Book Review: THE ONE

Title/ Author:  The One by Kiera Cass
Publisher/ Year:  HarperTeen, 2014.
How I Read It:  Hardcover
Why I Read It:  IT IS THE LAST BOOK IN THE SELECTION SERIES (AKA ONE OF MY FAVORITE SERIES TO EXIST ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET
Rating: 5+++++ stars out of 5

This is the 3rd and final book in the Selection series!  My heart hurt and fluttered and all of the above.

Summary from Goodreads:  The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

Quick Summary for those who have not read it yet:
If you haven't even read the first book yet, GO AWAY AND DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE SELECTION AND THE ELITE :)  So, this book was more than I expected & this is one of my favorite series to ever exist & this is probably one of my favorite books of the year. I feel so sentimental looking back on the first two books & this has been one of the first books in a while where I really didn't want the book to end.
This was so so beautiful & I felt (almost) fully satisfied.  For those of you annoyed with some characters, don't worry about a thing.  For those worried about the progression of the plot, don't worry.  For those who were frustrated throughout the course of The Elite as I was, you're in for a stunning, exciting, heart wrenching conclusion.

The Review:

Before I continued with this review, I tried to make a video for BookTube.  Unfortunately my laptop sucks and until I can fix the problem, I won't be posting there.  AND I HAD AN ENTIRE REVIEW FOR IT TOO.  

Now that I've had a few days to process my thoughts, I now can write a review that does not include an outrageous amount of fangirl language that no one would understand.  I got this book the day it came out, thanks to my friend Sylvia who drove to the bookstore to get this for me & when I got home, I binge read until I was completely finished.  It took me 5 1/2 hours, no homework done, and it was already 2 in the morning.

So obviously, I loved this book.  So so much.  It had one of the most satisfying endings I've ever read in a trilogy EVER and Kiera Cass could not have done any better on this book and its concluding factors.  It was literally so so perfect.  I ended up LOVING some of the characters I thought I hated, there was a lot of character development, and there's an endless amount of action.  There was never a dull moment.  I was fully captivated throughout the entirety of the book, which doesn't happen a lot for me.

Where do I start?  Okay, so by the time I finished this book, I loved Celeste.  And Elise.  And Kriss.  And I hated Aspen left.  And America was slightly less annoying.  And Maxon was dumb sometimes, but otherwise, he maintained his swoon worthy charm :)  Although Kierra Cass called him a "dweeb" at Dark Days Tour.  But we expect nothing less from Maxon Schreave.  Anyway, I've always seen America as an annoying character.  The first book she's just stubborn and headstrong and I do love that about her but at the same time, she has NO filter.  I mean just look at what happened in The Elite!  Everytime something didn't go her way with Maxon she goes right on to Aspen.  She was too indecisive I wanted to shoot myself.  Like are you an idiot?  And then she talks about getting rid of the Caste System (which I fist pumped but still said, "well shoot").  She was like that at the beginning of The One and I just kept shaking my head because her.  For example in The Convicting, Queen Amberly even told her (not a direct quote) "Cool your jets and do what you should do even if it isn't the right thing cause it sure isn't the smart thing."   America really does have a good heart, but she's way too impulsive.  And Maxon & her at the beginning were basically fighting for really really petty reasons when they're obviously meant to be together.  But I was SO happy when they finally stopped fighting.

One of my favorite scenes in the book was when Maxon took her on a date in the palace and America notices the rain, so he takes her to the roof and they begin to dance to no music.  It was just so sweet and I loved how right then and there you KNEW that America loves Maxon.  Regardless of the rebel attacks, they went outside, because they wanted to share that moment.  I swear my heart melted at this part.  I was so relieved that we didn't have to wait until the end to know who she loved.  This scene really showed a lot about America and Maxon's characters and how they have struggled so hard to be together.  Maxon has to fulfill his duties as future king and America has to live up to those expectations.

Now, throughout the Selection series, I HATED Celeste.  She was a jerk to all the other girls & she wasn't even in the competition for Maxon.  But during The One, it's was a complete 180.  She really changed during this book & I respect Celeste so much now.  She had a defining moment in this book when she finally opened up to America and rather than being mean to her, America decided to comfort her & the rest was history.  I love how ALL of the Elite pretty much came together by the end.  I remember early in the book when they were all fighting over who did what with Maxon & then by the end, they were like sisters.  My favorite scene in the book was when they were all having fun in the Ladies Room and they were taking pictures and Kriss opens the door, asks Maxon for a camera, then she takes it and slams the door and throughout all that was going on, the remaining four girls just bonded & it was my favorite moment.  It had nothing to do with the competition, or love, or Maxon.  It dealt with a bond that was forming that the reader knew couldn't have been broken regardless of what would happen.

I loved the rebel aspect to the story.  It brings the reader away from The Bachelor feel and it makes you realize that this story is truly dystopian. It brought all the action that I think was very much needed in the series & of course it got your heart racing, on the edge of your seat.  They brought reality to the story.  Not everything is gonna be a fairytale ending.  AND CAN WE JUST TALK ABOUT AMERICA'S FATHER BEING A NORTHERN REBEL?? FRICK YES.  I mean her name is America.  I should have seen that coming.  One thing I for sure did not see was her father dying.  I mean she's losing everyone around her.  She and Aspen are drifting away, her father dies, and the rebels keep fricking crap up. 

Now, Chapter 28, 29, 30 & 31.  The chapters that completely ruined my life.  Thanks Kiera.  First, Maxon, after a night of confessing his love for her and her confessing her love for him, the morning after sleeping in each other's arms, HE FINDS OUT ABOUT ASPEN.  I expected this to happen a long time ago during The Elite but it could not have come at a worse timing.  Because then Maxon kicks her out of the competition.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW.  Then she decides the read the letters that Maxon wrote for her while she was back in Carolina with her family.  Chapter 29 gave me ultimate feels.  When I went to Dark Days Tour, my friend Carolina asked if there were any scenes from the book that didn't make the cut or were almost cut.  Kiera said she almost cut Chapter 29.  No one remembered what happened in that chapter so all of us took out our books DURING this question, and flipped to the page.  We all had a heart attack.  SHE ALMOST CUT OUT MAXON'S LETTERS.  We see how much he truly loves America.  I kept telling this to my friends, "I've never seen anyone love someone so much as Maxon loves America."  Then...Chapter 30 and 31 happened.  Let's do a recap shall we?

• Celeste dies
• The King and Queen die
• Maxon almost dies
• And we hear America's speech in the closet while we wait to find out if Maxon and Aspen died

Maxon was about to make the biggest mistake of his life.  But we knew his true heart when he took the bullet for America and was willing to die for her.  He says, "Break my heart.  Break it a thousand times, if you'd like.  It was only ever yours to break anyway.  I'll love you until my very last breath.  Every beat of my heart is yours.  I don't want to die without you knowing that."................GOODBYE WORLD.  Then Maxon makes Aspen take her away and he says, "Be happy." Aspen shoves her into a closet while she waits for it all to be over.  She wants to help and can't get out and we're left with the quote, "If you live, I'll let you call me your dear.  I won't complain, I promise."

When we finally do find out that Maxon is alive and he finally proposes to America, my heart soared out of my chest.  I loved it.  I love the wedding scene.  It was such a perfect way to close the series & I felt pretty sentimental about it looking back at where they were at the beginning and where they were now.  I loved that (out of the people who were alive), everyone had a happy ending.  

Hope y'all liked my review!  What were your favorite moments?  What didn't you like?  What did you like?  Were you Team Maxon or Team Aspen?  How did you like the series overall?  Thanks for reading everyone!

Book Review: What I Thought Was True

Title/ Author:  What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Publisher/ Year:  Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014.
How I Read It:  Paperback (ARC!)
Why I Read It:  I entered a Goodreads First Reads giveaway & was lucky enough to win this ARC!
Rating: 3 stars out of 5

This is a stand alone novel by the author of My Life Next Door which I read last year!  It wasn't bad!

Summary from Goodreads:  Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is.

Quick Summary for those who have not read it yet:
This book was pretty entertaining but it was also everything I expected it to be.  I honestly wasn't a fan of Fitzpatrick's first book, My Life Next Door, so I didn't have the highest expectations of this, but I found the story so much more interesting and intriguing in this book.  The mystery in the story was one of the reasons I kept reading & the multiple relationships withing the story definitely gave a lot of perspective on how complicated love and truth  are.  I love contemporary but it didn't quite catch my attention as other contemporaries I read.  It wasn't a great read, but it wasn't a bad read either.  This took me days to read & the story either had high times or low times so it was hard for me to finish quickly.  I recommend this book for people who are mature enough to handle sexual situations and context within a story, or if you just really love romance.

The Review:
You know how they say never judge a book by its cover?  Well unfortunately I do that all the time.  It's a terrible habit.  I am very aware.  Anyway, I ADORED this cover.  The colors are beautiful and the title is typed pretty much perfectly on there and it just made me wish that summer was here already.  

The characters were a nice touch.  It wasn't your typical, "nice girl meets bad boy" or "two misfits" or "love at first sight" or "best friends become lovers" kind of situations (well with the exception of Vivie and Nic).  Well first let's meet our main characters:  Gwen and Cass have a unique history and a lot of mystery and excitement to their relationship & I think what really kept me reading was waiting for the "thing" to be unveiled:  the story behind why Cassidy Somers was Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever.  Now before we discover this "Big Mistake" I have to say I thought the "Polar Bear Plunge" story was absolutely adorable.  At that point, I believed they both were equals to each other and truly cared for each other, which made the kiss there so adorable.   I bounced back and forth between whether or not I loved these characters.  Gwen is known for her reputation & everyone on the swim team thought she was easy.  Everyone saw her as a slut except for Cass, who saw her differently.  When they eventually did it, it was clear that the two of them were in love with each other.  But Cass being an idiot didn't realize his swim buddies were expecting him to "get lucky" with Gwen & that hurt her.  If I were in Gwen's place, I would not have gotten back with Cass, as sweet as he is.  That's just my personal opinion.  I am a strong feminist, so that makes sense.  But I do forgive Cass for what he did.  It wasn't his fault, even though it kind of was.  At the same time, Gwen frustrated me.  She couldn't make up her mind and whenever she started getting close to Cass again, she blamed him for only wanting her for her body instead of for her.  After pages of hearing the banter, I was just waiting for them to either make up and be together or just stop each other's misery and stay broken up.  Cass was a great part of this book though.  I do have to admit.

Other characters that stood out were obviously Nic and Vivie.  Nic and Vivie's relationship was a challenging one but one that I'm glad Fitzpatrick brought up.  It reminds everyone that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship.  Well, Gwen's and Cass's relationship isn't near perfect.  But Nic and Vivie's was the "best friends becoming lovers" or "lovers since childhood" kind of thing.  They seemed like the perfect couple until you see the reality that not everything will work out.  What you think is true (haha) won't always be true in some cases.  Vivie was happy with Nic, but her feelings changed for him when she started hanging with Spence.  That's the thing about feelings, they change all the time and sometimes you just can't stop it.  I really felt for Nic by the end of this book.  He was the one character with absolutely everything to lose.  And he did lose the things he loved.  Not everyone has the happy ending they expect.  

I could talk about so many more things I loved like Emory or the old lady she cared for who finds pleasure in books I shouldn't even be reading, or disliked but overall I think you get my point.  Not everything is going to be cookiecutter, and not everyone is perfect.  Not every situation is perfect.  But sometimes we need to be reminded about that.

Overall this book was only okay for me.  It could have been better or a lot shorter than it was.  It was unnecessarily long and I think the book could have ended 100 pages sooner.  I've posted what I love and what I like and what I didn't like but maybe it's just me and my opinion.  Maybe you'll end up loving it!  But in conclusion, I did like this book.  As I said before, it really does get me in the mood for summer time and all that jazz.

Book Review: Holes

Title/ Author:  Holes by Louis Sachar

Publisher/ Year:  Scholastic, 2000.
How I Read It:  Paperback
Why I Read It:  I bought it from a thrift store at the end of last summer & my friend helped me choose what book I should read next!
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

This is a stand alone novel, which was turned into a movie.  Of course I watched the movie first when I was younger.  Now I've read the book!

Summary from Goodreads: And so, Stanley Yelnats seems set to serve an easy sentence, which is only fair because he is as innocent as you or me. But Stanley is not going where he thinks he is. Camp Green Lake is like no other camp anywhere. It is a bizarre, almost otherworldly place that has no lake and nothing that is green. Nor is it a camp, at least not the kind of camp kids look forward to in the summertime. It is a place that once held "the largest lake in Texas," but today it is only a scorching desert wasteland, dotted with countless holes dug by the boys who live at the camp.
The trouble started when Stanley was accused of stealing a pair of shoes donated by basketball great Clyde "Sweetfeet" Livingston to a celebrity auction. In court, the judge doesn't believe Stanley's claim that the shoes fell from the sky onto his head. And yet, that's exactly what happened. Oddly, though, Stanley doesn't blame the judge for falsely convicting him. Instead, he blames the whole misadventure on his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." Thanks to this benighted distant relative, the Yelnats family had been cursed for generations. For Stanley, his current troubles are just a natural part of being a Yelnats.
At Camp Green Lake, the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the treacherous warden is searching for something, and before long Stanley begins his own search—for the truth.
Fate conspires to resolve it all—the family curse, the mystery of the holes, the drought that destroyed Green Lake, and also, the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow, an infamous outlaw of the Wild West. The great wheel of justice has ground slowly for generations, but now it is about to reveal its verdict.

Quick Summary for those who have not read it yet:
I'm sure most of you have seen the movie already.  The movie lives up to this book.  It was so close to accurate I could have cried.  This book was amazing and for once, there was no romance involved (beside Kate and Sam but those are minor details...).  Almost all the time, I read books with romance and that intrigues me so so much.  I didn't need romance to become intrigued.  Just the overall story did that for me.  I recommend this for those young and old who love books as much as I do.

The Review:
The characters were a great aspect to the story, as well as their backstories.  Stanley is one of those character that didn't have too many friends, and he was big, and he was poor.  When he was wrongfully accused, he was sent to a camp for bad kids.  He became friends with and was a part of a dysfunctional family of other bad kids:  Armpit, X-Ray, Magnet, Zig Zag, Squid, and Zero.  One thing I noticed throughout this book, is that Stanley rarely complained, he didn't cry, and he persevered.  He tried not to cause trouble.  Even when Mr. Sir repeatedly stopped giving him water, he turned the other cheek and always said, "Thank you, Mr. Sir."  Zero is another great character.  He's one of those misunderstood kids that nobody likes.  He's so relatable.  Everyone, but Stanley, treated him like he was nothing and he was too stupid to know anything.  But, he surprised everyone.  He was great at math and he had a great personality.

The best thing about this book was how everything came around full circle, how everything was connected.  It all started with Stanley's great great grandfather who made a deal with Madame Zeroni.  He would carry a pig up the mountain and have it drink water from the spring, and after he would carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain so she may drink.  If he didn't do this, he would be cursed for all eternity.  Ironically, Stanley carried Hector (who happened to be a descendant of Madame Zeroni) up the mountain 110 years later.  The whole story with Kate Barlow and Sam was another thing.  The place they lived 110 years ago would be Camp Greenlake 110 years later.  The boat that Sam died in was the boat that Stanley and Zero took refuge in.  Kate made spiced peaches.  Stanley and Zero were kept alive because of those spiced peaches 110 years later.  Sam grew onions.  Stanley and Zero lived on those onions for a week on top of the mountain.  Kate stole treasure from Stanley's great grandfather. Trout Walker, 20 years after Sam died, looked for the loot.  The Warden, who happens to be a descendant of Trout, created Camp Greenlake in order to find the loot, which belonged to Stanley, in the end, and saved his family and Zero as well.  The funny thing was, the day Sam died, it stopped raining.  The day Stanley got his rightful treasure, left Camp Greenlake, and justice was served, it rained for the first time in 110 years.

This story was brilliant and is a great read for all readers.  Young especially!  It's a great book for those in middle grade who want to get into reading.  I loved this book.

Book Reviews! The Boys Next Door and Endless Summer!

Title/ Author: The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols
Publisher/ Year: Simon Pulse, 2007.
How I Read It:  Paperback (in a set with Endless Summer)
Why I Read It:  I read and LOVED The Summer series by Jenny Han and I saw that this story was similar so I gave it a shot.
Rating:  4 stars out of 5














Title/ Author:  Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols
Publisher/ Year:  Simon Pulse, 2010.
How I Read It:  Paperback (in a set with The Boys Next Door)
Why I Read It:  The Boys Next Door  was a great book & I thought the sequel would be worth it.
Rating:  2 stars out of 5 (IT WASN'T WORTH IT)


These books are the only books in this series by Jennifer Echols.  I got this from my library.  It was a two in one & I couldn't resist.

Summary from Goodreads: Cute, available, and one cabin over....
Lori lives for summertime on the lake. She spends all season wakeboarding, swimming, and hanging with her friends—including the two hotties in the house next door. With the Vader brothers, Lori's always been one of the guys. 
But while Lori and the "baby" brother, Adam, are inseparable friends, she can't deny a secret crush on Sean, the older Vader boy. This year Sean's been paying Lori a lot of attention, and not in a brotherly way.
But just as Lori decides to prove to Sean she's girlfriend material, she realizes that her role as girlfriend to Adam may be even more important. And by trying so hard for the perfect summer romance, she could be going way overboard...

Quick Summary for those who have not read it yet:
The Boys Next Door was such a great read and it made me think about summer and it just felt right.  I didn't really like the characters as much as I would have wanted to because they were super immature and I couldn't relate to them.  But overall, the story was cute and it ended amazingly and I recommend for anyone who loves romance.

Endless Summer on the other hand, I didn't really care for.  TOO MUCH DRAMA AND JEALOUSY AND IT WAS  UNECESSARILY SEXUAL THAT I COULD JUMP OFF A CLIFF. I GET IT. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER.  If you read the first book, I strongly recommend that you not read this book.  It will change your perspectives on the characters and I felt like it was not needed at all.  

The Review:
TBND: It was a cute story.  I liked a lot of things, like the overall plot, and how what I thought was going to happen, didn't happen.  I thought it was going to be like The Summer I Turned Pretty but the books were completely different.  Sure, they were similar, but they had different plots.  To be honest, I didn't like Lori.  She annoyed me throughout the book for the fact that she was just too much for me.  Adam was a great part of this book.  He was the younger brother, had ADHD, and he was in love with Lori.  Lori was only pretending to go out with Adam to make his older brother Sean jealous, but she found herself falling in love with Adam instead.  Adam really cares about Lori and I felt a lot of sympathy towards him.  It's hard to love someone who doesn't love you back (at first).  But I loved the things he did for Lori.  Because Adam has ADHD, he's super impulsive.  That was a unique thing about his character that made him different from a lot of characters I have read, and Lori saw past that and loved him anyway.  It was a cute relationship and I really enjoyed the plot.  It was a page turner and was great if you're into summer love stories :)

ES: Okay, brace yourselves.  I did NOT like this book.  I should have paid attention to the warning at the beginning of the second book where it said, "This book is for all the readers of The Boys Next Door who asked me to write a sequel. I would not and could not have done this without you." I always get a bit iffy about books where the author didn't plan to write a sequel and the fans wanted it. It's like those fans who want Suzanne Collins to write another book for The Hunger Games after Mockingjay. Eh. 

The Boys Next Door had a great ending. When I read Endless Summer, my thought throughout the whole book was that, "This should not have been written." I was content with the characters before, but frankly after reading Endless Summer, I found the characters a lot more annoying. The only characters I could probably cope with were McGillicuddy and Tammy. Otherwise, everyone else just got on my nerves. I wasn't a huge fan of Lori in both books, and I only like Adam in the first book.  In the second book, I know Adam has ADHD, which makes him more impulsive, but I'm sorry, his behavior and impulsiveness was too much for me.  It was overdone.  I love Adam, but the jealousy and sexual stuff was a little much.

One of the only things I liked in this book was that the characters learned maturity and developed that way. I guess I had higher expectations, because before I read this, earlier in they year I read The Summer I Turned Pretty and loved it. When I discovered this was a similar story, I wanted to read it because of how much I loved the Summer Series.

So basically YAY to The Boys Next Door and NAY to Endless Summer.

Book Review: Shadow and Bone

Title/ Author:  Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Publisher/ Year:  Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2012.
How I read it:  Hardcover
Why I read it:  It was on my TBR and a few people I know in real life gave it excellent ratings, so I got this from my library.
Rating:  5+ out of 5 stars (NEW FAVORITE)

This is the first book of the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo.  I have heard so many good things about this book and gave it a go.  I am stil in awe.

Summary from Goodreads: The Shadow Fold, a swathe of impenetrable darkness, crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh, is slowly destroying the once-great nation of Ravka.
Alina, a pale, lonely orphan, discovers a unique power that thrusts her into the lavish world of the kingdom’s magical elite—the Grisha. Could she be the key to unravelling the dark fabric of the Shadow Fold and setting Ravka free?
The Darkling, a creature of seductive charm and terrifying power, leader of the Grisha. If Alina is to fulfill her destiny, she must discover how to unlock her gift and face up to her dangerous attraction to him.
But what of Mal, Alina’s childhood best friend? As Alina contemplates her dazzling new future, why can’t she ever quite forget him?
Glorious. Epic. Irresistible. Romance.

Quick Review for those who have not read it yet:
OH. MY. GOSH.  This was a super fantastic book and Leigh Bardugo deserves a standing ovation for this piece of work.  It was so amazingly brilliant and unlike anything I have ever read.  I was immediately transported into the world of Ravka and I didn't want to leave.  The plot was great, almost nothing was predictable.  I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.  This masterpiece is recommended to anyone with a functional brain.

The Review:
This book is probably one of the best books I have ever read.  No doubt.  Bardugo took me to a whole new world, so captivating and interesting and I LOVED it.  There were so many things I enjoyed about this book.

First of all, the characters.  The characters in this book were so well thought out.  I absolutely adored Alina.  I was reading this one blog post a while ago about the 3 types of YA female characters:  starts strong and gets stronger, finds hidden strength that she didn't know she had, and starts weak and gets stonger (character development!).  Alina would be categorized under "finds hidden strength she didn't know she had".  I found myself able to relate to her, which initially drew me to her.  She is in love with her best friend that she has known her whole life.  She isn't pretty.  And she tries to make the best out of the situations she is in.  Alina was a wonderful protagonist.  Then there's the Darkling.  My mind was all over the place on this guy.  At first I'm just like, "Wow, he seems really sweet."  Then I found out about his plan all along and thought, "What a sadistic creep."  In my opinion, a book is only as good as its antagonists.  Leigh Bardugo nailed it.  My perspective of the Darkling changed throughout the book.  I felt like I was Alina and her thoughts were my thoughts.  Usually, I could predict what I think the character will be like and form an opinion on them.  But this was not the case.  That's how I felt about Mal as well.  At the beginning, I thought he was an awesome character, although blind to Alina's love for him.  Then as Alina found a strange attraction to the Darkling, I started to drift away from good thoughts about Mal.  Then, when he travels with her to find the stag, I fell in love with him again.  Okay, I lost it when Mal confessed his love for Alina.  That was one of my favorite parts.  I am a very sappy person and I have a soft spot for books that involve best friends becoming lovers.  Mal would do anything to protect Alina and he loves her.  He is brave and strong and just a great overall character.

Second of all, the character development.  The story starts out with Alina and Mal as just "kids", working as a cartographer or as a tracker, swooning over the Grishas, and Mal having fun with his friends Mikhael and Dubrov.  Then near the end of the book, they have matured.  Alina understood the importance of her power as a Sun Summoner and the effect she had on people.  She learned responsibility, leadership, courage, and strength.  When Mal was separated from Alina, he realized that he couldn't live without her and he loved her.  She was the only one for him.  And at the end, Mal tells Alina that Mikhael and Dubrov were killed.  It's like everything they knew was gone.  Their world was turned upside down.  They learned to grow up.  Their struggles enlightened their reality.  This quote really explains it well, "I wanted to throw my arms around him and hug him close.  But I couldn't, not with this new Mal.  Maybe not with the old one either, I admitted to myself.  We weren't children anymore.  The ease of our closeness was a thing of the past."  I love this aspect, and it really made me think.  Experience changes people:  they lose their innocence and are forced to become more mature and knowing.

Third, the connections she made withing the book and lack of predictability.  I have to admit, I could not predict anything in this book.  Well almost, but I can't think of a part where I predicted an event happening.  I was unable to make the connection of the Darkling asking Alina about how good of a tracker that Mal was.  Then later in the book, you realize why the Darkling asked that question.  I had no clue that the Darkling was the bad guy.  I didn't see that coming at all, cause I actually liked the Darkling.  Then, everything made sense and my mind was blown.  What I really loved was the story behind the scar on Alina's palm.  When I first saw the scar mentioned in the beginning, I kept asking questions to myself about whether or not it was important, why she kept rubbing it with her fingers (thumb i think?) all the time?  And at the end of the book, I knew there was something so significant about it.  When the shard of the blue cup dug into her palm when she clung to Mal after one of his long hunting trips, she didn't want to let go, and therefore, a scar was left in it's place.  I love that connection that Leigh put there.  I LOVE IT.  I found myself smiling reading this part.  She treasured that scar, because that was the moment that everything had changed.

I loved this book.  It's a new favorite.  The writing was excellent and Leigh Bardugo is a genius.

Book Review: Girls In Pants (The Third Summer of the Sisterhood)

Title/ Author:  The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares
Year/ Publisher:  Ember, 2006.
How I read it:  Hardcover
Why I read it:  It was on my TBR for a while but never got to it, so I got it from my library.
Rating:  4/5

This is the third book of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares.  To be honest, I wasn't that excited after reading the second book of the series, but it had been a while since I had last read something from Ann, so I thought, "hey, why not?"  So I gave the 3rd book a shot.

Summary from Goodreads:  The Pants first came to us at the perfect moment. That is, when we were splitting up for the first time. It was two summers ago when they first worked their magic, and last summer when they shook up our lives once again. You see, we don’t wear the Pants year-round. We let them rest so they are extra powerful when summer comes. (There was the time this spring when Carmen wore them to her mom’s wedding, but that was a special case.)
Now we’re facing our last summer together. In September we go to college. And it’s not like one of those TV shows where all of us magically turn up at the same college. We’re going to four different colleges in four different cities (but all within four hours of one another—that was our one rule). We’re headed off to start our real lives. 
Tomorrow night at Gilda’s we’ll launch the Pants on their third summer voyage. Tomorrow begins the time of our lives. It’s when we’ll need our Pants the most.

Quick Review for those who have not read it yet:
Well, first off, if you haven't read the first 2 books of the series, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?  If you finished the second book and aren't sure if you should continue with the series, then definitely read this short little paragraph.  I believe it is worth it to keep reading.  Your reading experience may be different from mine depending on which of the girls' stories is the most intriguing to you.  But I think you should definitely continue.  You won't regret it!

The Review:
I'm going to be very honest.  I didn't know at first how intrigued I would be by this book.  I didn't really enjoy the second book as much but I decided to give this series a shot again.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Though I feel kind of ashamed that for about the majority of the book, I was only concerned with what was happening with Bee.  I really wish that wasn't how it was, but it was.  Out of all the four girls, I think Bee is my favorite, but I love all the girls.  I don't hate any of them or think that their character isn't important.  I just felt like Bee's was more entertaining and suspenseful.  When I read the synopsis and sensed Eric would be back, my heart flipped!  I was hoping for some unanswered questions from the first book to FINALLY be answered!  That was the main reason I began to get so eager with what was going on.

The best part about this book was the character development of all the characters.  I loved Bee's (as I already talked briefly about).  I thought the summers of Carmen, Lena, and Tibby were pretty impacting as well.  I thought their stories were something to be remembered as well!  Tibby found love, vulnerability, and strength.  She was put through a tough time when her sister fell out the window and when Carmen's mother had the baby.  Not to mention, Brian came flooding into her life with arms wide open.  I saw amazing character development in Tibby.  I love the metaphor of her job at the movie theater, where she saw a movie 14 times and it got boring after a while.  Then, when she asked the nurse if it got boring to see the birth of child, she said that it was the same thing, but a different miracle every time or something like that.  I loved that aspect.  I think Tibby learned to let go of worries and learn to be strong when things get rough.

Carmen had a great character development as well.  She learned to take on the role of responsibility.  She kept believing that she wasn't this "Good Carmen" that the boy she started falling for, Win, saw.  She believed her actions were selfish.  She was resenting her mother having a baby.  She hated watching over Valia, but she need to earn money.  But spending more time with Valia, she understood.  Helping Christina with the baby, she understood.  Carmen didn't realize that she was doing these things out of the goodness of her heart in the long run.  She ended up liking Valia.  She ended up going to the college of her dreams after having doubts about leaving home.  She also ended up with a great guy who was just as good as she was; they deserved each other.

Lena's character went from shy to strong.  As much as her father disapproved of her going to art school, she pushed hard so she could get a scholarship.  She lied to her father just so she could go to art classes.  She was able to stand up to him so that she would be able to do what she would with the gift she was given.  Lena was an artist, and she fought for what she loved.  Eventually, her hard work paid off, and she got her father's approval.  Sometimes, you have to fight for what you believe is right, even if it seems impossible.

Bee had a fantastic character development.  Two summers ago, she was a flirty, love stuck 15 year old with a crush on the hot soccer coach.  This summer, she was a composed, love stuck 17 year old with a longing heart for the hot soccer coach she believed she could never have.  She felt herself drawn to him, but knew in her heart, she had to try to be friends with him, which she accomplished.  Eventually, she discovered he felt the same way, and Eric broke up with his girlfriend because it didn't feel right with her.  It felt right with Bridget.  Two summers ago, she was childish with Eric.  This summer, she felt more love from him in a simple embrace.

All the girls learned lessons and learned things about themselves and about others, which makes me believe that this was an amazing book.  If there's anything I love most about good books, it's when there's good character development.

Book Review: Harken

Title/ Author:  Harken by Kaleb Nation

Publisher/ Year: 2013

How I Read It:  Kindle

Why I Read It:  Many of my favorite booktubers recommended the book.

Rating:  3.5 stars out of 5

This is the first book in the Harken series by Kaleb Nation.  I was originally interested in this book due to the fact that many of my favorite booktubers (who I trust very much with recommendations) have read this book and were so captivated by it.  I was captivated as well.

Summary from Goodreads: After surviving an assassination attempt, teenager Michael Asher discovers that he is at the center of a worldwide conspiracy reaching higher than any earthly power. A supernatural organization desperately wants him dead. He doesn't know why. Everyone who might have the answers has already been killed.
Tumbling into a web of international secrets, Michael is forced to fight back and dig up the truth. He begins to question how much of the world is truly as people are led to believe it is. Are there things that humanity is not being told? Who is the puppet master? And how far into the maze can he venture before he is lost forever?

Quick Review for those who have not read it yet:
This book was very captivating and quick paced and was so full of mystery and suspense.  The characters and the plot were very well thought out & Kaleb has really come up with such a great story.  If you like mystery & action, this book is for you.   Yes, this is a YA/ MG novel.  To be honest, when I first started reading it, I thought the concept was awesome, it's just that it was a little hard for me to sit down and keep reading.  Like, after certain chapters when I should have been urging myself to move on because something significant happened, I just didn't get that feeling.  Otherwise, great book & recommended.

The Review:
Michael Asher is a very interesting character with an interesting power.  He has the Glimpse, in which through photographs, and sometimes through direct eye contact, he is able to see the emotions of the person in the picture at that exact moment in time.  His room was full of faces.  Each face had a different emotion, a different story to tell, and it was known as his Great Work.  I LOVED his character.  I thought he was a great protagonist for the book.  The only thing is he didn't think through things and didn't think about how his actions affected others.  He spoke without thinking.  Yet, he was so freaking brave.  When he found out about  the conspiracy against him, he wanted to know more.  When he discovered he had claws and scales, he may have been confused, but of course he wanted to find out more.  This led him to Thad and Callista.

Thad and Callista are Michael's Chosens.  Michael is a Guardian.  Near the beginning of the book, Callista was thought to be dead, until Thad saves his life from the monk and Callista shoots down a plane for him.  Thad and Callista have this amazing connection with Michael and they are sworn to protect him.  I love Thad and Callista's characters.  Thad was brave, strong, and wise.  Callista was strong, strong-willed, and was a killer female lead.  What killed me about these characters was their backstory.  I love it when characters you thought you knew tell their backstory to another character, and immediately, your mind is blown.  The thing with Thad and Sophia killed me.  We don't know what happened to Sophia (though I hope we do by the next book in the series).  Callista lost her entire family to an evil Guardian, Wyck, who is trying to kill Michael.  They both lost everything they love for Michael's sake.  Then when Michael lost his mother, you saw his vulnerability and he finally feels the brunt of what Thad and Callista had felt.  All three of them are strong characters and their personalities balance each other out.

So more about the plot.  My mind was blown when Michael, Thad, and Callista discover that they are reincarnations of a former Guardian and two Chosens who attempted to finish what was started the first time.  When they found out that the Blade was probably the only thing that would give them the power to save the world from these evil Guardians like Wyck.  The dreams each of the characters had led them to each other, and most importantly to the Blade, which was their key to success, but also could have been their downfall if it was in the wrong hands.  This is what made the book so suspenseful!  You didn't know what the character was going to do next.  Michael kept putting himself in danger to save the ones he loved, even if it meant risking his life (which meant risking Thad and Callista's lives as well).

This book also showed the cruelty of society.  Michael couldn't trust anyone.  Usually, you would think the police or people like the monk were on his side, but they were controlled by the greater power that wanted Michael and his friends dead.  When the false headlines went out that Michael was a psychopath that murdered his family and crashed a plane, everything was hitting Michael at full force.  His mother had just been murdered by Wyck, his house was burning down, and he was made to believe that Alli, one of the people he cared about most in the world was gone.  The concept of a society against you was a well thought part of this book.  It made the reader think.

The thing I didn't like about this book was that I couldn't really get into it at the beginning, and I felt like I had to force myself to keep reading.  Also, I found some parts predictable.  I had a huge feeling that Callista was still alive.  I also had a huge feeling that Alli never really died.  I mean there were some parts of the story line that I was unable to predict, but for the most part, I found myself saying, "I totally knew it".  And I gave myself a little smile.

I thought this book was so great and the last chapter made me want to read the next book.  I love Michael and Callista's relationship & I want to see where it will go.  That last sentence killed me.  I also want to know what happened to the rest of the Guardians now that Michael has the Blade.  I am also kinda confused about why in the first place the rest of the Guardians are trying to kill Michael, Thad and Callista.  Maybe I'll get it more in the next book.

Book Review: Before I Fall

Title/ Author:  Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Publisher/ Year:  Harper, 2010
How I read it:  Hardcover library book
Why I read it:  I joined a book club on goodreads and this was one of the "currently reading" books for the month.
Rating:  3 stars out of 5

This is a stand alone novel written by the author of the Delirium series.  I read this a while ago right after I finished Beautiful Creatures. Want to know what's funny?  In the book, February 12 is a very very very significant date.  And the day I started the book was indeed February 12.  Coincidence?  Haha first it was Beautiful Creatures, then Before I Fall.  I was convinced that it was a sign from the book gods.  This is one of the coolest book things that has ever happened to me while reading books.

Summary from Goodreads:  What is you only had one day to live?  What would you do?  Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?  Samantha Kingston has it all:  looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend.  Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.  Instead it turns out to be her last.  The catch:  Samantha still wakes up the next morning.  Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

Quick Review for those who have not read it yet:
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good read. It was okay for me.  The idea of the book was the main thing that intrigued me.  It took me a while to get into it and sometimes I felt like the plot was all over the place and I wasn't sure where it was going exactly because it was pretty much the same ting but different events and it didn't really flow until it got near the end where things started getting really good.  I recommend this for people looking for just a good read when there's nothing else.  If anything, this book was very thought provoking and gave an important message:  live each day as if it were your last.

The Review:
First of all, the obvious, Samantha Kingston.  I love Lauren Oliver's choice to make her protagonist someone everyone absolutely hates.  In other books, it's always the shy one, the one everyone loves, the outcast.  But, Sam was a popular, mean girl with zero concern for anyone besides her 3 best friends and her boyfriend.  If I met Sam in real life, I would be the kind of person that stays away from her, cause I'm not a fan of that kind of crowd.

What I love about Sam the most is her character development throughout the story.  OH MY GOSH.  HER CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.  This is my favorite part of the book.  I loved her character development throughout the story, even if it was extremely all over the place at times.  At first, she thought, "Hey look, maybe I didn't die!  I'm supposed to live!  So let's avoid getting killed!"  Then it all started to make sense when Juliet Sykes committed suicide.  And that's when Sam began noticing and observing more to figure out what she was doing wrong as a person (rethinking her morals) and trying to save Juliet, a girl she and her friends had tortured for no reason.  Her progression was amazing and I was happy yet sad at the way she saved her life.  She realized she needed to die rather than an innocent person.  But I love how she changed perspectives but kept the same ones as well.  she still respected Lindsay, Ally and Elody even if they weren't perfect and were mean for no reason.  But she discovered the backstory and understood, but didn't at the same time.  She dumped Rob.  Amen.  And she learned how to appreciate things in life, no matter how little. Like Izzy, her little sister.  The way she spent the day with her just to be with her, then gave her precious necklace to her.

I think my favorite character (and in second place for favorite part of the book) is Kent McFuller.  He may have been on the outs with Sam, but he was ALWAYS there for her, even if they drifted.  I love how they grew close at the end and how he always loved her.  He saw her for who she truly was.  He knew that deep down, she was still the same Sam from when they were younger. That Sam... he was looking for her.  Then, she began to fall for him.  I think I completely lost it though when Kent told her, "I vowed after that day that I would be your hero too, no matter how long it took."  I think that's really something.  They were best friends.    They drifted.  Sam became popular and wanted nothing to do with Kent.  I feel like this is one of those Snily moments.  "After all this time?" "Always." (SNILY FEELS I AM SORRY).

Here's my criticism:  the only thing is, I wish Kent somewhat remembered the "previous" nights when Sam was crying, then sleeping in his bed, etc., because then...we wouldn't have the insta-love factor.  On the 7th day, sure she was a changed person and she loved Kent, but I think Kent was just as confused as I was.  On the last day, it just happened.  I mean sure, with the plot and everything, it shouldn't be considered insta-love...but imagine if you were Kent, you had no clue that Sam had been reliving the same day for 7 days, and  all of a sudden she's in love with you out of the blue?  It's just...eh.  But of course she only had one day to make it right, so it's understandable.

I did enjoy this book.  Kent is a very sweet character.  Sam had amazing character development.  And Juliet, and to anyone who feels like they relate to her...it's never too late.  If I learned anything from this book, it's live each day as if it were your last.

What are your thoughts on the book?

Book Review: Beautiful Creatures

Title/ Author:  Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Publisher/ Year: Little Brown and Co., 2009
How I read it:  Kindle
Why I read it:  My favorite booktuber highly recommended it, and the movie was coming out.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5

This is the first out of 4 books in the Caster Chronicles series.  I read this a long time ago back in February, but I wrote a review for it back then as well.  I wanted to read it before the movie came out, which I did!  The funny thing,I finished this book on Lena's birthday, which just so happens to be super significant in the book.  So I was pretty excited.

Summary from Goodreads:  Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small town of Gatlin has ever seen and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations.  But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.  Ethan Wate, who has been counting down the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met.  When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.  In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.

Quick Review for those who have not read it yet:
This book was full of mystery and adventure and romance and it was just a hit out of the park.  Overall, I LOVED this book.  The setting was perfect, the characters were awesome, and the plot was absolutely amazing.  Honestly, this is such an original and unique plot than other things I've read before.  My only criticism is that some of it kind of dragged, and I felt that some parts were unnecessary...but otherwise, if you're looking for a good read, I recommend this book.

The Review:
There were many things I enjoyed about this book.  First of all, the setting.  I love that the setting is crucial and important for the whole book.  It's not like you could take the characters and the plot and put it somewhere else.  This setting was brilliant:  small town in the South obsessed with the Civil War, Greenbrier, Ravenwood Manor, everything.  A lot of the events that happened in the book were awesome.

I'm such a sucker for fictional characters that read books.  I mean there's Will Herondale (The Infernal Devices series), Ky Markham (Matched trilogy...even though it was poems but), Dash (Dash and Lily's Book of Dares), and now we welcome Ethan Lawson Wate.  His character was awesome and I loved him as the narrator.  I didn't expect it, but I was happily surprised.  I love how he chooses to be with Lena, even if it's impossible for them to be together.  He shows her love before the storm happens (like A Walk to Remember).  He is such a GREAT protagonist.  Lena was awesome as well.  She didn't want to get herself involved, but then she met Ethan.  She's such a strong female character and I wish there were more characters like in in YA.  I thought the idea of her being a Caster was pretty awesome.

The thing I loved most about Ethan and Lena was the connection they had:  the dreams, the speaking in each other's minds, and especially the flashbacks with the locket.  It was almost like the past was repeating itself near the end.  Like with the locket, you see how the Duchannes get cursed.  Why on the 16th birthday of female Caster (hey there Lena), she gets claimed by either the Dark or the Light.  But at the end, the reality basically was the past (almost) repeating itself.  Except, Ethan didn't die (PHEW!) and I guess Lena is part dark/ part light?  Cause at the end, it says one eye is green and the other is gold?  I'm still a bit confused to be honest, but I guess I'll have to read the other 3 books to get that question answered!

The action was so amazing.  It wasn't just some romance novel.  It was an action novel.  The fight between Dark and Light, all the villains. YES.  I loved the villains in the book.  They're such good villains and their characters were awesome.  Ridley.  She's so bad a!  She's what I imagine Lena would be if she turned dark.  And her role in the plot made her a really interesting character.  I honestly kept telling her to go away, because she kept on showing up at the most opportune times. Haha.  Then there's Sarafine.  FREAKING SARAFINE.  I thought the idea of Lena's mother being the darkest Caster that ever lived (I think...right?) and being her number 1 enemy was a great idea.  And the plot twist with Link's mother being Sarafine for like all those months?  Wow. Just wow.  I really didn't expect that.  She's so good at being evil.

My only criticism is that some of it kind of dragged, and I felt that some parts were unnecessary.  Like I felt like the plot could have still progressed and have been the same if some parts were taken out, but either way, I love Ethan and Lena and the book overall.

Kami and Margaret, this story was brilliant and different than most books I have read.  I loved Amma's character and Macon's character and the part they played in the story.  That goes the same for Marian and Boo Radley.  I think my favorite scene is when she breaks the windows.  Before the movie came out, I was most anticipating that scene.

Well, I can't wait to read the next book!  What do you guys think?