THE RAVEN CYCLE DISCUSSION | BOOKS I & II

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1)

The Dream Thieves (The Raven Cycle #2)

Maggie Stiefvater 

Almost everyone I know loves The Raven Cycle. I tried so hard to get into the series - the first two books. On both occasions, I complained incessantly about the slow plot. When will the action start?! Because I pushed myself to continue, I became bored and unmotivated. Fortunately, the endings redeemed the pain "I suffered" - such a drama queen. By the end of both novels, I found myself liking the characters more. I was very intrigued by their parts in the story and their personality. I know this may be somewhat controversial, but I enjoyed Joseph Kavinsky in The Dream Thieves. He's a terrible individual, but he's so exciting and thrilling to read about. Side note: if you search up his name, there are a lot of Tumblr aesthetics of him portrayed by Ash Stymest, which I find amusing, I don't know why. By the end of the novels, I also wanted more of the overarching plot. The cliffhangers enthused me and drove me to the library, in search of the next book. 

DU MAURIER'S STUDY IN JEALOUSY | REBECCA REVIEW

Rebecca
by Daphne du Maurier
Victor Gollancz | 1938

       The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives-presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

WE COULD BE BEAUTIFUL | REVIEW

We Could Be Beautiful

by Swan Huntley
Doubleday | June 28, 2016
ARC Copy Courtesy of Publisher

        A spellbinding psychological debut novel, Swan Huntley’s We Could Be Beautiful is the story of a wealthy woman who has everything—and yet can trust no one.
        Catherine West has spent her entire life surrounded by beautiful things. She owns an immaculate Manhattan apartment, she collects fine art, she buys exquisite handbags and clothing, and she constantly redecorates her home. And yet, despite all this, she still feels empty. She sees her personal trainer, she gets weekly massages, and occasionally she visits her mother and sister on the Upper East Side, but after two broken engagements and boyfriends who wanted only her money, she is haunted by the fear that she’ll never have a family of her own. One night, at an art opening, Catherine meets William Stockton, a handsome man who shares her impeccable taste and love of beauty. He is educated, elegant, and even has a personal connection—his parents and Catherine’s parents were friends years ago. But as he and Catherine grow closer, she begins to encounter strange signs, and her mother, Elizabeth (now suffering from Alzheimer’s), seems to have only bad memories of William as a boy. In Elizabeth’s old diary she finds an unnerving letter from a former nanny that cryptically reads: “We cannot trust anyone…” Is William lying about his past? And if so, is Catherine willing to sacrifice their beautiful life in order to find the truth? Featuring a fascinating heroine who longs for answers but is blinded by her own privilege, We Could Be Beautiful is a glittering, seductive, utterly surprising story of love, money, greed, and family.

(Go here to win a  $2,000 gift card from Amazon, not my giveaway)

OWEN MASON GENTRY, READ MUD VEIN NOW!

Mud Vein
by Tarryn Fisher
CreateSpace | March 8, 2014

          When reclusive novelist Senna Richards wakes up on her thirty-third birthday, everything has changed. Caged behind an electrical fence, locked in a house in the middle of the snow, Senna is left to decode the clues to find out why she was taken. If she wants her freedom, she has to take a close look at her past. But, her past has a heartbeat...and her kidnapper is nowhere to be found. With her survival hanging by a thread, Senna soon realizes this is a game. A dangerous one. Only the truth can set her free.

Pay no mind to the cover. This book is great.

HE WILL BE MY RUIN REVIEW

He Will Be My Ruin

K.A. Tucker
Atria Books | February 2, 2015

          Twenty-eight-year-old Maggie Sparkes arrives in New York City to pack up what’s left of her best friend’s belongings after a suicide that has left everyone stunned. The police have deemed the evidence conclusive: Celine got into bed, downed a bottle of Xanax and a handle of Maker’s Mark, and never woke up. But when Maggie discovers secrets in the childhood lock box hidden in Celine’s apartment, she begins asking questions. Questions about the man Celine fell in love with. The man she never told anyone about, not even Maggie. The man who Celine herself claimed would be her ruin.
          On the hunt for answers that will force the police to reopen the case, Maggie uncovers more than she bargained for about Celine’s private life-and inadvertently puts herself on the radar of a killer who will stop at nothing to keep his crimes undiscovered. 

YOU REVIEW

You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes
Publish Date: September 25, 2014
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Status: Finished

         When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.
         There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight-the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.
         As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way-even if it means murder.

BOOK REVIEW | THE ROMANCE *PUKE*

The Madman's Daughter (The Madman's Daughter #1)
by Megan Shepherd
Publishing: January 29, 2013 | Balzer & Bray
Status: DNF

          Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.
          Accompanied by her father’s handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

THE NOT SO EPIC CONCLUSION | :' (

Never Never: Part 3 (Never Never #3)
by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher
Self Published
Publish Date: January 19, 2015
Status: Complete

           Together, Silas Nash and Charlize Wynwood must look deeper into the past to find out who they were and who they want to be. With time ticking down, the couple are in a race to find the answers they need before they lose everything. Can they regain what they once had? And will it restore who they once were?

CoHo Book Binge: First

Never Never Part 1 & 2 by Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Publish Dates: January 7, 2015 & May 17, 2015

I went into this series with absolutely no knowledge whatsoever (Just like Silas and Charlie.) I'm sorry. Throughout this review, I'll be referencing the book. I thought the series was completed, but now I have to wait until January 26, 2016 for the final installment. I'm so smart sometimes... So hangry with myself.

The Botanist Review

First off, thank you to Sophie of Seamless Reader for bringing this book to my attention! Your reviews are awesome!

Another big thank you to the publisher for sending me this book.

The Botanist

Author: L.K. Hill

Publish Date: March 31, 2015

Publisher: Jolly Fish Press

     In the heat of the desert, Detective Cody Oliver inadvertently stumbles upon a strange garden adorned with exotic flowers. Upon closer inspection, he finds the garden is but a cover for the scores of bodies buried below. Soon, the small town of Mt. Dessicate plunges into chaos as journalists, reporters, and cameramen from across the nation descend upon the tiny, desert town to get a piece of the action.
     Along with the media, a mysterious woman appears. She may be the only person who has come face to face with the killer, dubbed the Botanist, and lived to tell the tale. If Cody can't piece together a timeline of the land the crime scene is located on, decipher how the woman's mysterious past is connected to the killer, and bring the Botanist to justice, he may lose the people he values most.

Paper Towns Review

Paper Towns by John Green
Publish Date: October 16, 2008
Publisher: Speak

     Who is the real Margo?
     Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the wildly adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life-dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge-he follows. After their all-nighter ends, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues-and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...

      I was really hesitant about reading this book. I liked TFIOS (Like being the very important keyword), but I thought it had too much hype, it was over-glorified, and the writing/characters were way too mature. I think I read this book because Cara D is going to be in the movie adaptation and the book was only $8.00 at BJs.
      So how did I feel about this book? I'm still reading it at this point
      Q is a pretty creepy guy. He's so obsessed with finding Margo. He has always watched her from afar and he even remembers her scent. Margo isn't any better. I love her wild personality, her drive for revenge, her creativity, intelligence, and way of thinking, but she's a terrible person for leading Q on. Her mission for Q is a wild goose chase. It's misleading. When you think you're going somewhere, you're halted by a dead end.

After Finishing the Whole Book
      I didn't expect this book to be great throughout, which is great because I would be very disappointed if I did. This book had its ups and downs. It was not consistent. The beginning was all about Q's boring, constant, uniform existence. Then, Margo comes along, shakes things up, and they execute their revenge. They have some fun, bond a bit, and then Margo leaves Florida. Goddamn...
      This leaves Q heartbroken in some way. He goes back to his boring life, obsessing over the thought of Margo and pulls his two friends into this mess.
      I was just aggravated by Q during this time. He keeps thinking She wants to be found by me. I must find her. As said above, he's just obsessed and annoying.
      But, the events really start snowballing and get exciting on graduation day. The real adventure starts and it's mind-blowing. Green has so much knowledge on road trips. It's thought out wonderfully and executed well. Seriously, I learned so much from the trip.
      I loved how everyone contributed to the trip. Lacey kept them going with her "knowledge" of nutrition. Radar helped by calculating speed, time, breaks, and all those variables to ensure that they get to their destination on time. Q...the only thing he really contributed was hope and determination. He was pretty useless out of all of them. Then, there's my favorite character in this book, Ben.
      Sweet, dirty, funny Ben. Love you to pieces. I think he's the reason why I kept reading this book. He is a GREAT, AMAZING, WONDERFUL comic relief.
      Anyway, I changed my thoughts on this book towards the end. Q isn't as terrible as I thought, it wasn't his fault. It was Margo all along. She's obsessed with Q, like he was obsessed with her, and she planned this whole elaborate plan to "be with him." This whole plan was to reminisce the old days-the days when they were close friends. She was the sick, puppet master.
      Well that's my interpretation...
      This book was so John Green. It was full of metaphors and had very intelligent, thoughtful ideas/writing. He's a very intelligent person and his writing is great, but it didn't speak to me. It's so high thinking and philosophical...which isn't really my reading style.

If You're Lucky Review

WARNING: OVER-INTERPRETATION AHEAD!

If You're Lucky by Yvonne Printz

Publish Date: October 20, 2015

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

     Is Georgia's mind playing tricks on her, or is the entire town walking into the arms of a killer who has everyone but her fooled?
     When seventeen-year-old Georgia's brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky's death was just bad luck. Lucky was smart. He wouldn't have surfed in waters more dangerous than he could handle. Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky's best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky's father, charming Lucky's mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life?  
     Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky's death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she’s getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she’s saying.

Shadow, Shadow Review

Sorry for the lack of reviews.

I've been posting in detailed reviews on goodreads.

Which leaves me little to discuss on my blog.

Plus, I have to post on Netgalley.

Shadow, Shadow (The Shadow Pines Trilogy #1)

Published and Written by V.B. Marlowe

Publish Date: February 15, 2015

Rating: 

          "The four of you have been blessed with a great gift. Well, it's a gift for you, but a curse for someone else." 
          Harley receives a mysterious gift on her sixteenth birthday-a shadow box. The box gives her the power to trade someone to the shadows, meaning they will disappear and cease to exist. Harley can't imagine doing such a horrible thing and is warned that using the box comes at a price. Unfortunately, not using the box can be even more costly. Harley must make this life-altering decision as she discovers frightening revelations about her home. 

Figment Review

Figment (Mad in Wonderland #2)
by Cameron Jace
Publishing: CreateSpace (Paperback) 11/28/14

          After Alice's unfortunate encounter with the Cheshire cat, she went a little more bonkers. She starts to question whether what happened last week was just her imagination and if Jack Diamond's just another figment of her imagination. But, she learns that she's not that bonkers, when the heads of children have been chopped off and stuffed into a watermelon all over the city. Seems like another Wonderland Monster has escaped...
          Alice joins forces with the Pillar, again, and solves the Cheshire's riddles to save the people of London. But, will her sanity be lost?

Don't Look Back Review

Don't Look Back by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publishing: Disney-Hyperion 4/10/14 & 4/15/14
Genre: YA, Mystery, Contemporary, Romance, "Thriller", Realistic Fiction
Recommendation: Mehh. I love JLA, but this book wan't THE best or THE worst. It was in the middle. Her fantasy books are better, in my opinion.