Book Review | Obsidian

Title: Obsidian
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: May 8, 2012

For Fans of: Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, and Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
My Rating: 5 Stars
Summery:

"Starting over sucks.

When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned mydelf to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring... Until I spotted my hot neighbor, with this looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get a long. At all."

In case you haven't guessed, that was not all of the summery. I highly recommend going into this book blind. It will be 100x more enjoyable for you that way. This book is one of my all time favorites (despite it's awful covers) It is action packed and the characters are amazing.

My favorite character was by far Katy, she is one of the most relatable book characters I have ever read. She is a book blogger and she loves to read, so I'm guessing she is a lot like most of you reading. Her relationship with Daemon is slow-burning, which is a good thing. I have read so many books with insta-love in them that its getting to be ridiculous. 

The story itself is very compelling, and luckily there are 5 books in this series. The only thing about it is (and this is more in the 2nd and 3rd books) It can wear you out pretty easily, I would recommend taking a break in between books of this series.

The bottom line is, you should read this book, you wont regret it!

Series Review | The Selection

Titles: The Selection, The Elite, and The One
Author: Kiera Cass
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Dates: April 24, 2012
                          April 23, 2013
                          May 6, 2014

For Fans of: Shatter me by Tahereh Mafi, Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and Cinder by Marissa Meyer
My Rating: Five Stars
Summery:

"For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But to America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined."

Let me start off with this: This Selection was a re-read for me. I read it when it first came out and loved it, and waited anxiously for The Elite to come out. By the time it did though, I had forgotten most of the first book and never ended up getting around to reading it. Nevertheless, when The One came out, I couldn't stop myself from adding it to my collection. 

I ended up picking them up again this past Wednesday simply because the TV show The Batchelor had just premiered and had reminded me of these books, and trust me, I couldn't be happier I did. These books may sound very cliche to many people, but the story on the inside is enchanting and suspenseful. The world-building is wonderfully detailed, and the caste system is fascinating. This novel takes place in a future where The United States of America has been destroyed and turned into an entirely new country called Illea. There are eight castes, the Ones being the royal family and the Eights being homeless people and beggers. 

Our main character, America Singer, is a Five. Her and her family make a living by creating art, playing music, and singing. We find out in the beginning of the novel that America has been dating a family friend named Aspen. Every night they sneak out of their houses to meet with each other, they have to keep their relationship a secret because he is a caste lower than her (When a girl gets married, she adopts the caste she marries into) Eventually her mother convinces her to enter into The Selection, and she complies to make her mother happy, thinking that she would never be chosen. When she does she doesn't want anything to do with it, or Maxon. The only thing keeping her there is the check that her family is getting, but the Prince is infatuated with her, and refuses to give up on her.

America Singer is probably one of the most frustrating characters I have ever read, strictly because of her indecisiveness and frequent bad ideas. And in my opinion, she leads both of the guys on way to long. At the same time she is passionate about what she believes in and very determined. I am 100000000% team Maxon. He is absolutely adorable and sweet, and completely made up for America's stupidity. Please don't even get me started on Aspen.

The bottom line is, this book is a cute series that you will literally fly through, and if you are debating reading this, you are only inconveniencing yourself. Pick it up.

Book Review | Death of a Salesman

Title: Death of a Salesman
Author: Arthur Miller
Publisher: Heinemann Library 
Release Date: March 18, 1994

For Fans of: Fences by August Wilson, Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
My Rating: 2 stars
Summery: 

"Willy Loman has been a salesman for 34 years. At 60, he is cast aside, his usefulness exhausted. With no future to dream about he must face the crushing disappointments of his past. He takes one final brave action, but is he heroic at last or a self-deluding fool?"

This play is a little different from the other literature I've read and reviewed on here, in the way that it was assigned reading for school. Assigned reading is usually pretty hard for me to get into because I like to read at my own pace, but other than that I usually enjoy the books and appreciate the chance to read good literature. I rarely give books lower than 3 stars, but there really wasn't anything about this play that I enjoyed. This play was written to convey a different sort of lifestyle than we usually read about the 1940's. In this novel we follow the main character Willy Loman through his exhausting and miserable life. At this point in his life he has absolutely nothing going for him. He has just been taken off salary by his boss who is 20 years younger than him so he's only working on commission, he hasn't been able to sell anything for years, His grown sons don't respect him and think he's a coward and a liar, he has no money and has to borrow from his neighbor just to pay the bills (without his wife's knowledge), he's disappointed with his sons (One of which is stuck in the same trap as Willy and the other is completely immoral and unethical), He's cheating on his wife just to feel like someone needs him, and to top it off his is insanely depressed. This book really goes above and beyond in making you feel sorry for the main character in a way thats hard to read. The worst part of this play is that it never gets better, in fact it keeps getting worse and more depressing. I have been meaning to watch the play, just to see if that makes me like it any better, but I highly doubt it will. 

So, just beware as your reading this that it might put you in a bad mood. I also will admit that I read this right after I read the Great Gatsby, which was phenomenal (review to come)  so that might also have contributed a little to the low rating. But just because this book wasn't my favorite, doesn't mean that it wont be yours! So please pick it up if your interested and let me know what you thought of it! 

Book Reaction Tag

Hey guys, so today i'm going to do the Book Reaction Tag which was created by Munisbookworld on YouTube. I also have a review coming soon, of The evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. So look forward to that.

1. How do you feel when the end of a book doesn't satisfy you?
• Disappointed I guess, I mean especially if there is a lot of hype surrounding it. This really doesn't happen to me a lot because I do a lot of research before I buy books.
2.  What do you say when people say 'they don't like reading books'
• I mean I guess I really don't say a lot, because almost everyone I know has said that to me at some point, and even though I really, really really enjoy reading, I understand that everyone has different preferences. 
3. What do you do when someone looses your favorite book?
• This actually just happened to me! I had just read the 5th wave by rick yancy and I wanted my friend to read it, but of course when I lent it to her she lost it with in the month. She told me she would pay for a new one but I kindof just shrugged it off and bought a new copy :/
4. What does it feel like when a new book arrives?
• Very exciting to say the least, I think that getting a new book is one of the best feelings ever!
5. What would it feel like if your fictional boyfriend turned out to be real?
• Well first off my heart would probably jump out of my chest and i'd die, but then I would go hunt him down and force him to marry me so... ya
6. What do you do when your favorite author publishes a book?
• Before the book is officially released I always do A LOT of research into the plot and the characters, then when the book comes out of course I immediately go to buy it!
7. How often do you say 'aw' or 'ouch' when your reading a book?
• ...Never... but I do get really embarrassed for them quite frequently

Yay!! That was the Tag! I havent posted in FOREVER and I am deeply sorry about that, I have been in a bit of a slump lately but thank you so much for reading my post!

Book Review | Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Title: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Author: Jesse Andrews
Publisher: Amulet Books New York
Release Date: March 1, 2012

For Fans of: Winger by Andrew Smith, Aristotle and Donte Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz, and Crash and Burn by Michael Hassan

My Rating: 4 stars

Summery:

"Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics.

Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel.

Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives.

And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight"

If you have read my last posts, you would know that I was currently reading this book and that I was enjoying it.  This book has a very unique writing style in which Greg Gaines is writing a book about everything that happened that school year. I am also not very used to swearing in books. Yes, I hear it in my everyday life, but I have never read it before. I have to say I wasn't a huge fan. There is also one chapter where Greg and Earl accidentally get high, which was also very new to me. You quickly get used to it though, because Earl has quite the dirty mouth, and it makes the book 10x funnier.

You have to go into this book with a pretty open mind. You absolutely cannot go into it thinking that it will be like The Fault in Our Stars, because it isn't. Yes, it is a novel about a girl with cancer, but it really wasn't a very heartfelt book. This was one of my major issues with the book, Greg is a very self-centered and selfish person. I mean, in the beginning he was literally forced by his mom to go hang out with Rachel in the first place. You would think that as Greg got closer to Rachel, he would start being a little more serious about the fact that  Rachel was dying, but honestly, he just got worse. 

I honestly think that I would have given this book 3 stars if it hadn't been for the ending. You have to stick around for the ending. It's really the only part of the book where you get to see some real emotion from Greg. 

So yes overall I really did enjoy this book, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. I would recomend picking this up if you are okay with some vulgar language and want a lighthearted (But somewhat heavy)  quick read.

The Goodreads Tag

Hey everyone, so today I am going to be doing the Goodreads tag! I just saw the video on Ariel Bissett's YouTube channel and decided that it would be fun to do on here! I will also link my Goodreads page here, so make sure you go check it out! 

So lets get started!

1. What was the last book you marked as 'Read'?
• That would be Impossible by Nancy Werlin, which was a bit of a weird book, but ultimately I did give it 4 out of 5 stars.
2. What are you 'currently reading'?
• I am currently reading Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, and it is actually shockingly good. It's about a boy named Greg who is pretty much forced to hang out with this girl named Rachel, who has just been diagnosed with leukemia. I'm not going to tell you much about it because I am planning on doing a review on it, but it is really funny and you should pick it up. (ps. If you ever want to know what i'm reading you can always look at the sidebar!)
3.  What was the last book you marked as 'to-read'?
• The last book I marked as to-read was Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. I am going so crazy about this book! It's about a world where Dorothy took over Oz and became some evil dictator. A girl named Amy is recruited by the order of the wicked to take the Tin Man's heart, the Scarecrow's brain, the Lions courage and then she has to kill Dorothy. The CW is also going to be making this into a TV show I heard, and that is going to be sooo good!
4. What do you plan to read next?
• I might pick up my life next door by Huntley Fitzpatrick but that is only if I finish Me and Earl and the Dying girl tonight, because I just ordered four books from Amazon and they will be here tomorrow. So if that happens, I am probably going to pick up The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.  But My Life Next Door is a bigger priority because I got it from the library.
5. Do you use the star rating system?
• I do use the star rating system, I really like using that because as Arial said in  her video, the star rating system is very universal and every one knows what I mean when I say '5 stars' or '2 stars'
6. Are you doing a 2014 reading challenge?
• I am, I think I said that I was going to read 60, and I think i'm a few books ahead, so thats always good!
7. Do you have a wishlist?
• No, but I really should make one!
8. What book do you want to buy next?
• After Dorothy must die, I really want to buy Splintered by AG Howard. It's supposed to be a really good retelling of Alice in Wonderland about Alice's Great-Great-Great Granddaughter. I've been super into retellings lately and this one sounds good!
9. Do you have any favorite quotes? Would you like to share a few?
• I do! There are a few on my quotes page, if you want to check those out. But one that I don't think is on there is: "Because your beautiful. I enjoy looking at beautiful people, and I decided a while ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence' ~ John Green, The fault in our stars
10. Who are your favorite Authors?
• My favorite authors currently are Rainbow Rowell, Cassandra Clare, John Green, and Stephanie Perkins. If I had to recommend one book of theirs for you it would be Fangirl, Clockwork Angel, Looking for Alaska, and Anna and the French Kiss. All of these books are seriously amazing and you need to go check them out right now (I already linked them, you might as well)
11. Have you joined any groups?
• I am technically in 2 groups, but one of them is just really annoying and I want to get out of it really badly. The other one is Booksplosion which is a series of read-alongs hosted by BookTubers. I really love it, there is an excellent sense of community when your reading books with others! I linked it up above so you should just go join!

And that was the tag, wasn't that fun?? Anyway, like I said I linked everything to it's goodreads page and you can check that all out with just the click of a button! 

New 2014 Releases!

So here is a list of new books coming out this year that I am particularly excited for, this list will change periodically so be sure to check back later!

• To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (April 15)
• What I thought was true by Huntley Fitzpatrick (April 15)
• Don't Look Back by Jennifer L Armentrout (April 15)
• The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa  (April 15)
• The One by Kiera Cass (May 6)
• Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson (May 6)
• After the End by Amy Plumm (May 6)
• End Times by Anna Schumacher (May 20)
• City of Heavenly fire by Cassandra Clare (May 27)
• The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings (June 10)
• #Scandal by Sarah Ockler (June 17)
• Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo (June 17)
• On the Fence by Kasie West (July 1)
• Landline by Rainbow Rowell (July 8)
• Servants of the Storm by Delilah S Dawson (Aug 5)
• Mortal Danger by Ann Aguirre (Aug 5)
• Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins (Aug 14)
• Dont touch by Rachel M Wilson (Sept 2)
• Of Mosters and Madness by Jessica Verday (Sept 9)
• The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey (Sept 16)
• In The Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken (Sept 16)
• The Fall by Bethany Griffin (Oct 7)
• The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin (Nov 4)