Tuesday 18 April 2017

Weekly Update: 4/10 - 4/16

I have just gotten off of spring break which is really sad as I am back at school and already bogged down with work, plus AP exams are right around the corner and those are not fun. I have been studying quite a bit but I still am not prepared.

Though I was on break for the past week, I didn’t get to post much as I prioritized other things and went out a lot for day trips with my family. I also finished season one of Pretty Little Liars and started season two and I love the show. Hanna is probably my favorite character because she has such sarcasm.  I also started and almost finished [still have two episodes] the 100 [CW]. This is also such a good show. My favorite characters are Clarke Griffin, Bellamy Blake and Raven Reyes and I highly recommend the show.

I will probably be taking a short break from this blog until exams are over which will probably start next week.

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:




Library: 






Received for Review: 





In Case You Missed It


This Week I Read
  
  





Next Week I'm Reading







Upcoming Reviews









Upcoming Posts



Monday: NONE

Tuesday: Weekly Update

Wednesday: NONE

Thursday: NONE

Friday: Hunted by Meagan Spooner Book Review

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Update






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Saturday 15 April 2017

Ronit & Jamil by Pamela L. Laskin - Book Review

This is a spoiler free review.






Ronit & Jamil
Written by Pamela L. Laskin
Genre: Young Adult/Romance/Poetry
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: February 21, 2017
Pages: 192
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!


Summary:

Pamela L. Laskin’s beautiful and lyrical novel in verse delivers a fresh and captivating retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that transports the star-crossed lovers to the modern-day Israel-Palestine conflict.

Ronit, an Israeli girl, lives on one side of the fence. Jamil, a Palestinian boy, lives on the other side. Only miles apart but separated by generations of conflict—much more than just the concrete blockade between them. Their fathers, however, work in a distrusting but mutually beneficial business arrangement, a relationship that brings Ronit and Jamil together. And lightning strikes. The kind of lightning that transcends barrier fences, war, and hatred.

The teenage lovers fall desperately into the throes of forbidden love, one that would create an irreparable rift between their families if it were discovered. But a love this big can only be kept secret for so long. Ronit and Jamil must face the fateful choice to save their lives or their loves, as it may not be possible to save both.

Review:

I read this book really quickly and I am really disappointed with it which wasn't fair cause I was really looking forward to it. I mean, this is the kind of story that we've been waiting for but it didn't deliver what it promised. It promised a beautiful lyrical book which was a Romeo and Juliet retelling about love that would defy everything else. While it was lyrical and was a Romeo and Juliet retelling, it really didn't have what it promised.

COVER

The cover is gorgeous and really shows the separation that is between both sides. I also love how they didn't make them white so that POC appreciation on the cover is on point and I am all for that. I partially judged this book for its gorgeous cover.

WORLD-BUILDING

It gives us a little bit of background on the conflict in the Middle East but not really enough if you don't already know the issue and what is going on.

Then there are the characters.

RONIT and JAMIL

Ronit is an Israeli girl and Jamil is a Palestinian boy which means they aren't supposed to interact according to their families. They could have been intriguing characters if they were given a little bit more depth and thoughts other than of each other and what would happen if they were together [which for the record is basically all they think about]. Their thoughts and feelings are also very simplistic when they should have been more complex.

I do think that if they were characters in a full length novel, I would have been able to like them a bit more.


FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

They do mention family a little bit in this book, for instance what the family would do/think if they knew about Ronit and Jamil's relationship and how they do react once they figure out who exactly their child is talking to. But they don't really display family in a good light which is something that I was also not pleased with.

PLOT

The plot is rather generic and similar to the plot of the original story, Romeo and Juliet, in which they meet [or rather see each other across the room] and then they are automatically 'in love' [which is something I never quite understood]. The plot is simple, with both characters wanting to escape their prejudiced lives and go somewhere where they can be together and not be judged.

The plot could have given the Israeli/Palestinian issue a little bit more page-time in order for readers to clearly get the gist of it and understand where these characters are coming from. That was another complaint I had with it. I really wanted the issue to be showcased properly and while it was there, it wasn't well explained.

ROMANCE

The relationship of this book was very much the main focus which was a little awkward. There wasn't much depth to the romance at all which is sometimes okay if the rest of the plot has depth and is more important than the romance but in this story the romance is the main focus. It also seems like the romance isn't about actual love and is more infatuation.


WRITING

The lyrical writing was one of the things that I actually liked about the book. It was refreshing to see a Young Adult book written in poetry, which is something you don't see often.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I gave this a low rating because of the lack of depth it gives the characters and the overall plotline. It has such an interesting premise and it could have been a lot better than it was. I don't recommend it myself but try it because you may like it yourself. I like the poetry style and I enjoy that it is about the Palestinian/Israeli conflict but that is about it. I am sorry to say that I didn't enjoy this book.


Quotes from the Book:

None at this time.




My Rating: 2 out of 5 Crowns

Thursday 13 April 2017

Book Tag #2: #The Writer's Tag

[I kinda stole these graphics from Paperfury. Here's the credit! :)]

I have been wanting to tell you guys a bit about me as a writer since I do write novels for fun. I don't talk about this certain passtime of mine very much because I have yet to finish a novel and most of them are half written with plotholes and half planned out characters. But, I have decided that I should share if I ever hope to be a published author.

I was not tagged for this tag but I found it on Cait's blog: Paperfury. Feel free to do this tag if you wish to. You can link back to the hashtag: #TheWriter'sTag on Twitter or Instagram.


1. WHAT GENRES, STYLES AND TOPICS DO YOU WRITE ABOUT? 

Fun fact: I have never finished a novel but I am trying so very hard. I am mostly a fantasy author because I write what I'm good at, but I also like to dabble in some other generes:


  • Science Fiction/Dystopian: I haven't actually ever finished one of these but I have planned some
  • Historical Fiction: I am currently working on two at the moment. I'm excited to share snippets with y'all.
  • Contemporary: I have an entire novel planned out but it is more a new adult than a YA contemporary sadly and I've never actually made an effort to dip my pen in that ink [Expression. I actually type my novels]
STYLES:

  • I've tried both first person and third person and I'm still not sure which I like better.
TOPICS:

  • Fairytale retellings: these are my absolute favorites because they are my favorites to read.
  • Mentioning food in basically every novel, even if it isn't necessary. 
  • Positive sibling relationships
  • PIRATES! [currently writing one that will be amazing]
  • Strong female characters who can be stronger than the male characters in the same book.
  • MAGIC!
  • Mermaids [dabbling in it]
  • Smol, precious characters. [Well...it depends on the point of view]


2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING?

A long time!  But really, I am not sure. I do remember having my sister dictate parts of stories to me and then we wrote them down, stapled them together and handed them out to our family members [often demanding payment. We made our own newspapers as well. Good times!]. So, I have probably been doing it since the age of eight. Crazy right?

3. WHY DO YOU WRITE?

I write because it makes me happy and I can do whatever I want. It's almost like I'm the Queen of my own kingdom, dictating all my subjects and getting to decide what happens. It's fun!



4. WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO WRITE?

Whenever I am on break or on a weekend as there is physically no time during a normal school day. Homework takes enough time and apparently is more important then writing my novels [Who made up that theory?]

I also need time to take breaks to eat food, surf the internet, lie down and do absolutely nothing and start new TV shows. 

So, breaks and the weekends are probably best. 

5. PARTS OF WRITING VS PARTS YOU HATE?

LOVE: 

  • When you first have an idea and you can't wait to write it. 
  • Actually finishing something [though that hasn't happened yet]
  • Getting feedback [both positive and negative]
  • Actually getting your own freedom to write anything you want. 
  • Making up my own characters that can be smol innocent beans or not. 
  • Naming everything [from the worlds, to countries, to characters]


HATE: 

  • How long it takes to write something. 
  • Having self doubt. 
  • Actually editing. [Why is this even a thing?]
  • WRITER'S BLOCK [This is huge and I fall victim to it all the time.]
  • Struggling to figure out how to fix something [aka plot holes]
  • Having people ask you about it all the time. 



6. HOW DO YOU OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK?

Overcoming writer's block is very difficult. Sometimes I have to leave my story for hours or days in order to let it sit and for me to actually get ideas. But, here are some tips that actually help: 

  • If you have not outlined, then try to outline the next chapter or part of your story and it helps. 
  • Make a fantastic Pinterest board or if you have one, add to it. 
  • Go read or watch something related to your book and gain wisdom and ideas from it but don't plagiarize. 
7. ARE YOU WORKING ON SOMETHING AT THE MOMENT?

Yes, I am actually. I am currently working on two fantabulous books. One of them is a pirate/siren story which is called Black Swan.  This includes a female pirate captain, a rivalry with another captain, quests, mermaids, a lot of swashbuckling, high seas adventure and a romance.



The second one that I am writing for Campnanowrimo is called Camelot Anew. This is basically about a modern time girl who gets sent back with her brother to King Arthur's time and becomes a pawn in Morgana's game. It has swordfighting, adventure, a young King Arthur, a young Merlin, blood, magic, a little bit of a possible LGBT romance and more.


[If you click on the titles of both my stories, you can see my Pinterest boards PLUS these are my ideas, no stealing please!]

8. WRITING GOALS THIS YEAR? 

  • I'd like to finish both Black Swan and Camelot Anew this year [#dreams]
  • I'd like to edit Camelot Anew. 
  • I'd like to outline an idea of mine which basically includes space, a LGBT romance [cause I am all about diversity], and a whole lot of chaos.
  • Don't be nervous to try something new. 


So, I opened up a bit about my writing life and I would love to hear if any of you are writers. Feel free to chat! Love you all!

Monday 10 April 2017

Weekly Update: 3/6 - 4/9

I have decided to start doing a weekly post called weekly recap where I update you on my life, reading and watching. Plus any posts I have done or will do.

Getting into the habit of posting more often has been harder than I anticipated. I haven't even been able to post these weekly updates which is ridiculous so here is one for basically an entire month. Sorry in advance.

During this time I saw Beauty and the Beast [live action] and I was blown away. It was amazing and if you haven't see it, you don't know what you are missing out on.

I am currently on spring break so I will try my best to write posts in advance but I am also doing campnanowrimo which I am so excited about and will be doing a post detailing my novel and some stuff about me as a writer. Yay!

Now, let's get into recapping. [Because this is a lot]


New Books

Purchased:











Library: 










Received for Review: 







In Case You Missed It


This Week I Read
  
  








Next Week I'm Reading








Upcoming Reviews








Upcoming Posts



Monday: The Writer's Tag + Ronit and Jamil book review

Tuesday: NONE

Wednesday: Beauty and the Beast Live Action Movie Review + Riverdale e3 review

Thursday: TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Update






Around the Blog Community