Hello again, friends! Last Tuesday, Meeghan came up with a fun prompt for Top 5 Tuesday for foodies and bookworms alike: best 5 snacks to eat while reading. Today’s topic is also one that’s kinda related and will no doubt leave you feeling a little thirsty: top 5 drinks for reading.
Continue reading “Top 5 Drinks For Reading (With Recipes)”Tag: bookworm
The Folk Of The Air Series By Holly Black: A Brutal And Brilliant Fantasy
Note: This is a series review, meaning that I will be reviewing all three books of the series (The Cruel Prince, The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing) as a whole and will also be rating the series as a whole.
I rarely enjoy stories about the fae–despite their popularity, especially in the YA fantasy genre, very few writers have managed to properly encapsulate their terrifyingly violent and yet comically whimsical nature. The only good fae story, really good fae story that comes to mind is Julie Kagawa’s Iron Fey series. If you haven’t read it, you are absolutely missing out–it is one of the best fantasy novels that I have read and will forever cherish in my heart.
(And yes I have read Sara J Mass’s Court of Thorns series. No, I did not like it one bit)
Continue reading “The Folk Of The Air Series By Holly Black: A Brutal And Brilliant Fantasy”Review: Champion by Marie Lu
He is a Legend. She is a Prodigy.
Who will be Champion?
June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.
But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.
The third and final book of the Legend trilogy by Marie Lu surpassed all of my expectations—and let me tell you, my expectations were pretty high. I know I have said this before in my review of Prodigy, but Marie Lu’s writing improves dramatically after the first book in this series, and Champion was no exception. Here is a quick rundown of all the things that I loved about the book (and none of the things I didn’t like because guess what…I loved EVERYTHING!)
Sunday Wrap Up: Week #1 of September
Gosh I feel terrible.
I am so sorry to start this post on such a bad note. I have been feeling really sick lately, but being the idiot I am, I ignored it and went about my daily routine instead of taking things easy and taking care of my health. And now my body is literally taking revenge on me. Ooops.
Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Blogs
I am so excited to start my first Top Ten Tuesday post on this new blog. This week’s prompt is to Favorite Book Blogs and without further ado, here are some of my favorite blogs I have been following for a while (and a few that I have just recently discovered), in no particular order–they are all equally amazing.
Review: The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey#3) by Julie Kagawa
Note: This review is for the third book of The Iron Fey series and may therefore contain spoilers. Click here for the review of the first book and here for the review of the second book.
RATINGS: 5/5
I am Meghan Chase.
I thought it was over. That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who’s sworn to stand by my side. Drag me into the core of conflict so powerful, I’m not sure anyone can survive it.
This time, there will be no turning back.
I am trying my best to write a coherent review for this book, one that will do this book justice, but sometimes when you read a really good book it is almost impossible to express into words the feelings that the book leaves you with. The Iron Queen is one such book.
Our MC, Meghan Chase, who is forever going to be one of my favorite female leads in literature comes a long way from being the quiet, shy sixteen-year-old she was in the first book. Though she does not lose her humor or her endearing moments of Continue reading “Review: The Iron Queen (The Iron Fey#3) by Julie Kagawa”
Reading Challenges And Why I Love Them
Most of you who are active in the book community–and by active I mean, you talk to other book lovers and participate in reading groups and what not–are already familiar with reading challenges. They are a fun way to read more books and to step out of your comfort zone and read more widely as well. But they can also be stressful and daunting, especially if you have a busy schedule (or if you have terrible time management skills like me).
October Resolutions
I love the last day of a month and the first day of the month, because there is something about moving from one month to the next that makes me feel inspired and encouraged. New beginnings and all that jazz. September was a good month for me, and I look forward to whatever October is bringing.
Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Ratings: ☕☕☕☕☕ (5/5)
Trigger warning: abusive relationship, domestic violence, sexual assault
SOMETIMES THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU IS THE ONE WHO HURTS YOU THE MOST
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up – she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan – her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
“Shouldn’t there be more distaste in our mouths for the abusers than for those who continue to love the abusers?”
It Ends With Us isn’t a book that changed me, nor is it a book that taught me things that I didn’t already know. But it is a special book, nonetheless, not just because it is incredibly well-written, has complex characters who are painfully imperfect, and a plot that is–to quote Hoover herself–brave and bold. This book is special, because this book is important.
Abusive relationships is a subject that needs to be discussed more often, especially considering that even now, though we do hate and condemn abusers, almost all of us have asked this question at least once: “Why didn’t she leave him the first time he hit her? Why did she give him a second chance? Why didn’t she walk away?”
Continue reading “Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover”
Review: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch 1) by Rin Chupeco
Ratings: ☕☕☕☕☕ (5/5)
Let me be clear: I never intended to raise my brother from his grave, though he may claim otherwise. If there’s anything I’ve learned from him in the years since, it’s that the dead hide truths as well as the living.
When Tea accidentally resurrects her brother from the dead, she learns she is different from the other witches in her family. Her gift for necromancy means that she’s a bone witch, a title that makes her feared and ostracized by her community. But Tea finds solace and guidance with an older, wiser bone witch, who takes Tea and her brother to another land for training.
In her new home, Tea puts all her energy into becoming an asha-one who can wield elemental magic. But dark forces are approaching quickly, and in the face of danger, Tea will have to overcome her obstacles…and make a powerful choice
I have so much to say about this book.
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco is the kind of book I describe with words like “enchanting” and “intriguing” instead of my most commonly used adjectives in my book reviews like “exciting” or “amazing”. There really is no better description for this book. This is not the kind of fantasy that will steal your heart away with a fast-paced, action-packed plot, badass heroines and swoon-worthy heroes.
Continue reading “Review: The Bone Witch (The Bone Witch 1) by Rin Chupeco”