Sunday 30 July 2017

Weekly Recap: 7/24 - 7/30


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.

I haven't really done anything interesting over the past week. I am still in California but I was sick this past week so I couldn't do much except read. I read so many books this week and I am really happy about that.

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:





Library: 




Received for Review: 




In Case You Missed It

NONE this week!


This Week I Read
  
  
 




This Week I Watched





Next Week I'm Reading






Upcoming Reviews






Upcoming Posts



Monday: 10 Reasons Why You Should Read The Star-Touched Queen Duology

Tuesday:  The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova Book Review

Wednesday: TBD

Thursday: TBD

Friday: NONE

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap






Around the Blog Community

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Choksha Review

This is a spoiler free review.




A Crown of Wishes
Written by Roshani Chokshi
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Mythology/Romance
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: March 28, 2017
Pages: 369
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!


Summary:

An ancient mystery. An unlikely union. For one young princess in a state of peril, a dangerous wish could be the only answer…


She is the princess of Bharata—captured by her kingdom’s enemies, a prisoner of war. Now that she faces a future of exile and scorn, Gauri has nothing left to lose. But should she trust Vikram, the notoriously cunning prince of a neighboring land? He promises her freedom in exchange for her battle prowess. Together they can team up and win the Tournament of Wishes, a competition held in a mythical city where the Lord of Wealth promises a wish to the victor. It seems like a foolproof plan—until Gauri and Vikram arrive at the tournament and find that danger takes on new shapes: poisonous courtesans, mischievous story birds, a feast of fears, and twisted fairy revels. New trials will test their devotion, strength, and wits. But what Gauri and Vikram will soon discover is that there’s nothing more dangerous than what they most desire. 
Review:

If you follow my blog, then you probably remember when I raved about The Star-Touched Queen sometime last summer. I was so excited for this book to come out but then when it did come out it took me until now to find it and read it. I am so glad that I read it when I did though because I got to fully focus on it and enjoy it. This duology has become one of my favorites of all time and I am going to be recommending it to people all the time.

COVER

The cover of this book is so beautiful and simple. I love how Gauri is on a horse which shows her adventurous side. Her dress is also gorgeous and I love how magical the whole cover is.

WORLD-BUILDING

The world-building is as usual beautifully done. All the descriptions are so vivid and lyrical that you feel like you are there.

Then there are the characters.

GAURI

Gauri is a queen who has had her throne taken away from her but she still acts like the queen that she really is. She shows lots of strength and independence throughout the book which shows how bada*s she is. She is also very handy with a weapon and intimidates Vikram a lot [my ship]. She is very serious and knows what she wants and how to get it, without letting She is also a very smart heroine and she shows how beauty doesn't define her.

VIKRAM

Vikram was the best male character for this book. He is hilarious and is called the "fox prince" because he is sly and smart. Unlike Gauri, he is not good with a weapon and has to use his smarts in order to get himself out of unfortunate situations. He is handsome which is mentioned a couple of times. I really enjoyed his character because he was different from a lot of male characters/love interests.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Gauri has a very interesting relationship with her family. One of her brothers tried to intimidate her, poison her and eliminate her because he saw her as a threat to his throne even though he was not helping the kingdom at all by being in power. He saw her as a threat because she was obviously a better ruler.

PLOT

I really enjoyed the whole plot which reminded me a lot of Caraval by Stephanie Garber with the whole magical game thing. I liked the whole magical game concept and even though that is used a lot lately, it was shown in a new way. I liked how there were a lot of characters that were used in order to make the story a lot more interesting and move forward.
ROMANCE

This was hate-to-love at it's best. Gauri wants to kill/use Vikram for half the time and she is constantly intimidating him. Vikram is also using her in order to get what he wants but somehow they come together. And the tension is very visible.

WRITING

I love her writing because it is so beautiful and lyrical. The quotes are also really pretty and you can easily find quotes that are meaningful and read well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I love Roshani Chokshi's writing and plots. Her characters are three dimensional and everything neatly ties up. I love this series and A Crown of Wishes is the perfect second installment because it follows different characters but is in the same world.

Quotes from the Book:

"Existence is the gift. Life is a choice."

“In that moment, he looked like mischief and midnight, like a temptation that always slipped away too fast and left you at once relieved and disappointed.” 

“Love is like Death without the guarantee of its arrival. Love may not come for you, but when it does it will be just as swift and ruthless as Death and just as blind to your protestations. And just as Death will end one life and leave you with another, so will Love.” 






My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns

Thursday 27 July 2017

Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh Review

This is a spoiler free review.






Ivory and Bone
Written by Julie Eshbaugh
Genre: Young Adult/Historical/Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: June 7, 2016
Pages: 371
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!


Summary:

A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.


As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along. 

Review:

I have been wanting to read this for awhile but I never bothered to check it out from the library or purchase it myself. The whole premise, a Pride and Prejudice retelling in prehistoric times, was just too good to pass up. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with what I actually got.

COVER

I actually really like the cover. It perfectly represents a main point in the book and accurately references the title.

WORLD-BUILDING

This book is set in prehistoric times where people lived in small clans and traveled where their food went. There's a lot of information about their clans and how they live. At some times it feels like there is too much of an information dump which gets annoying and a little stressful.

Then there are the characters.

There were a lot of characters in this book so I am only going to talk about/address the main two.

KOL

I enjoyed Kol as a character though he wasn't complicated enough and mostly only cared about finding a wife. I get that in this time period [the prehistoric time] that the need to keep the family going was important but there had to be more thought as to how they themselves were going to survive and we didn't get much of that. I did enjoy Kol as a narrator as he was quiet and serious but still had a uniqueness about him.

MYA

I liked Mya because she was a character that I expected to see in this time period. She was fierce and independent. She also was very loyal to her clan and her family which was probably something that was needed in this time period. Mya was also very strong and a good hunter which seemed a little bit unique for a female in the prehistoric times but I did learn that females often helped with hunting and didn't just spend their time preparing the meals. I actually liked Mya more than Kol.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

Family is a large part of this book. Kol has a rather large family with a lot of brothers and his family is very important to him. Mya also really cares about her family which is why she is constantly respecting her brother's wishes.

PLOT

I admit that the plot was very slow and there were times when I actually considered giving up with this book. Most of the time Kol was trying to find a mate and that just really annoyed me. I wanted there to be more action. Thankfully it sped up later on which was a blessing.

During the reading of this book I figured out that this was a Pride and Prejudice retelling that was switched around so Kol was Elizabeth Bennett and his family were the Bennett's instead of Mya and her family. Mya was Darcy and her sister was Bingley. I really liked this Pride and Prejudice retelling which was a lot different from the original but still fun.

ROMANCE

The romance was a major slow-burn but then again it was a Pride and Prejudice retelling so it was naturally going to be a slow-burn. Mya was like ice because she was not at all interested in Kol while he was a little bit obsessed with her. They make a very interesting match so when she finally thaws, it's so worth the wait.

WRITING

The writing was very interesting as it is sort of told in 2nd person. Kol is talking to Mya the entire time by using "you" whenever he is talking about her. This was a new type of writing for me and it annoyed me a lot for most of the book, but a lot of people really liked it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This was such an interesting and unique book but I didn't enjoy it as much as I wished I did. I did like the whole Pride and Prejudice concept though which was cool. If you want something different then you should check out this book.

Quotes from the Book:

“It's odd, I think, how the thing you love most in a person can also be the thing you sometimes wish you could change” 

“Some people can see things with their hearts. Others need to see them with their eyes.” 






My Rating: 3 out of 5 Crowns

Wednesday 26 July 2017

Weekly Recap: 7/17 - 7/23


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.

In the past week, I went to Disneyland for two days with my dad and sister [only my sister and I actually went into the park]. It was so much fun [as usual] but unfortunately I also caught a cold and am still recovering, which is why I've been so absent on here lately.

I have read a lot which I am happy about. My Goodreads challenge is moving along! As of today, I am 77% of the way through!!

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:





Library: 





Received for Review: 




In Case You Missed It

NONE this week!

This Week I Read
  
  





This Week I Watched





Next Week I'm Reading






Upcoming Reviews


 



Upcoming Posts



Monday: NONE

Tuesday:  NONE

Wednesday: Weekly Recap + Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh Book Review

Thursday: TBD

Friday: TBD

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap






Around the Blog Community

Monday 17 July 2017

Weekly Recap: 7/9 - 7/16


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.

I am currently in California and it is so hot. As my dad says "It's near the desert".

I have done a lot of reading but haven't had that much time to write blogposts.  I've been trying to work hard on my novel as well.

Now, let's get into recapping.


New Books

Purchased:




Library: 



 







Received for Review: 






In Case You Missed It


This Week I Read
  
  





This Week I Watched







Next Week I'm Reading






Upcoming Reviews


 



Upcoming Posts



Monday: Weekly Recap

Tuesday:  NONE

Wednesday: NONE

Thursday: Ivory and Bone by Julie Eshbaugh Book Review

Friday: TBD

Saturday: TBD

Sunday: Weekly Recap






Around the Blog Community

Sunday 16 July 2017

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

This is a spoiler free review.





Alex, Approximately
Written by Jenn Bennett
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary/Romance
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: April 4, 2017
Pages: 388
Source: Library
Places to Get this Book: Amazon Barnes and Noble Book Depository

Recommended Age: 13 and up!


Summary:

The one guy Bailey Rydell can’t stand is actually the boy of her dreams—she just doesn’t know it yet.

Classic movie fan Bailey “Mink” Rydell has spent months crushing on a witty film geek she only knows online as Alex. Two coasts separate the teens until Bailey moves in with her dad, who lives in the same California surfing town as her online crush.

Faced with doubts (what if he’s a creep in real life—or worse?), Bailey doesn’t tell Alex she’s moved to his hometown. Or that she’s landed a job at the local tourist-trap museum. Or that she’s being heckled daily by the irritatingly hot museum security guard, Porter Roth—a.k.a. her new archnemesis. But life is whole lot messier than the movies, especially when Bailey discovers that tricky fine line between hate, love, and whatever it is she’s starting to feel for Porter.

And as the summer months go by, Bailey must choose whether to cling to a dreamy online fantasy in Alex or take a risk on an imperfect reality with Porter. The choice is both simpler and more complicated than she realizes, because Porter Roth is hiding a secret of his own: Porter is Alex…Approximately.


Review:

I have heard nothing but positive things about this book and I finally found it sitting in my library and I picked it up really quickly. It had such a cute concept and I adored the movie references because I love movies and I recognized a ton of the ones that were referenced in this book. One thing I absolutely loved was the fact that there were movie quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

Also, this is basically a YA retelling of You've Got Mail which is set in California and includes surfers, food, fog, museums and movie references. I was so pleased with this book. It has just become a new favorite.

COVER

I love the cover even if it doesn't really represent the book too well. What they should have is something to do with movies but I think it still captures the summer vibe quite well.


WORLD-BUILDING

It's set in our world in modern day so there really isn't much world-building.

Then there are the characters.

BAILEY

I really loved Bailey. When Bailey was younger she experienced something that left her guarded and struggling with trust issues. She is wary to trust anyone outside of her family and she sometimes even is wary towards her own family members. Bailey starts acting like the 'Artful dodger' because she wishes to keep to the shadows and out of people's lives. Bailey really grows as both a person and a character throughout the novel. I really liked Bailey's sense of style as she tended to dress like a retro film star and she modeled her hair after Lana Turner. Throughout the book, Bailey learns to conquer her fears with help from her dad and Porter. Bailey was a very realistic character that I feel like girls can relate to.

PORTER
Porter is half white and half Polynesian and he is such a sweetheart though he doesn't start out that way. At first he seems annoying because of the way he treats Bailey but he ends up being kind and sweet. Porter also had an experience when he was younger shape who he is today and as Bailey uncovers it, he is able to move past it and not let it stop him from doing what he wants to do. I loved his devotion to his family, his cocky but charming and sweet attitude and his love of surfing. I really liked how Jenn Bennett makes Porter have his own story and we get to see more of him rather than having him just be there as a love interest.

FRIENDSHIP/FAMILY

While friendship and family is not the main focus of this book, it is still very prominant within the pages. At the very beginning of the book, Bailey is moving to be with her dad on the West Coast and we see a lot of her spending time with her dad which is great. He is such a good example of a single parent who is doing the best job of raising a teenage girl. He also has a girlfriend in the book and she spends a lot of time with them and I was happy to see them all get along well. We also get to see Porter interact with his family and Bailey gets to meet them which is very nice.

Friendship is also something that is strongly addressed. Because Bailey is very reserved at the beginning, she doesn't really want to make that many friends but she does end up making one and their friendship is very important.

PLOT

As I mentioned before, it is a retelling of You've Got Mail or The Shop Around the Corner. I have seen the latter of those two movies so I know where this is coming from and I have to say that it was done so well. If you don't know what I am talking about, then here is a brief summary. Bailey is messaging a film geek like herself on the internet. She discovers that he lives in the same West Coast town as her dad and they wish to meet up. The thing is, Bailey moves out there to be with her dad but she never tells Alex [the guy she is messaging] that she is coming out there so he has no idea. All the scenes had a point in the book and there wasn't anything that felt unnecessary. It's a wonderful YA story and I adored it immensely.
ROMANCE

The romance in this wasn't cringy or unrealistic like some YA books have. I thought the romance between Porter and Bailey was really well done. It had a little bit of hate-to-love feel at the beginning but he slowly broke down her defenses and soon she couldn't resist his charms. There were some great swoony moments but I loved the scenes when the two were talking and connecting. Those were so nice and refreshing for a YA romance. Their chemistry felt real as well and it was nice.

WRITING


The writing was really nice for a YA romance. I really enjoyed reading it.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I highly recommend this book as it is semi diverse and it has everything that a cute contemporary needs. The characters are complex and the storyline is very unique. This book also showcases a healthy YA romance and healthy relationships between family members and friends. It is really good!

Quotes from the Book:

I am Mink. Hear me roar.” 

“We all really do contradict ourselves and contain multitudes. How do we even figure out who we really are?” 





My Rating: 5 out of 5 Crowns