tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1131136002487806002024-03-21T10:53:22.583-07:00CarolineReadsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-88827373892844851282017-05-06T20:18:00.003-07:002017-05-06T20:18:38.666-07:00Review: Alex and Eliza
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32860355" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478173816m/32860355.jpg" border="0" alt="Alex and Eliza" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32860355">Alex and Eliza</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21911">Melissa de la Cruz</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1956867333">3 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
This is a historical fiction novel about Elizabeth Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton, and how they came to be married. The Netgalley sample I received was only for 4 chapters, but I finished it on audiobook, so here are my thoughts:<br /><br />In the early chapters, I realized that the author stated that they had maids or servants, and ignored the presence of slavery in the time period. I looked further into it, and the Schuyler's definitely had slaves. This felt very inauthentic, and though it was not the point of the novel, it glazed over a very real part of the United States History.<br /><br />The author said she made it historically accurate to a point, and it definitely felt like that. I really appreciated how the characters talked, and how it sounded like they belonged to a previous time period. Also, it was really cool that the author based the story on real people in US history. It was a cute, fluffy novel imagining Alex and Eliza's courtship and the challenges they must have faced due to their differences in status. I enjoyed how Eliza is portrayed passionate about the Revolution and helping the troops of the colonies, and I also enjoyed the portrayal of Peggy and Angelica, though I wish they had been more present in the novel. Perhaps they will be in the sequel? I gave this 3/5 stars.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1956867333">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-48201119973510995762017-03-12T07:27:00.001-07:002017-03-12T07:27:41.732-07:00Review: Someone Else's Summer
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30285632" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476497273m/30285632.jpg" border="0" alt="Someone Else's Summer" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30285632">Someone Else's Summer</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6998406">Rachel Bateman</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1937495252">3 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
* I received an e-galley from Net Galley for review. The quotes that I utilized in this review may not be final.<br /><br />Someone Else's Summer is about a girl named Anna , who is recovering from her sister, Storm, passing away on graduation night. She finds a list that Storm wrote before she passed away of things she wanted to do during the summer. Anna begins to complete the list with her late sister's best friend, Cameron. <br /><br />I liked this book because it covered grief, and dealing with the death of a close one. It also showed the recovery process. I enjoyed seeing Cameron and Anna's interactions, and the adventures they went on to complete the list. Cameron helped to bring Anna out of her comfort zone, and she grew from their experiences.<br /><br />There were certain plot points that I found to be not so great. Earlier in the book, Anna is at a party with her friend Piper, and she begins to feel uncomfortable. Then, when a man attempts to sexually assault her, she tells Piper that she is leaving, while her friend remains at the party. In a situation where the girls don't know anyone else at the party, and Anna was almost assaulted, it's dangerous to leave her drunk friend alone with older men who are strangers. <br /><br />Also, Anna's Aunt Morgan let her get away with everything, which eventually meant that Anna was allowed to leave home for up to 3 weeks with a boy, staying in hotels/ B & B's alone. I could see this happening if Anna was in college, but for her Aunt to let her have free reign, regardless of the consequences was questionable. Furthermore, Aunt Morgan did not really support Anna's need to remain connected to her sister by completing the list. She basically told Anna that she needed to find her own place in the world, separate from Storm, rather than supporting her need to remain connected to her sister after she passed away.<br /><br />In the first few chapters of the book, the author continued to use strange descriptions, such as "his bloodshot and wet, framed by splotchy skin and pure devastation, mine clear and steely", and "His body is all sharp corners and acute angles, pieced together with tape and a child's glue stick". These descriptions felt a little strange, and elaborate, and didn't really connect with the story.<br /><br />Overall, the story is about overcoming loss, while remembering people you loved, and still loving them after death. It has romance, and grief, and it makes for a cute contemporary, despite the way it starts. I give this 3.5 stars.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1937495252">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-11385248733408400892017-03-08T12:00:00.000-08:002017-03-11T21:10:27.513-08:00Diversity Bingo Update! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7eoqPoZfVHsvA3_g0CPZQ5X95IafCs4l-tuS3R3S_yO29I9Y0ChZnm_2IuOSMg4UBx9LLZtr6WfHWFLMNKMfIDf0j2KK2mSUloJn_rY7v5PcNwNpqFET8tOcK0mHTescalbdq96J3SA/s1600/28763485.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA7eoqPoZfVHsvA3_g0CPZQ5X95IafCs4l-tuS3R3S_yO29I9Y0ChZnm_2IuOSMg4UBx9LLZtr6WfHWFLMNKMfIDf0j2KK2mSUloJn_rY7v5PcNwNpqFET8tOcK0mHTescalbdq96J3SA/s320/28763485.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon is a Young Adult Contemporary novel that is relatively a new release. It discusses immigration and deportation, and the story is told through multiple perspectives. The main characters, Natasha and Daniel are both immigrants. Natasha is undocumented, and her parents immigrated from Jamaica. Daniel's parents legally immigrated from South Korea. Overall, I liked the use of multiple perspectives, and how Daniel and Natasha's culture impacted their story. I did a review on my BookTube channel if you want to check out more of my thoughts.<br />
<br />
*This book will fulfill "An immigrant/refugee MC" for Diversity bingo<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIruSBYlaXVElhG_4LeZ8V8_Zq_wd7D_RN9Ld7BSpm0PnzXloIZzium55i6Ecu1v8c98HDxKEMlteBoENtKsdrTgvHOqU5VMKYGBpyxlhiJcf6a6AWI0SaJewlP9j49IHftYMiLnr0EiI/s1600/offireandstars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIruSBYlaXVElhG_4LeZ8V8_Zq_wd7D_RN9Ld7BSpm0PnzXloIZzium55i6Ecu1v8c98HDxKEMlteBoENtKsdrTgvHOqU5VMKYGBpyxlhiJcf6a6AWI0SaJewlP9j49IHftYMiLnr0EiI/s320/offireandstars.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
I also read "of Fire and Stars" by Audrey Coulthurst. This is a fantasy novel in which a Princess is betrothed to a Prince from a foreign kingdom, only to fall in love with his sister. Also, the Princess hides her ability to use magic, something that is forbidden in their world. I was glad to see a non-heterosexual couple romance, but that was the only part of the book that was interesting! The world building wasn't well done, and I couldn't tell what the plot was until almost the ending!<br />
<br />
*This book will fulfill "Bisexual MC: Own voices" for Diversity Bingo.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-32581135019265313992017-01-30T10:26:00.000-08:002017-01-30T10:28:19.723-08:00Let's Play Diversity Bingo!It's Diversity Bingo time! I've heard about this recently, and it's such a cool idea! This chart is comprised of challenges for books featuring diverse characters. The goal is to complete the bingo board in the year of 2017. I just finished #DiverseAThon 2017 yesterday, so I think it's about time to continue my goal of reading about more perspectives! I know lots of booktubers and bloggers are trying this challenge, so I thought I'd join the group!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYI9tOm9EZBJ27XKfV_jA2mBi4kmTJsI4kDsS8gFzXSfOpGfppyNb1gaNMEfFQQDH3bb5xgw-0yXR-ui1c_1Hec25eLw26idpaIAuGZ6uE8AGnoAXZ5CIKdHj4seXaTxRd2Iwzl8OW-Q/s1600/Diversity+bingo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSYI9tOm9EZBJ27XKfV_jA2mBi4kmTJsI4kDsS8gFzXSfOpGfppyNb1gaNMEfFQQDH3bb5xgw-0yXR-ui1c_1Hec25eLw26idpaIAuGZ6uE8AGnoAXZ5CIKdHj4seXaTxRd2Iwzl8OW-Q/s640/Diversity+bingo.jpg" title="" width="446" /></a></div>
<br />
To download this image, I'd recommend searching it on Google. My plan is to cross it off through the year, and post about my experience here. So far this year, due to DiverseAThon, I've already read stories featuring diverse characters. So, let's see...which squares can I cross off?<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Book By Author of Color: </b>Americanah by<span class="by smallText"></span>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">
<span itemprop="name">Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</span> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYStConEDu6f1ICgs_zEG3nLfQoH00vj5ikP3YzAxgG-DqfYPC0MNmpCumMVNyoWHTnm22HXe7zjWYxC4h_DnSEmfROccVTgPKx9Ji-ptczmqT0HqnhOmkTVLudqE5RlS35GSzpzrjrs/s1600/Americanah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFYStConEDu6f1ICgs_zEG3nLfQoH00vj5ikP3YzAxgG-DqfYPC0MNmpCumMVNyoWHTnm22HXe7zjWYxC4h_DnSEmfROccVTgPKx9Ji-ptczmqT0HqnhOmkTVLudqE5RlS35GSzpzrjrs/s200/Americanah.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">I just finished this book! It details the story of a woman from Nigeria as she moves to the US for education, and details her struggles, her relationships, and how she sees the world. I strongly recommend this book. It enabled me to see the world completely differently than I ever have. It also helped me to discover even more about white privilege/ how privileged I am. This book was mentioned in many DiverseAThon TBR videos, and strongly recommended, and thankfully I was able to read it during DiverseAThon. The author is also Nigerian herself, writing about a Nigerian woman, so it's an Own voices book.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><b>MC on the Ace Spectrum (Own voices): </b>Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j3sJ1lKm4GLFp8Qx8QTiL71E9JeDve0UoSxZOcNVzSIwrmyhXOaEKjj3DWCReg3dlu1hhTyv6x2wCygiS_QcdzCbFNvb71dr_t3s1HOr7YRjDDzRREw-n4YCERcLJKJhq4V8EkIGOjk/s1600/everyheartadoorway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1j3sJ1lKm4GLFp8Qx8QTiL71E9JeDve0UoSxZOcNVzSIwrmyhXOaEKjj3DWCReg3dlu1hhTyv6x2wCygiS_QcdzCbFNvb71dr_t3s1HOr7YRjDDzRREw-n4YCERcLJKJhq4V8EkIGOjk/s200/everyheartadoorway.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> Wow! This book was definitely worth the hype. I've heard many booktubers and book bloggers talk about this book, because it has an asexual main character. It is pretty difficult to find books that talk about asexuality or have an asexual character, so it was very refreshing. This book's tone is very similar to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but I loved it so much more. It is about a home for children aged 12-19 who return from different worlds (kind of reminds me of Narnia). It's kind of dark, but not so much that it's creepy or scary (I don't particularly read those books anyways). It also features a trans character, and people of color. Futhermore, the author identifies as asexual, so it's also an Own voices novel. </span><br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><b>Own Voices: </b>The Star Touched Queen by Roshani Chockshi</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeRlIxN4BptZVMAp85BJFKeUjg7w54puGhdN4n34A6OrKsDZSncOxXx32PEXzh4TKohTBPqpk2r-nbTkSDTXKHH0I-TatKhk1ypnTYyQBMIW1UgaUkwCvFkkoQe5MvYyXfdPCzWcL6b4/s1600/startouchedqueen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzeRlIxN4BptZVMAp85BJFKeUjg7w54puGhdN4n34A6OrKsDZSncOxXx32PEXzh4TKohTBPqpk2r-nbTkSDTXKHH0I-TatKhk1ypnTYyQBMIW1UgaUkwCvFkkoQe5MvYyXfdPCzWcL6b4/s200/startouchedqueen.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">This novel is based on Indian mythology and folklore. It follows the story of Maya, whose father is the Raja of a kingdom. She has a horoscope (kind of like a prophecy) which says that she is going to have a marriage that will lead to death and destruction. She ends of the Queen of Akaran, a mysterious kingdom, and is unsure if she can trust her husband, the King. This book had an interesting story, but the pacing and worldbuilding was not quite what I believe it could have been. The cover, though, is a work of art! The author is Indian, so once again, Own voices!</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">So...that wraps up my progress so far on Diversity Bingo. I'm really happy with what I've read so far, and my hope is to continue to challenging myself by discovering new books and authors of diverse backgrounds, and reading more Own voices books. If you want to join me, let me know! </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa5sJdYGpxXkprgv7kc2IIbFq4V3KhnHQI0rRRabE2NY9r1e6ZtLggpea2f8ie9ltzgxcmb3yCS9Jd_xrmlClP8F0ePtT6zrh9RiJuz_ZlrL34Gtp4IZ8KM-mYyUAyXu6zj1LlWDycmE/s1600/Diversity+bingojan30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEa5sJdYGpxXkprgv7kc2IIbFq4V3KhnHQI0rRRabE2NY9r1e6ZtLggpea2f8ie9ltzgxcmb3yCS9Jd_xrmlClP8F0ePtT6zrh9RiJuz_ZlrL34Gtp4IZ8KM-mYyUAyXu6zj1LlWDycmE/s640/Diversity+bingojan30.jpg" width="444" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person">Also, check out my BookTube channel where I talk about my DiverseAThon experience!</span><br />
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sOrloVNuNro/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sOrloVNuNro?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D2EFItfrmI0/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D2EFItfrmI0?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"><br /></span>
<span itemprop="author" itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person"> </span>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-73936886129390293152017-01-26T12:26:00.001-08:002017-01-26T12:26:38.436-08:00Review: Every Heart a Doorway
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1431438555m/25526296.jpg" border="0" alt="Every Heart a Doorway" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296">Every Heart a Doorway</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2860219">Seanan McGuire</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1829070676">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
"Every Heart a Doorway" has a very intriguing premise. I love the concept explored in the story: What happens after you come back from another world? It's hard to acclimate and it's confusing. I feel like that's also what happens after you read a world changing book (kind of like a mourning period). The children in the story have found doors to other worlds that they can travel to. They could have visited a "nonsense" world, a "logic" world, an underworld, a world composed of spiders, or skeletons, etc. This concept is so different from anything I've ever read. The way I think of it is what should have happened to the Pevensies after "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe". How do children go back to life in our world after being gone for six weeks, or six years? This book was originally described to me as "Ms. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, but better"! The representation in this book was fantastic! The main character is asexual (the first time I've seen it represented in a book or otherwise), another is transgender. There so many different races and ethnicities are represented. I really admired the way the author approached sexuality. However a character identified, the story was not built around it. For example, the main character was asexual, but it was quickly explained, and it simply added to the complexity of that character, rather than being used as a plot point in the narrative. The book was short (around 190 pages), the pacing was well done, and the world building was extraordinary. I loved the narration, and the voice it had in the story. I have never been more pleased that I picked up a recommended novel, and I strongly recommend that everyone read this book!
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1829070676">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-22179566237565687472017-01-26T12:07:00.001-08:002017-01-26T12:07:27.749-08:00Review: How to Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25674284" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433552561m/25674284.jpg" border="0" alt="How to Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25674284">How to Be Happy: A Memoir of Love, Sex and Teenage Confusion</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14163455">David Burton</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1892984506">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I really enjoyed reading this book. It follows the author as he experiences his adolescence, and deals with the struggles of questioning his sexuality as well as confronting his mental illness. This book gave me a great insight into his experience, and it showed how difficult adolescence is. It confronts issues regarding discovering sexuality, growing apart from friends, self mutilation, and relationships/breakups. Despite how different the author's teenage experience was from my own, I found it completely relatable. Every teenager has a difficult time discovering who they are whilst trying to maintain appearances. To read about David's thoughts during this difficult period in his life, it reminded me that you never really know what is going on in someone's head. Despite how everyone portrays themselves to the world, we really all are incredibly clueless. In adolescence, who we are, who we want to be, what we want to do...it all seems inconceivable. This book was a great reminder also, that no matter how difficult life may seem, it will get better. It is never too late to achieve happiness, and it may seem difficult, but we will all find our way. I think this book is suitable for any young adult/adult to read, and I would strongly recommend it.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1892984506">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-23302455288047954312017-01-13T09:19:00.001-08:002017-01-13T09:19:13.983-08:00Review: A Thousand Pieces of You
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17234658" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1400166295m/17234658.jpg" border="0" alt="A Thousand Pieces of You" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17234658">A Thousand Pieces of You</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1192311">Claudia Gray</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1877912025">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
WOH! I started this after midnight, and I read it all the way through and finished it before 4 am! This is the first time that I can remember reading a book in one sitting (though I read The Cursed Child in one sitting, but it's a play, so it doesn't really count). <br /><br />A Thousand Pieces of You is the story of a girl named Marguerite whose Father, a scientist who created Firebird, a device that enables the wearer to travel between dimensions, is killed. It seems that his research assistant, Paul, killed him and ran off. So, Marguerite and Theo (another research assistant), travel in between dimensions with prototypes of Firebird, in an attempt to bring her Father's killer to justice.<br /><br />This book is fantastic! The ways the other dimensions are imagined, I loved it! The idea of Firebird is that when you put it on and travel to another dimension, you are thrusted into your body in the other universe. I love the way the main characters in these books were different in other dimensions. My favorite dimension was where Marguerite was a princess in Russia, and I loved how Paul's other dimension self was similar, yet different. <br /><br />I was disappointed that I could spot plot twists so far ahead, but I was still invested in the story and I was still entertained, and I love the way the story unfolded. I've seen other people's reviews, in which they discuss that it was more of a romance than a Sci-Fi book, and I concur with that. However, I don't think it affected how much I loved this book, since I'm not a Sci-Fi reader normally. I think this book is more about the characters and their development, and that's just the way I like it. Also, the cover is a complete masterpiece. <br /><br />I feel like I almost never give a book 5 stars, but it was inevitable for this book. The fact that I couldn't put it down, and got much less sleep due to my investment in the story is definitely a part of that. I loved how the universe was constructed, and it strongly reminded me of The Flash on the CW, where Barry travels to different earths. Barry meets himself, and discovers how different the other version of him is, due to his life experiences changing. It also reminded me of The Next Together by Laruen James, but it was done even better! So, to finish this review out, if you like adventure, fate driven romance, and sci-fi, I think you'll like this book! <br />
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1877912025">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-35645851622983647022016-12-08T07:26:00.001-08:002016-12-08T07:26:11.572-08:00Review: The Assassin's Blade
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18243700" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1384362444m/18243700.jpg" border="0" alt="The Assassin's Blade" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18243700">The Assassin's Blade</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3433047">Sarah J. Maas</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1751247982">3 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
The Assassin's Blade is a series of novellas set before the beginning of the Throne of Glass series. It chronicles her time at the Assassin's Keep, and her relationship with Sam Cortland. I enjoyed reading this book to understand Sam and Celaena's relationship, and how it impacts her in the Throne of Glass series. Like when she says, "I am Celaena Sardothien, and I will not be afraid", it was cool to find out how that originated. However, I did not feel emotionally connected to this book. I felt as though I should be sad when I got to the part where Sam dies (which if you read the Throne of Glass series, you know that already happens), but I didn't have an emotional response. I enjoyed getting the background of Celaena before Endovier, before she became a Champion. It was interesting to see what it was like for Celaena to live in the Assassin's keep, and have some more understanding about her mental state before coming to compete to be a Champion. But overall, I don't think it was particularly needed, and it definitely did not compare to other novellas I've read before, or the Throne of Glass series.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1751247982">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-33088497346032938682016-11-17T18:54:00.001-08:002016-11-17T18:58:18.225-08:00Review: Girl Online<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22510983" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Girl Online" border="0" src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1410112710m/22510983.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22510983">Girl Online</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8316649">Zoe Sugg</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1812466382">2 of 5 stars</a>
<br />
<br />
*I reviewed this book for NetGalley*<br />
<br />
Girl Online follows a girl named Penny from Brighton in the UK, who suffers from anxiety and vents her feelings and shares her thoughts on the anonymous blog as “Girl Online”. She’s a teenager, so she deals with a lot of drama from other pupils, and has to deal with panic attacks and other sources of anxiety.<br />
<br />
Girl Online is written by Zoe Sugg, a YouTube personality known as Zoella. I have followed her videos for the past year or so, and I was interested to see what her book was about. If you weren’t aware, there is a controversy surrounding this book, since many believed that is written by a ghostwriter.<br />
<br />
As I began the book, I wasn’t particularly optimistic. I found that the book seems to be written by an adult, using out of date words, or vocabulary that teenagers don’t use. Also, the characters don’t seem to act in a way teenagers do. It feels inauthentic, and it is hard to believe that this story could happen to someone in real life. The characters are also supposed to be around year 11 in the UK, 15 or 16 years old, but the way the story’s written feels as though they are 12 or 13.<br />
<br />
Also, since I follow Zoe on YouTube, I am aware that she lives in Brighton, deals with anxiety, and loves Christmas. It seems like she projects her experiences with anxiety, living in Brighton, and loving Christmas, rather than relating it to the characters. I felt as though she was trying too hard to portray her life experiences, rather than convey the experiences of a character who just happens to deal with anxiety like her. <br />
<br />
What I did like was reading about the panic attacks and anxiety through the book, written by someone who faces anxiety. I enjoyed being able to understand more of the mindset of someone who has anxiety, which is hard to get from an outside source. As an online personality, I understood some of the things she wrote about, such as when she said “I didn’t do my usual thing of waiting to see if it got any comments or shares”. I enjoyed the relationship between Penny and her guy best friend, Elliot.<br />
<br />
So, things I didn’t like about the book. The awkward phrasing, such as “all glossy chestnut hair and pouting”, “his blue eyes are sparkling like the sea in the winter sunshine”. Also, the relationship between Penny and the love interest in this novel was very insta-love. They hung out for about 6 hours, realized they had so much in common and were PERFECT for each other, and a few days later were in love. Also, in one of Penny’s blog posts, she mentions how life is going absolutely wonderful, and her life’s been completely turned around because she met a guy. This does not make me like this book, nor do I believe it’s true. Once you meet someone, your life isn’t fixed because of them. That is an untrue and unhealthy thought for teenagers to have, and I don’t think mentioning it in a book while positively impact the readers.<br />
<br />
Also, I don’t think the author(s) understood that Americans and British people speak differently. At one minute, “Brooklyn boy” is judging Penny for using very British terms, but later he himself says something extremely British. Research should’ve been required! A lot of things in this novel, I knew were going to happen way ahead of when they did, so the book was pretty predictable. Not ALL the time, but very easy to guess. <br />
<br />
This was one of those books where the characters are in relationships, and it seems okay by the middle, so you have to wait a while for conflict to surface and be resolved within the last 50 pages. So, the pacing wasn’t great. It felt like a super cheerful fanfic at times, seeing the best parts of the relationship, then quickly through itself into drama.<br />
<br />
So, overall, I’m giving it a 2.5 stars. It could have been a lot better, and much more realistic. I may continue the series, because I would like to know what happens to the characters, but I don’t believe this book accurately captured the teenage experience. Some parts were relatable, but it felt, say it with me everyone, “INAUTHENTIC!”<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1812466382">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-65553447874436869172016-10-13T20:15:00.001-07:002016-10-13T20:15:29.047-07:00Review: Red Queen
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328546" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1449778912m/22328546.jpg" border="0" alt="Red Queen" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328546">Red Queen</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7074943">Victoria Aveyard</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1766319506">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I'd heard so much about Red Queen, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I originally thought (because of the title) that it was a retelling of Alice and Wonderland from the Queen's perspective, however that is not true. Red Queen is a dystopian fantasy book about a girl named Mare, who grows up in a "Red" family in a world where people are divided by their Red or Silver blood. The Silvers have all the power and magical abilities, whereas the Reds are conscripted into military service. Mare, however, is sent to the palace to work for the royal family and discovers that she has mysterious magical abilities that should be impossible. She is then betrothed to a prince and begins to try to help her people from the position she acquired. Whilst this is happening, a rebel group called The Scarlet Guard is trying to save the Reds from oppression and build a new, fairer government. <br /><br />Overall, I really enjoyed how all of the characters were rounded and well developed. The story always kept me on my toes, and I could only speculate what would happen next. Mare's family was a huge part of the story, and I could really tell how motivated she was to help them, despite their disapproval of how she made money for her family. I found the relationship between Mare and Cal/Mavin to be a trope, but I won't reveal any more for the purpose of making this review spoiler-free. The friendships in this story, particularly between Mare and her best friend, and Mare and Cal, were very central to the story and added a lot of depth to her character. There was one thing that annoyed me about the story, though, which was the use of the phrase, "I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding". The ending (basically the last hour of the audio-book) completely blew me away, and really made me love it more, which contributed to my five-star rating. I definitely recommend you give it a try if you love stories with strong female characters, fantastical elements, and well-developed characters.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1766319506">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-83279951709749761912016-08-31T17:55:00.001-07:002016-08-31T17:55:28.243-07:00Review: The Bane Chronicles
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16303287" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1395159015m/16303287.jpg" border="0" alt="The Bane Chronicles" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16303287">The Bane Chronicles</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150038">Cassandra Clare</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1733713522">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I loved this collection of novellas, and though I didn't completely speed through this, I really enjoyed having more insight on characters that weren't featured as much in The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. <br /><br /> My favorite novella was the one featuring Edmund Herondale. It was also interesting seeing the backstory of Magnus and his relationships with fellow Warlocks Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss, and his relationship with Camille. Plus, these novellas presented more of Malec's relationship in the books that we never got to see, since the books were focused more on Clary. <br /><br /> I did not realize that Tessa was at Magnus' house when Jocelyn came trying to stop Clary seeing the Shadow World at a young age. Seeing more from The Circle was great, because their prejudice was less theoretical, and more hard hitting. I previously read the Shadowhunter Academy novellas, so I already learned more about Valentine's followers, but to read how brutal they were and how loyal they were to Valentine was quite enlightening. It was also great how a novella explored more of Raphael's backstory, and added to my understanding of his character. Furthermore, seeing how Ragnor Fell and Raphael interacted was great. I love how they both ganged up on Magnus! <br /><br /> I give this novella bind up a 5/5 stars, because the writing was excellent, the characters were rich and well developed, and every novella broadened my understanding of the Shadow World. Having multiple authors did not change the fluidity of the story or the characterization, and it did not change the quality of the story.<br />
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1733713522">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-3451061538611544732016-08-08T17:28:00.001-07:002016-08-08T17:28:45.817-07:00Review: Size 12 and Ready to Rock
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12968400" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1324337410m/12968400.jpg" border="0" alt="Size 12 and Ready to Rock" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12968400">Size 12 and Ready to Rock</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11654">Meg Cabot</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1722890974">5 of 5 stars</a>
<br /><br />
I love this series from Meg Cabot. It has just the right amount of Comedy and Mystery. Heather Wells was a pop star in the 90's, and is no longer in the music industry. She is now an Assistant Residence Hall Director at New York College, a Private College in New York City. With this job, she has to deal with many troublesome College students, and the situations they get their selves into. She has investigated mysterious deaths in past books of the series, and that doesn't change in this book.<br /><br />Heather Wells' character is very relatable, I believe, despite her pop star past. In this installment, we learn more about Jordan and Tania's marriage, and Tania's past. In the earlier books, we don't learn much about her except that she is the reason that Heather and Jordan broke up. Also, a reality TV show aspect is introduced which creates an opportunity for more drama as well as more comedy, which is much appreciated. Heather and Cooper are engaged in this novel, not so secretly (despite their wishes). I really appreciate the natural progression of their relationship, and it has a presence in the story, but the novel isn't overwhelmingly focused on their relationship.<br /><br />I enjoyed the continuing tales of Jordan and his family, as his eccentric sisters are introduced. Also, Magda and her boyfriend Pete do not have such a big presence in this book, but it does not take away from the story. New characters are introduced such as Stephanie, Jared and Lisa Wu. I enjoyed the segment with parallels between Lisa and Heather particularly. <br /><br />I found no problems with this book to speak of. I enjoy each Meg Cabot book, and I don't necessarily find any faults in them. The pacing was great, the story advanced well, introducing new characters and examining previously established characters more. Adding a backstory to Tania's character added a lot to the central plot, and I enjoyed seeing the different layers of her character. This series keeps getting better, and I can't wait to read the last book, The Bride Who Wore Size 12.
<br/><br/>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1722890974">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-68484907631305009072016-06-19T11:16:00.001-07:002016-06-19T11:19:56.519-07:00Review: The Next Together<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23266378" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="The Next Together" border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426278095m/23266378.jpg" /></a>
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23266378">The Next Together</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8596769">Lauren James</a><br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1626600864">3 of 5 stars</a>
<br />
<br />
The Next Together is a reincarnation romance set in the 18th, 19th and 21st centuries that examines how love can cross centuries and endure despite hardships. <br />
<br />
I enjoyed the reincarnation romance aspect of it, and how science was a part of the book. I also enjoyed Katherine and Matthew's characters, and my favorite time scape was the one in the 1700s, though the one in 2039 was great too. I didn't really enjoy their 2019 communication through texts and letters. It felt like they would never talk about top secret information or write it down in that fashion, so it didn't really seem real.<br />
<br />
I enjoyed that history was injected into the storyline, however I would have enjoyed seeing a greater variation of time periods. I didn't particularly enjoy the 1854 storyline. Also, when they have the text at the end of sections that says "request for intervention, request denied", it was very confusing as it was never mentioned who "controlled" their time scapes and time so they could be reincarnated.<br />
<br />
I found the message of the novel, that love can always bring people back together and that even death can not separate us, very moving. Overall, I would give this book 3.5 stars. The story wasn't particularly well written, and I sometimes couldn't connect with Katherine (in 2019), but it was a pretty original idea for a novel, and the different time scapes weren't difficult to follow.
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1626600864">View all my reviews</a>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-84406440038030471572016-06-06T21:36:00.001-07:002016-06-07T07:04:08.538-07:00My 100 Subscriber Giveaway!Hi everyone! I just reached 100 Subscribers and 1000 views on YouTube, so I decided to do a giveaway! This is the first giveaway I've ever done, and I'm so excited! This giveaway is for The Crown by Kiera Cass, which I have ranted about ever since I started my YouTube Channel. It was my most anticipated read for the entire year, and I'm really happy to be sharing it with you guys!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlokymbBMkJyKNuUSfeJf02KPVkaWkapXdy8GXtpSNax2pF_HCrWHZAKpNUGGBrlBzh0Y6jLL_6b-sgyQjPPADBCps3Hvu6TK2OTv9tZyGwpPS-5-81eLy__9vKpyT9LaWGxh3wI7Wz7A/s1600/TheCrown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlokymbBMkJyKNuUSfeJf02KPVkaWkapXdy8GXtpSNax2pF_HCrWHZAKpNUGGBrlBzh0Y6jLL_6b-sgyQjPPADBCps3Hvu6TK2OTv9tZyGwpPS-5-81eLy__9vKpyT9LaWGxh3wI7Wz7A/s200/TheCrown.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
Instructions:<br />
1) To enter this giveaway, you must be subscribed to my channel, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNa8JYdDp27XL0L2s_UOtLQ" target="_blank">CarolineReads. </a><br />
2) You also must live in the US for this giveaway. I hope to do an international giveaway in the future. <br />
3) If you want an extra entry, you can retweet my pinned tweet about the giveaway<br />
4) If you want an extra entry, you can follow me on twitter, <a href="https://twitter.com/Reads_Cara" target="_blank">Reads_Cara</a><br />
<br />
<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="b898a88c1" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b898a88c1/" id="rcwidget_kmyjvqgt" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-113113600248780600.post-78307715046659355522016-06-06T12:21:00.001-07:002016-06-06T12:21:20.340-07:00My First Blog PostHi Everyone! This is my first blog post. My name is Caroline, and I have a BookTube Channel called Caroline Reads. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNa8JYdDp27XL0L2s_UOtLQ" target="_blank">Check out my BookTube Channel here!</a> I love to talk about books, movies and tv shows, and share my passion for reading! I wanted to start a book blog so that I could become more connected with the reading/blogging/BookTube world, so that I can share my ideas, and make some friends! I hope you'll check me out, and that we can build a community together.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0