Hi and ..... Bye ? :/

Hey guys! :)

Okay, well, I feel like a horrible person. Seriously, I do, but I have been making so many excuses to myself over the past 3 months, why I don't have time for blogging, and I really don't have any time for it if I was going to be completely honest with you. I don't really like blogging as much as I did before, especially now that it's 8th grade and I'm really busy getting ready for high school and all this school work and field hockey practice and actually having a social life.

I love reading and always have AND always will. Every night before bed I try to read for at least 15 minutes even if I have a lot of schoolwork. I'm reading the Pretty Little Liars series now, and I'm literally obsessed ;P I also love the tv show. But while I really really really love reading, I don't have time to actually open my computer, and write a blog post analyzing a book. I just don't have the extra time on my hands, and even though it kills me, it's true.

This really does kill me, and I love you guys (so so so much) but I'm going to have to say bye to blogging. For now, at least. I may post every couple months or so, but I'm tired of lying to myself and feeling like blogging is a chore for me, something I don't like to do anymore, you know? So I'm only going to post when I feel like it (which, trust me now, might not be that often) or when I really feel like I should share a piece of my writing with you all.

Okay enough of that deep stuff it's making me sad.

Because I'm that selfish I think I want to ramble a little bit about my life outside of reading (which is like COMPLICATED)

-I started 8th grade. So far so good. Not a lot of friend drama (yet....) and that's always a good thing. My classes are difficult, but I really enjoy English and history. Math and science, not so much. Ugggrrr :/

-I'm 14 years old! Yes finally... being 13 was a long and stressful year for me tbh and I'm glad it's over. Seventh grade was a year of ups and downs and I had a lot of problems trying to find out who I was or what my purpose was, and even though I still get down sometimes I feel so much better psychologically this year and omg guess what-- Im going to New York City this weekend for my birthday present ! Aaaaahhhhh so excited omgggg :)

-I'm playing field hockey every day and I love it so much.



Okay! Well, that's about it for now.

By the way, I'm not totally out of the whole online thing. If you want updates on my insane life, then follow my instagram @_annieroach (I'll only accept if I know who you are from blogging or whatever), or tumblr (http://dimple-dolls.tumblr.com)

^Those should keep you up to date.

Anyway I love you guys so much and I'll be back! Soon (I hope?? )

Has It Really Been A Year?? (Blogoversary!!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! 

So, it's not actually my birthday (only a few more months!) but it IS my blog's birthday! If you don't know what I mean then.......

Today is my one-year blogoversary! 

Despite the fact that I am on hiatus, I haven't forgotten about my blogoversary, which as you guys might know is a really important milestone in a blogger's career.  A year ago today, my blog was created, my url was leopardkittybooks.blogspot.com and the title of my blog was Leopard Kitty Books! As my blog evolved, I changed my URL and title (might I add... many times, schizophrenic I know) and now I present to you inlovewithbookishthings.blogspot.com-- Fallen for Fiction!

I had no idea how to structure this post, so I looked on some of my favorite blogs and how THEY structured THEIRS, so this is how i'm doing this post.

STATISTICS

First Post: A review of The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
First Review: The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
First Meme Post: What's Next? #1
First WoW Post: Waiting on Wednesday #1
First IMM Post: In My Mailbox #1
First ARC Review: Parallel by Lauren Miller

Total Comments: 701
Total Followers: 151
Total Pageviews: 21,407
Total Posts: 173
Total Reviews: 71

ABOUT THE BLOG AND ME

When I was 10 or 11, I had the same love of reading and writing that I still have now. I wanted to get my writing out there, show the world what I thought, share my love of books. The idea of blogging came from the love of the written word and all it did for me in the then 10-11 years I had been reading. So a family friend helped me set up a cute little Wordpress blog, I had no idea how to style my template, make my blog look pretty, literally NOTHING--I mean, I WAS 10. :P But seriously, for a few months I worked really hard on that blog, posting things I'd written for fun and for school. I was pretty proud of it, needless to say. I had named it The Book Nook (how creative, right? lol) and I posted pretty much every week on it. But then as I got older, and school got more demanding, I lost interest in it and eventually just kind of stopped posting.But I didn't lose my love of reading and writing, I just didn't blog anymore. If what I did could be called blogging. :)Last summer, it was a really hot day, REALLY hot for Canada, and way too hot to go outside even though I live right by the beach (Lake Erie ;P) I had just gotten back from field hockey, I had a horrible sunburn, and I was exhausted. I logged into Goodreads (Back then, Goodreads was a really big part of my life. I went on several times a day, updated my books, chatted with online friends, etc. Now I don't go on Goodreads as much, and when I do, I'm not very active on there sadly, the interest level isn't the same anymore. I moderate 2 successfull groups, one as a head mod and one has a co-mod though).  When I clicked on my group, I saw a thread entitled "Blogs". I clicked it and whooooosh--I entered the world of blogs.

All my friends blogs, or even people I didn't know's blogs, were absolutely perfect-looking. They had beautiful templates, their posts were of amazing quality and I was astounded, looking at the perfection that were their blogs. If they can do it, surely I can too, I thought. And I could--But not for a long long time, because in all honesty, I didn't really get the hang of blogging until several months after I actually made my blog. But nonetheless, I made my sloppy little blog. It took me way too long to figure out how to even get to the template designer :P But when I did, boy I went crazy. I wanted my blog to look just like my favorite blogs, and I admit that I have sometimes blatantly copied the people I look up most to in the blogging world. Sorry guys. As they say, Copying is the sincerest form of flattery. Lol. :P

So that's how I'm here today, with my blog. I in no way are a matured or even reliable blogger. I really do still consider myself a novice. I still from time to time get crazy confused with everything and yes, I still imitate my favorite blogs. But I hope its gotten at least a little better from what it was last year. Please, spare yourself and do not read my early reviews. They are simply horrid. Just...don't. I really should delete them but I feel some emotional attachment to them, so I won't. 

BLOGGING FRIENDS AND PEOPLE I LOOK UP TO 

There are soooooooooooooo many people who I look up to in the blogging world. I have so many friends here and if I've interacted with you before, then I definitely consider you one of my blogging buddies. Since I could name about 100 of you, I think I'll stick to my all-time faves, but if I don't mention you, You know you're still amazing!

Lottie @ Book Adoration
Erika @ Living for the Books
Emily @ Emily's Crammed Bookshelf
Grace @ The Humble Watermelon
Delaney @ The Awkward-ness

Lottie is absolutely amazing. She is one of my favorite bloggers if not my favorite. She has a beautiful writing style and you can always expect full quality from her reviews. She just has a way with words that I am jealous of sometimes, and her blog is gorgeous. Not to mention the fact that she is really sweet and nice to everyone! :)

Erika was literally my first follower. I've known her through Goodreads and through blogging for a really long time, a year and a half I believe?, anyway, she is just so sweet and her reviews are amazing. I could spend hours on Erika's blog reading her reviews, you can always expect her to be honest. We also have really similar tastes in books so if Im looking for books, I just go to Erika's blog :P

Emily really helped me! I can't remember how I found her blog, but it's absolutely perfect. She's only a little older than me but she is such a matured reader and writer and I am jealous of her ;) When I needed to know stuff about ARCs, Emily provided all the information I needed. She told me what an ARC was, what the purpose of them was, and soon enough, I reviewed my first ARC! She also told me how to put a colored border around my summery in my reviews. She is awesome, really nice, and I loved the design of her blog, so I made mine just like it, although Ive switched around my design a few times :)

Grace is awesome. When I first started out blogging, she would always comment on my (clumsy) posts and she'd always be so nice even when my posts were terrible,which was 3/4 of the time. As for her, HER posts have always been amazing even when she was new to blogging like I was. She's an amazing writer and you can always expect really great posts from her. Check her blog out, its amazing :)

Delaney is so nice and funny and her blog always makes me laugh! I found it when I was really new to blogging and I haven't stopped reading every post, they're all just awesome and she's really one of my favorite bloggers because of her pure awesomeness, lol. Anyway, both she and her blog are perfect!



Okay! Well, that's about it. I had a lot of fun making this post, lol, and I hope youre having a great summer. And once again......


THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! YOU GUYS ARE UNFAILINGLY AMAZING AND I LOVE YOU ALL MORE THAN WORDS!

I'm On Hiatus for a Month or Two

Hey guys. So not many things have been busy on my blog, as I'm sure you've noticed. I am going through a period where I don't have much interest in blogging, it is too much time that I honestly don't have. I have loved blogging in the past year, but I'm going through a time where I just need to focus on myself and I cant have that extra stress in my life. 

I love blogging, I really do. And I'm sure you all know how it feels to be overwhelmed, or feel guilty, because thats what I'm feeling, I really love all my followers, you guys have been amazing. But I'm going to say goodbye, at least temporarily. I will post here and there in the next months, but don't expect weekly posts; more like bimonthly or trimonthly. 

I will definitely be around on everyone else's blogs, I'll be reading the posts and commenting, especially on my favorite blogs, but I wont have time for my own blog, you get me?

If you ever want to talk to me then you can message me on Goodreads. :)

My blogoversary is on July 13! Even though I'm going to be at camp that week, I am really excited about it, and despite the fact that I'll be on hiatus then, I am making a blogoversary post TODAY and queuing the post so that it appears on july 13, but I won't have made it on that day :)

Thank you so much for understanding! :)

I'll see all of you soon, hopefully with some great new posts, book reviews, and other bookish things. :)

Review: The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

The Moon and More
by Sarah Dessen
Release Date: June 4, 2013
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 384
Synopsis:

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough. Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.Emaline's mostly absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only troute to realizing her potential. Emaline is attacted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby? Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going? Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer. 

Review:

After reading The Moon and More I can say with the utmost confidence that Sarah Dessen is my favorite author of all time. Her writing is completely mesmerizing and it just gets better with every book. However, I feel that The Moon and More falls slightly short of all of Sarah Dessen's other works. This book is no This Lullaby. And while it is expected that Dessen's books can't all be as good as This Lullaby, I was a bit disappointed.

I think the thing that bothered me the most with this book was the romance. Neither of the romances were developed enough, and I didn't feel any attachment to either guy. Sarah Dessen attempted a love triangle but I didn't really like the way she went about writing it. Luke was a douchebag, of course I didn't like him, and although Theo was slightly better, their relationship was never explained very much, and it came to a dead end. At the end of the book, Emaline never said what happened with her and Theo, even though they broke up. I thought there should be some sort of closure at the end, but there wasn't. There just didn't seem to be a central plot direction. Maybe there was, and I'm just completely missing it, but I don't think so. So therefore, the romance kind of sucked.

Emaline as a protagonist was ok. Sarah Dessen's heroines usually have some sort of gusto that is different from other heroines seen in YA fiction, but Emaline is definitely at the end of the list for me. She seemed cold, rude, and I just wasn't able to make connections with her that well. I understand that she had gone through a lot, but her character was... not really relatable and obnoxious.

But, of course, reading this book was a definitely a treat. Sarah Dessen's writing is perfect, when I say perfect, I mean MORE than perfect. Each sentence was perfectly formed and fit together like a puzzle. I can't get enough of the words she writes, and despite my complaints, I was sad when this book was over. No more Sarah Dessen until...I don't know when, but not for at least a couple years. There are still some Dessen books I haven't read, so I'm definitely on those soon.

If you're hesitating to read The Moon and More, I would say that there are some legit things to be hesitant about, but if you are a Sarah Dessen fan, then go for it! Most of the reviews I see are 5-star perfect, but this just wasn't my favorite Dessen. So this might be me just being picky and you might LOVE this book.

Books- Why They Are Such An Important Part of My Life + Update

Hey guys. So what I have for you today is just a short post, about why books are so important, and a quick update. xxxx

To me, books are equivalent to something as important as my eyes. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. I think that books, too, are the window to the soul. The kinds of books you love, the pleasure you get out of reading - it's all pointing to the same place: your soul. For as long as I can remember, I have not been able to go a day without smoothing my hands over the jacket of a book, or flipping crisp pages, soaking in the words imprinted in them and all they have to offer. Books have become, in a way, like an extra limb. 

This year, as I observed more carefully my peers, I realized that about 80% of them didn't like to read, or didn't read unless they absolutely had to. For my 5th and 6th grade years, I was in a very different environment than my 7th grade year, and it astounded me that so many people were missing out on the pleasures of reading. Every time I told someone I liked to read, they looked at me oddly. "Reading?" they'd say, as if they'd never heard the word before. 

I found this to not only be weird and unfamiliar, but also sad. You can go through your entire lifetime (or, in the kids' in my class's, case, 13 or 14 years) without actually sitting down and reading a book for pleasure, and enjoying it. And I think that the book is one of the better things in life, so if you're missing out on one of the better things in life, then what are you waiting for? You must go seek that better thing in life, embrace it as if it were your friend, treasure it forever. 

Because really. Let's face it. Books are freaking awesome.

Update

So if you look around my blog you've probably noticed that some things have changed. Actually I take that back. You've DEFINITELY noticed that things have changed. I have edited my entire appearance,  my About/Contact page, and the time between posts have gotten longer and longer. I know it's annoying, I know I've been inconstant, I know that my blog sucks right now. But this summer, I promise you guys, I'll make things better. Pinky swear. :P 

That said, I am looking for feedback. I don't want just compliments. I want criticism, too. Do you hate my new blog design? Just tell me, your comments matter to me. You think I'm a sucky blogger? Rip me below. The more feedback, the better. The less feedback, the worse. 

Love ya'll, hope your June is lovely so far :)

Review: Speechless by Hannah Harrington

Speechless
by Hannah Harrington
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 288
Source: bought
Links: Goodreads
Stars: 5/5
Synopsis:

Everyone knows that Chelsea Knot can't keep a secret. Unt now. Because the last secret she shared turned her into a social outcast--and nearly got someone killed. Now Chelsea has taken a vow of silence--to learn to keep her mouth shut, and to stop hurting anyone else. And if she thinks keeping secrets is hard, not speaking up when she's ignored, ridiculed, or even attacked is worse. But there's strength in silence, and in the new friends who are, shockingly, coming her way--people she never noticed before; a boy she might even fall for. If only her new friends can forgive what she's done. If only she can forgive herself. 

Review:


I am totally in love. Speechless was an amazing adventure for me that I doubt I'll ever forget. I'm so thankful for all of you who persuaded me to read it, because every syllable of this book was worth reading and every ounce of it was bliss. I just loved watching this story unfold, the miraculous character development, and the sweet and subtle romance. If I hadn't been recommended this book, I think I would have overlooked it--not on purpose--but the cover is plain and white and I don't think it would have captured my attention. Now that I've read the book I love the cover but I don't think I thought that before I began the book.

Chelsea Knot is just one of those characters. Do you know what I mean? She's special, rare. Ive only come across a few characters like her in my entire time reading, and she's the best out of all of them. At the beginning I was conflicted about her. I disliked her snobbery, her want of attention, her constant insecurity, etc. But then I realized about midway through the book, "If every protagonist was perfect, than the whole existence of books would be one big lie." I loved the way that Chelsea was flawed and it made the story so much more believable.

The idea of not talking for as long as Chelsea did blew my mind. I talk a lot (sometimes too much) and it's actually sort of difficult to get me to stop talking sometimes, although it really depends on whom I'm with (my closest friends = you don't want to even go there). After I read Speechless I tried to go around not talking for a few days. But I only lasted a couple hours. But for me, that's semi-impressive. I know that what happened to Chelsea was really scarring and horrible, but I still found it amazing that she was able to go on not talking for as long as she did, considering the amount of talking she did before she went speechless.

I loved Sam so much. He wasn't hot or sexy or all of that crap that YA authors use to describe their love interests, he was just a nerdy, normal guy and I really do have a thing for guys (real and fictional) who are kind of geeky and nerdy-cute and just charmingly imperfect, so that's what made Sam so appealing to me. His character was incredibly believable, and every sentence of his made me just want to reach into the book and hug him like there was no tomorrow.

Anyway, Speechless was a truly amazing experience and I think I'll need to indulge myself with more of Hannah Harrington's writing from now on because it was absolutely mind-blowing.

It's Summer!

Happy summer to everyone, whether you have been out of school for a month, or you are still waiting a month for summer to begin! I finished school on Friday, and it's a great feeling. As I'm sure you've noticed, I've somewhat unknowingly neglected my blog the past 3 weeks, but now I am back and just remember that since it's summer, I'll have ample time to post. 

I love summertime because it means spending time in Canada with my family (in fact, we are driving up there in just a few hours). My siblings are all older than I am, by a lot, and I don't get to see them very much. My brother and sister are going to graduate school, and my other brother is going to college. I will get to see them for a few weeks this month, so I am really looking forward to that. Summer also means books, books, books. I average a book a day during the summer and that's something I'm planning to continue during the summer of 2013. 

This summer, I will be doing a few sports camps, which I am really excited about. My friend and I are coming back down to Delaware for a field hockey camp with the USA Olympic team, and I'm so excited. Then we're going to a sleepaway tennis camp in New Jersey, which I am also really excited about. I am also seeing my other friend in Rhode Island. I haven't seen her in a year, so I am more than excited about that, too. 

But mostly I will be hanging out, swimming, playing tennis, playing with my dogs, reading, and blogging. Since I have not been the most reliable poster in the world, I don't know how much I will post this summer. I could post every day, I could post once every two weeks. It all depends on my time frame and my state of mind. 

Speaking of my blog, have you noticed anything different in its appearance? I am fiddling around with the look (once again...). The old theme, although I adored it, was getting a little too old, so I am switching things around. Opinions on this one? 

Also, does anyone know how to center the blog title? I know there's a CSS code somewhere but I can't find it anywhere!

Anyway, I hope you all have/are having a lovely summer so far, and now I'm off to read my new Sarah Dessen book! Talk to you guys soon. 

{Review} The Elite by Kiera Cass

The Elite

by Kiera Cass

Series: The Selection #2

Release Date: April 23, 2013

Publisher: Harper Teen

Pages: 323

Source: borrowed

Stars: 2.5/5

Goodreads / Purchase

Thirty five girls came to the place to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned princessof Illea. America still isn't sure where her heart lies. When she's with Maxon, she's swept up in htheir new and breathless romance, and can't dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon over--and time is running out for America to decide. Just when America is sure she's made her choice, a devastating loss makes her question everything again. And while she's struggling to imagine her future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any kind of happy ending.

**NOTE: To view the spoiler, highlight the blank space (I have put the spoiler in white text so that it doesn't appear on my blog unless you highlight it with your mouse)

For some reason, I thought that this series was only going to be two books, but by the ending of this one, I'm almost positive there is going to be a third. And even though I'm going to read it, I don't think I enjoy this series as much as I did after reading the first book. This book was just ok, but I don't have the heart to give it less than 2 stars, even though I'm tempted to. 

I tried to like this book, I really did. I wanted to like this book so much. Pretty cover, dystopian princess story... I came into this book beyond excited. However, I feel that I need to be honest with what I disliked so much about this book.

First, America. Oh my God, I HATED HER. In the first book I tolerated her--I did find her obnoxious and full of herself, and she seemed cold and not easy to connect to. Well, in this book she was much, much worse. As were the other characters. America couldn't make up her mind about literally anything. One day she was parading around with Maxon, trying to make the other Elite jealous, and the next she was making out with Aspen. No just NO.  Maxon was horrid in this book as well. He was romantically conflicted just like America, and he made me so mad when he took Celeste in as his stupid sex buddy and claimed he was in love with Kriss! One bad love triangle is enough, Kiera Cass. I DON'T NEED TWO OR MORE!!! 

In the first book I actually adored Maxon. He seemed really nice and just CUTE and awkward in an adorable way. Some people complained that he seeemed stiff, etc. I have to prove them right, because in this book he was the epitome of stiff. Even though America deserved his rudeness.

The love triangle (s!!) made me so mad, as I said before. In the first book I didn't mind the love triangle at all because it seemed perfect and just the way a love triangle should be written, although obviously the love triangle outline is a complete copy of The Hunger Games, but whatever. I was ok with it. But in this book it just fell apart. America just could not make up her mind. I get that the love triangle is hard to write, but this is NOT the way things work in love! You can't love 2 guys at once like that. It leads me to believe that America didn't actually love either of them, she was just weighing what would be better for her future. And as for her jealousy--get over it, America! You're cheating on Maxon, just like he's "cheating" on you! He's the freaking prince and this is the freaking Selection! Even though I really didn't appreciate what he was doing with Celeste and Kriss behind Americas back, I did think America was overreacting and being a TOTAL HYPOCRITE. 

[[Spoiler]]What happened to Marlee was horrible, just horrible, and I wasn't expecting something so ominous and dark to happen between the pages of a book like this (girly and princessy). ]] This book was actually a lot different from the first book. There was more fear, emotion, and Cass wasn't afraid to venture into the dark side of things. That was actually what I liked about the book. It was more action-packed than its predecessor. And I finished this book in a flash, less than 12 hours. So at least she kept me reading. Even if her writing got 10 times worse than in The Selection.

So even though The Elite was kind of a disappointment, I have to say that Kiera Cass has thought up a pretty interesting dystopian concept, and I'm intrigued by Illea, even if the protagonist is an idiot and I seriously don't like either of the love interests anymore. I hope that if others read this, then they'll enjoy it more than I did. 

In My Mailbox #12

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we have received for review, swapped, or purchased that week. 

Bought:

Borrowed: 

Pre-Ordered:

Legend by Marie Lu: review

Legend
by Marie Lu
Series: Legend #1
Release Date: February 2, 2012
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 295
Source: borrowed
Links: Goodreads
Stars: 4/5
Synopsis:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives might not be as malicious as they seem. From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths--until the day June's brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in race for his family's survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias's death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets. Full of nonstop action, suspense, and romance, this novel is sure to move readers as much as it thrills. 

*This review contains spoilers, but I have marked them off with brackets like **[[this]].

After finishing Legend I had no doubt about its amazingness.  However, when I first began the book I was a little bit conflicted. Not only had one of my friends hated it, I had a bit of trouble getting fully enraptured in the story until several pages in. 

This book is about two 15-year-olds. One of them is Day, the world's single most notorious criminal. And the other is June, the only person to ever score a perfect 1500 on the trial, a test that each citizen takes once they reach a certain age. This book shifts perspectives between June and Day, and although I enjoyed both of their POVs, I really liked Day's. All of his feelings were poured from the pages and into my heart. I could feel his pain at certain especially difficult moments in the book. I found it hard to make much of a connection with June unless she was with Day, because otherwise, she was cold and stiff. But when she was with Day, she was just a normal girl and I liked that about her. She wasn't just the Republic's pet. I also liked the fact that the characters were only 15. It made things more realistic and I felt like I could connect to them more, because in a lot of books I read the characters are 16,17, or older. I could connect more to June and Day, even though they still have 2 years on me.

I have to admit that I nearly gave up on this book within a mere 30 pages of it. I guess I went into it with mixed feelings because I've heard lots of hype surrounding it and if there's a lot of hype surrounding a book, I tend to be disappointed. One of my friends loved it, but my other one hated it, and I usually like the same books as the other friend who hated it so I didn't know what to think. But then I hit page 40 or 50 and the story fell in place, giving me a scenario and keeping my fingers unconsciously turning the pages until I finished the book. I've never been so fully engrossed in a book as I was in Legend, and that shows you Marie Lu's undeniable skill for writing. Although I ended up loving this book I still have to admit that the first pages were rough to get through so that is why my rating is a 4 not a 5.

The other complaint I have is that I found this book to be very predictable. I totally guessed who Metias's murderer was right from the start. Also I feel like there should've been more suspects other than Day and **SPOILER ALERT: [[[[Thomas]]]] because it just made things way to easy to figure out who it was. **SPOILER ALERT: [[[[Even though I predicted it was Thomas from the beginning, I wish there could have been a distractor to make me think its someone else. ]]]]

I loved the story so much. It was an interesting twist on a dystopian society, I felt like it was portrayed so realistically. I love dystopian books because they always get the wheels in my brain turning. Legend is no exception. I thought about the world that Marie Lu portrayed so much that my head kinda hurt. (In a good way :P)

This book gave me a lot to think about. It left me yearning for more, of the stories of these two young people, and their fates. I can't wait to see where Marie Lu takes this series in Prodigy, and she definitely provides a thrill ride for her readers.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson: review

Book: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Release Date: March 19, 2009
Publisher: Viking Juvenile
Pages: 278
Source: Library
Links: Goodreads
Stars: 4/5

"Dead girl walking," the boys say in the halls. "Tell us your secret," the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend's restless spirit. In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the multiple award winning Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia's descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery. 

MY THOUGHTS:

I loved Anderson's Speak and Chains (although the second book in that series was a bitter disappointment, but that's a whole other rant), so I was interested to see what she would do with the concept of anorexia in Wintergirls. Well, let's just say that Anderson is a pro when handling the tough subjects, and she portrays them in a such a way that it makes it not uncomfortable to read, but interesting.

Lia is 18 years old and been struggling with anorexia for years. At the beginning of the book, she is 99 pounds and 5'5" tall. As her weight slowly lowers to practically less than 90, the reader gets to see her desperation to become as skinny and weightless as she can possibly be. Her best friend, Cassie, was bulimic, and recently died from it. Lia is haunted by this every day, especially since the day Cassie died, she called Lia and Lia didn't pick up.

 As a character, Lia gave a desperate, confused, and lonely vibe. At the end of the book, she really shined and left her past to be her past. The chacacter development was stunning and really luminous.

I have a friend who had problems with anorexia, so I knew a little bit about it, but not enough that I knew absolutely everything. This book helped me gain knowledge on the subject. At school, it's considered cool to pretend you have an eating disorder just so that people will give you compliments, which I really think is disgusting. Eating disorders are horrible, awful things that shouldn't be joked around about. Lia came close to death.

This book not only dealt with anorexia but it also dealt with bulimia. The idea that someone would make herself vomit just to get rid of the food inside her body was terrible and foreign to me. However, it helped me learn more about it and some of the struggles people go through when dealing with bulimia. Although Cassie had a tragic ending, Lia did not and ended the book as a full flower in bloom.

Anderson's writing is poetic and lovely. The sentences flowed together and her style is all-around artistic and unique. The writing was one of my favorite parts, because through the writing, she showed Lia's emotions. The writing was repetitive and choppy when Lia was feeling desperate, hungry, or sick, and beautiful and flowing when she was feeling happy. I loved that about the book.

The one problem I did have with this book was the fact that the middle of it seemed cluttered and the ending seemed rushed. The beginning and ending were good, but the middle seemed to drag a little, and the story didn't really go anywhere for 50 or 60 pages, but that's only a minor complaint.

Wintergirls is definitely not a book for the faint of heart, but I really enjoyed it, and I think I'll read more of Anderson's works since she is a truly talented writer.

In My Mailbox #11

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, where we spotlight the books that we have received for review, swapped, or purchased that week. 

Library:

Borrowed:

I've already finished Wintergirls. It was heartbreaking but really really amazing. I have technically already read What Happened to Goodbye but I'm rereading it now. I don't know anything about Passion Blue but I thought it looked interesting, and my friend loved Legend so she's letting me borrow it. (Another friend of mine hated it, so I don't know what I'll think of it...haha)

ANOTHER UPDATE: This month I have been really sucky at posting things, and I hate it. So much. I wish I could post more stuff, and I resent the fact that I'm lazy and can only post once or twice a week, but my schedule is out of control and I'm barely fitting in time for this post. Again, so so so sorry, I feel totally out of the whole blogosphere. . . and also feel like I've abandoned everyone. 

I am expecting a less hectic May so hopefully I'll be posting like crazy again come next month. Love ya'll, I had to schedule this post since I'm going to a Bat Mitzvah this weekend ;)

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare: review

Book: Clockwork Princess
Author: Cassandra Clare
Series: The Infernal Devices, #3
Release Date: March 19, 2013
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 568
Source: bought
Links: Goodreads
Stars: 5/5

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy. Tessa Gray should be happy- aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. 

MY THOUGHTS:

*spoiler free section*

Clockwork Princess broke my heart. More than once. was the book that caused my heart the most pain. Each sentence was like a sword, tearing through my heart, the cuts getting deeper and more painful as the book progressed. And yet, this book is one of the most uplifting books I've ever read, despite being tough on the heart.

The story is romantic and inspiring, the characters luminous. At first when I started this series, I wasn't sure that I liked Tessa. I disliked how all the attention revolved around other people saving her, not her saving herself. Although this was but a minor complaint (I don't believe I ever mentioned it to anyone before), Tessa in Clockwork Princess was a different girl from who she was before. Her character was beautiful and radiated off strength, truth, and beauty. This cast of characters is one of my favorites that I have ever come across, because of the way that Cassandra Clare makes us as the readers so attached to them in ways I can't properly explain through words. She compels her readers to be deeply and emotionally involved with her characters. There was something deep and gorgeous in the demeanor of the characters, and that is why I adore this series so much.

Jem and Will are, of course, integral puzzle pieces to the story and I loved both of them as much as could be. In this book, Jem was his sweet, understanding self. Although he was the one that was ill and slowly fading away, Will is by far the more tragic one. He is self-destructive and suffering deeply from all of the trauma and pain inflicted on him in his life. My heart broke for Jem, but I think it broke the most for Will. Even though it was clear that Jem loved Tessa, Will's love was fierce, brutally irrevocable, and tragic. The only words for Will are beautiful and tragic. And yet as he radiates off tragedy and heartbreak, he also has a wry sense of humor and was still, deep down, Will Herondale, with his sarcasm and ability to make me blush or laugh out loud. He was perfect. And you know when I say perfect, I mean seriously flawed, but in a way that makes the character beautiful.

*spoiler section BEWARE*

I have left my review spoiler-free for way too long. The spoilers are just waiting to spill out, because they are really what caused me the most heartbreak in this book.

I could not believe it when Will and Tessa slept together right after Jem died. Even though I ship Will and Tessa that just didn't seem right. I wanted their love to develop gradually after Jem's death, not just explode suddenly like that, and it seemed as though Tessa was just waiting for Jem to die so that she could be with Will, even though that wasn't the case, it felt like it . I almost threw the book down in disgust. But then--there was this one sentence in the book, that made me feel differently about this.

"Can one forget a thing that, however unwise, was beautiful?"

And yes, I realized, it was beautiful. It showed that two people cared for each other in a profound and lifelong way. Then I read this quote:

"They say you cannot love two people equally at once," she said. "And perhaps for others that is so. But you and Will--you are not like two ordinary people, two people who might have been jealous of each other, or who would have imagined my love for one of them diminished by my love for the other. You merged your souls when you were both children. I could not have loved Will so much if I had not loved you as well. And I could not love you as I do if I had not loved Will as I did."

 And that paragraph was I think the most beautiful in the entire book.

I can't believe that Cassandra Clare made it so that Tessa could end up with both boys. And if you're reading this even if you haven't read the book, then it's not what you think. Tessa is with both Will and Jem, and she made all of her fans equally satisfied. I'm having a hard time putting my feelings into words at the moment so I'm sort of pacing around the room thinking about what I could write without sounding like a complete psycho. But I'm just going to leave the whole love-triangle stuff like that.

Before I read the book I spoiled it for myself. Not only had I read spoiler reviews on Goodreads, I also took the jacket of the book off and looked the family tree before I started it, and there were HUGE spoilers back there, and I think I would've enjoyed the romances better if I hadn't spoiled them for myself, but a family tree can't tell you everything, and there were still some unexpected twists with the character romances.

Cecily and Gabriel are one of my favorite couples in the book. (One of) my favorite quote from the book:

"Cecy," he said, and closed the distance between them, though it was not much, and then he was kissing her--his hands awkward around her shoulders first, slipping on the stiff taffeta of her gown before his fingers slid behind her head, tangling in her soft, warm hair. She stiffened in surprise before softening against him, the seam of her lips parting as he tasted the sweetness of her mouth. When he drew away at last, he felt lightheaded. "Cecy?" he said again, his voice hoarse.
"Five," she said. Her lips and cheeks were flushed, but her gaze was steady.
"Five?" he echoed blankly.
"My rating," she said, and smiled at him. "Your skill and technique may, perhaps, require work, but the native talent is certainly there. What you require is practice."
"And are you willing to be my tutor?"
"I should be very insulted if you chose another," she said, and leaned up to kiss him again.

AH! I LOVE GABRIEL! ***SWOOON****

Sophie and Gideon also ended up together! I'm so happy! :D And Sophie became a Shadowhunter?

You know what, I should nickname myself, "The Spoiler Machine".

The ending of this book was absolutely insane. It filled me with newfound emotions that I didn't even know existed. I can't even express what I felt at the end, just that it was a mixture of grief, happiness, glee, and a lot of other nameless emotions in my head that captured the essence of what it is like to read a great book. I could say so much more about this book but I'll just leave it at that, and now I have to go off and read other books, but it's possible none of them will be quite as good as Clockwork Princess. 

Favorite Quotes from the Book: 

"I don't think you can fight because you're wearing a wedding dress," said Jem. "For what it's worth I don't think Will could fight in that dress either."
"Perhaps not," said Will, who had ear's like a bat's. "But I would make a radiant bride."

"You know that feeling," she said, "when you are reading a book, and you know that it is going to be a tragedy; you can feel the cold and darkness coming, see the net drawing close around the characters who live and breathe on the pages. But you are tied to the story as if being dragged around a carriage and you cannot let go or turn the course aside."

"Miss Cecily," she gasped, and then her eyes went to Will. She clapped a hand over her mouth, turned, and bolted back into the house.
"Oh dear," said Tessa.
"I have that effect on women," Will said.

There are lots more, but these are the ones that I marked. I could sift through the pages and find hundreds of quotes that I loved, but I suggest you read the book and find them for yourself. :)

Emotions I felt during Clockwork Princess:

~Cover Talk~

I have been fangirling over this cover for months, but it is even more beautiful in person! When I saw this book at the bookstore for the first time, I literally gasped and sprinted up to hug the book to my chest, marveling over its beauty. Beautiful Tessa reading a book--what could be a better cover than that? Not only is the cover beautiful but the content inside is amazing. The cover literally glows and radiates beauty and power. I just love it. 

Review: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

Book: Dreamland
Author: Sarah Dessen
Release Date: May 11, 2004
Publisher: Speak
Pages: 250
Source: bought
Stars: 5/5

Ever since she started going out with Rogerson Biscoe, Caitlin seems to have fallen into a semiconscious dreamland where nothing is quite real. Rogerson is different from anyone Caitlin has ever known. He's magnetic. He's compelling. He's dangerous. Being with him makes Caitlin forget about everything else--her missing sister, her withdrawn mother, her lackluster life. But what happens when being with Rogerson becomes a larger problem than being without him? 

MY THOUGHTS:


Disclaimer: The following review might seem slightly melodramatic, but trust me, it's not melodramatic for me

Sarah Dessen has delivered something that is not typical of her books. She has delivered a haunting, heart-pounding story of a girl who struggles to find out who she is. The book was raw and intense, words that I seriously cannot believe I'm using to describe one of Sarah Dessen's books. But to be honest, this one seems to have a silver lining surrounding it, making it truly different and unique from her other books. The other books, of course, are wonderful--anyone who knows me knows that I am a diehard Sarah fan. But this one--just something about it was beautiful, even though the book was filled with painful, tear-worthy scenes that made me clench my fists so hard that my knuckles turned completely white.

If you've ever read a Sarah Dessen novel, then you know what you're coming into. You can expect a fast-moving, slightly addicting story with a strong and unique heroine, whether he be a tough and no-shit Remy or a quiet and transparent Caitlin, and a guy, whether he be a clumsy and lovable Dexter or, in this book's case, a penetrative, dark, and enigmatic Rogerson. Even though I knew that there would be a teenage protagonist and her boyfriend, I never would have expected this. I didn't know what I was getting into when I went into this book, and I have to say, it gave me a surprise. Even though Sarah Dessen's books are sometimes slightly mindless, this one radiated off desperation and pain. Through the pages, I could feel Caitlin's pain, her sense that things weren't real and she was in some kind of dreamland, and after I finished it, my head and heart felt sore, as if something had been repeatedly twisting them up into knots.

As a character, Rogerson was interesting. And I hate to use the word interesting as it is so ambiguous, but interesting perfectly describes his character.  The reader doesn't get a great sense of him, other than the fact that he is exceptionally smart and, ultimately, abusive. The way he treated Caitlin made me so angry that sometimes I wanted to tear the pages of the book (don't worry, I didn't), or read faster, hoping that his abuse would stop.  But then, Caitlin mentions several times that his father beats him, so Rogerson's pain is taken out on Caitlin. This by NO means makes it okay (it's the most not-ok thing ever...) but it made me think, Hell, what's wrong with the world? Why are people so unhappy? And why do they take it out on people that they love? Because to be honest, I think that somewhere deep down, Rogerson loved Caitlin, just like she loved him. But through his anger and emotional struggles, he didn't love her, he abused her.

Caitlin reminds me, coincidentally, of Echo from Saving Zoe, in the sense that her older sister is really, really beautiful and amazing and sets the bar for the younger sister's success extremely high, and that she is almost trying to be her sister now that she is gone. Of course, Caitlin's and Echo's sisters were gone in different ways, but still, the books seemed like practically shadows of each other. Sisterhood is a really mind-boggling concept. My sister is 10 years older than me and is beautiful, smart, and successful, you name it. Although we are ultimately fairly equal, I have often felt as if I have to be just like her, even though no one ever told me this directly.

I couldn't stop thinking of the song Haunted by Taylor Swift as I was reading this book. For those of you who don't know, the song goes: "Come on, come on don't leave me like this, I thought I had you figured out. Something's gone terribly wrong, you're all I wanted." Although Taylor Swift is clearly not singing about physical abuse, the song seems to run deeper than what she is actually singing about, and I every time Caitlin expressed her fear of Rogerson, it seemed like the song was on repeat in my head.

When I was reading this book, I felt so much pain by it that I wanted it to be over. I wanted Caitlin's pain to end and for the ending to somehow be happy. And while this book ending was not happy, it also wasn't tragic like I expected it to be. Although this is kind of a bold thing to compare it to, the feelings I got reminded me so much of how I felt during The Fault in Our Stars--like I wanted it to end so the pain of the characters could be over. For a while, during the book, I just silently cried, tears running down my face. And when I finished it, I was all set to give it 2 or 3 stars because of how terrible it made me feel.

But then I was reminded of the fact that if a book makes that strong an impact on you, then it must be a good book because the writer is doing a good job. So instead, I give it 5 stars because of the way it made me feel empty.

Dreamland was a mysterious, haunting book. Although I seem to say this about every Sarah Dessen book, this one is the one that REALLY stands out, and I think the silver lining around it will always stay there, making the experience of reading this book an incredible experience. Just writing this review, reflecting on my thoughts, has realized how much this book made me think about life in general. A beautiful book. Sarah, you've done it yet again.

Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa

Book: The Immortal Rules

Author: Julie Kagawa

Series: Blood of Eden #1

Release Date: April 24, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Pages: 485

Source: bought

Links: Goodreads | Amazon 

Stars: 5/5

IN A FUTURE WORLD, VAMPIRES REIGN. HUMANS ARE BLOOD CATTLE. AND ONE GIRL WILL SEARCH FOR THE KEY TO SAVE HUMANITY. 

Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a vampire city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them. The vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself is attacked—and given the ultimate choice. Die… or become one of the monsters. Faced with her own mortality, Allie becomes what she despises most. To survive, she must learn the rules of being immortal, including the most important: go long enough without human blood, and you will go mad. Then Allie is forced to flee into the unknown, outside her city walls. There she joins a ragged band of humans who are seeking a legend—a possible cure to the disease that killed off most of humankind and created the rabids, the mindless creatures who threaten humans and vampires alike. But it isn't easy to pass for human. Especially not around Zeke, who might see past the monster inside her. And Allie soon must decide what—and who—is worth dying for. 

MY THOUGHTS:

In reality, when faced with death and the great unknown that came after, my survival instinct snatched wildly at whatever lifeline was offered.

Best. Vampire. Book. Ever. Written.

As someone who is openly derisive and mocking of the whole vampire craze, I wasn't sure what to expect from The Immortal Rules.  It had a potentially interesting idea but I felt that my scorn for vampires would pretty much cloud over all the good stuff in it, despite all of the insistent pleas from friends that I should read it. However, upon reading this book, I am compelled to think otherwise, because this book was so beautifully written and structured that I could hardly keep from dancing around my room after I finished it.

Allison Sekemoto is a street rat when the book opens, a Fringer who every day struggles to both survive and help those around her survive. As an Unregistered (a human not forced into being a vampire's blood bag, but also a human who does not receive food), some days she feels as if she is right on the verge of death. Then, when she discovers cans and cans of food outside the city walls, she realizes that this food is the key to her survival. Guiding her "friends" to the food, the group is attacked by rabids, and before Allison dies, a vampire finds her and gives her the choice. Either she can die. Or she can become a vampire, the thing that she loathes the most in the world.

You can tell from that somewhat vague recount of the opening of the book that  The Immortal Rules is haunting and not for the faint of heart. There was lots of murder, blood, and violence in this book, but the way that Julie Kagawa told the story made my heart twist in anticipation for the next event. Her writing made me pretty much wonderstruck. It enraptured me from page on, and the sequence of events was perfect, each event slowly bleed (ha-ha) into the next, was just magical. I never knew what to expect throughout the time when I was reading this book, and I find myself clinging to the plot and writing, devouring it as if it were 100 spoonfuls of chocolate frosting.

Allison, as the heroine of the book, went through her highs and lowes throughout the book. At times I felt she was being stubborn and inconsiderate, and at times I totally got her. It was interesting to see what Julie Kagawa did with her character throughout the book. Despite the fact that she was now a bloodsucker, Allison gripped onto her humanity stubbornly and even though her vampire instincts overpowered her at times, she still seemed as if she were a normal girl (if not a little jaded from her years of near starvation) which was why she did such a good job disguising herself amongst the humans. Although Allison went through her ups and downs, I think, now that I've finished the book, that it's safe to say that Allison ended up being a pretty stable protagonist.

The love interest of this book, Zeke, stole my heart in ways that I didn't think were possible. His determination, bravery, and unconditional love for those around him made him lovable and tragic at the same time. In addition, he is completely sweet and protective and trusting. Although he was hurt, confused, and frightened when he found out what Allison was (a vampire), he came around and trusted her, despite her longing for his blood (now that was the only part I found a little creepy). The ending of the book is tear-worthy and I can't wait to see where Julie Kagawa takes this series.

I also liked Kanin although I don't think of him as a potential love interest for Allison, although I know that some people might think of him that way. *****SPOILER ALERT: I hope that Allison can save him, but also come back to Zeke, who she loves.*****

I hesitate not to say that this was not only the best vampire book that I've read (not that I read that many vampire books) but also the best paranormal romance I've read in a long time, possibly ever! No question that this book deserves the 5 stars that I have awarded it. This book was pure, utter bliss, and has also opened my eyes to the fact that not all vampire books are bad.