Reader Rayna

Month: April 2015

  • April Book Haul

    I don’t think I went crazy this month… Maybe? I’m not sure. But here are the books I got in April! I did get physical and ebooks.

    Physical Books

    • “None of the Above” by I.W. Gregorio. A book about a girl who finds out she is intersex, this book covers a topic about something I’ve never even heard of. I had to pick it up.
    • “Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda” by Becky Albertalli. A not-so-openly gay Simon is being blackmailed by someone at school to help him win a girl’s affections. If he doesn’t, Simon’s secret emails between him and a guy from his school by the code name Blue will be shared on the Internet. Yesssssss.
    • “My Heart and Other Black Holes” by Jasmine Warga. A girl finds a suicide partner and though there’s a set date for it, the closer they get, the more she realizes what it might mean to live. Powerful message and powerful story.
    • “An Ember in the Ashes” by Sabaa Tahir. This book is being super hyped and even has a movie being made of it. A girl who becomes a slave to find her brother; a soldier who wants freedom. A fantasy world and cool things collide. Yes.

    Okay, so I won a crap ton of ebooks from the Spring Fling Giveaway that was hosted by Sarah Dalton, but first let me list the ebooks I bought (there’s two) then the rest was all won.

    Ebooks

    • “The Whitechapel Fiend” by Cassandra Clare. This is the third installment in the Shadowhunter Academy series, and even though I have yet to start this series, I just want to keep up and get them all. So, yeah, it happened.
    • “Talon” by Julie Kagawa. I had been debating with myself for a long time on if I wanted to get this, and then I saw a $2.99 sale, so I jumped on it. People turning into dragons is just something I’m drawn to, clearly.

    Okay, now the rest of these ebooks I won for free, so yay for that!

    • The Blemished Series by Sarah Dalton. This consisted of the complete series, which is five books. I’m interested to read about it because I’ve never heard of it, but it sounds kind of cool. Genes control if you get an education and a right to a normal life? Intense.
    • “Somewhere Only We Know” by Cheyanne Young. Where dreams start to become reality, this book sounds like it’ll be an interesting read.
    • “Falling from the Sky” by Nikki Godwin. A story about a guy who lost his father and the boy he meets thereafter. I’m actually really excited to read this one.
    • “The Edge of the Woods” by Ceinwen Langly. A story about a girl trying to find freedom and acceptance in a society that doesn’t really allow it, she wants to escape to the woods and a boy who promises that freedom if only she’ll cross the border.
    • “The Body Electric” by Beth Revis. This was the one I was most excited about, and I’m excited to read it. A girl who has the ability to walk through people’s dreams and let them relive their memories is suddenly shown memories of hers that she’d rather not remember. Her memory is being altered and she’s unsure of who or what she can trust.
    • “Obsidian Eyes” by A.W. Exley. A girl goes to an academy where she is looked down upon and she discovers a guy who is building weapons. They have to work together to make sure that the weapons don’t fall into the wrong hands, but will their new friendship be able to save both of their lives?
    • “Beyond the Fortuneteller’s Tent” by Kristy Tate. A girl goes into a fortuneteller’s tent to hear what has to be said and ends up leaving into another time period: Elizabethan England. She must survive this new land in hopes of getting back, but will she?
    • “Turning on a Dime” by Maggie Dana. The first African American girl to be in the Olympics for equestrian riding finds herself thrust through a portal and is sent back through time where people of color were kept as slaves. She meets a girl who is rather bold in riding horses bareback and the two form an unlikely friendship.
    • “Meritropolis” by Joel Ohman. In a world where those who have the highest scores in the System thrive, while those with lower scores are punished, a boy who’s a High Score seeks vengeance for his brother’s death, no matter the means necessary to do it.

    Oh! And I got one audiobook because of an Audible credit!

    • “The Way of Kings” by Brandon Sanderson. This is a beheamouth of an audibook, and I don’t even know how that’s possible. It’s over 45 hours long, but it sounds really cool with near-invincible warriors, wars, lords doubting their sanity, and a girl who is planning to steal when she’s given hints as to the real cause of the war. Cool stuff, yo.

    OKAY THAT’S IT. Wow. 20 books. Okay, so there were a lot of books this month, BUT in my defense: I didn’t buy most of them. Yay for saving money!

    Accompanying video: April 2015 Book Haul

  • Top Ten Tuesday: Characters Who Have Powers

    Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday! Today’s topic is top ten characters from books who feature ___. You get to choose what to put in the blank, and I chose “powers.” Now, what kinds of powers? Well, any kind, really. You’ll see once I list them.

    1. Nalia from “Exquisite Captive” by Heather Demetrios. She’s a jinni (genie), so she has powers in which she can manipulate the elements around her, as well as poof into smoke. I’d call that having a power.

    2. Celeana from “Heir of Fire” by Sarah J Maas. Celeana’s powers don’t really come to her until the third book in the series, but when it does, IT IS AWESOME. And wicked powerful. And hot (like heat hot, not attractive hot… maybe).

    3. Karou from “Daughter of Smoke & Bone” by Laini Taylor. Karou’s powers are kind of hidden in the beginning, but once she meets Akiva all bets are off because it’s then when her powers are really discovered. Plus she can technically wish for powers if she has the right bead and everything…

    4. Tessa from “Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare. Her ability is really cool, and I’d call it a kind of power. Being able to transform into someone who is living or dead? Pretty cool, and kind of creepy. But mostly cool.

    5. Dorian from “Crown of Midnight” by Sarah J Maas. His ability kind of really exploded (literally) in the second book. I mean, wow. It’s really cool, but it’s also kind of terrifying to think what might happen to him. ICE ICE BABY.

    6. Juliette from “Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi. She has the power to kill people if only they touch her skin. Or cause severe pain if they manage to let go before they die. Like. Whoa. That’s intense and cool and frightening.

    7. Lucia from “Falling Kingdoms” by Morgan Rhodes. She has to hide her powers from the world, and being the first full-fledged sorceress in ages, it’s no wonder she has to hide her powers. Elementals are her thing.

    8. Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Oh, Magnus. I love him, I really do. And since he is the High Warlock of Brooklyn, he has all kinds of nifty powers, from creating blue flames and sparks in his hands to conjuring up portals. I mean, what more can you ask for?

    9. Harry Potter from The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling. Everyone’s favorite wizard is of course going to make it onto this list. He has magical powers! And he’s the Chosen One! Spiffy title. Spiffy powers. I mean, why the hell not? (You know you wish you were a wizard/witch.)

    10. Jacinda from “Firelight” by Sophie Jordan. She can change into a freakin’ dragon. A human-ish dragon, but still, A DRAGON. I want that power… So cool. To be able to fly and soar and use whatever element I was born with? Yes please.

    So what do all of these characters have in common? They were all born with their various powers. Some knew right off the bat while others had to find out the hard way about what and who they are. I love characters that can kick butt and defy reality with powers of any kind, especially elemental power. So, so cool.

    What are some of your favorite characters who feature powers from books? Let me know!

  • Clockwork Angel Book Review

    clockworkangel

    Title: Clockwork Angel
    Author: Cassandra Clare
    Series: Book #1 in the Infernal Devices trilogy
    Publisher: McElderry Books – an imprint of Simon & Schuster
    Publication Date: September 6, 2009
    Genres: Young Adult – Historical Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
    Pages: 411
    Format: Purchased Paperback

    “Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare is the first book in the Infernal Devices trilogy, which is the prequel trilogy to The Mortal Instruments. In this spinoff we follow Tessa, Will, and Jem, three young people, two of which are Shadowhunters, and the perils that they have to face back in the late 1800’s.

    Tessa Gray is an American who goes to England when she receives and letter and ticket via steamer from her brother, Nathaniel. But she arrives, she discovers that she has a strange power that is awakened by two women who claim to know her brother – the Dark Sisters. She is essentially their prisoner for weeks until one day when Will Herondale shows up. He saves her – barely – and Tessa ends up waking up at the London Institute (a Shadowhunter boarding area kind of thing).

    Tessa has many questions and is very confused at first, afraid that these new people who say they are going to “help her” will actually exploit her for her power like the Dark Sisters did, but they show that they mean her no harm and that any choice she makes is hers and hers alone.

    And then they all soon find that they are in the beginnings of a new kind of war: one with clockwork people, beings from neither heaven nor hell.

    Okay, this book guys. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to finally have read this book. I finally am beginning to see what all the fuss is about. MEMORIESSSS~ (I understood some of the terminology and figured out important characters or objects that take place in TMI, so I was wicked excited.)

    Let me talk about the plot first: it was fun, unique, and totally in the realm of badass Cassandra Clare-ness. When it first started with the prologue I instantly fell in love with Will Herondale and his personality. He was so flippant and goofy and kind of reminded me of Jace in a way, but wayyyy more… bold with it. And Jem, his calm counterpart was perfect in how he reacted. And Tessa and the whole gang and the weaving and the plot twists and the… AH. Okay. That made no sense. Let me backpedal a little bit.

    When they discover a girl who was murdered in an alley (Will and Jem) after defeating a demon, they know something is amiss there. And eventually everything goes come full circle because not only do you learn what Tessa is and how her ability works, but you also learn why the girl had been murdered and eventually it leads to who is the cause for all of the chaos.

    And when we learned the real truth of who it was, I was in shock. Though I figured it out literally a page before it was announced, it was still a really good plot twist, in my opinion. Clare was able to weave a story through her characters with underlying lies and betrayal and it was just really cool.

    Okay, characters. Let me talk characters.

    Tessa was so awesome. I did get mad at her a few times in the book when she would be so against women doing things that she thought only men should do, but then I had to keep reminding myself of the time she was in and how women wouldn’t really be considered warriors or anything like that. She knew her goal, her focus, and was super protective over her brother. She needed to find him. But I also think this was her downfall because even though she knew Nate’s weaknesses and everything, she still loved him blindly and didn’t really see problems arise until it was too late. But when she interacted with others, she would either hold her tongue or be unafraid to speak it. It was nice to read about a girl like that, even if she was conflicted with a lot of personal things that resulted from her ability and what she learned about herself.

    William Herondale was so… how do I even describe him? Playboy? Sometimes. Sarcastic? Wickedly. Caring? Not so much, at least not outwardly unless it was Jem. A good Shadowhunter? Oh hell yes. Will was a very complex character and I felt that he has a lot that needs to be told in the next two books (which I can’t wait to read). He was very open about what he’d say when he’d say in front of whoever was there. It was like he didn’t have a filter and people would try to apologize for him. But he does have a darker side, one he’s not sharing, and he lies a lot. Those closest to him pick up on it, but if they press he shuts down further. I really like his character a lot.

    Jem (James Carstairs) was the gentlemen, by far. He was quiet and polite and would always be able to say the right things at the right times. He was calm in most situations. He was definitely a character that I wanted to know more about. I mean, we learned about him a bit closer toward the end and we learned about his illness (poor Jem!), but I didn’t get super attached to him. I hope in the next books I will. But as a character I really liked him. He seemed like the yin to Will’s yang. Very balanced.

    There were a bunch of secondary characters that played important roles, like Charlotte, Henry, de Quincy, Jessamine, Mortmain, even Nathaniel. Each had their own role to play in this book and I either liked or didn’t like them, depending on the situation. There were good and bad guys, and I rooted for the good while I shunned the bad. I’m really excited to read the sequels and see what they have in store to add to the story.

    The plot was unique and engaging, I thought. I know I already stated this above, but I just wanted to reiterate: machine armies? The Magister and his secret identity? Tessa’s ability and what she is? Church! MAGNUS BANE!? Yes. It was all spectacular and I need mooorrrreee.

    As for character arcs, I felt that Tessa grew a bit in this first novel, though it wasn’t exponential. She learned more about herself, and though I don’t think she’s accepted it yet, she is starting to learn and see the world differently, which is a start. Will kind of shut himself off to the world, while I think Jem is trying to open up.

    And I can feel the love triangle just waiting to happen. Oh yes (and from what I hear it’s a triangle done right).

    I can’t wait to read the sequels (but I’m reading the series in publication order, so that might be a while).

    Anyway, I rate this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it, especially for those of you who have read The Mortal Instruments series.

  • Giving Honest Reviews

    I think this is probably the most important thing when it comes to reviewing books, movies, or whatever else you review: be honest.

    There are some people out there who try to bribe the reviewer into giving a positive review for some sort of benefit in return. But really, it’s not worth it because you’re not giving your full, 100% honest review of said product.

    I’ve never had this happen to me, but it does happen.

    Whenever I review a book or movie I’m always giving my 100% honest review. I think it’s important to share your innermost thoughts and feelings because then it allows other readers/viewers to get a sense for what the book or movie is like and they may or may not want to take a chance with it.

    Now does this mean that your opinion will coincide with someone else’s? No. Don’t worry if your review is different from someone else’s. If you liked a book and rated it 5/5 stars and thought it was fantastic, while someone else rated it 1/5 stars and absolutely hated it, that’s okay. Everyone has differing views and tastes.

    It can get a bit more stressful when a book or movie is super hyped up, though. You almost feel like you have to give it a positive review or rating. I’ve had this happen to me on several occasions with books that were super hyped up and felt bad for not giving it a decent rating. But in all honesty, if you didn’t like it or it didn’t meet your expectations, then rate it and review it as such.

    But let’s not forget that when it comes to reviewing there’s a difference between giving an honest or critical review, and just being plain mean. Examples of each:

    • Honest/critical: This book, though written well with lovely prose and a great character arc, seemed to be lacking in world building. The author presented the characters in a fashion that helped me to get to know them better, but I didn’t feel like they belonged in the world that was being described.
    • Mean: This book had no depth or vision to it at all. I could’ve written it better and put in more detail here and there so the reader wouldn’t be totally lost like I was. Frankly, this author sucks at what they do.

    Okay, I’m not good at giving mean examples, but you get the picture. One talks about the positive aspects of the novel while giving an analysis about why the characters were good, but the world building wasn’t as much and this can potentially lead to an explanation as to why that was for the reviewer. The other boasts the self and doesn’t really give a reason (or potentially lead to a reason) as to why they thought what they did, shooting down the author as being less than the person he/she is.

    So, yes, while it is important to give honest reviews that people can look to and say, “Oh, this book sounds interesting, I’ll check it out,” or “Well, this helped me to see why I don’t want to read this,” the way you go about executing it is important as well.

    Plus, I think people will call you out if you’re being mean in a review. At least I’d hope they would. I’d want someone to do that with me if I ever did that.

    Always give your 100% honest review in any situation. Don’t let anyone try to persuade you otherwise. It’s important for readership and it’s important for having that trust that you build over time with your own viewers as well as authors, publishing companies, and other bloggers.

    Do you ever feel like you have to botch a review just to make someone else happy? Do you feel pressured to give good ratings and reviews just because of the hype surrounding a book? Reflecting back on your past reviews, were you ever mean in any of them? Let me know.

  • Book Unhaul #2

    Spring cleaning seems to be in effect because I’ve just unhauled fourteen books from my shelves. It feels good, and I’m not sure if I’m going to get rid of two or three of them, but I’m still making room on my shelves. Sort of.

    Anyway, these are the books that I’m getting rid of:

    • “Monster High” by Lisi Harrison. A popular-ish read among young teens, I tried reading it, but it’s just not for me.
    • “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han. I’ve had this book for a long time and never got around to reading it and don’t really think I will.
    • “Crescendo” and “Silence” by Becca Fitzpatrick. I’ve read the first and second books in this series, but I just don’t have an interest anymore.
    • “Following Atticus” by Tom Ryan. A cute nonfiction book about a dog and his owner scaling mountains. I’ve had it for years and never picked it up and I’m not sure if I actually will.
    • “Crewel” by Gennifer Albin. Beautiful cover. My husband’s read it and said it was good, but I just don’t think I’ll get around to it.
    • “Forgive My Fins” by Tera Lynn Childs. A book about mermaids that I was really interested in a long time ago, but I’ve lost interest.
    • “Shattered Souls” by Mary Lindsey. A book about ghosts that sounded cool back in the day, but I’m just not interested in it anymore.
    • “Eve” by Anna Carey. A dystopian that sounded cool, but again, lost interest. Had this for a long time on my shelves.
    • “The Forest of Hands and Teeth” and “The Dead-Tossed Waves” by Carrie Ryan. I’ve read part of the first book, but it got really boring after a while and I was really confused as to what was happening. It’s a trilogy about zombies and I’m not big into zombies, so… yeah.
    • “Tithe” and “Ironside” by Holly Black. These books got me into faeries back in the day, but I’ve never read the third book (I don’t own the second) and I don’t really plan on it lately. Who knows, I may keep these for nostalgic reasons.
    • “The Merciless” by Danielle Vega. I actually got this a few months ago when I was in a dark and creepy reading mood, and I tried reading it and it’s kind of really predictable. I didn’t finish it and kind of don’t want to.

    So, those are all of the books I plan on getting rid of. I’m not sure if I’ll get rid of two or three of them, but most likely, I will. And I’m kicking myself for having written my name in some of these books because it’s probably going to make it harder to get rid of them because of that. Le sigh.

    Accompanying video: Book Unhaul 2

    Have you done an unhaul lately? It can be painful, but it’s actually quite liberating to be able to say that you know you won’t get to these books because of one reason or another. Let me know.