Month: April 2015

The Book Courtship Tag

This was a fun tag floating around Booktube, so I decided to chime in with my own answers. It was originally created by Leah at HilLovesBooks.

Phase 1 – Initial Attraction: A book that you bought because of the cover?

We all have those books, don’t we? One of the books I bought because of the cover was “These Broken Stars” by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. I mean, just look at it:

Phase 2 – First Impressions: A book that you got because of the summary?

This one was one in which I have only read a portion, but ever since I read the summary I needed to read it. And that’s “Between the Lines” by Jodi Piccoult and Samantha Van Leer (her daughter).

The summary:

What happens when happily ever after…isn’t?

Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah.

And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom.

Delilah and Oliver work together to attempt to get Oliver out of his book, a challenging task that forces them to examine their perceptions of fate, the world, and their places in it. And as their attraction to each other grows along the way, a romance blossoms that is anything but a fairy tale.

I was instantly intrigued because I’ve never read or heard of a book like that before.

Phase 3 – Sweet Talk: A book with great writing?

This is definitely a most recent favorite of mine, and that is “The Kiss of Deception” by Mary E. Pearson. Though I listened to the audiobook, the details put into the world and the depths of characters and where they were going in the plot was one that I loved. Pearson’s writing style is lovely and it drives the story forward.

Phase 4 – First Date: A first book of a series which made you want to pick up the rest of the series?

This one was surprising to me, but that is “The Selection” by Kiera Cass. I didn’t think I was going to like this book at all, but as soon as I read it I needed to read the other books ASAP. The way Cass writes the love story and the chemistry between America and Maxon is just swoon-worthy.

Phase 5 – Late Night Phone Calls: A book that kept you up all night?

This didn’t necessarily keep me up all night, but I had to finish it as fast as possible because I loved it that much: “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. It was just such a great captivating book that as soon as I started I had to finish it, but work got in the way of that. As soon as I got home that day, I ran right upstairs to jump back into it, finishing it in the fastest reading time ever for a novel that I’ve read.

Phase 6 – Always on my mind: A book you could not stop thinking about?

At the time I couldn’t stop thinking about this book and the series and how much I wanted to continue on at that precise moment with the rest, and that is “City of Glass” by Cassandra Clare. It’s the third book in the Mortal Instruments series, but it was such a great wrap-up to a great story that I just couldn’t stop thinking about how so many of the loose ties came together in the end.

Phase 7 – Getting Physical: A book which you love the way it feels?

“The Ocean at the End of the Lane” by Neil Gaiman has such a cool, scratchy texture. It’s kind of like sandpaper without the threat of potentially shaving your skin off. Such a cool feeling.

Phase 8 – Meeting the parents: A book which you would recommend to your family and friends?

I’d definitely recommend “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell to friends and family. The book is funny, serious, and very reminiscent of family life and college, and since the majority of my friends are around that age, I think they could relate. I loved this story so much and I’d definitely recommend it to my family and friends.

Phase 9 – Thinking about the future: A book or series you know you will re read many times in the future?

This shouldn’t come as a shocker: The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas is definitely one I can see myself rereading for years to come. The story, the world, the writing, the characters, they’re all so wonderfully built and developing and growing as the books progress and that’s what I love about them. It’s not a stagnant series.

Phase 10 – Share the love: Who do you tag?

All of you lovely people should also do this tag! It’s fun and it really gets you thinking on some of your favorite books.

Accompanying video: Book Courtship Tag

April 6, 2015
The Kiss of Deception Book Review

Title: The Kiss of Deception
Author: Mary E. Pearson
Series: Book #1 in the Remnant Chronicles trilogy
Publisher: Henry Holt – an imprint of MacMillan
Publication Date: July 8, 2014
Genres: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 492
Format: Audiobook via Audible & Purchased Hardcover

“The Kiss of Deception” by Mary E. Pearson is a story about a girl name Lia who is a princess. Rather than going along with the life her parents are planning out for her where she is being forced into a marriage with someone she doesn’t love, let alone know, so that their kingdoms can become allies, Lia decides to run away to a town a long way from her city. She wants to be able to make her own decisions in her life and lead it the way she wants, away from her parents and away from the gift of Sight that she supposedly is supposed to have. She wants to rebuild her life and start over as a new person, but things become more complicated when she learns a secret about the friend who came with her, and two boys a little older than her who seem to have taken an interest in her.

Small spoilers below!

Okay, so this book was awesome. This was also my first audiobook that I got from Audible and I have to say that I made a good choice. There were four different narrators: one who was the “before chapter” reader, one for Lia, one for Kaden, and one for Rafe (there was even one for Pauline in there that was toward the end that made me go, “WHAT!?” but in a good way). Each of the narrators did a really great job of giving each of the characters in the book their own voice. I mean, obviously each one had their own voices, but the narrators gave a feel for the character that they were betraying, allowing the personality of the character they were portraying to shine through their voices. They were all engaging, using accents when needed, different tones of voice, and they did well at speaking the Vendan words. Overall, I was highly impressed with this audiobook and recommend it if you’re in the market for one.

Now let me talk about the actual book, plot, characters, etc.

Lia was a great main character to play a princess. She wasn’t necessarily stuck up or snobby, but she could pull the “princess card” if she needed to, which she rarely did in this book. She acted very much like an average citizen and she wanted to prove her worth to everyone, including herself, that she could make it in the outside world. And she proves herself, indeed, taking on chores as a tavern maid and doing tasks that she otherwise never would have been required to do at the palace: washing dishes, cleaning messes, attending to unruly guests. Lia is a strong minded, strong willed, very ambitious girl and I really enjoyed her as a character. Throughout the book I felt as though she never really lost herself, she never really changed, and any change that did occur was because of the circumstances thrown at her. But the changes she went through helped to better her character, in my opinion, and made her a stronger female protagonist.

Pauline, though a side character, was seen throughout most of the book (heck, she even has a chapter to herself!). She is Lia’s companion on the journey that they take from Morrighan to Terravin and though she is stuck in her ways as a servant for the beginning of their journey, she quickly loosens up and becomes the friend that Lia needs. But then something major arises in Pauline’s life that will forever change her. I thought Pauline’s character was sweet and endearing, and a great little relief on the side when she was around.

Rafe is the prince of Dalbreck, the neighboring kingdom for which Lia was to be wed to, but when he goes in search of her after she disappears and finds her, her tells her that he’s a farmhand and is currently off duty from his work. With his build, tan, and worn hands the lie could be easily believed. He is intelligent and authoritative in his speech, and at first he hates Lia, but as he gets to know her more he starts to fall for her. I thought that Rafe was a good male protagonist. He had enough of a hard edge to him that continually reminded me that he was a prince (because aren’t all royals stuffy in their own way?), but he also has a softer side that made him fit in with the crowd.

Kaden is the assassin sent to kill Lia. He, too, found her in Terravin and claimed that he was a trader of sorts, which was believable given that he technically does “trade pelts” for a living. Anyway, his character was different from Rafe’s in that he was quick to use more wistful phrases and words, and he was much better at pretending than Rafe was. Frankly, I love Kaden the most out of all of these characters. Bad boys with a troubling past that we haven’t learned yet? Oh, yes please. He’s conflicted with his line of work, knowing that he owes his life to the man who gives out those kinds of orders, but his morals seem to be weighing on him and his past. I really hope to learn more about him in the second book when it comes out this July.

Now as for the plot, at the beginning it was a little slow at times when Lia and Pauline were getting their bearings in Terravin, but I felt overall engaged throughout the novel. I definitely think that the second half picked up once the romance started to blossom between the characters, and more so when Lia is captured. I love love, though, so obviously the romantic parts were some of my favorites, but I loved the world building in this novel and how we got to see the rich and vivid details of the landscapes, the characters, and everything around the main characters. It really made the story take on a life of its own and made it believable. The plot itself may have been one that can be seen in many novels in many different ways, but I thought that the execution of it was well done and made this novel stand out from the others.

I’m also rooting for a certain character to end up as her romantic partner, but we’ll see. I mean, there are two more books in this trilogy that have yet to come out.

Overall, I recommend this book if you’re looking for a romance/adventure/fantasy type of read. The romance isn’t super heavy in this book, and there are more action scenes toward the end, but it’s definitely one riddled with vivid descriptions and a girl trying to find her place in the world – as well as who she is as a person.

I rated this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

April 2, 2015
Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Jokesters

Welcome to another Top 5 Wednesday! Today’s T5W is all about your favorite jokester characters. We all have those loveable, slightly annoying, release-the-tension, funny characters, and so today I’m going to talk about my top five (technically six) peeps that fit this category!

5. Puck from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” by William Shakespeare

Who doesn’t love a good amount of faerie mischief? As this is my favorite play by Shakespeare next to “Romeo and Juliet,” I had to include Puck in my list. He’s always causing mayhem and finding that all the problems that his mischief causes is hilarious to himself. He’s a fun character and I really like it when he’s adapted into more modern books, like The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa.

4. Levi from “Fangirl” by Rainbow Rowell

He was definitely just a funny character all around. Sure, he had his serious moments, but that’s all they were: moments. Levi always had me smiling or laughing and it made me like him that much more as the book went on. Plus his love for Cath and her stories just made it that much better.

3. Tyrion Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Tyrion is the dwarf in this series, as many of you may know, and he often brings the humor to an otherwise serious series. He’s full of wit, sarcasm, and a quick tongue. I find his character to be very likable and I’m sure that as the series progresses I’ll still enjoy reading about him (I’m still only part way through the first book).

2. George & Fred Weasley from the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

These two are such a funny duo, always playing pranks on their family and friends, even headmasters, throughout the series. Though I’ve only read the first three books in full, I have seen all the movies and loved the antics used in both film and book. These two are classic jokesters that will hold a place in my heart for a long time to come.

1. Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Oh, Magnus. He may not always be super hilarious, but he definitely fits the category of the jokester in this series. He’s always around when Clary and everyone needs help, but he’s always there with something sarcastic or witty to say. Plus he’s a super flamboyant, gay, sparkly High Warlock of Brooklyn. I mean, what’s there not to love about him? Seriously, love Magnus so much.

Accompanying video: T5W | Favorite Jokesters

What are some of your top jokesters in books? Let me know!

April 1, 2015