Mind Games...Seriously

Holy slacker!
I apologize upfront, again, for not posting for two months. How crazy is that? I have read a lot since then, and I'm going to post some suggested reads really quick, along with one book that I tried to read but couldn't get through. By the way, I'm getting a little tired of all the rain here.

Mind Games, by Kiersten White, is my first suggestion. It was definitely darker than the Supernaturally series, and was a very interesting read. It didn't get the best ratings from other readers, but it's doing well enough on Goodreads to get a 3.74 star rating. My favorite part about this was how Fia is inadvertently turned into something bad,  used to assasinate a senator because of her peculiar talent for instinct. She can't get caught, not unless she wanted to, which could change the game forever. Wow, what a terrible explanation of this book, but maybe it'll give you glimpse of what I'm talking about.
I think a lot of the reviewers didn't like how the book jumped around so much, and changed POV so much, and I have to admit I got lost once or twice when trying to figure out who was talking. But it was a pretty good story, and I'm pretty excited to read the next one.

This wonderful find called Warped by Maurissa Guibord was a fantastic fantasy story where our heroine, Tessa, comes across an antique tapestry. Long story short, cute guy William comes out of the tapestry, gets Tessa into a load of trouble with the fates and the woman who's been steeling lives and weaving them into the tapestry to keep her young, and eventually makes a love connection with her, though it is marred by his past. I love the protagonist in this book; Tessa, who is just headstrong enough to withstand the blows she has to take, and her sense of good and evil. A great book to read snuggled in a blanket with a cup of tea. Charming, in a word.

I can't really honestly review this book, The Fault In Our Stars, because I didn't read it all the way through. It was difficult for me, because it was too true to life, I think. I've had to deal with too much lately to read through this and feel good about it afterward. It's why I'm taking three years to get through Mockingjay. That being said, I skimmed it. I figured out the story, and it's a touching and thoughtful story about a girl who had cancer who falls in love with a boy who has another life threatening disease. Read if you will, but be warned, it is not a happy story (that doesn't necessarily make for bad books though, right?)

Hopefully this isn't too confusing or upsetting. Shoving two months of material into one blog is tough, especially when you're pressed for time. Hoping you all have wonderful reading days ahead!

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

I'm linking this review to my Goodreads review. However, I'm also posting an exact copy below. It is my first step is phasing this blog into my Goodreads page.

http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/3159010-amanda

Oh, I teetered on the edge of whether to give this four or five stars forever - and ultimately ended up giving it five. Why? Because I LOVED it.

At the very beginning we meet Jacob, whose grandfather tells him outrageous stories about an orphanage he grew up in during WWII where there lived a girl who could float above ground, an invisible boy, and a girl who could make fire in her hands. Of course, I was pretty much hooked at "the girl who make fire in her hands."

Jacob grows up "realizing" that his grandpa was probably lying to him, and feeding him stories. So at the age of fifteen, he's working at a store his mother's family owns and his grandfather calls him, freaking out about finding the key to his gun safe. Jacob won't tell him where it is, because he thinks his grandfather's crazy. Unfortunately, when he goes to see his grandpa, he finds him in the trees behind his house, bleeding to death.

Now we see Jacob go through a time of thinking he's crazy, and a therapist who convinces him he really did see those things, but he was hallucinating. He comes to believe this too, until his birthday. His aunt gives him a book that's really from his grandfather, and that's when he finds the letter.

He knows that he has to go to a small island in Wales in order to solve this mystery. He convinces his therapist and his parents to let him go, so his father goes with him, eager to do some birding for his book there. While Jacob is exploring the island, he finds the orphanage, which is old, abandoned, and decriped - the way it ended up when the island was bombed. He finds a trunk full of old pictures (which, by the way, are a really fun part of the story), and sees several children, one of whom he chases through the bog and into a cairn.

This is where he finds out how much of the truth his grandfather was telling him. He has just stepped back in time - or into a time loop, which would be more accurate. There are peculiar children here, and they all live at an orphanage, and every day is September 3, 1940. They live in a time loop because of the wights and the monsters.

Should I tell you anymore? I'm hoping that I whet your whistle enough to drag you in. Fair warning; this book contains the normal foul language of many other YA books, and some violence and blood because of the monsters. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. I'm trying to think of another book to compare this too, but it's really hard to think of one. Sort of a Harry Potter meets X-Men meets historical fiction. Something like that. Riggs has an amazing talent for telling this story, and left nothing out that shouldn't have been and put nothing in that shouldn't have been.

Great read! My next question is, will there be a sequel?

Living In The Faerie Realm

Okay, admittedly I am a slacker because I have just been reading books and not reviewing them. And also this will be a short review, because I'm busy. Hello - it's almost December.

The Wings series by Aprilynne Pike is wonderful! I read all four books in a matter of days. It includes Wings, Spells, Illusions, and Destined, in that order. Our heroine Laurel comes to life as she discovers that she's not a normal human - in fact, she's not a human at all. She just looks like one. And she has a flower growing out of her back.

I love Pike's take on the idea that Faeries are evolved plants. Laurel finds out what she is, she becomes involved with David, a local prince charming that helps her figure out what's growing out of her back, and meet Tamani, another faerie who finds her in the forest and tells her what she is.

The first book revolves around land that Laurel's family owns and why they can't sell it. The land guards the gate to Avalon (the Faerie realm) and the trolls are trying to find the gate so they can attack the realm. This is just the beginning, because as each book unfolds you start to find out more and more about the gate and who really wants to get into that gate.

Why I Like This Book:
I'll admit it - I love faerie books! I love the whole idea of them, but I particularly liked this series because of how pure it is. Hardly any swearing, people doing things because they love each other and not for sex, and gut instinct that doesn't always turn out the way it's planned. This is life. The bittersweet ending left me ultimately happy - and I'm not talking about the first book, but the series in it's entirety. LOVE!

What I didn't like about this book:
Some parts are a little slow, but that's not really a problem. Also, when David first swears in the first book, I thought it was a weird place to put it. Sort of a wasted curse - might have worked better elsewhere. This is such a tiny complaint. I also noticed that Pike uses the phrase "rolled her/his eyes" a lot. I just noticed this because I'm also weird.

Aside from those little things, I definitely recommend this book. I gave the last book 5 stars on Goodreads, and that in itself is a rarity! Visit Aprilynne Pike here.

As always, Happy Reading!

Divergent

What I’m listening to right now: It’s Not Over, Daughtry

What mood I’m in today: Reading

Divergent is the first in a series by Veronica Roth. I’d heard about it being great, and thought I’d give it a go.

What the book is about: Beatrice lives in a Dystopian society divided into Factions; Amity, Erudite, Candor, Abnegation, and Dauntless. On her sixteenth birthday she is tested in a simulation in order to give her guidance about which faction to choose. If she doesn’t choose right, she could become factionless, the part of their community that labors.

Something goes wrong with the test, and the woman in charge of the simulation tells her that she’s Divergent, and that she can never tell anyone or her life will be in danger. The results are covered up, and though the test results report that she’d do well in Abnegation, it’s not what she chooses.

What I liked about this book: The conflict. Beatrice is constantly conflicted in her decisions. She admits that she’s a selfish person, that she would do almost anything to earn her place in her new faction. It’s a difficult ride; she loses and gains friends, is betrayed, and falls for one of her instructors. Though some reviews I’ve read say the love story is surprising, I thought it was predictable. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it, of course.

Divergent has a great plot, and the end is a little sad and cliff-hanger, but that’s what makes it so good. Great series all have great cliff-hangers.

What I didn’t like about this book: It’s repetitive. I like Dystopian, but I’m also finding it a little old. It took me three weeks to finish it. In other words, it wasn’t a “couldn’t-put-it-down” situation.  

Overall I give it 3.5 out of 5, and I do recommend it. An interesting and entertaining read, for sure!

Endlessly

What I’m listening to right now: This Is Halloween, Nightmare Before Christmas

What mood I’m in today: Reading

 

 

Endlessly, by Kirsten White, is the last book in the Supernaturally trilogy. I think I mentioned when I reviewed Paranormalcy that I couldn’t wait to read this book. And I have to tell you, I was not disappointed!  

What the book is about: The last in the Supernaturally trilogy, Evie realizes something big is going down and it has to do with the Faerie Realm. Her old boss and mother-figure Raquel has mysteriously gone missing after making a strange one-note appearance where she didn’t act like herself at all. Boyfriend Lend is loyal, and Reth and Jack reappear, and with the help of vampire friend Arianna they help Evie figure out why all the paranormals are suddenly congregating around her.

The gist is that she has to open a gate again, even though she doesn’t know how. Nor does she want to. Not only that, but something weird is going on at IPCA (or is it ICPA?) and Raquel is unreachable, which makes her worry. The new person in charge wants Evie to make a gate to, but not the same kind that the paranormals would like…

What I liked about this book:  Fun and intense at the same time. One of my favorite parts is when the Dark Queen makes it so Lend falls asleep every time Evie is in the same room. Talk about overcoming the worst situations for the one you love.

I loved the ending. Vivian (Evie’s sort-of twin) does all the things she can’t do – they balance each other out. I won’t give away more here, but definitely some losses, and some gains, that were well written and satisfying.

What I didn’t like about this book: Evie is sometimes a bit of a blonde. But she’s also a teenager, so I think I have to cut her some slack.

Overall I give it 4 out of 5. I would recommend it and probably read it again, which means I’m willing to purchase it. If you like the Fey and other paranormal stories, you’re sure to love Endlessly!

Link to Paranormalcy website