It’s my 1 year blogging anniversary! Well, actually it was a couple days ago, but better late than never! Thank you once again to those who have put up with me and my very inconsistent posting schedule.
200 Followers!
Thank you so much to everyone who has read my blog in the last (almost) year. I know I don’t post much, but it’s still really nice to know that people are willing to read my content. My summer break is rapidly approaching, and I hope to post more then.
The Six Days by Anna Carolyn McCormally
I got this book for review from Big Squid Books. I am so sorry for taking such a long time to write a review!!
General summary from Goodreads: “You have six days from midnight until the Gate closes again. Bring me what I need by then and maybe you’ll get your brother back.”
Fifteen years ago, in the middle of the night, Jamie Carpenter’s mother went up to the dark lighthouse on the cliffs. She never came back.
Jamie has spent his whole life trying to forget his mother. But when his little brother goes missing, Jamie has to face the facts. There is another world through the lighthouse, the world of his mother, a powerful witch. And the dangerous magical inheritance she left her sons is now the ransom for Danny’s life in a war between the Council of Witches and the rebel group Jamie’s mother abandoned her family to lead.
Desperate to save Danny, Jamie and his best friend Nia cross into a universe they never knew existed. Struggling to survive in a world of shadowy magic ravaged by war, Jamie and Nia seek the help of the Council. But the Council’s leaders aren’t too happy that the son of the witches’ most infamous traitor has returned to Emanu…
With no help, no idea where to look, and no magic on their side, Jamie and Nia have to learn fast if they’re going to survive Emanu and rescue Danny. Because there are only six days until the gate between worlds closes again.
Plot: A-
This book had an original and enjoyable plot, but I did feel like it was slightly forced at times.
Characters: A
I really liked the well-developed characters in this book, especially Nia.
Dialogue: A
I was honestly quite impressed with the dialogue in this book. I’ve read many fantasy books with similar-ish premises, and they often have juvenile and unrealistic dialogue. This one was quite enjoyable.
Worldbuilding: B
As with the plot, I thought it was a little bit forced. It was clearly laid out and creative, but I do feel like it was kind of pushed into my face.
Writing Style: B+
I liked the writing style overall, but I think it didn’t completely mesh with the plot. I can only describe it as descriptive with an almost pensive tone. I would have liked something a little plainer, but that’s just me.
Engagement: B+
I was mostly engaged, but I did find myself distracted from time to time. This was probably my fault, though.
Overall: A-/B+
I found this book enjoyable. I especially recommend it to fans of the YA Fantasy genre.
LATBF Haul Part 2!
Here is the rest of my haul! As you can see, I got lots of books.
Please tell me if you’ve read any of these! I will try to do reviews on a few of them as well, so let me know if you are particularly interested in any of them.
– Happy reading!
Mariel
Los Angeles Times Festival of Books Haul- Part 1/2
I went to the LA Times Festival of Books (LATFOB) this Sunday and spent too much money on books! Some of these were list price, but I did buy a fair number of them from bargain stands for $4-5, so it wasn’t too bad.
As always, please let me know which ones you’ve read and which ones you want me to review. Also, sorry for the sideways orientation of the pictures, I’m not sure how to fix that.
– Happy reading!
Mariel
Jennifer L. Armentrout Every Last Breath Cover Reveal
EVERY LAST BREATH Synopsis:
Some loves will last ’til your dying breath
Every choice has consequences—but seventeen-year-old Layla faces tougher choices than most. Light or darkness. Wickedly sexy demon prince Roth, or Zayne, the gorgeous, protective Warden she never thought could be hers. Hardest of all, Layla has to decide which side of herself to trust.
Layla has a new problem, too. A Lilin—the deadliest of demons—has been unleashed, wreaking havoc on those around her…including her best friend. To keep Sam from a fate much, much worse than death, Layla must strike a deal with the enemy while saving her city—and her race—from destruction.
Torn between two worlds and two different boys, Layla has no certainties, least of all survival, especially when an old bargain comes back to haunt them all. But sometimes, when secrets are everywhere and the truth seems unknowable, you have to listen to your heart, pick a side—and then fight like hell…
“Armentrout is a major talent…I just can’t stop reading!”
—New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter
“Armentrout works her magic with swoon-worthy guys and a twist you never see coming.”
–#1 New York Times bestselling author Abbi Glines on White Hot Kiss
STONE COLD TOUCH Synopsis:
Every touch has its price
Layla Shaw is trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life—no easy task for a seventeen-year-old who’s pretty sure things can’t get worse. Her impossibly gorgeous best friend, Zayne, is forever off-limits thanks to the mysterious powers of her soul-stealing kiss. The Warden clan that has always protected her is suddenly keeping dangerous secrets. And she can barely think about Roth, the wickedly hot demon prince who understood her in ways no one else could.
But sometimes rock bottom is only the beginning. Because suddenly Layla’s powers begin to evolve, and she’s offered a tantalizing taste of what has always been forbidden. Then, when she least expects it, Roth returns, bringing news that could change her world forever. She’s finally getting what she always wanted, but with hell literally breaking loose and the body count adding up, the price may be higher than Layla is willing to pay…
“Constantly entertaining…the narrative sizzles with as much tension as romance.”
—Kirkus Reviews on White Hot Kiss
WHITE HOT KISS synopsis:
One kiss could be the last.
Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal. But with a kiss that kills anything with a soul, she’s anything but normal. Half demon, half gargoyle, Layla has abilities no one else possesses.
Raised among the Wardens—a race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe—Layla tries to fit in, but that means hiding her own dark side from those she loves the most. Especially Zayne, the swoon-worthy, incredibly gorgeous and completely off-limits Warden she’s crushed on since forever.
Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know all her secrets. Layla knows she should stay away, but she’s not sure she wants to—especially when that whole no-kissing thing isn’t an issue, considering Roth has no soul.
But when Layla discovers she’s the reason for the violent demon uprising, trusting Roth could not only ruin her chances with Zayne…it could brand her a traitor to her family. Worse yet, it could become a one-way ticket to the end of the world.
BITTER SWEET LOVE Synopsis:
In a sizzling prequel novella to her new series The Dark Elements, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout draws readers into the extraordinary, irresistible world of Wardens and demons.
Dez wasn’t just Jasmine’s crush. A gargoyle Warden like Jas, he helped her come to terms with her destiny—fending off demons and maintaining the balance between good and evil. He was her everything…right until the moment he disappeared without a trace. It didn’t help that Jas’s father had just announced that she and Dez would one day be mated. Hard not to take that personally.
And now he’s back, three years older, ten times hotter, ready to pick up exactly where they left off. But Jas isn’t taking that risk again. Dez has seven days to meet all her conditions and earn back her trust. Seven days filled with terrifying danger and sweet temptation. Seven days to win her heart—or shatter it all over again…
“With her signature flare for combining humor, romance and action, Armentrout weaves a fast-paced read that will have readers’ hearts racing in more ways than one. Like Armentrout’s previous heroines, Jasmine is fun and full of attitude, while Dez is as snarky as he is sexy. This is a must read for new and old fans alike!” –RT Book Reviews
Jennifer L. Armentrout/J.Lynn Bio:
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Impulse Book Buying!
I generally do not buy books on impulse, but I saw that the Barnes and Noble on campus had a bunch of bargain books in the window. Here is what I got:
Have any of you read these? I would love to know your thoughts on them. Also, what are your thoughts on impulse buying?
The Under-appreciated Parts of Books (#1)
I thought I’d do a small series of posts on different parts of books that nobody really pays attention to. I don’t know how many of these I will do or if they are even interesting to you, but I think they’re pretty cool. I’m going to start with the colophon, which is that page of technical and legal stuff about the book found near the beginning.
This one is from the Barnes and Nobles collectors’ edition of The Arabian Nights. This one doesn’t have a ton of information on it, but I thought I’d show it anyway to prove that even super fancy nice books have colophons too.
This is from a Cassandra Clare book. This one is more interesting, as I noticed that her name is spelled differently on the colophon than on the front cover and on the internet. Also, it has a summary of the book on it, perfectly concise and accurate. Also, it has a list of the genres it belongs to on the bottom, which I also thought was cool.
This actually came from my AP World History textbook. It contains a dedication, which I thought was kind of weird, as that’s usually a separate page. I included this to show that almost every type of book contains one.
This is from the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin. I have the mass-market paperback editions, and I thought it was cool how much info they fit onto one tiny page. Also, the legal warnings on here are pretty interesting to read. The colophon even references itself, citing its designer.
Here is the colophon of a non-fiction book about the periodic table of elements. It’s concise and contains most of the same info as the others.
Those were just a few examples of colophons from a range of books. I really hope that my interest in them isn’t offputting. I really feel like they say a lot about a book, even if I don’t understand a lot of the legal jargon on them. Tell me what you think of them, and make sure to let me know of your favorite (and unappreciated) aspects of books.
Versatile Blogger Award
Thank you to Gwen & Kate’s Library for nominating me!
The Rules:
1.) Thank the person who nominated you and link to their blog
2.) Write seven facts about yourself (Since I’ve already shared most of the interesting things about me, these will be random updates)
3.) Link to 15 (or as many as you can) other blogs and let them know you nominated them!
Facts:
1. I have one of the cutest dogs in the world. Here is a picture of her on my bookshelf:
2. I’m way too addicted to Netflix. I’ve been watching Friends, as I’m super behind on pop culture since I wasn’t allowed to watch TV until I was basically in middle school.
3. I think it’s really annoying how the internet gores crazy around Valentine’s Day. Some people are obsessed with romance, and others love to call it Single Awareness Day. I personally don’t see what the big deal is.
4. I am currently reading I am Malala , and there are so many emotions!!
5. I’m currently in the process of trying to lengthen my attention span and improve my study habits. I used to be super efficient, but I had almost no schoolwork and super bad teachers last year, and I’m not handling the greater amount of work well. That’s also why I haven’t been posting too often.
6. I am an INFJ on the Myers-Briggs scale thing. This is the rarest personality type (because I’m so special)
7. I’m really thankful for all the support everyone who has read my blog and commented and interacted with me.
I Nominate:
Literate Girl in an Illiterate World
Brooke @ Brooke’s Bibliophilic Babblings
On Lending Books
Generally, I do like lending my books to people, as I really want others to share the joy of my books. However, I hate the fact that books I lent out almost a year ago are still sitting in some dark corners of my friends’ houses. Also, I often get books back in a much worse condition than they were in originally, and it just really annoys me. I will keep lending books out to some people, but I know that there are some friends and family members that I cannot trust with my books, no matter how much I want them to read.
That’s basically all I have to say for now on the matter. Sorry for the ranting/rambling, but I’m sure some of you can relate. Do you have the same problems with lending? Let me know.
All the Books! 