Reader Rayna

Month: February 2015

  • Happy Valentine’s Day

    Well, the title states it, but I’ll say it again: Happy Valentine’s Day! This is the day when love is most abundant in the air, Hallmark sells a crap ton of cards, flowers are given to many, and chocolate is much celebrated.

    Ah, love. It’s a wonderful thing, really. When I think of love I think of my favorite types of books or movies that incorporate love into their stories. I’m a romantic at heart, so feeding into that love is something that I look forward to expectantly in what I read or watch.

    So, for today’s topic I wanted to give you guys a list of some of my favorite couples from books and movies/TV shows that I think are worth checking out. If you love love, then I suggest these various things:

    Books

    • Meghan and Ash from The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa. They have such a strong relationship that builds as the series progresses and I love the dynamic between them. Plus it has faeries, which are some of my favorite beings to read about, so that’s a plus. But these two battle together and overcome many trials together, though not without difficulty, of course.
    • Maxon and America from “The Selection” series by Kiera Cass. Though I’ve only read the first book I know the ending because it was spoiled for me, but I still love the dynamic between these two. They bring out the best of each other, which does include vulnerabilities, and I really like that about their relationship.
    • Jubilee and Flynn from “This Shattered World” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Love, love, love these two so much. A captain and a rebel end up falling in love with one another, though neither of them really admits their feelings to the other. As the story progresses they really become close and know that they are willing to risk their lives for one another. I really loved their story and how they worked together, and how their affection for one another grew over time rather than developed right away.
    • Hazel and Gus from “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. This book was full of heartbreaking and heartwrenching moments, but I loved the relationship these two had. They weren’t just cancer kids, but they had a relationship that grew over time and you could really see their feelings for each other grow in that time.
    • Eleanor and Park from “Eleanor & Park” by Rainbow Rowell. Such a cute book. Such a good story. These two grew into a relationship together and that’s what I love about books like this: it’s not just insta-love, it’s a growing, flourishing relationship with one another. These two dealt with a lot of stereotypes and obstacles, but they overcame them one by one.
    • Cath and Levi from “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell. Again, so cute, love this book so much. These two were so different from one another but I think that that was what helped to bring them close together. They’re definitely one of my top OTPs.
    • Elena and Stephen from “The Vampire Diaries” series by L.J. Smith. I haven’t read these books since high school but I remember how much I enjoyed reading about their relationship and how they complimented one another throughout the series rather than completing each other. It was really great to read about and how much their love for one another extended.
    • Miaka and Tamahome from “Fushigi Yuugi” by Yuu Watase. These two went through SO MUCH over the 18 volume span of this manga series. I love them so, so, sooooo much. As my favorite series I couldn’t help but grow with them and love them and watch as they grew together in many ways and how their love for each other grew throughout the series. Truly awesome.

    Okay, I could go on and on, but I think that’s a good chunk of a list for now. Now some books I haven’t read yet but have seen the film version of that book, or otherwise, so I’m going to list some of my favorite movie couples that I love:

    Movies/TV Shows

    • Noah and Allie from The Notebook. If you love love then you’ll love this movie. Seriously, it tugs on all of the feels you could ever have. My mom watches this movie religiously when it’s on (I’m not kidding) and I love it as well. The relationship these two form, though very rocky, is strong and full of passion. It’s based off of the book by Nicholas Sparks.
    • Landon and Jamie from A Walk to Remember. Again, this tugs on the feels so much. Bad boy meets good girl and bad boy falls in love with good girl. So cute, so cheesy, but so good. Really, these two are a great couple together and it’s just… oh, just watch it. This is also based off of a Nicholas Sparks book.
    • Simba and Nala from The Lion King. Okay, why wouldn’t I throw these two in here? They’re childhood (cubhood?) best buds who grow up together, but get separated, find each other, fall in love, have a falling out, but still love each other and save their kingdom together. I mean really, if they aren’t on your OTP list, put them there.
    • Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter series. Yes, we love them. Yes, they’re awesome. And of course they make my list (I’m still only on book four, so I have to base this opinion off of the movies). Obviously based off of the books by J.K. Rowling.
    • Emma Swann and Hook from Once Upon a Time. I love this series so much, but I’ve seen how these two act toward each other and omg it’s awesome. It feels like authentic love and I love that about them. Also Mary Margaret and David from this series, too, makes me happy. Love them together.
    • Jamie and Claire from Outlander. Though I’ve only seen the first episode (this lack of cable thing is killing me) I loved them together and I obviously know what happens between them because spoilers on the Internet are extremely hard to avoid. But anyway, these two are just so… perfect together. This is also based off of the book series by Diana Gabaldon, and I do have the first book, I just have to, you know, read it.
    • Bones (Temperance) and Booth from Bones. They’re always picking on each other and always getting under one another’s skin, but they also work well together as a team and I know that they have feelings for one another as the series progresses. I’ve watched this on and off for a few years, but now I’m trying to catch up on Netflix.
    • Richard Castle and Kate Beckett from Castle. They’re so goofy together and know just the right buttons to push to get under each other’s skin, but they also know how the other works and can trust the other to lead them through any given situation.

    Okay, a list of eight each, I think that’s good. So those are some of my favorite OTPs and movies/books/TV shows that incorporate love in some way, shape, or form within them. If you love love, then I definitely suggest checking them out.

    What are some of your OTPs? Either from books, movies, and/or TV shows – let me know!

  • Snow Like Ashes Book Review

    snowlikeashesTitle:Snow Like Ashes
    Author: Sara Raasch
    Series: Book #1 in the Snow Like Ashes trilogy
    Publisher: Balzer + Bray – an imprint of HarperCollins
    Publication Date: October 14, 2014
    Genres: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance
    Pages: 416
    Format: Purchased Hardcover

    “Snow Like Ashes” by Sara Raasch was a debut novel in 2014. It’s a high-fantasy story told from the view point of sixteen year old Meira, an orphaned girl who is raised to be a soldier/warrior. She is among seven others who are refugees from their country, Winter. Winter was taken down by Spring, their ruthless leader, Angra, at the forefront the assault. As Meira and the others camp out in the plains and try to find the two pieces of the locket that contains magic for their country and their people. But things go awry when a spy ends up finding their location and they then have to turn to a kingdom that they aren’t sure can be trusted and are thrust into a world of war, politics, and many secrets.

    This novel was a fun read. There were, of course, some things that didn’t flow well or things that just seemed out of place, but I overall enjoyed the book and am excited for the second one to come out.

    The plot wasn’t very predictable, though I did figure out a couple of things as the story went on, but their means of how they came about surprised me, so that was nice in terms of the predictability area. It was engaging and fast-paced a lot of the time, the plot always moving forward even through the slow parts.

    I liked the concept for the book itself, for sure, and thought that it was unique in many ways. Though the names of some of the countries and their capitals (country: Winter; capital: Jannuari) were so punny, I thought that the fact that each Season country held its own season and own strengths, while each Rhythm country had all four seasons but varied greatly, was intriguing in and of itself.

    Meira was a character who I liked through a majority of the novel, it was just toward parts of the last one hundred pages of the book, or so, that I was like, “What happened to the kickass, brave girl I was just reading about?” She had moments of thought where I thought she would act rather than cower, but that didn’t happen. Maybe given the circumstances it made sense, but at the same time I was hoping she’d have had a bigger back bone like she did at the beginning of the novel.

    But her kickassness came back when the big discovery was revealed and things got insane toward the end of the book. I really enjoyed reading about the rebellion (it gave me chills).

    Mather, the King of Winter, also sixteen years old, seems like a typical boy-king in many YA novels, but just better at hiding his emotions? Yeah, we’ll go with that. I liked their awkward wanting-to-be-near-you-but-shouldn’t thing that was going on between him and Meira throughout most of the novel. His character, though, was brave and fitting of a young king-in-training. I liked him and glad he wasn’t a bad guy.

    Sir (aka William) was what I expected him to be: hard and fearless. He’s the rock in their ocean, as Meira stated in the novel. He’s definitely a character who is strong and presents himself as a leader, one who’s faced years of war and turmoil and strife, but keeps strong underneath it all. He’s actually kind of likable despite all of that.

    Theron is the Prince of Cordell, was similar to Mather in ways that resemble the calm demeanor of a future king, but different in that he’s artistic and values art over politics. He’s not necessarily quick to state what’s on his mind, but he does have opinions and states them when the time calls for them. I liked him and hope to read more about him in future books.

    Angra, the main villain and king of Spring, is a villain you can’t really help but hate. I don’t like him, but he makes a good, maniacal villain. He’s mean and ruthless with all the cruel humor of a torturer, but he also is composed as a king should be.

    I enjoyed reading about the setting, as well. Imagining all of these places – the Seasons and the Rhythms – took my breath away when I imagined them in my head as I read the descriptions about them. I want to see their world and how they function. The fact that magic isn’t running rampant around the whole world, but rather through conduits such as a staff or ring or locket, etc, was definitely interesting and different from what I’ve read before. And then the plot twist as to what happens if a conduit is destroyed under certain circumstances… oh yes, me likey.

    Anyway, I really enjoyed this novel, even if I did zone out at a few parts or thought there was too much description sometimes and not enough action. I highly recommend if you enjoy fantasy.

    I rate this book 4/5 stars.

  • The Selection Book Review

    theselection

    Title: The Selection
    Author: Kiera Cass
    Series: Book #1 in the Selection series
    Publisher: HarperTeen – an imprint of HarperCollins
    Publication Date: January 12, 2012
    Genres: Young Adult – Dystopian, Romance
    Pages: 327
    Format: Purchased Paperback

    “The Selection” by Kiera Cass is a story about a girl named America who lives in a post-modern world society where The Selection takes place to determine who will be the next princess of the kingdom of Illea. She doesn’t want to be part of the Selection, though, where eligible young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, I believe, are able to put their name in in hopes of being one of the 35 chosen to compete for the prince’s heart.

    The Selection really sounds like The Bachelor, if you think about it. All of these girls going on dates and vying for the heart of who they hope will be their future husband. Some are in it for the money or the crown, and of course some are in it for the prince, Maxon.

    I actually really enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. It was a fun, light-hearted read and I didn’t have many problems with it, but let me tell you a couple of problems I did have:

    • America could be whiny sometimes. And by this I mean that she seemed to either over think or be too critical in a given situation, but then again I know she’s supposed to be a teenager and teens tend to do that (I was one). Everyone gets like this from time to time, though, so I get it.
    • The love triangle between three of the main characters just seemed out of place toward the end of the book. I didn’t understand why Aspen had to be at the palace, but I guess it was sort of hinted at much earlier in the book.
    • Following that, I think the news America shared with Aspen at the end, and his cool response to it, just seemed out of place or not really true to his character. Though I guess we didn’t really get to know him much, so maybe that’s why it felt out of place.

    I loved the whole system of the Selection and how it works, really. I could vividly imagine the goings-on of the days that they spent in training or in front of the camera, and I enjoyed how America developed within the Selection. She wasn’t this lovestruck, I-can’t-live-without-you girl as the story progressed; she actually had a mind of her own. I also liked that she was caring toward her maids and obviously not typical for that kind of lifestyle.

    Maxon, himself, I got attached to, as well. He has the reflection of a typical stuck-up rich kid when America sees him on the TV and everything, but as she gets to know him (and injure him) he really opens up and shows his true character. I liked that about him, a lot. I kind of saw it coming, really, because it always seems like a recurring theme in YA, but I don’t mind it. It’s actually nice to see the true colors of a character fly when given the chance.

    I want to know more about the king and queen and more about how their Selection took place. We got snippets and everything, but I just wasn’t satisfied. I hope that the next two books cover more of their backstory. (Oh hey, looking online there’s a novella, “The Queen,” that tells this story. Thank you, Internet.)

    Also, the other girls in the Selection, like Marlee, Celeste, Bariel, Ashley, and the others, definitely have their own roles to play and it’s really interesting to see who is going where in terms of the Selection process. I have my own theories about Marlee, and when I read the next book I’ll let you know if I was right or not.

    The world building was subtle, but at times it was definitely laid on hard because of the girls’ lessons from Silvia. I thought it gave a great chance to really expand upon how things happened and why Illea came to be. I liked it, though, so I can’t complain much.

    The plot was predictable at times, I’ll give it that, but it wasn’t so predictable that I didn’t enjoy it. There were still a few things thrown in that made me smile, laugh, angry, etc.

    I look forward to reading the sequels. This trilogy is actually now being turned into a five book series, so I can’t wait to read the rest.

    I rated this book 4.5/5 stars.

    Accompanying video: The Selection Trilogy Book Review

  • Epic Reads Book Tag

    This was a book tag created by Margot, one of the lovely ladies from Epic Reads, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity for this one because the questions are much more dynamic than the typical book tag you find floating around (or at least what I’ve seen).

    1. If you could invite one author and one of their fictional characters to tea, who would you invite and what would you serve them?
      1. I’d invited Sarah J Maas to tea and her character Celeana because two badass ladies at tea is a freakin’ awesome party, right? And I’d probably serve, like… cheese and crackers because I doubt either one would care much. I’d have too many questions and fangirly moments for them to stop and chew things, anyway.
    2. What book do you wish the author would write a prequel for?
      1. Hmm… Well, if we’re basing this off of books I’ve read in the past 12-13 months, I’d say a prequel for either “Divergent” by Veronica Roth or any story from Harry Potter. I’d love to read about Harry’s parents in Hogwarts.
    3. Which two characters (NOT from the same book)  do you think would make a good couple?
      1. I think Cath from “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell and Simon from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare would make a good couple because both of them are nerdy and geeky and could totally talk about a lot of things together. I’m sure Simon would jump on the fangirl bandwagon with Cath, right?
    4. If you ran into your favorite author on the subway and could only say one sentence to them, who is it and what would it be?
      1. If I saw Sarah J Maas on the subway, 1) I think I’d be too nervous to say anything, but 2) if I did it would probably be something like, “I love your books so much!” And a big smile plastered on my face.
    5. What book made you a reader and why?
      1. I can’t really pinpoint this as I’ve always loved to read and collect books (it started at an early age, man), but one book that stands out significantly to me as a child was “Stellaluna” by Janell Cannon. Every time I think back to my childhood I can always picture this book, along with “Verdi,” also by Cannon. I loved the art style and the stories to them. They were just very captivating to me as a little girl.
    6. Incendio! Your bookshelf caught on fire. Show us the one book you would save.
      1. 1) I’d cry. 2) I’d probably go after either one of two books: “Heir of Fire” by Sarah J Maas or “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer. I’d go after Maas’s book because I love that one so much in the series, and I’d go after Meyer’s book because it’s signed and has “To Rayna” written in it. So yeah.
    7. Which dystopian world would you want to live in if you had to choose one? Why?
      1. As I haven’t read many dystopians yet, I’m going to have to go with “Divergent” and the faction system. I already know I’d be placed in Abnegation, so there’s that… And I guess I pick it because it seems like a nice system until, you know, people want to destroy and take over everything.
    8. What is your most epic read of all time?
      1. The “Fushigi Yuugi” manga series by Yuu Watase. This was one of the first manga series I ever read way back when I got into manga and anime in middle school. I love this series so much, it’s my absolute favorite and I’m beyond glad I read it. It’s magical, witty, funny, series, steamy, there’s romance… it’s got so many things I love wrapped up in one. Plus, Watase’s art style is amazing! Love, love, love!
    9. Also, tag some friends now to answer these questions.
      1. It’s not really a question, but there it is! I challenge anyone who reads this to do this tag, either on their own blog or in the comments below! I hope you enjoyed and found this engaging – I did!

  • January 2015 Wrap-Up & February TBR

    I know this is a few days late, but better late than never, right? So, here I’m going to talk about the books I read in January and what I didn’t finish from my January TBR that I talked about a while ago.

    So the books I read are:

    • “This Shattered World” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. This was one of my favorite reads last month and a great way to start the year. A sci-fi adventure with romance and mystery? Great read. You can read my review here, but I did rate it 5/5 stars.
    • “Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi. I thought this was very fast paced but there were a lot of things I didn’t know what to think about in this. I rated it 3.75/5 stars. You can read my review here.
    • “City of Ashes” by Cassandra Clare. As this is the second book to The Mortal Instruments series I didn’t give a review, but I will be doing a trilogy review when I finish the third book. I rated this 4/5 stars.
    • “Cinder” by Marissa Meyer. This is the first book in a fairy tale retelling quartet of books. I thought this sci-fi adventure was cool, but I had some trouble connecting with the characters. I rated this 3.75/5 stars. You can read my reivew here.

    These are the books I had left on my TBR but didn’t finish and the reasons why:

    • “Falling Kingdoms” by Morgan Rhodes. I really like the story and the plot and everything, I do, but I was just having a really hard time trying to read this book and only got about 40% of the way through over two weeks of reading it. I’m not sure if it was a slump or what it was, but I think I’m going to put it down for now and try to pick it up in March.
    • “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling. I knew I wasn’t going to get to this book after the slump I had with “Falling Kingdoms” so I’m going to try my best to read it this month and see if I can finish it. It’s a chunky book, so we’ll see how it goes.

    I really wanted to read all of those books this past month, but it just didn’t happen. So let me talk about the other things book related I did in January.

    • End of 2014 Book Survey – this was created by Perpetual Page Turner and she offered others to do the survey as well, so I participated in it!
    • #ProjectTBR and TBR Jar Challenge – well, I’m already failing the jar challenge as I didn’t read HP last month, so I’ll try to make up for it this month and also pick a new challenge. Project TBR is going okay; I’ve read four books this year so far and can’t wait to read more.
    • Most Anticipated 2015 Reads – I talk about my top five most anticipated reads. Very exciting!
    • Genre: Fantasy – I talk about the difference between high and low fantasy while also giving some examples of each. Of course, there are many more types of fantasy than those two, but it’s what I give.

    Okay, now for the February TBR!

    • “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling. Going to try really hard to read this one this month so I can also cross off the TBR jar challenge for January as being completed.
    • “Snow Like Ashes” by Sara Raasch. I’m really anticipating reading this so I plan on picking it up this month. It’s about how the four seasons are at war with one another and how Winter is wiped out – or basically wiped out. It’s a fantasy YA book.
    • “City of Glass” by Cassandra Clare. This is the third installment to The Mortal Instruments series and I can’t wait to read it. I’ll put up a review of the first three books after reading this one.
    • “Daughter of Smoke and Bone” by Laini Taylor. This is the first book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy. It’s about a girl, Karou, who isn’t sure who she is or where she comes from, but strange things are happening around her and she doesn’t know how to explain it. I’m excited to read this first installment.
    • “The Selection” by Kiera Cass. This is the first book in the Selection trilogy (which is now becoming a six book series) and it’s about a girl named America who is thrown into the world of dresses and becoming the potential bride to the prince. It sounds intriguing and am excited to read it.
    • “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. I’m not 100% sure what this one is about except for it is Ms. Bronte’s only novel and it’s also one of literature’s darkest romantic passions… Sounds intriguing, right? (At least from the description on the back.)

    For the TBR Jar Challenge I chose, at random, to read a book with 500+ pages. I have a couple on my TBR for this month that meet that requirement, so I’m going to use “City of Glass” as that requirement. Hopefully I actually read all of these books this month, but we’ll see. Hopefully Netflix won’t distract me too much, because it’s also taken away from my writing time, as well.

    Accompanying video: January 2015 Wrap-Up & February TBR

    What are you planning on reading this month? Let me know in the comments!