I was so thrilled. I think if the ending is any indication of what the second book will be like, then there's a good chance I will love the second book more than I did this book. Because yeah, the book took a while to get to what I wanted it to be, what I wanted <i>Alina </i>to be. But it got there in the end. Now let's just hope this is something that will carry on through the rest of the trilogy, and we'll be all set!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-18918888521352598342014-06-10T21:48:00.000+01:002014-06-10T21:48:14.608+01:00Mini-review: The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_F8cw49O89TK_yInJaWMfHhQnLwh4_wAQYMIJWA2KiXywizRzY5C04EaH2024I8J3PmqCFM8zJlO1ggh6tPxIlsqZU6wTVS2WBCT3V4R4ErpJrRR4z9vW2nMKgJp0pBImKZ2izjF1EA/s1600/the+truth+is+a+cave+in+the+black+mountains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_F8cw49O89TK_yInJaWMfHhQnLwh4_wAQYMIJWA2KiXywizRzY5C04EaH2024I8J3PmqCFM8zJlO1ggh6tPxIlsqZU6wTVS2WBCT3V4R4ErpJrRR4z9vW2nMKgJp0pBImKZ2izjF1EA/s1600/the+truth+is+a+cave+in+the+black+mountains.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<b>The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains </b>by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Eddie Campbell<br />
<b>Format: </b>Hardcover<br />
<b>To be published by </b>Headline on 17th June 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>72<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18635092-the-truth-is-a-cave-in-the-black-mountains">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
<i>You ask me if I can forgive myself?<br />
I can forgive myself...</i><br />
<br />
And so begins <i>The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains</i>, a haunting story of family, the otherworld, and a search for hidden treasure. This gorgeous full-colour illustrated book version was born of a unique collaboration between New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman and renowned artist Eddie Campbell, who brought to vivid life the characters and landscape of Gaiman's award-winning story. In this volume, the talents and vision of two great creative geniuses come together in a glorious explosion of color and shadow, memory and regret, vengeance and, ultimately, love.<br />
<br />
<i>...for many things. For where I left him.<br />
For what I did.</i></blockquote>
**Many thanks to Headline and Bookbridgr for providing me with a free review copy!**<br />
<br />
This was something a little different for me. I've read many of Neil Gaiman's short stories, and I tend to enjoy them quite a lot. I don't really read short stories much in general, but I feel like Gaiman is really good at short stories. They're just so incredibly rich, packing so much in in such a short space, and they always manage to feel like they're just the right length. Just perfect. I like that he tends to put a sharp twist towards the end of his short stories, something that feels like a twist in your own gut as you read it, a chill, a shiver, an abrupt realisation that makes the whole story seem that much more powerful.<br />
<br />
This story was no exception. It was haunting and creepy and weird, just like many of Gaiman's short stories. But what made it different was that it was accompanied by some lovely art, blended perfectly with the prose. I've never read any of Eddie Campbell's graphic novels, but when I first opened this book I wasn't very sure about his art. I didn't think I liked it very much. But as I kept reading, I found that Campbell's style grew on me and I thought the art really added to the flavour of the story. There are some really stunning moments.<br />
<br />
The story is set in a "Scotland much like our own in Jacobite times". It's about two men and a search for a cave, but of course, with Neil Gaiman, you already know it's about much more than that. The atmosphere of the Scottish isles is beautifully evoked, and I loved the pace and tension of the story, the slow foreboding ascent as the story gathers itself towards its conclusion. I loved finding out what the story was really about, how that's not so obvious until it is.<br />
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My boyfriend and I sat in bed reading this out loud, and he did all the Scottish voices, and it was so much fun. I feel like this kind of book is perfect for that kind of experience. We finished it in about an hour and a half, reading it out loud. I got chills at the end. It's a story where all things have their cost. If you're looking for happy stories, this is probably not where you should look. But if you're looking for something a little dark and different, this might just give you the kind of bitter, sharp jolt that you want.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-63910406976928026832014-06-08T11:22:00.000+01:002014-06-08T22:32:45.277+01:00Sunday Post #5<center>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/the-sunday-post-meme">The Sunday Post</a> is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.</blockquote>
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<h4>
On the blog this week</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/review-these-gentle-wounds-by-helene.html">Review: These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar (3 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/book-blitz-my-best-friend-maybe-by.html">Book Blitz: My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter + Giveaway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/mini-review-snake-charm-by-laura-lam.html">Mini-review: The Snake Charm by Laura Lam (3.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/review-crazy-by-amy-reed.html">Review: Crazy by Amy Reed (4.5 stars)</a></li>
</ul>
<h4>
Elsewhere on the Internet</h4>
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<ul>
<li>Miranda @ Tempest Books wants to know <a href="http://tempestbooks.wordpress.com/2014/06/02/do-you-read-reviews-of-books-you-havent-read-yet/">whether you read reviews for books you haven't read yet</a>. Plus she's got a list of <a href="http://tempestbooks.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/10-awesome-new-adult-books-that-arent-just-sex/">10 awesome New Adult books that aren't just sex</a>! This is useful for me since I have never ventured into NA.</li>
<li>Cait @ Notebook Sisters has some interesting thoughts on <a href="http://www.notebooksisters.com/2014/06/hey-look-at-you-book-being-so-diverse.html">diverse books and high ratings</a>.</li>
<li>Kelly @ Effortlessly Reading asks <a href="http://effortlesslyreading.com/2014/06/lets-speculate-not-everything-comes-easily/">what you find easiest and hardest about book blogging and whether new ideas come easily to you</a>!</li>
</ul>
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<h4>
This week's book haul</h4>
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<b><u>FOR REVIEW</u></b><br /><br /><b>PHYSICAL COPIES</b><br /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj18l9YWu8UZ-mBNTHVAZN0Es3klGuPuppxX204DJWqdksOOXL_cD-QqsDCrEHW0sncOcFLHaP8suPZTMUA3iOIgzVxSWuLG7jOwYb-3vRkPgnzT-6itEX_UgLvuApOvd00sXGX3VjLQTA/s1600/the+truth+is+a+cave+in+the+black+mountains.jpg" height="196" width="200" /><br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18635092-the-truth-is-a-cave-in-the-black-mountains"><b>The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains</b> by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Eddie Campbell</a>: Thanks Headline and Bookbridgr! I AM SO HAPPY I GOT THIS FOR REVIEW. :D You all know how much I like Neil Gaiman, right?
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<b>DIGITAL COPIES</b><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigsooQ8RhFIU_OcMnYKeZtpS3_Dq1dC4IbiwC-_DAXK_8cAHKDKO6NVLV5UlZ540WJQPfywVvOM0ldG24rdeDshFQi-wgrSI2y2bvxQQ7nRIqgZN1B-AFYo0Dv45kB0qVKKLFXhV6sySA/s1600/extraction.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRnfO8voVrYqvjAIJa6TTl3L41XUkamSYBBb6pQf3LbLbzLPadz5zQgENdjKShasi1a5YK-0bE9zDSeAazx7vpSkcOjNbIwSmkQaydS977w4dJhSM_l8WWfl_o9718B8hVNWyhh5OVZr4/s1600/my+soon+to+be+sex+life.jpg" height="200" width="130" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KEg9AsXNntZBnFGNhKYstYQbLDOaDjDbT-cWe_8ZppNAAyPU69FUU_dhiIZbTtsloe9_Hb6vfGhHmCNU2e-qDbGBRDTlmtJSxsrACrmzpI5uXYa49mspOML0QzQ8rkZXzXXL8MrG_LU/s1600/summer's+shadow.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16210411-extraction"><b>Extraction</b> by Stephanie Diaz</a>: Downloaded from Netgalley for a blog tour. (My first ever blog tour!) Sci-fi dystopia. The blurb is weird and fascinating!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21462279-my-soon-to-be-sex-life"><b>My Soon-To-Be Sex Life</b> by Judith Tewes</a>: I heard about this from Jo @ Once Upon a Bookcase and decided to check it out. :D It has a very eye-catching title and cover!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21535113-summer-s-shadow"><b>Summer's Shadow</b> by Anna Wilson</a>: I know very little about this book. It has a pretty cover and it's UKYA (I think it probably straddles the line between MG and YA, though I don't know yet), so I requested it. Hopefully it'll be good!<br />
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<b><u>WON</u></b>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__4yT2XSHNTgFDfGYgErw3Z7qUTD-NeLDD1GIqrg1m9GMjAU2U6XiXT0UYm-c9CaavjJmgifEzQBA97s7US0ZgtjCUCBwV4CkgHdtai7r03GYfglNR5Q3AoBHRIASbbkmJqIOEReqJyk/s1600/siege+and+storm.jpg" height="200" width="124" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14061955-siege-and-storm"><b>Siege and Storm</b> by Leigh Bardugo</a>: Won this through Goodreads! Haven't read the first one yet, so I bought that one.<br />
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<b><u>PURCHASED</u></b><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2XEV1FyCxxsxlIiqG9ioAlEoBe3zGfDRA422HPAhOAtE76FvEzlAfaCF0tKlm06_5Yq5K0w2FXTvdQRst_SqbFeCNLWnQC6QxGp_gNBdMhR6-8-kV8uhMrpeHJukKRQfNyr9Vg3TKFIk/s1600/sabriel.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mNpyMZizdn-CruEFwwDNPJ7SFAvQl1cMG0skYAclvJfTsBgC0BHDBU24pNZKMSRVroQlkF5Ky0nmDG_2qCAPjjIcqfffvMQbsLTiUY0qhH7jZ-JtrMUjb1_v6RA6HwItr7Ep35wI52U/s1600/lirael.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeQsCZoPKSLtt_4Qjd3SnIZzeb3AtaYITqyNEVHJ6lLsKoqdBh4M5PiLFYwOb8_dPdxoLsw-Tihj0X4cRP9EmfNSJMuOqPbvun3pszAEyw20P-cE7s6H6wVToENcmDU6k_vHQXcfUFp4/s1600/abhorsen.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/44888-abhorsen"><b>Abhorsen</b> trilogy by Garth Nix</a>: Whoo! I realised I'd never read these books before and I saw people getting excited for Clariel's release later this year and I was like... maybe I should read these. Because they definitely sound like books I'd really enjoy! I'm so excited about these. :D
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBmslPTOGcK_qn8wbfoRoMioW1xIIRbtwjOly07B4VO87iGYf6mCsvVHaJNIYYfs1r_bCo1STLHOJPy6fEAbShsyPvxunOOf04DgVrhhDE6Z_sut26Ev4BiCxHCqgcRMbHCeJfwEAQoU8/s1600/a+voice+in+the+distance.jpg" height="200" width="134" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0TuzlAFz8rNE6xE9XJ3LAAax4khOiQVAYySE0Lc1WxmaocyrIT79d80NTnyubQbQL96mxVGgb3Cpdp6ne2FmoHfzD4o2_CCUBD0U3IIkNNsHr0NtVGixlkXLcdY_b3N6ALuS9SkazBNI/s1600/also+known+as.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon6_DOfOayBdpJQ9Lhpi6sP4nIqId5CKfQpbfbyA9yAuZC8yT0Zpjz0OPmk6KueP1-vJTWypllcjYBckFj75dmtun2IKpDoD8VR7S0My2w01iRbH5N-NWXlUucsW_nkcit2E7zbQ4C6M/s1600/ask+again+later.jpg" height="200" width="132" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3664164-a-voice-in-the-distance"><b>A Voice in the Distance</b> by Tabitha Suzuma</a>: For Mental Health Awareness Month. Sequel to <i>A Note of Madness </i>which I read years ago and really liked. About a boy who's a talented musician with bipolar disorder.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13132661-also-known-as"><b>Also Known As</b> by Robin Benway</a>: I wanted something fun and light in case I ever needed a break from all the more depressing books I might be reading this month, so I got this and <i>Ask Again Later</i>. Teenage spies! Hilarity! Romance!<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16090645-ask-again-later"><b>Ask Again Later</b> by Liz Czukas</a>: I saw Lesley @ Books and Beautiful World tweet that this was good, I think, so I looked it up on Goodreads and it seemed like something I'd really enjoy. IT SEEMS SO CUTE. I can't wait to read it.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfandIU__ZS52UvaRlRtfTu3O0Rmk12lYYEmJA1IqRE92LvJddnKeD91o-626dOL9QvdvF3JgWL-luxTHnvfmjhW1-PpVYYqD6jwVG7SHB8R4KzWPV7xKh23yG1bTepMSV1wOyW5qImJM/s1600/shadow+and+bone.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk_Ex0kCsn37BNg3-YFnBMkIVlv7Yy0hY9lhaa_dOe2jbz26fjIrDgFTq5VUqk0iDom7140RRsB9Ebq2wgI8DETMR5TujFUSjv4px_vc86J0VcKTgv9ijpZemE4a2mHdyzR08wNSLjPb0/s1600/ultraviolet.jpg" height="200" width="130" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXK39yJMyxN4RFlVLjMbW_UOcvBehSllR7S6Zlt6mmtn9rvO56UT87T3RppkkjPT9Rl8xy8m3NgAHwB8SKe6o7GnWSAw9mlDZIKuq4z7v514ZzwS85432YEgSzQQdAg96QcQMEVK6_8U/s1600/the+distance+between+us.jpg" height="200" width="132" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10194157-shadow-and-bone"><b>Shadow and Bone</b> by Leigh Bardugo</a>: Well, like I said, I won the second book, and I know the third book's coming out soon and this seemed like a trilogy I really should check out, so. Here I am. :D<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8843789-ultraviolet"><b>Ultraviolet</b> by R.J. Anderson</a>: I hear the sequel to this has an asexual character. Also, this book is just apparently really good? I DUNNO BUT THE BLURB IS SO INTRIGUING.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15283043-the-distance-between-us"><b>The Distance Between Us</b> by Kasie West</a>: Got the Kindle edition because it was on sale. I wanna try out Kasie West's writing! This seems like a pretty fun contemporary that a lot of people like, so.
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<b>That's it from me this week! Have you had a good week? Feel free to link me to your book hauls and/or weekly recaps!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-10891797230820154502014-06-07T22:50:00.000+01:002014-06-07T22:50:58.046+01:00Review: Crazy by Amy Reed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcxasiIvnXYmyEDIDToWWE17NPS8XerP5kiWCJybwFSCVWuv87pi44dy_U8ofP_5IXsPDEynaBLq7NpnPJB_MjEGZgnlI90qd2KZRMsdDwyTyyEcOluD_1K1aNS58eOjU-wmpfeiwbrw/s1600/crazy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcxasiIvnXYmyEDIDToWWE17NPS8XerP5kiWCJybwFSCVWuv87pi44dy_U8ofP_5IXsPDEynaBLq7NpnPJB_MjEGZgnlI90qd2KZRMsdDwyTyyEcOluD_1K1aNS58eOjU-wmpfeiwbrw/s1600/crazy.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a>
<b>Crazy </b>by Amy Reed<br />
<b>Format: </b>eBook<br />
<b>Published by </b>Simon Pulse on 12th June 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>384<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsuXOmRMyaExKN2UHWlBAQS3hraH_GoXoiOrsWDqneg-dqxuDcStp-jRwovtVH-iThqm6JPy8w4EuO-gAQGuobghLpL7OBKNg_dVh2N9yHubo_SRLNh81djA0kvoC2Xce-lcDkY8ji2E/s1600/halfstar.png" /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12493377-crazy?ac=1">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
<b>He's falling in love, and she's falling over the edge of sanity. From the author of <i>Beautiful</i> and <i>Clean</i>, a heartwrenching exploration of a romance marred by mental illness.</b><br />
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Connor knows that Izzy will never fall in love with him the way he's fallen for her. But somehow he's been let into her crazy, exhilarating world and become her closest confidante. But the closer they get, the more Connor realizes that Izzy's highs are too high and her lows are too low. And the frenetic energy that makes her shine is starting to push her into a much darker place.<br />
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As Izzy's behavior gets increasingly erratic and self-destructive, Connor gets increasingly desperate to stop her from plummeting. He knows he can't save her from her pain...but what if no one else can?</blockquote>
This book was startlingly good. It swallowed me up in its darkness and complexity and sheer beauty and I am just in awe of this powerful and emotionally gripping story that Amy Reed has crafted. I want to read all her other books now.<br />
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<i>Crazy </i>is about Isabel and Connor, two teenagers who meet when they're working at a summer camp together. The book begins in September, after summer has ended and they have gone their separate ways. It begins with an email from Connor.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>This story is told mostly through emails. (There's some variation on the format later on in the book, but it really is just mostly emails.) And I loved it. I loved this format so much. Connor and Izzy both had distinct voices that were each full of their own unique humour and insight, and I just loved them both. I was instantly hooked on both of their voices. And as time goes on and the months pass and the year unravels, it becomes clear to the reader who has any knowledge of bipolar disorder that this is what Izzy is suffering from. Connor, on the other hand, doesn't really understand what's happening to Izzy, and I could relate to his feelings of helplessness and frustration so much sometimes, as he sits in front of his computer and aches and aches to help, to be with Izzy. But instead all he has is words and the computer screen.<br />
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<blockquote>
I want to meet you in the forest and I want to go slug hunting and I want to hold you and make you believe you are safe. I will build us a boat with my bare hands and we will sail to this island in your painting. I will feed you coconuts and all the sweet things I can find. But I can’t do this unless you let me help you.</blockquote>
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I think this book explores both sides of that relationship quite well. I don't personally know what it's like to have bipolar disorder, but it seems that most reviewers on Goodreads who do suffer from bipolar disorder found that this portrayal really resonated with them. But I definitely liked that this book showed what's it like to be close to someone who has mental health issues. That I know really well.<br />
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Reed's writing was amazing. It seemed so effortless and easy to read, so utterly engrossing. Her sentences were delicious, fantastic, beautiful, bursting to the brim with emotion, sometimes like a punch right to your heart. Some of the passages in this book were just so intense, especially Izzy's emails when she gets particularly manic or depressed. The sentences running on and on into each other, the punctuation disappearing, everything a blurred stream of consciousness, a stream of love and hatred and anger and sadness.<br />
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<blockquote>
But maybe art isn’t about who sees it, maybe all that matters is me and the thing I make, me and the act of creating, those few moments stuck together where you’re elevated above this pathetic, polluted world, when you’re covered in paint or palster and you’re talking to God with your hands and eyes and your big, pounding heart saying all the things you’ve ever needed to say, the movement, THE INTENTION your only language, and it’s bigger than words, bigger than your mouth forming recycled sentences and explanations and all those sad, repeated things. There is only value in the things that have never existed before. This canvas with these strokes and these colors and these textures HAS NEVER EXISTED BEFORE. YOU and ME and THIS are the only things that matter.</blockquote>
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Honestly, Reed's <i>writing</i>. I was just frantically highlighting passages the whole time. I really want to resist just dumping all those quotes here, but seriously, there are so many heartbreakingly beautiful passages that I want to share with you all, and that means you should all just READ THE BOOK. I'm looking back at all the passages I highlighted to choose a few to share here, and my heart feels like it's being squeezed tight all over again. I hurt so much for both Izzy and Connor reading this book.<br />
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I also appreciated that this book included four side characters who weren't straight. FOUR. I just loved that because usually, when the MCs of a book are straight, a book might still include one gay character (or two, usually the gay character's boyfriend or girlfriend), but this book? FOUR. And it just felt so nice, because they were all really different characters and this meant that it never once felt like tokenism.<br />
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This book was also constantly engaging with issues of feminism (it was a very sex-positive book and was very upfront about women's sexuality) and privilege. There was this one bit when Connor tells the story of how he once spent his winter break in a village in Ecuador with his mum, volunteering to build schools, and through his story he presents some interesting thoughts on that whole phenomenon of volunteer tourism in a very sensitive, complex, and thought-provoking way. I was just so surprised that this book managed to pack so much in, and all these discussions felt so natural as part of the communication between these two characters and never contrived.<br />
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My one complaint is that the ending felt a little... easy. Too much hope all at once, when there seemed so little hope just shortly before. But honestly, the rest of this book was so beautiful and unflinchingly honest and believable and it just sucked me in into this huge emotional whirlpool, and all the emotions were so big and so sad and so real. I loved every moment of it.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-62514248910748517422014-06-07T12:13:00.001+01:002014-06-07T13:55:51.512+01:00Mini-review: The Snake Charm by Laura Lam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oU61XKHPImwXFW83NM49fizWFPbjvqkRkexfg9kqUb1BstrgkY9tYU9dfpPfJ5Ivc9MhlnEuYBfN-XLkMIOYVH7X2AinKrN8CYD_HKn7ihphjIU25qAP2eDbxwC0wIZ_HnHhwYDTS6U/s1600/snake+charm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3oU61XKHPImwXFW83NM49fizWFPbjvqkRkexfg9kqUb1BstrgkY9tYU9dfpPfJ5Ivc9MhlnEuYBfN-XLkMIOYVH7X2AinKrN8CYD_HKn7ihphjIU25qAP2eDbxwC0wIZ_HnHhwYDTS6U/s1600/snake+charm.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<b>The Snake Charm </b>by Laura Lam (#1 of the <b>Vestigial Tales</b>)<br />
<b>Format: </b>eBook<br />
<b>Published by </b>Penglass Publishing on 5th June 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>37<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Fantasy<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsuXOmRMyaExKN2UHWlBAQS3hraH_GoXoiOrsWDqneg-dqxuDcStp-jRwovtVH-iThqm6JPy8w4EuO-gAQGuobghLpL7OBKNg_dVh2N9yHubo_SRLNh81djA0kvoC2Xce-lcDkY8ji2E/s1600/halfstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22173129-the-snake-charm">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
Untold centuries ago, the Archipelago was ruled by the Alder—mysterious beings who vanished, leaving behind only scattered artefacts of unknown power, called Vestige. Sometimes, a person will be lucky or unlucky enough to discover that each piece of Vestige has its own tale to tell…<br />
<br />
<b>The Snake Charm</b><br />
<br />
<i>To most, Drystan was just another buffoon in the collective of clowns. But behind the inane grin, he saw everything, keeping the secrets he discovered close, like precious gems to barter.</i><br />
<br />
Mutiny is brewing in R.H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic. When Linden, the leader of the clowns steals one of the ringmaster’s most prized possessions, Drystan, the white clown, finds himself caught in the middle. Tasked with retrieving the Lethe, he’s forced to betray Linden or risk his troubled past coming to light. But the Vestige artefact has its own history and its own power. Drystan will learn what it can really do, and who it can hurt.<br />
<br />
<b>Vestigial Tales</b> are stories set in the world of the award-nominated Micah Grey series. Step behind the circus ring from <b>Pantomime</b>, the theatre of <b>Shadowplay</b>, and more…</blockquote>
The first Vestigial Tale came out two days ago! It's a little prequel story to <i>Pantomime</i>, and you can go buy it off Amazon (lots of links <a href="http://staticsplit.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/the-first-vestigial-tale-the-snake-charm-is-now-live/">here</a>). It stands well on its own, so you can read it even without reading <i>Pantomime </i>first, but you'd probably be able to enjoy it a lot more if you have read both <i>Pantomime </i>and <i>Shadowplay</i>.<br />
<br />
I liked this a lot! You all know how much I loved <i>Pantomime </i>and <i>Shadowplay</i>, and the universe of these books. This was an interesting look at a powerful and potentially terrifying Vestige artefact (I think it's pretty cool that these tales are all going to be centred around different Vestige artefacts, because they're fascinating and I can't wait to learn about other artefacts!), and I liked getting to know Drystan a bit more. What he was like at the circus, before Micah came along; the touch of loneliness in him. The way he quietly observes, and always keeps his true self hidden. It makes me all the happier that I got to see him the way he was in <i>Shadowplay</i>, so much more open, all the trust he showed in Micah in that book (and the trust that Micah showed in him!).<br />
<br />
I also liked the glimpses of Frit that we got in <i>The Snake Charm</i>. If you know her story from <i>Pantomime</i>, you'll know that it is a very sad one, and that's the case here too, somehow sadder for the hint of hope that still lingers in her.<br />
<br />
I only wish this story had been longer! I really want to spend more time with Drystan. I just am not very used to reading short stories most of the time and I feel like with a short story of this length, by the time I'm really getting into it, it's already over. I like to have more stuff to sink my teeth into. The <i>Vestigial Tales</i> are going to be of varying lengths though, and some will be longer, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of them!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-5479848080094935212014-06-04T10:00:00.000+01:002014-06-04T12:25:50.924+01:00Book Blitz: My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter + Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWeBdkoM6s9L0zoqIgVe6ZB1sG2mbP1hWJD0otvTxXzbJZfQShNq6HFL3qXGZfJFcR5HPbM6brjguBLxfL3BnSO5KctAU-wQ1hc-DO3AJX1REDC9wtWCodKFG5IhCNehDrhOBs5FGicw/s1600/my+best+friend+maybe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWeBdkoM6s9L0zoqIgVe6ZB1sG2mbP1hWJD0otvTxXzbJZfQShNq6HFL3qXGZfJFcR5HPbM6brjguBLxfL3BnSO5KctAU-wQ1hc-DO3AJX1REDC9wtWCodKFG5IhCNehDrhOBs5FGicw/s1600/my+best+friend+maybe.jpg" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
<b>My Best Friend, Maybe </b>by Caela Carter<br />
<b>Published by </b>Bloomsbury on 3rd June 2014<br />
<b>Purchase from: </b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599909707/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=httpwwwgoodco-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1599909707&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18594344-my-best-friend-maybe">Add to Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
Colette has been bored and lonely ever since her best friend, Sadie, dumped her the summer before they stared high school. She tries to be perfect for everyone left in her life: her parents, her younger brothers, her church youth group, even her boyfriend, Mark. But Colette is restless. And she misses Sadie.<br />
<br />
When Sadie tells Colette that she needs her old friend to join her on a family vacation to the Greek Islands, one that leaves in only a few days, Colette is shocked to hear their old magic word: need. And she finds herself agreeing.<br />
<br />
Colette tries to relax and enjoy her Grecian surroundings but it’s not easy to go on vacation with the person who hurt you most in the world. When the reason for the trip finally surfaces, Colette finds out this is not only a fun vacation. Sadie has kept an enormous secret from Colette for years...forever. It’s a summer full of surprises, but that might be what Colette needs.</blockquote>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8PJYKu9WnkxUUkE_99ETkKpQYWh4i4LuW1OvT-1YpMVpE3v6h-MbuSjThisbpMfkTL3XSP_whgGMobODy6McVn1SQGBys4beTJFLCe-1BnxG2aVSfZDndpu4E0foPCj2q5CGtYyEfyt4/s1600/mybestfriendmaybebookblitz.png" height="128" width="320" /></center>
<i><br /></i>
<i>My Best Friend, Maybe </i>was released just yesterday and I'm excited to be taking part in this book blitz for it! (My first book blitz ever, incidentally.) This book has LGBTQ content, which is why I'm so excited about it, and it seems like it features a really great female friendship. I hope you guys will think about buying it! (And of course you should enter the giveaway if you live in the US!)<br />
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Read on for an excerpt from the book!<br />
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<a name='more'></a><blockquote>
<i>Dad pulls up to the curb outside the international terminal. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>When he looks at me, his eyes aren’t so wild anymore. They almost look sad. “You ready?”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“What’s going on, Dad?” I ask. It hits me that he somehow snuck me out of the house and now he’s ready to push me onto an airplane to some distant island, but he still hasn’t said anything real. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>He shrugs. “Mom’s not always right,” he says.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>But she is.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>His eyes fall to his lap. “Neither am I,” he says. “Call your mother. Say good-bye.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>My hands shake as I finally turn on my phone. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>She answers before the first ring. “Don’t get on that airplane, Colette,” she says, “Know that I don’t approve of this.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“You know?” I ask.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Your father left a note. Colette...” She trials off. “You heard me tell you not to go, right?”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Yes,” I say.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Well if you go anyway, be safe. Protect your body and your soul. I changed your phone plan so you can only call home, okay? It’s too expensive for you to call Louisa and Mark willy-nilly.” Mark. “But call when you arrive, okay? So we don’t have to worry.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Okay,” I say.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>My hands aren’t shaking anymore. I’m relieved to hear her sound like any-old-mom. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“And, honey?” she says. She says it so softly I think she’s going to tell me to have a nice time. Or that she loves me. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Yeah?”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“I hope you understand what a terrible choice you’re making.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>She hangs up.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I stare at the phone in my palm.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“She okay?” Dad says finally.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I shrug. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>We get out of the car and I spot Sadie and her family climbing out of a limo curbed fifty feet away. She jumps up and down as soon as she sees me, her now purple-and-blond hair waving across her face. I can’t help smiling. I can see her mouth moving even from here. “You came! You came!” </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I give my dad a quick hug, pull out my suitcase, yank up the handle of my rolly bag, and take my first step as the new, imperfect Coley. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Colette?” Dad says.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I turn around, ready for him to sit me back in the car, to tell me this was all a test that I failed. Instead he holds out his hand and shoves a stack of bills into my fist. “For whatever you need, little lady. Have fun. I—we. We love you.”</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Then he’s gone. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Coley!” Sadie is running toward me so quickly that I only have a second to open my phone and click on my good-morning text from Mark. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“One more day! I love you!” the message says. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>My heart beats faster and salt water threatens to escape from behind my eyeballs and I know he deserves so much better than this, so much more explanation, so much more of me. And me, too. I know I deserve a better good-bye than I’m going to be able to give him. But I only have ten seconds before she reaches me, before it’s time, before the bell rings on my perfect life and I dive into the drama with Sadie. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>I type the seven letters i-m s-o-r-r-y. Then I press Send. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Here we go.</i></blockquote>
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<b>ABOUT THE AUTHOR</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Caela Carter grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ and Baltimore, MD. She's been writing since she learned how to pick up a pen but before the writing thing got serious she spent six years teaching English to middle and high school students in Jacksonville, FL and Chicago, IL. Her debut novel, ME, HIM, THEM AND IT was published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. When she's not writing, Caela is a teacher of some awesome teens in Brooklyn, a Notre Dame football enthusiast, and a happy explorer in New York City.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.caelacarter.com/">OFFICIAL WEBSITE</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Caela-Carter/483184081748268">FACEBOOK</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/caelacarter">TWITTER</a></div>
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<br />
<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/642629203/" id="rc-642629203" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-59656443089089757692014-06-03T17:19:00.003+01:002014-06-03T17:19:51.513+01:00Review: These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PuTz2yyFX1SCB-a6qTcI_3wx7DM0rcRj1rn-QTk7EGobR8km__obzr4syMU6vyKqZBpwswePizKDJ33E5FnykaqOQWt90mge1STsoS4mSqIHwCwzKlXEkOUkPKgaCfltmF8VssOFfgw/s1600/these+gentle+wounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PuTz2yyFX1SCB-a6qTcI_3wx7DM0rcRj1rn-QTk7EGobR8km__obzr4syMU6vyKqZBpwswePizKDJ33E5FnykaqOQWt90mge1STsoS4mSqIHwCwzKlXEkOUkPKgaCfltmF8VssOFfgw/s1600/these+gentle+wounds.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
<b>These Gentle Wounds </b>by Helene Dunbar<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>Published by </b>Flux on 8th May 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>307<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating: </b><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18187029-these-gentle-wounds">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
<i>Sometimes I wish I’d lost a leg or something. Everyone can understand that. They never get it when what’s been broken is inside your head.</i><br />
<br />
Five years after an unspeakable tragedy that changed him forever, Gordie Allen has made a new home with his half-brother Kevin. Their arrangement works since Kevin is the only person who can protect Gordie at school and keep him focused on getting his life back on track.<br />
<br />
But just when it seems like things are becoming normal, Gordie’s biological father comes back into the picture, demanding a place in his life. Now there’s nothing to stop Gordie from falling into a tailspin that could cost him everything—including his relationship with Sarah, the first girl he’s trusted with the truth. With his world spinning out of control, the only one who can help Gordie is himself... if he can find the strength to confront the past and take back his future.</blockquote>
Helene Dunbar's debut novel deals with a pretty important subject. Gordie has suffered from PTSD ever since the day when he was ten and his mum tried to kill her kids, including Gordie, by driving them in her car with her into the river. Gordie's father was abusive, and something had happened the night before that drove Gordie's mother to want to kill her children. Gordie survived, but the rest of them did not. Kevin, Gordie's half-brother, hadn't been in the car, because they don't share the same father. So after the 'incident', Gordie goes and lives with Kevin and Kevin's father, Jim.<br />
<br />
I was really glad to see a novel about a teen who suffers from PTSD; it spreads awareness and shakes the misconception that PTSD is something only soldiers suffer from, and I hope that some teens who are suffering from PTSD can find this a helpful read. But unfortunately I didn't love this book as much as I hoped I would.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>The story kicks off when Gordie is fifteen. Two important things happen at the start of the novel: he meets Sarah properly for the first time, and his biological father comes back, after having been away from town for the past five years. Gordie plays ice hockey for the school team, and Sarah is a photographer whom he'd seen before taking photos at the games, but they'd never really spoken until now. And once they do start speaking, Gordie feels an instant connection. A desire to know more about her.<br />
<br />
I felt like I was missing something when it came to Gordie and Sarah. I get that their romance takes a backseat to Gordie's intensely personal journey in this book and all the stuff that he has to go through, and I appreciated that the romance doesn't take over the book when there are more important things that Gordie needs to deal with, but still... Gordie and Sarah have barely even had a real conversation before suddenly Gordie's thinking about how much he likes her and how he's really into her. That had me so confused. I kept thinking, did I accidentally flip past a scene between the two of them? Because they've only talked maybe twice and neither of those conversations were particularly long or inspiring.<br />
<br />
Then they finally had a longer scene together where they go camping, and it was cute and a bit awkward and really enjoyable to read, and I was starting to see why they liked each other. And eventually you get a couple more glimpses of how awesome Sarah is, but ultimately there isn't really another scene between Gordie and Sarah that comes even close to the length and depth of the camping scene, and I never really felt like I got to know her at all.<br />
<br />
There's this bit when she invites Gordie to a concert (she plays the flute – not classical flute, but rock flute!), and Gordie wants to go. He listens to some recordings to her music and he thinks about how cool it might be to see her play in person, but then he never ends up going to the concert because other stuff comes up. And I was really disappointed that there was never another opportunity in the story for him to watch her play, and the whole thing's never really brought up again. It's basically never mentioned again in the story that she plays the flute. I felt like the development of their romance just seemed to happen more in Gordie's head than actually in scenes between the two of them, which are woefully few and far between. Sarah felt kind of absent from the story for the most part.<br />
<br />
Everything in this story just seems kind of fragmentary and under-developed, like the romance. I don't know, it's hard to explain, but I just never felt like I got the full picture. I never fully connected with or understood anyone in the story. All the relationships came to me in glimpses, but I had barely any idea what any of the other characters were like outside of their relationships to Gordie. Still, I appreciated the support that Gordie has from the other characters: from Kevin, from Jim, from Sarah, from Mr. Brooks, the only teacher who seems to understand Gordie and who has always been there for Gordie to talk to, and from Ms. DeSilva, the lawyer who had dealt with everything five years ago and is dealing with everything now, who is incredibly helpful and sympathetic.<br />
<br />
I liked the relationship between Kevin and Gordie, how complicated it was and how it got rocky at times, how Kevin had difficult problems of his own to deal with and can sometimes be quite prickly and even, in one scene, a little cruel, but in the end you can tell that he'll always be there for Gordie.<br />
<br />
There was definitely a lot of focus on Gordie's PTSD, and I think it was a sufficiently detailed portrayal that never shied away from the reality of Gordie's 'spins' (his flashbacks to That Day, or to other memories from his childhood before That Day). It never tried to simplify things or make things seem easy. It tackled the subject head on. It was consistent and constant, not something that faded in and out of the book, and you could tell that this was something that affected Gordie every moment of his life. I think Dunbar did a great job with this.<br />
<br />
But in the end, for a book that's concerned with such heavy subject matter, I just didn't feel very deeply impacted by it. I feel like the whole story just sort of blew past me in a gentle breeze. I was never very moved by Gordie's story, but I felt kind of detached from it all. I feel frustrated, because it's really not a badly-written story by any means. Maybe you'll have better luck connecting with Gordie than I did though.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-91446871328417025232014-06-01T10:42:00.000+01:002014-06-02T01:17:42.796+01:00Sunday Post #4<center>
<img border="0" src="http://i59.tinypic.com/se0wgo.jpg" />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/the-sunday-post-meme">The Sunday Post</a> is a weekly meme hosted @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news. A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.</blockquote>
</center>
<h4>
On the blog this week</h4>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-geography-of-you-and-me-by.html">Review: The Geography of You and Me (3 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-blue-by-lisa-glass.html">Review: Blue by Lisa Glass (3 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/monthly-wrap-up-may-2014.html">Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2014</a></li>
</ul>
I participated in Armchair BEA this week!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-introduction-literature.html">Day 1: Introduction & Literature</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-author-interaction-more.html">Day 2: Author Interaction & More Than Just Words</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-novellasshort-stories.html">Day 3: Novellas/Short Stories</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-beyond-borders-giveaway.html">Day 4: Beyond the Borders & Giveaway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-middle-gradeyoung-adult.html">Day 5: Middle Grade/Young Adult</a></li>
</ul>
My <a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-beyond-borders-giveaway.html">Armchair BEA giveaway</a> ends on 12/6/2014! Go enter if you haven't already. The winner gets to choose one book from my list of my favourite diverse YA titles!<br />
<br />
And I don't know if you've noticed, but I made a custom favicon for my blog! You see this adorable little fella? <img src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m223/jellyfishreads/jellyfishicon5_zps24b59945.png" /> He will pop up in your tab now whenever you visit my blog! Yay! (:<br />
<h4>
Elsewhere on the Internet</h4>
<ul>
<li>Miranda @ Tempest Books wants to know <a href="http://tempestbooks.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/swearing-in-blog-posts-and-book-reviews-discussion/">what you think of the use of swear words in blog posts and book reviews</a>!</li>
<li>Mariko @ The Storybook Kingdom discusses <a href="http://thestorybookkingdom.com/talk-kingdom-alternating-points-view">alternating points of view in books</a>.</li>
<li>Here's a list of <a href="http://perplexingly.tumblr.com/post/86879710075/lgbtq-fantasy-book-rec-list">LGBTQ fantasy book recs</a> compiled by Tumblr user perplexingly. There is a heartening number of a books! (: I will have to find some time to peruse this list in detail myself.</li>
<li>Today is the start of Mental Health Awareness month, hosted by Leah @ Uncorked Thoughts and Ula @ Blog of Erised! Go check out <a href="http://uncorkedthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/mental-health-awareness-month-intro-post.html">the intro post</a>. There are giveaways and lots of other stuff happening over the month.</li>
<li>Do go check out other <a href="http://www.armchairbea.com/">Armchair BEA</a> posts! Lots and lots of giveaways happening.</li>
<li>@HazelStayBookish, @RosieOverstreet, and @WhatSheReads have started a <a href="http://www.whatshereads.co.uk/2014/05/30-days-bookstagram-challenge.html">#30daysofbookstagrams challenge</a> for the month of June! I got an Instagram account for the purpose of joining this challenge, so <a href="http://instagram.com/jellyfishreads">come add me</a> if you've got Instagram. (:</li>
</ul>
<h4>
This week's book haul</h4>
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<center>
<b><u>WON</u></b><br /><br />
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1x0tk3gcD28uONYnhdOutZeYuHNyKpnvKzk76QaPCpiUx_kJCc_AwTqmAX6h33muQYX2QHzZPWoaElsb9CTldZDFlZkOMigytWXZKhdpImt9XO7EKC0WtgdynbWyh7jx82nC2hyphenhyphenf6Rkc/s1600/blue.jpg" height="200" width="129" /><br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22008489-blue"><b>Blue</b> by Lisa Glass</a>: Won this through Goodreads First Reads, already read and reviewed! Surfing just isn't my thing, it seems.<br /><br />
<b><u>PURCHASED</u></b>
<br /><br />
<b>PHYSICAL COPIES</b><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2k1lQYXwFOj45WgjKaXa6xBWPQcQBANmQuhlkBwKlQ56ZXYM0CmqKV2XiayLuOYw0s4wBFREYP6awr-BCdMCuYZ1RQRQ9SFArI1_4cR0MbsPmTBbVCWXTB-a5yCDAR9cRojFpUHEHsYo/s1600/i+dont+want+to+be+crazy.jpg" height="200" width="132" /><br /><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32377.I_Don_t_Want_To_Be_Crazy">I Don't Want to be Crazy by Samantha Schutz</a>: Verse memoir of the author's college years and beyond as she suffers from worsening anxiety. Bought this for Mental Health Awareness Month. WHICH IS NOW THIS MONTH! o:<b><br /></b><br />
<b>DIGITAL COPIES</b><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQa0l28m18mgD0w_vZY3ak4eY9pYreAMPmPElfyjtn_Yj7o6lojl0WFjkhBG_pMRUjboo3fv4qt4nh-Rj4UanFkMjSnb-C9XoT5fW4dXIRsk7qHskBbOT1WWl1WzZ6CotaMP_3-gXez8E/s1600/beautiful+and+cursed.jpg" height="200" width="130" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6R5BiTCEDfYoJDbOCbBOV3b1dCCPV388M1hMl_Z19WoL_sqVpu5B7qSLbKVKQ-OLs-qs9AuvBZTXOg2A0iedCjGm_KL6kUx0YXEWPef_JPVddYoBcXiANH5vPTA9OJ-8-krNjaI_GOU/s1600/the+winner%2527s+curse.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXcxasiIvnXYmyEDIDToWWE17NPS8XerP5kiWCJybwFSCVWuv87pi44dy_U8ofP_5IXsPDEynaBLq7NpnPJB_MjEGZgnlI90qd2KZRMsdDwyTyyEcOluD_1K1aNS58eOjU-wmpfeiwbrw/s1600/crazy.jpg" height="200" width="131" />
<br /><br />
I went a little wild and bought like three books on Kindle in about ten minutes last Sunday night when I got wayyyy too bored of writing my essay.<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17456924-the-beautiful-and-the-cursed"><b>The Beautiful and the Cursed</b> by Page Morgan</a>: Gargoyles! Its sequel, The Lovely and the Lost, came out in May, so after seeing rave reviews for the sequel I decided that the first book would be a safe buy. Here's to hoping I like it.<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16069030-the-winner-s-curse"><b>The Winner's Curse</b> by Marie Rutkoski</a>: Hype hype hype hypity hype. Yeah. I caved and bought this. It was only £1.99 on Kindle, who am I to resist?<br /><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12493377-crazy"><b>Crazy</b> by Amy Reed</a>: Bought this one for Mental Health Awareness Month. This is epistolary (well, not letters but e-mails), and it's about a girl with bipolar disorder. I read the first couple of e-mails and I'm in love with the voice already. I love the cover as well! All of Amy Reed's book covers are so nice.</center>
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<hr />
<br />
<b>That's it from me this week! I've gained lots of new followers this week, and I'd love to get to know you guys better. If you wanna have a chat, just leave a comment: tell me a little bit about yourself, about your week, what you've been reading, your book hauls, and anything else you wanna talk about. (:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Feel free to link me to your book hauls/weekly recaps!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-52005584958305058432014-05-31T11:33:00.001+01:002014-05-31T11:44:26.313+01:00Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2014<h4>
On the blog this month</h4>
This month I reviewed a total of 11 books!<br />
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<center>
<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM7qsNujh28aKxmkWB1KHVkJIAPXiWUb0xiHmbQJ3kpzKxKy9vgVfLXoUDRKnS47T_BxO-gy0oKXw_JvdxhxDhmMZKW3pkzSf7jf5Zy8Ms9O-it1hf4ej6aDq3ufDCEestCUJjTrFgt6o/s1600/the+beast+of+callaire.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPntMM4Sh2Ksup0ZHpOO_BfoltJTWxbYyYdL8gKObWJLoDSKTpRM-zi7DCYxdhV001oT1bCIOayG5TPpR9cdLF4FyOOvj6q6-wboF0v4ZbwsgdqeprJ-TfYSjPknSeR4a3ZfIaqbOi9Ss/s1600/coda.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Hy9EQscZwzT51hVRyiRVmlktF3WooKSo709p8ri-ixCV9mPaq3-lAmQszMdXd6JKZO2Hyn6U8flvj9ZC6u7bkiAUvsrB3ZFxiNMgBKqTjDPD80D2-H5I62m-Ymoa6pHDuAN6TQP4Mo0/s1600/seven+second+delay.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcp-_8sao52-1oEOlYuPyahZMmtrzyRT7ebwE0t4M6NGF6rwPTozA-_1jE54Q2kaETP1kbrix59gpRf-ccAna1QDI9B9ZmvN0h4euGREqQOdBwC9Zwke1LgKkYDyGOF_O3GX87bpA2rQU/s1600/daughter+of+smoke+and+bone+1.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzodf3gn6LB75SqvSM08QdHbtRV1Z-ZmmAEhoSpSK5Ih4JgWb7V-9WCsgYD1tPPxth-EhTFLE2xerfj_iActPKM_Ffu1EPSBam7lCKM31azpGFuiRMNg5nUd-Fz7Ep5wK59xeBPmL_Zuw/s1600/tides.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWOLWUp1qmj3AOktZwHISK-kK3j9_40Fde1NGCDClLxnH_AEsWJSgbmKENxInBktWR8Yrr8n_kJx54ycAUvYadTOG1lZ2_nDmr5Xe9UW5SaOafMRBOizU2_Vj6m6SmU7jbggBchCTjw6Y/s1600/the+city%2527s+son.jpg" height="150" /><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZl_swDqmnjyUYZ9J4e-QZoKviGICxOnW0d1rj9exBsA53hi7GFpieoVLQK3C2IHVxMz6k_bN4F5CzuiPNm3MMY-I5nEGT7oa9LKmnKA5uj5t24l__LtMe169_NVemU9yh116VgsNzf8/s1600/Shadowplay.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNP1OTMa0i7WmYLMJL66W_saYw2LHHgAQlVMS5GCTAP9MkgHWXsMqHLowLhvY4MLezchtya-Dns82OJmPJuKF6U3cQKQee9EWbLc2fL5mZHfTNNSjtdDMksOGFTUgOUaXJqpfIccM62s/s1600/ari+and+dante.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9jrefEeLlLNBPmcPr8nrC-a4G1cCACDkKAWoIEXYL6LFt8VHJuO8qJEEESHlxOlVy3NDokpBTkR-OChnyWXw_W2PoQzAckwGKchYRpn789IfjKqem-wfLRId74pA-m9MXcliakrHon70/s1600/the+glass+republic.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpbNqwtEF7Oagm2Q3lPpG-zz5iWK3kjJHVggu3EMVOIXE_QNl31ntOH23ygcZOmKJsRUt4iBkoywbzv94YExOviAXVbFS3XYfaQjGU_QcUti0Ps48NWVvp9DKCFaWVUGh7RP0En4dPmxs/s1600/the+geography+of+you+and+me.jpg" height="150" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn3q5A95Syb3nV6DLhhQXDC-kbSSotA6h9Y9DHgGcW_CbpY6BVROSX7znjpoMMH1VyLuwvzb4VhA83bwWMTPWQkeiYQC3mDQi1SS-awe9SBjPIzsbZumpLO8eusiUU1IsE5ViiDi8Owc/s1600/blue.jpg" height="150" /></center>
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<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/arc-review-beast-of-callaire-by-saruuh.html">Review: The Beast of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey (1.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-coda-by-emma-trevayne.html">Review: Coda by Emma Trevayne (4.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-seven-second-delay-by-tom-easton.html">Review: Seven Second Delay by Tom Easton (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/review-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone-by.html">Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-tides-by-betsy-cornwell.html">Review: Tides by Betsy Cornwell (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-citys-son-by-tom-pollock.html">Review: The City's Son by Tom Pollock (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-shadowplay-by-laura-lam.html">Review: Shadowplay by Laura Lam (4 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-aristotle-and-dante-discover.html">Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (3.5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-glass-republic-by-tom-pollock.html">Review: The Glass Republic by Tom Pollock (5 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-geography-of-you-and-me-by.html">Review: The Geography of You and Me (3 stars)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-blue-by-lisa-glass.html">Review: Blue by Lisa Glass (3 stars)</a></li>
</ul>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Best of the bunch? </b>That would probably have to be <i>The Glass Republic </i>by Tom Pollock! It was an intense and riveting sequel to <i>The City's Son</i>, and I loved Pen as the protagonist so much.<br />
<br />
Of these, <b>6 were books I'd classify as LGBTQ</b>. That's <i>The Beast of Callaire </i>(lesbian MC, bisexual love interest), <i>Coda </i>(bisexual MC), <i>Tides </i>(a relationship between two ladies that's not the central romance but a major focus nonetheless), <i>Shadowplay </i>(intersex genderfluid bisexual MC), <i>Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe </i>(gay MCs), and <i>The Glass Republic </i>(female MC who likes girls – not entirely sure if she would identify as lesbian or bisexual). <i>Blue </i>had a minor gay character whose storyline was a pretty good side plot, but it was not major enough that I'd put it in my LGBTQ tag.<br />
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I also posted my first ever discussion post!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/discussion-parents-and-grandparents-in.html">Discussion: Grandparents and Parents in YA</a></li>
</ul>
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And I participated in Armchair BEA!<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-introduction-literature.html">Day 1: Introduction & Literature</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-author-interaction-more.html">Day 2: Author Interaction & More Than Just Words</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-novellasshort-stories.html">Day 3: Novellas/Short Stories</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-beyond-borders-giveaway.html">Day 4: Beyond the Borders & Giveaway</a></li>
<li><a href="http://jellyfishreads.blogspot.com/2014/05/armchair-bea-middle-gradeyoung-adult.html">Day 5: Middle Grade/Young Adult</a></li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Oh, and I started participating in the Sunday Post meme and posting my book hauls every Sunday. Including this post, I made 23 posts this month! That's 90% more posts than last month. o:</div>
<h4>
Coming up next month</h4>
<div align="center">
<a href="http://uncorkedthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/mental-health-awareness-month-sign-ups.html" title="MHAM"><img alt="MHAM" src="http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums/b621/BlogOfErised/MHAMsmall5_zps44d65e7f.png" style="border: none;" /></a></div>
<br />
June is Mental Health Awareness Month, hosted by Ula @ Blog of Erised and Leah @ Uncorked Thoughts. (It's not too late to sign up if you haven't already! Sign-ups are open for one more day.) I currently have a list of six books to read for this event.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12493377-crazy">Crazy by Amy Reed</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32377.I_Don_t_Want_To_Be_Crazy">I Don't Want to be Crazy by Samantha Schutz</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20752817-amy-matthew">Amy & Matthew by Cammie McGovern</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3664164-a-voice-in-the-distance">A Voice in the Distance by Tabitha Suzuma</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15764032-dr-bird-s-advice-for-sad-poets">Dr Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos</a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18187029-these-gentle-wounds">These Gentle Wounds by Helene Dunbar</a><br />
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I may add to this list, but I have a lot of other things on my TBR too! The rest of my TBR is probably constantly shifting, so I won't put it here.<br />
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<hr />
<br />
<b>What was your favourite book that you read this month? (:</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-79674377141839211172014-05-30T22:54:00.002+01:002014-05-30T22:59:52.802+01:00Armchair BEA: Middle Grade/Young Adult<center>
<a href="http://www.armchairbea.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m223/jellyfishreads/armchairbea_zps2c49eb26.png" /></a></center>
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<div style="color: #52cca3; font-family: 'Handlee', cursive; font-size: 25px;">
Middle Grade/Young Adult</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our final genre of discussion is one that we know is a popular one these days: books for the younger crowd, from middle grade to young adult. If you do not normally talk about this genre on your site, maybe you want to feature books that you remember impacting you during this stage in your life. If this is where you tend to gravitate, maybe you want to list your favorites, make recommendations based on genres, or feature some titles that you are excited to read coming later this year.</blockquote>
This is pretty much a YA book blog (though I do intend to branch out and review some adult fantasy books as well; this was my intention from the beginning but it's been over two months and I still haven't reviewed a single one *cough*), so I talk about YA books all the time! I feel like I have been talking a lot about my recent favourites lately though, so I don't really want to rehash those again...<br />
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I only started this book blog back in March this year, and prior to that I hadn't read much YA since I was about 17. I thought it would therefore be a good idea to return to my life back then, and think about what some of my favourite books were. Then I'll look to the future and showcase some upcoming releases that I'm excited about!<br />
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<div style="color: #ff47a3; font-family: 'Handlee', cursive; font-size: 25px;">
The past...</div>
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Okay, so for the purposes of this post, I dived back into my old Goodreads account (I started a new one with this book blog) and just picked the books that I gave the highest ratings to (and books that I actually have a vague memory of being struck by). So I'm not sure I can actually tell you why I liked these books, just that I did, and they probably shaped my reading tastes.<br />
<br />
First off, some authors who particularly stand out to me:<br />
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<b>Jaclyn Moriarty</b><br /><br /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy6fm__OKggZthmbl_mVcoAs90lANcPywDxLG9UdXZXyHY2IojXafFdT6PBjXmtzTXcplu9LVslIuqchPW6e_nO9hUSGqdKAP2OFbGqsdcpAMX-a8mAJSSWCEo6NJqbL-Cc8m-XrXYHiY/s1600/feeling+sorry+for+celia.jpg" height="320" width="209" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnRHQ6-HwHfX_T-IuhGduTU_CFR-9yCW0V_SnVAcaN48UcDC3tzVXSegQ21mXTmZiAyXygGgqIvJjFtS483ig5yzKyVDFSez2vB2Bya6HnV2fAuEUzQ3w-wWu3Np5Hod7UbNCjGhevqEs/s1600/dreaming+of+amelia.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></center>
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The boooooks. Allllll the books. The <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/43771-ashbury-brookfield">Ashbury High series</a> is so good and weird and delightful and magical in all the ways. I remember staying up till late (like, midnight, wow!) when I was about 13 to finish one of those books. So many great female characters! Such intriguing and compelling storylines! SO ORIGINAL AND FANTASTIC AND AWESOME.<br />
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<center>
<b>David Levithan</b> </center>
<center>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QTVzJMMUlLKB-hV8G4MhcB0xBxkqNJ5MpJvR7Vbgw8HBgY6zpS9Q4M0sl3S4wJhdgfcN5VoLCM3ZpoW3VVpIuAwu77Kp_EvOFJyWzvcEzc_vxh0bLS9TR8OOMTnxvPVLjl620Fq8mu0/s1600/love+is+the+higher+law.jpg" height="320" width="211" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif5n5TDNQsgKFcamgMOXM_m0Axca54WgMLH9Os3qXRSYfdiizLKNCnorMuG9X-YeJcq5Q1RoxSaj4rQB7IH_bZeERnOdoi86Wv9YpjKGFTNhFs8192dXHQgSTwRCix7ZyHGffqnI90Svc/s1600/realm+of+possibility.jpg" height="320" width="207" />
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I still love him now and will always be looking forward to the next book he publishes. This man's books. I'm not sure I'll ever get over how much hope his writing gave me. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5982447-love-is-the-higher-law">Love is the Higher Law</a> </i>and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23232.The_Realm_of_Possibility">The Realm of Possibility</a> </i>are my favourites after <i>Two Boys Kissing</i>. <i>Love is the Higher Law </i>is about some teenagers in NYC in the aftermath of 9/11. The scene that stuck out most to me, to the extent that I still remember it now, is when one of the characters waits in line to give blood and that's when he learns for the first time that he can't give blood, because men who have had sexual contact with other men aren't legally allowed to give blood in the US. I'd known that even before I read the book, but to see that included in a YA book – that left a deep impression on me.<br />
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<i>The Realm of Possibility </i>is a book of poems written by one diverse classroom of characters, and I loved all the little stories within it, the gay girls and the gay guys and so many different stories of love.<br />
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Now for some individual books...<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6270934-everything-beautiful"><b>Everything Beautiful</b> by Simmone Howell</a><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSmd68SyYlTd9XPDNXhL8mgno60sV8Q-EwNPHCImdS5PnCZ2yoMKjHoYV5s1M0_rndEKAaqZJnJ7NdyY5lHG1LlhMWwASXp74yKiG4Y6qhXJ1aKEhd09B3s0gevoUu7SyACeJOmFYCKRM/s1600/everything+is+beautiful.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></center>
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I loved <i>Everything Beautiful </i>because it really was a beautiful book. The MC was great; overweight, which is rare in YA books, and she was just delightfully snarky and charming. She gets sent to a Christian camp even though she's an atheist, and for all that the book is about that, it isn't at all overbearing when it comes to the theme of religion. In fact, it touched on religion much less than I expected from a book with such a premise. Also, she falls for a guy in a wheelchair, and I just... I think that was the first time I ever came across a major character in YA who was disabled? Anyway, it was a great book and left a deep impression on me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2424593.Nation"><b>Nation</b> by Terry Pratchett</a><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaYb7bNkEVfz8zWhUQtA1-KNqUaAG0FfO-c_V1JxFCke7jmTV5wKzbSqeks16v6ZYLpRNNsq6BJ-WZEYdMO2cAHztjhJaODaDP5CjpLfev1_L9ILgjmYZEgdr5m_-aU7oJNvXc9ZTEWKU/s1600/nation.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></center>
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Gaaaaaahhhhhh, Terry Pratchett! I'd already read and loved many of his Discworld books before Nation came along. But Nation, a standalone YA novel, absolutely blew me away. It was incredibly moving and beautiful and profound and just so thought-provoking, and I think I need to reread it at some point and experience the sadness all over again. Terry Pratchett will forever be one of my favourite authors.<br />
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And it wouldn't be an Armchair BEA post without Neil Gaiman, so...<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3936403-the-graveyard-book"><b>The Graveyard Book </b>by Neil Gaiman</a><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYjq3R-6Bkzy8IeV_le_kCvlvosG-7QIFpucVEJpcoKGShQGHsovo151YgHFjCaLHg9cIGrKeRkF9wp80w6guckkS2V0cUG98Xvo-vkxNWppyTTJs4xn-T_9aMIwB3zlYQ97CiK909T4/s1600/the+graveyard+book.jpg" height="320" width="197" /></center>
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This is one of the very, very few books in my life that I have shelled out the money to buy a hardcover of. I bought this as a present to myself for finishing NaNoWriMo for the first time, writing 50k in two weeks. I think I was 14? I can't remember. Anyway, this book was the best present ever. It had all these beautiful illustrations by Dave McKean that only added to the lovely atmosphere. And nothing ever surpasses Gaiman's writing style for me. *happy sigh*<br />
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<div style="color: #ff47a3; font-family: 'Handlee', cursive; font-size: 25px;">
The future...</div>
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Here are just eight upcoming releases I am SUPER EXCITED for!!!<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlbNlpSSePZUx2A1sA3R3auC4s7XBM37iqVmiAbHaBl1Fq-zCIOLbLN4s1_J3bKbQdXEBi_Fj6JKodg_TAGIOnHPzJnjAlpKMetX4BAoJDFSK-_qt8KgxR2h2qpO7DJ9DEV8KudUvlxM0/s1600/gates+of+thread+and+stone.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKyFWbOdrxdOyEi5bNXUnyswDqgZTWKQOME4eJjHP1K13ivWP95WrxrYaSvtFX6dOpzMIN5sMGft8m2KRMLbroiBdZtZPzIvtZLik8lia9TNcOIb5PEDE_lzD0QFlE7hWxek4oMaj8KM/s1600/i'll+give+you+the+sun.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD76-2zxKUQBTuZVieOgmp-7HQGRCIxS9FECqhD_hIStxi05k046wKgg6VfB54p700AKYCtR_zTrmlg0Ra6UwW0P2jcsJBVjrjFlKqUJ80lacSjmKGDEpiFrs-dSVp96QHX3PUUMKZMBg/s1600/otherbound.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYhQ3Uc3nUVURS92mWaO1t4FNVhGgiJOOBL6cjuFoFbnGbW6H5C7lNUZcu0D9tYbGHxDpZHD8EFStwrKiQ9TDqFviF0MEktGKBzvO173Mq73ZmWlZZ7Hw0CbCxobNTUcLmLBqxHtkEjvQ/s1600/dark+metropolis.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></center>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17904985-gates-of-thread-and-stone"><b>Gates of Thread and Stone </b>by Lori M. Lee</a>: I don't actually know why I'm so excited about this book but omg fantasy written by a female author of color! (I don't know whether there are any PoCs in the book?) ALSO THE COVER. I'm salivating over it.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7943654-i-ll-give-you-the-sun?ac=1"><b>I'll Give You the Sun</b> by Jandy Nelson</a>: New Jandy Nelson!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!! I loved <i>The Sky Is Everywhere </i>so much (pretend it was included in the above list too *is lazy*). The cover is gorgeous! Also apparently there's LGBTQ content??? o: o:<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16081758-otherbound"><b>Otherbound </b>by Corinne Duyvis</a>: I WILL BUY THE KINDLE EDITION AS SOON AS IT'S OUT. Only half a month left now to wait! I've only read mostly so-so reviews by other bloggers but my enthusiasm for this book cannot be dampened. So much diversity in this book! I WANNA LOVE IT SO BAD.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12483970-dark-metropolis">Dark Metropolis </a></b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12483970-dark-metropolis">by Jaclyn Dolamore</a>: Lesbians? Zombies? Lesbian zombies? I dunno, this book seems pretty cool and mysterious.<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimo96jft8EnZ8VoKNr8NB5uOcCqyBvtsDGeSToXjWhODVhizApGojmMdLp1jzAWm67QX7wEaqBzJR4T9EfVl6jo9D8-XzOMTORuIOv07b7sUpxuXu4Y-mNF8pkslFUJt2gtGfHa_QHlSw/s1600/no+place+to+fall.jpg" height="200" width="131" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghfGIbeG6aBaoYT6aW_iTET-5TZ6_WPcWz4Ml5YvwgZb-Hv34o72prm_xVoHdAEVnjqsWllBqyhhZUUg9TC4Ws-LpKqhF0fuQdr2tKfRQuS7nmrfdlChLgZBaOzld4IlTl7ldwqACQNkM/s1600/the+kiss+of+deception.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpcbqZPnftVTbIEVrm6QW20p8WUnVVQCJA0Qjdm146dl_JdyFUpr4jy6mVLfWmarXxyrANs7Oe-9d4_lcsfTqg-EbuPpKh0em5PYYg1-vanUlv0S1vy6Q5IPzuXVHdMSZB2pqgq8nFbGo/s1600/the+walled+city.jpg" height="200" width="133" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2kNK2aVAf9_xM4Pi6ON-JT-fIHo95gmCfsyowZw1yKuQQwvtl-a0FjypvHtWTNa_UcfylvkqrPrAnubrqxczK54cilU9wgmFf4l9PFo3PENE9zv93RirmOmnUbZ8SK8sBrxIC_t3kao/s1600/solitaire.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></center>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16144570-no-place-to-fall"><b>No Place to Fall </b>by Jaye Robin Brown</a>: APPARENTLY REMINISCENT OF JANDY NELSON SO OBVIOUSLY I WANT TO READ THIS.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16429619-the-kiss-of-deception"><b>The Kiss of Deception </b>by Mary E. Pearson</a>: This is one that a lot of book bloggers seem to have read already and absolutely loved, and I can't wait for it to be out already so I can jump on the bandwagon. Assassin love interest???<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18196040-the-walled-city"><b>The Walled City </b>by Ryan Graudin</a>: As far as I can tell, this book seems to be set in some version of Hong Kong, which is now run by crime lords, and all the teenagers either run drugs or work in brothels. It sounds really depressing (<small>and has the potential to go really really wrong</small>), but I've honestly never read an English book set in Hong Kong and I'M SO EXCITED. Book, please don't disappoint.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20618110-solitaire"><b>Solitaire </b>by Alice Oseman</a>: UKYA! So many really young YA authors lately! Alice Oseman is just 19. o: And this is a contemporary that is being compared to... you guessed it, John Green and Rainbow Rowell. I know, that's getting SO OLD. But it sounds kind of interesting anyway and I always love a bit of contemporary UKYA, so! I'm very excited about this.<br />
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<b>And that's my final Armchair BEA post! What about you? </b><b>What were you favourite books and authors, say, three or five years ago? </b><b>What upcoming releases are you excited for? </b><br />
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<b>Thanks to everyone who's visited my blog and commented over the past week!</b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5948806179342032942.post-3352916624745946102014-05-29T12:46:00.003+01:002014-05-29T12:46:57.640+01:00Review: Blue by Lisa Glass<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn3q5A95Syb3nV6DLhhQXDC-kbSSotA6h9Y9DHgGcW_CbpY6BVROSX7znjpoMMH1VyLuwvzb4VhA83bwWMTPWQkeiYQC3mDQi1SS-awe9SBjPIzsbZumpLO8eusiUU1IsE5ViiDi8Owc/s1600/blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnn3q5A95Syb3nV6DLhhQXDC-kbSSotA6h9Y9DHgGcW_CbpY6BVROSX7znjpoMMH1VyLuwvzb4VhA83bwWMTPWQkeiYQC3mDQi1SS-awe9SBjPIzsbZumpLO8eusiUU1IsE5ViiDi8Owc/s1600/blue.jpg" height="320" width="207" /></a></div>
<b>Blue </b>by Lisa Glass<br />
<b>Format: </b>Paperback<br />
<b>To be published by </b>Quercus on 5th June 2014<br />
<b>Pages: </b>375<br />
<b>Genre: </b>YA, Contemporary<br />
<b>Rating:</b> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitH6cehJinlfBDiIm6Z2oXVbY6KY2zh3al88A4-uaX2c3qFaqDn3FLX7ICaA0izpJP8TMXozFfBg23qf8_FeoxX0_o0qJLzHc_iqUuCtQSxax6Xev-2FZhmItDGyMYSWlh1-3y9tuRgtM/s1600/fullstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" /><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzEiULOcpKFjGKnyecddASXee1DIRRPf6gFp-BEG00mTs07lGvprcULe5HVLL0AQsh6sHE5ZM5JnokyvBNCZ-CoQ3kM1oQQKUGcLdt0nSK0ko6JwTPE749V3UiEx3W4Di2Rzk3TSSSeaI/s1600/blankstar.png" />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22008489-blue">Add on Goodreads</a><br />
<blockquote>
Surfing is sixteen-year-old Iris's world, and when the ultra-talented Zeke walks into her life, it soon becomes her passion.<br />
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Over one amazing summer, as she is drawn into his sphere, she experiences love, new friendships, but also loss, with an intensity she never dreamed of.<br />
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But is Zeke all he seems? What hides beneath his glamorous and mysterious past? When Iris decides to try for her own surfing success, just as her ex-boyfriend comes back into her life, she will test her talent, and her feelings for Zeke, to the limit...</blockquote>
**I won this book through Goodreads First Reads.**<br />
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I'm sad to say that this book and I just lacked book chemistry.<br />
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I'm sad because as I was reading, I kept thinking, "I should be really enjoying this! Why do I just feel kind of meh about it?" I still can't really understand why, but I think sometimes it's really just down to the simple thing of book chemistry.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I entered the giveaway for this book because I like trying new things. I thought, "Oh look, surfing! I know nothing about that! I'm sure this will be interesting." And I think I've now concluded that surfing just isn't my thing. The main characters in this book all love surfing, and everything in this book pretty much revolves around surfing, and while it was nice to learn about something that I literally knew nothing about before, I found that in the end I just couldn't get myself to care about this supposedly thrilling sport that Iris and Zeke are both so passionate about. And that meant I found it hard to connect to them as characters too, and I couldn't summon much enthusiasm for the storyline either, in which we follow Iris as she tries to become a pro-surfer.<br />
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And Zeke! I know I'm meant to be swooning over Zeke. He's a pro-surfer, he's super fit, he's practically naked in the latest issue of <i>Cosmo Girl</i>, and all the girls swoon over him. But he's just not my type! I think what <i>Blue </i>made me realise is that I should really just stick to YA novels about awkward, nerdy guys. Due to the fact that Zeke did not have the swoony factor for me, I just couldn't get into the romance between Zeke and Iris.<br />
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But really, there are so many likeable things about this book! First of all, it's funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times. I love how strong the voices in contemporary UKYA tend to be, and this was no exception. I loved Iris' voice! I loved the strong sense of place the book had, anchored in Newquay and its beautiful beaches.<br />
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I liked Iris. I know I said I just don't get surfing, and I never will, but I still managed to like Iris as a character. I liked how the book explored the sexism in surf culture and the surf industry through Iris' eyes; this made me really happy, and I honestly think it's great that we got a book about a girl who wants to become a pro-surfer. Oh, and I adored the strong friendship Iris shared with her best friend, Kelly! They were so supportive of each other and comfortable with each other, and I just loved Kelly's personality.<br />
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Iris is shown in this novel to be still trying to figure out how she feels about her ex, Daniel, and at first it seems like she's not completely over him yet. Daniel was given a sympathetic backstory, but I just wasn't very sure about his portrayal overall in this book. It just felt really weird; he kept fading in and out of the story abruptly and I never felt like his storyline was fully resolved. I felt like I really cared about him despite some of his terrible actions in this book; in fact I think I cared about him more than I did any of the other characters, which I really don't think is what the author intended, but it's what happened nevertheless. I don't think his actions are forgivable, but it seems to me implied that he's suffering from some kind of mental illness, and I really feel like he needs more help than he got in this book.<br />
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I think that was definitely my least favourite aspect of this novel. Just how unfinished everything that happened with Daniel seems to be. On the other hand, there was another side plot that I really enjoyed, with one of Zeke's brothers, who is gay but closeted. I really appreciated the inclusion of such a character and I felt like that side plot was realistically and sympathetically explored.<br />
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Then there's Saskia, a posh girl who seems really close to Zeke, and Iris immediately doesn't like her. Her first impressions do change though, eventually. I really liked what the book did with Saskia, but I really wish there was even more of that! I think that was one of the best parts of the book, how the way Iris felt about Saskia changed over time. I honestly do think they would make great friends, even if Iris doesn't seem to think so now.<br />
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There will be a sequel to this book, but I'm not entirely sure whether I will check it out. One surfing book, in the end, is probably quite enough for me. <s>And I just don't care enough about Zeke.</s> But hey, if surfer boys sound like your kinda thing, you should definitely check this book out! It's well-written and the characters are refreshingly different from a lot of other YA contemporary novels. I didn't love it, but you just might.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14819604142838244936noreply@blogger.com6