Month: May 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I Really Want to Meet

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday! Today’s topic is top ten authors you REALLY want to meet. Like, seriously, you’d do almost anything to meet them.

1. Sarah J Maas. Okay, I know, it’s becoming almost predictable at this point. But really, I hear how awesome and sweet and funny she is and real life and I’d really just love to meet her and thank her for writing such amazing books.

2. Cassandra Clare. She’s written some fantastic books that many people love and I am one of those people. Her writing inspires me and I’d love to be able to thank her for it.

3. J.K. Rowling. I figure I’d want to talk to the woman who brought such an inspiring and engaging series to the world and how her process went and just talk to her about it. I know she’s done a bunch of interviews and stuff explaining it, but I’d want a more personal conversation about it, you know?

4. Rainbow Rowell. I love her books and the subtle yet significant romances she writes and I’d love to discuss her process and thoughts behind them all. And just overall bookish things and other things in general.

5. Neil Gaiman. I’d love to meet him and talk just about anything with him. He seems like he has a lot of insight on many things and I’d love to hear his opinions on a variety of topics.

6. Mary E. Pearson. She seems like such a nice person and I’d just love to meet her and have tea with her or something.

7. Laini Taylor. She seems quirky and silly and I’d love to talk with her on how she writes and how she came up with the stories she’s told and just have a good time, you know?

8. George R.R. Martin. Yup, I’d want to meet him and ask him why he likes to kill off every character ever. But I’d also want to discuss fantasy worlds and politics and how might different worlds run and flourish and stuff like that.

9. Becky Albertalli. I’d want to talk about how she came up with her story and how her past experiences helped her to write it and if it was based off of anyone she knew. And snack on Oreos. Yes.

10. Garth Nix. I haven’t even read his books yet, but I want to meet him because he seems so snarky and funny. His books are kind of the grandfather of modern YA fantasy, so it would be cool to discuss where he came up with the idea and how he feels having written it and stuff like that.

Who are some of your top authors you’d love to meet? Let me know!

May 12, 2015
The Heir Book Review
Title: The Heir
Author: Kiera Cass
Series: Book #4 in the Selection series
Publisher: HarperTeen – an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Genres: Young Adult – Dystopian, Romance
Pages: 352
Format: Purchased Hardcover

“The Heir” by Kiera Cass is the story of Princess Eadlyn, the heir to Illea’s throne. She was the first child born – seven minutes separating her and her brother from switching positions – and she feels she is one of the most powerful people in the world. But there is unrest in Illea even though the castes have been done away with and it’s really starting to take a toll on her father, King Maxon. So her parents come up with the idea to host another Selection – one for Eadlyn – and she’s hesitant to do it at first, not wanting to fall in love with anyone and wanting to do everything herself. But she agrees to it with some conditions and is soon thrust into her own Selection.

This book was definitely different from America’s story. I thought it was interesting to see how Eadlyn didn’t want to do it and how there were conditions and everything, but as it kept going I just kept thinking, “Why are you being so… frustrating?”

Hey, I’m all for women power and doing things on their own, but man I found the way Eadlyn to do it extremely frustrating.

So, let me talk about some of the characters:

Eadlyn, being in the place for the heir of Illea, has a lot pressure put on her to learn policies and diplomacy and many other things a queen would have to learn to do when she ascends the throne. So she’s kind of a workaholic in a way, wanting to focus more on work than building relationships. When the Selection was initially presented to her, she acted childish and threw a bit of a tantrum. Many times throughout the book I found her to be frustrating, manipulative, and selfish. During the times she let her guard down and become vulnerable were the times I actually enjoyed reading. The fact that she had a wall up – and realized it – was frustrating, yes, but the fact that she didn’t do anything about it was probably the most frustrating of all. She’d realize that she’d let too much slip or someone would ask the wrong question and she’d clam up, instantly shunning them. I didn’t think it was right, in a way. But she is the future queen and sees herself as above others. At least, that’s the impression I got from her.

Ahren, her twin brother, was much more likable and I kind of wanted to see more of him throughout the book. He was funny and charismatic, much like his father, Maxon. Maybe that’s why I liked him more. He cares for Eadlyn deeply and would do anything for her, but even he has his limits.

Maxon and America are different from their stories because they’ve grown up and matured and it’s nice to see how they have matured in their own ways. I definitely felt motherly affection from America and the strain of ruling from Maxon.

Some of the suitors whom I love and hope will make it to the end:
- Kile: he’s lived in the palace his whole life as Marlee’s son, and he and Eadlyn have been at each other’s throats for just as long. But once he became a suitor and they started opening up to each other, I was rooting for him.
- Henri: his first language is Finnish, so he has to have a translator – Erik – around him in order to help communicate. But he’s super sweet and nice and caring and he makes me smile.
- Hale: he’s just so polite and kind and I love him to bits. He says he’s going to prove to Eadlyn every day something new to win her over, and he does do something everyday to try to show her what she means to him.
- Fox: he was kind of in the background through most of the book, but I think that they shared a great moment and I think he’s actually really kind (he kind of reminds me of the situations America came from).
The others I don’t really care about, sorry to say. But it’ll obviously get down to a few of them, and I’m hoping she picks well (though I think I know who will be picked).

The plot was similar to the original trilogy, but it was different in how staged a lot of it was and how Eadlyn was doing it just to comply and make her parents and people happy. When things continually go wrong and she sees the errors, but dismisses them, I’m glad that someone does eventually kind of make an obvious statement, but… then she kind of brushes that off too. She’s just really frustrating and doesn’t really reflect on herself and her actions.

Anyway, yes, I do recommend this if you’ve read the Selection trilogy. It’s a good continuation and yes, I am looking forward to the next book despite all of the frustrating moments in this one.

I rated this book 3.5/5 stars.
May 11, 2015
A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Review

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J Maas
Series: Book #1 in the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Genres: Young/New Adult – Fantasy, Romance
Pages: 419
Format: Purchased Hardcover

“A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J Maas is a story about a girl named Feyre (fay-ruh) who is a hunter for her family. It’s the dead of winter and her family is running out of food and she’s the only one brave enough to hunt in the woods that border the Wall that separates the mortal world from the Faerie Lands. One night when she kills a wolf, a Fae barges into her home and demands the treaty signed hundreds of years ago be fulfilled with a life for a life: Feyre took the life of a fae, so she is in turn to stay with this new fae at his home.

But there’s more lurking under the surface as Feyre, who hates Faeries, learns more and more about the world in which they live.

This book was so awesome. It had me wanting to keep reading and keep going from the first chapter. It was sexy, beautiful, dangerous, heartfelt. I loved it.

For those of you who didn’t know, this was a loose retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale and I could definitely see elements within the book that reminded me of the Disney movie version (particularly the dinner scene or anytime compliments were made).

Let me talk about the main characters:

Feyre was a strong heroine, I feel. She starts out starving and hungry with her father (who is a cripple and won’t even try to get a job and help them) and her two sisters, Elain and Nesta. She’s the only one willing to hunt – and she had to learn everything on her own from watching others, by trial and error, or asking for help. She would never beg, though, and I think that helped to make her strong even during those times. And then when Tamlin comes crashing into her house, literally, she admits that she’s the one who killed the faerie and that she’ll go live with him – if only to save her family, who doesn’t seem to care much about her to begin with. When she’s taken by Tamlin, who’s a High Fae, into the Spring Court she still doesn’t trust him or anyone in his court, really, because of the stories she heard as a child and growing up. Over time, though, she learns of how the faeries aren’t all bad, that there’s something happening to them to weaken them, and over the months that she’s there she even grows to love them, to feel for them. I think that she definitely had a few weaknesses throughout the book, because she’s a human in a faerie world, but I loved that she’d always find a light, a source to be able to take her out of the darkness and keep pushing forward.

Tamlin is a High Fae who is dealing with a lot of crap happening in the Spring Court. So when he lashes out verbally to Feyre or his emissary, Lucien, it’s not really his fault because he’s under a lot of stress. He definitely had moments of vulnerability, showing a gentler and softer side to his otherwise hard exterior. You learn that the Spring Court, all of the Spring Court, are wearing masquerade masks that are stuck to their faces due to a blight that is making its way through all the courts of Prythian. So obviously he’s under stress from that, but as he spends more time with Feyre (even though she was really unwilling at the beginning), he opens up more to her and becomes calmer and nicer to her. He’s strong, even though his magic is weakened from the blight, and when he shape-shifts into his beast form, get out of the way because he’s a BAMF. I love him so much because he’s just so… awesome. I don’t even know how to describe it.

Lucien is Tamlin’s emissary and he once belonged to the Autumn Court. He’s snarky and full of sass, and he barely tolerates Feyre at the beginning for killing one of his friends (the Spring Court was under orders to not harm Feyre in any way). In most of the moments we see Lucien we see him either making a snide comment or trying to reason and argue with Tamlin. As the story progresses, though, and he becomes more acquainted with Feyre, he cares for her enough to heal her when needed and to give her warnings where they were needed. I thought he was a great addition to the story, even though for some parts he wasn’t in it or didn’t hold much ground in terms of what was going on around him (for various reasons).

Rhysand (ree-sand) works for the Faerie Queen who lives Under the Mountain (kind of). Now, this queen is technically not supposed to be there (her name is Amarantha), and we don’t really see him much until the last third of the novel, but at first he’s a smooth talking guy who is out for his own means. I thought he was kind of a real jerk a few times, using Feyre to his advantage, but at the same time I understood the reasons why he did those things and everything. He wasn’t necessarily the villain in this novel, but I can see a potential for the future. Maybe.

Amarantha is like Rhys in that she didn’t really show up until the last third of the novel, but she’s cruel and cold and calculating and a master of manipulation. She’s the villain and I just really didn’t like her.

Now as for plot I loved this book. I’ve never read the original tale of Beauty and the Beast, but I love the story of a girl who can’t possibly fall in love with someone or something so vile, but in turn she discovers that he’s not so bad after all and that there’s a secret that can help free him if only she figures it out. I thought this book was great. The plot was driven forward with each chapter and it progressed into a climax that was worth it. Even though I hoped for a different ending, I still am happy with the way it ended. I was just expecting something different – hoped for something different.

Yes, there were some sexy bits in here and oh my gosh I was fanning myself. When you read about the Fire Night, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.

And I solved the riddle half way through reading it, but I understood that there needed to be more plot in order for it to make more sense (the riddle’s not until we meet Amarantha in the last third of the book).

It’s full of redemption and learning to love for what isn’t seen or rumor, but for what really matters. Nothing went unexplained and I thought it was a great wrap-up to the first book. I can’t wait to see where the next two books takes us and which fairy tales they follow.

UPDATED JULY 1, 2015: After much consideration I am downgrading this book from a 5 star to a 4 star because I felt that it was lacking in some aspects and that some things could have been better explained in some parts of the book. This doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it; I just want to give it the rating I think that it deserves.

I give this book a 4/5 stars and highly recommend it.

Accompanying video: A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Review

May 7, 2015
Top 5 Wednesday: Books You’d Want to See as a TV Show

Hey peeps! Today’s Top 5 Wednesday topic is books you’d want to see as a TV show, not a movie. So this one, for me, seems a bit easier because sometimes it’s hard to judge what will be good as a movie and jam pack all that content into a film. TV shows are easier, in my opinion.

5. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Another fantasy series to hit the TV screens? I mean, why not? I think this series has a lot of potential and it could definitely make for a good show. Action, drama, romance, blood, magic. It’s all cool and I think it would get a lot of hits for TV.

4. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Fantasy stories like this could use a cool TV show to really show the world and the characters in their struggles and everything. I really enjoyed the world in this book and would love to see it come to life and how they’d portray the Season kingdoms and the Rhythm kingdoms and everything.

3. The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

I think this would make an awesome show. There’s action, romance, suspense! I mean, I’d be in it more for the romance and plot twists and betrayal and drama, but hey, I like that in what I watch. Sometimes.

2. The Mortal Instruments & Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

I know I’m totally cheating with this because it’s already happening, but I’m just wicked excited for Shadowhunters to premiere, and even though I don’t have cable, I will figure out a way to watch it! *shake fist*

1. Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

I mean, really, did you expect anything else? The reason I would rather see this as a TV show and not movies is because everything could be developed so much more and we’d get a real feel for the characters and Celaena’s struggle and Dorian and Chaol and everyone else and… Oh, I just think it would be better. A series like this could do well in a show format rather than a movie format.

What are some books that you’d want to see turned into a TV show? Let me know!

May 6, 2015
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I’ll Probably Never Read

Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday where today’s topic is all about books you’ll probably never read. Now I have a few here I know I’ll most likely never get to ever, but I’m okay with that. I feel like I should include books I had to read in school and how I’ll never reread them again…

1. “Fifty Shades of Grey” by E.L. James. Just… no. I can’t. I mean, I don’t mind reading raunchy, heavy sex things, but from the hype to the poor portray of BDSM, I just… I can’t.

2. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I read this in high school and hated it. It was boring and I found nothing in it that I liked. Many people like this book, and that’s good for them; it’s a classic and whatnot, but it’s just not for me.

3. “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck. I’m not even sure I read this in school, but I vaguely remember a movie about it and how much I didn’t like the movie… Again, another classic that a lot of people like with deep, hidden issues and all that, but… it’s just not for me.

4. “Shiver” by Maggie Steifvater. This trilogy is one that you either love or hate, and upon attempting to read the first page I just couldn’t do it. I hear her writing is good, it’s just whether or not the story is a hit or miss. I think this one is a miss.

5. “Tiger’s Curse” by Colleen Houck. Again, couldn’t get into this writing style. It was just… I don’t know, there was something about it that bugged me immensely. Not a fan.

6. “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo. This is a monster of a book. Like, seriously, every time I see it at the book store I’m just like, “I want to read you, but… no.” So. Massive. Maybe one day, but probably not.

7. “The Illyad & the Odyssey” by Homer. I know they’re great epochs and everything and that they’ve been around for forever and a day, but I just don’t see myself picking them up, really.

8. “The Complete Poetry of Edgar Allan Poe” by Edgar Allan Poe. Now as much as I find his writing to be intriguing and his stories very dark and bewitching, I just don’t think I’ll ever read more poems than I have (which is about three). His style is very dark and kind of depressing, and I’m good without it.

I think that’s about it. I could list more books that I read in school that I’m good with not picking up ever again (one has the word “phony” in it constantly), but this is a decent list. Some are just challenging while most just aren’t my thing. And that’s okay.

What are some books you’ll probably never read? Let me know!

May 5, 2015