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Showing posts from 2016

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys Review

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Wow… This book made me emotional… Winter, 1945. Four teenagers. Four secrets. Each one born of a different homeland; each one hunted, and haunted, by tragedy, lies…and war. As thousands of desperate refugees flock to the coast in the midst of a Soviet advance, four paths converge, vying for passage aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship that promises safety and freedom. Yet not all promises can be kept. Inspired by the single greatest tragedy in maritime history, bestselling and award-winning author Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray) lifts the veil on a shockingly little-known casualty of World War II. An illuminating and life-affirming tale of heart and hope. - goodreads.com summary    “Guilt is a hunter. Fate is a hunter. Shame is a hunter. Fear is a hunter.” “The Wilhelm Gustloff was pregnant with lost souls conceived of war. They would crowd into her belly and she would give birth to their freedom.”     While strolling through

This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab Review

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Yet another AMAZING book by Victoria Schwab! So great, that I read the last two hundred pages in one sitting! There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books. Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, Aug

Bout of Books 18 Sign Up

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Well Christmas has past and now we are getting ready for the new year! What better way to celebrate the new year than with a read-a-thon?! For anyone who doesn’t know… “The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 2nd and runs through Sunday, January 8th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 18 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog .” - From the Bout of Books team Bout of Books read-a-thons are super fun and I encourage you to look into participating! My goals/TBR depends where I am in my reread of The Raven Boys at the start of the read-a-thon but I hope to be finished with the entire Raven Cycle by the end of the read-a-thon. Comment below if you are planning on participating. Kee

My Netflix Adventure: The 100 Season 3

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Netflix updated Season three of The 100 , so you know what that means! Many of you may not know but I’m a huge fan of The 100 . Sadly, due to all the behind the scenes and fandom drama surrounding season three, I opted to wait until the season was on Netflix to watch it. Now that I’ve seen Season three, I understand some issues people have with it, but I’m glad that I waited to watch it on my own. Season three’s plot can be split into two main sections. The first half is mostly dealing with repercussions from Mt. Weather, and disagreements among the sky people. But then Lexa dies, ALIE becomes more of a threat, and things become more about fighting ALIE, than fighting grounders. I found myself more of a fan of the first half the season rather than the second. Octavia and Lincoln have basically swapped positions in society with Octavia being the grounder and Lincoln being with sky crew. I loved the tensions this brought to their relationship as well as to Arcadia. In seaso
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Songs of Seraphina Jude Houghton Publication date: June 30th 2015 Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult Some battles bleed so much, and for so long, that the earth never truly forgets their dead. Some battles are born of oppression, and some of greed, and some simply because it was written in the stars. Three sisters—Charlemagne, Cairo and Pendragon Agonistes—are sent from America to England to live with their eccentric grandparents after their mother disappears and their father falls to pieces. But before the girls have time to find their feet, Charlemagne is married off to a dead man, Penny takes a nap and wakes up as a boy, and Cairo is swept into a dangerous romance with a man who wants her for more than her considerable charm. With the girls wrapped up in a conflict they barely understand, they don’t notice that their grandmother is transforming, or that the two demigod assassins who took their mother are now coming for them—if one of them can get over his crisis of conscience

Reading, College Applications, and Netflix (or lack thereof)

So, as you may have noticed, I have been absent from my social media for the past months. No, this isn’t because I have retreated to a cabin in the woods to live a life of solitude, but rather my life has been taken over by color guard, school, and college applications. I haven’t even had much time to watch Netflix which, is super depressing when considering that fact that I still haven’t seen season one of Luke Cage , season four of Arrow , season eleven of Supernatural , or season five of Once Upon a Time . I promise I am working on getting caught up with all that, starting with Supernatural , but it is taking some time. The reading side of my life is practically none existent, at the moment. I’m supposed to be reading A Tale of Two Cities for English class, but I just have no time ! I’ve also been sporadically listening to Lady Midnight on Audiobook, but I’m nowhere near done with that… sorry. But I am LOVING Mark so far and I think Julian is beginning to get some developmen

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: Book Vs Movie

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Guess who finally got off her lazy butt and did something… MEEE! :) I read Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children a few years ago and, although the book was tedious at the beginning, I enjoyed it. When I heard about the movie coming out I was curious, especially when I heard Tim Burton was directing it. However, I didn’t plan on going out of my way to see the movie until I heard that it goes into the plot of, not only the first book, but also the second and third books. After becoming more interested in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children , I finally checked it out this weekend and… I really enjoyed it! Probably what surprised me the most is how accurate to the book the film was. I was expecting changes going in since I knew ahead of time that Emma’s peculiarity would be changed, but that was one of the biggest changes. With that said, I found that change odd, since it basically switched Emma and Olive’s peculiarities. Both characters still existed and served

Where Have I Been?

It isn’t hard to notice but I haven’t been posting much lately, this goes for on here and on Instagram. To be honest, life has just been super busy. I know, everyone uses that excuse, but it is my senior year so I have to worry about applying to colleges on top of my usual work. I haven’t been reading as much as I’d like to; even though I do usually have a book with me, I don’t get a chance to read much. Around the middle of October I should be able to post and read more. At that time marching season will be over for me (other than football games) and I’ll have more time, I should also be done with applying to colleges soon. Anyway, I hope things have been good for you! Keep Reading… Elise!

The Dark at the End by Susan Adrian Blitz

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The Dark at the End (Tunnel Vision #2) by  Susan Adrian Genre: YA Thriller Release Date: September 27th 2016 Summary from Goodreads: Continuing the critically acclaimed story of TUNNEL VISION:  Jake thinks he has only one more step and he’ll be free: he has to get the serum to stop his ability to tunnel—to find and control people through objects. But Jake’s contact has been killed, and there's no sign of the serum. Then Jake’s mom and little sister Myka are kidnapped, right under his nose. With the government, his power-mad father, and the terrifying Mr. Smith all after him while he still has his power, he doesn’t have anywhere to turn.  What will Jake do to get his mom and little sister back?  Anything. Add to Goodreads Buy Links: Amazon Kindle | Amazon Paperback    Tunnel Vision (Tunnel Vision #1) on Goodreads THE DARK AT THE END Interview with Susan Adrian Tell us a bit about yourself! By day I'm a scientific edit

Nickel by Robert Wilder Book Blitz

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Nickel by  Robert Wilder Genre: YA Contemporary Release Date: September 13th 2016 Leaf Storm Press Summary: A STORY OF LOVE, LOSS AND LOYALTY. Being a teenager is hard enough without your mother in rehab and your slightly inept stepfather doing his best not to screw things up. But at least, Coy has Monroe. Coy is a quirky teenage boy and his best friend Monroe is a girl who is just as odd and funny and obsessed with 80’s culture as he is. So when Monroe comes down with a mysterious illness, his inner turmoil only grows. As Monroe gets sicker and Coy gets a girlfriend from another social crowd, the balance tips and Coy has to figure out how not to give up on his friend, his family, or himself. Nickel is a hilarious, heartbreaking and honest portrayal of the complicated world of being a teenager today. “No one has ever written about the pains of being a teenager–physically and psychologically, inside and out–quite like Robert Wilder in his startling debut novel

Undivided by Neal Shusterman Review

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This book was a roller coaster of emotions… Teens control the fate of America in the fourth and final book in the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman. Proactive Citizenry, the company that created Cam from the parts of unwound teens, has a plan: to mass produce rewound teens like Cam for military purposes. And below the surface of that horror lies another shocking level of intrigue: Proactive Citizenry has been suppressing technology that could make unwinding completely unnecessary. As Conner, Risa, and Lev uncover these startling secrets, enraged teens begin to march on Washington to demand justice and a better future. But more trouble is brewing. Starkey’s group of storked teens is growing more powerful and militant with each new recruit. And if they have their way, they’ll burn the harvest camps to the ground and put every adult in them before a firing squad—which could destroy any chance America has for a peaceful future. – goodreads.com

The Reader by M.K. Harkins Review

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I had really high hopes for The Reader … it really disappointed me. Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island. She is soon approached by two young men claiming to be her friends. Something isn’t right, but when gunshots sound, Ann is left with little choice but to allow Devon and Archer to help her escape. Soon she finds herself in their North Bend mountain compound, where the higher evolved humans claim to be mind-readers. While Ann heals, she realizes they believe her to be one of the last and most powerful of all – The Lost One. She’s welcomed by most with opened arms, but not everyone is happy about her arrival. A jealous adversary has plans for Ann, which spirals the entire Reader community into chaos. As lies, murder, and betrayal threaten to rip apart the once harmonious mountain dwellers, Ann is thrust into making a decision that could save or devastate not only The Readers, but a

The Reader by M.K. Harkins Blog Tour

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Author Links: The Reader by  M.K. Harkins Genre: YA Paranormal Release Date: August 25th 2016 Summary from Goodreads; Hunted, shot, and without her memory, eighteen-year-old Ann Baker wakes in shallow water on a deserted Pacific Northwest island. She is soon approached by two young men claiming to be her friends. Something isn’t right, but when gunshots sound, Ann is left with little choice but to allow Devon and Archer to help her escape. Soon she finds herself in their North Bend mountain compound, where the higher evolved humans claim to be mind-readers. While Ann heals, she realizes they believe her to be one of the last and most powerful of all – The Lost One. She’s welcomed by most with opened arms, but not everyone is happy about her arrival. A jealous adversary has plans for Ann, which spirals the entire Reader community into chaos. As lies, murder, and betrayal threaten to rip apart the once harmonious mountain dwellers, Ann is thrust into making