Hi guys, I missed you! I'm so sorry I've been away for so long, life just breezed past, so as an apology I'm going to host an I'm back giveaway. This giveaway will include my favorite books I read while I was gone (which is a lot). So please check it out!
Summary: A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, The Great Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--"Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream. It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. (goodreads.com) My Review: This summer I took it upon myself to try and read more classics. So I picked up the Great Gatsby. I chose this book out of numerous classics simply because it was an short read. Most of the time I do reviews targeted towards young adults but I decided to challenge myself and take on a literary classic. This book starts out in the roaring 20's, full of extravagance and charm, one can't help but fall in love with this time period and dream of experiencing the glitz and glamour of East Egg's elite. At first we're exposed to the living conditions of Nick Carraway, an inhabitant of West Egg, who lives a seemingly comfortable life and is confounded by his neighbor, who he deems "The Great Gatsby". In the beginning Fitzgerald packs his literary masterpiece full of imagery and exposition. Describing the setting in such detail that one would believe they are right there, standing alongside Nick Carraway. The reader is entranced by the decadence and the affluence of the upper class. As I read the book I fell in love with the characters and their quirks, their charisma, and their little charms. The book is beautifully written and I strongly recommend it. Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Rating(Goodreads): 3.83/5 Rating(Personal): 4.2/5 Summary (Goodreads): I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't ask to be some kind of hero. But when your whole life gets swept up by a tornado—taking you with it—you have no choice but to go along, you know? Sure, I've read the books. I've seen the movies. I know the song about the rainbow and the happy little blue birds. But I never expected Oz to look like this. To be a place where Good Witches can't be trusted, Wicked Witches may just be the good guys, and winged monkeys can be executed for acts of rebellion. There's still the yellow brick road, though—but even that's crumbling. What happened? Dorothy. They say she found a way to come back to Oz. They say she seized power and the power went to her head. And now no one is safe. My name is Amy Gumm—and I'm the other girl from Kansas. I've been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, and I've been given a mission: REMOVE The Tin Woodman's heart, STEAL The Scarecrow's brain, TAKE The Lion's courage, And then-- DOROTHY MUST DIE. My Review: I like to think of myself of a person who has a reasonably acceptable vocabulary with horrendous grammar, but when I think of the book Dorothy Must Die the only two words that run laps around my mind is "utterly fantastic" Dorothy must die is a modern twist on the age old classic Wizard of Oz. We meet the classic character Dorothy with a twist on her character. Instead of the sweet innocent Dorothy we meet the controlling manipulative one. Not only does Dorothy must die take the regular and classic characters from Oz and manipulates them in such a way that it keeps the reader in anticipation of more, wanting more, needing more. Dorothy must die is the kind of book that keeps you engrossed, it's the kind of book that you get lost in, live the lives of the characters. It is a truly enjoyable past time and gives a refreshing, modern twist of the dreary classic Wizard of Oz. When Danielle Paige takes you to post-apocalyptic Oz I knew this book had to be a real treat. My first initial reaction to this book was "Oh another one of these" and i was less than excited to continue on, yet something about Paige's writing made me continue on, was it her plot development, suspense, elements of literature, I have no idea, but I am so glad that I trekked through the story. The part of a story that I judge the harshest is the ending. It can't be anything less than perfect, and endings are hard. You can try to tie up all loose ends but somehow you never will. There will always be some critic running his mouth on all the things you did wrong, but the ending of Dorothy must die left me like a crack addict on with-drawl. It was extremely painful for me not being able to read the next book just because i was addicted to it. Dorothy to die is a must read and a truly enjoyable experience. Summary: Emma and Galen’s kingdom and their love is threatened by long-lost Syrena in the brilliant conclusion to Anna Banks bestselling trilogy. Emma, half human and half Syrena, and her Syrena love, Galen, need time together alone. Away from the kingdoms of Poseidon and Triton. Emma’s grandfather, the Poseidon king, suggests the two visit a small town called Neptune. Neptune is home to both Syrena and Half-Breeds alike. But Emma and Galen didn’t sign up to be peacemakers between the ocean and the land-dwelling, freshwater Syrena. They didn’t bargain for meeting a charming Half-Breed named Reed, who can barely disguise his feelings for Emma. And they especially didn’t expect to find themselves in the middle of a power struggle that threatens not only their love but their ocean kingdoms. In this stunning conclusion to her bestselling Syrena Legacy, Anna Banks thrills fans with more action and romance than ever My Review Of Neptune is the third installment in the Syrena Legacy series. When I heard about this book I had a lot of mixed feelings about it, I thought that Of Triton had wrapped this series in a neat little bow and that this book would tear it apart, but I was so wrong. Of Neptune was one of the best books I have ever read. During this book I experienced several emotions; pure joy, emotional heartbreak, delirious laughter and even red hot jealousy. In the first quarter of this book a lot happens; Emma and Galen go on a road trip, they meet a town of half-breeds and Galen gets kidnapped. When Galen got kidnapped I thought that this book is over, this plot had been done unsuccessfully so many times, but I told myself to keep reading because I owed it to myself and the fantastic other two books. Right now I am so thankful that I kept reading because this book almost gave me two heart attacks, the first one was when Galen was kidnapped and no one did anything about it, I could hear my heart shatter in two, I couldn't deal with the stress that my perfect couple might be over. My second heart attack occurred when Reed kissed Emma, I was terrified that Emma might actually choose Reed, and again, I found the urge to put the book down because I couldn't deal with my emotional stress, but something wouldn't let me and I read on, then we find out that everyone in this book is connected to the other two books and how everyone's part is actually important instead of meaningless characters that we would never hear about again. Finally we come to the ending where Toraf, Nalia, Grom, and Rayna all come to save the day and try and kidnap a hostage (this is where I experience my delirious laughing). Once everything is over with and the Epilogue takes place I start to cry, the ending was so beautifully written that I for one have no words. The Syrena Legacy series is a must, must, must read and I have no idea what to do with myself now that one of the best series ever written is all over. -Express Reviews "I don't want this night to end, but at the same time, I want tomorrow to begin. And all the rest of the days with my Triton prince." -Anna Banks, Of Neptune By: Kiera Cass Genre: Romance/Fantasy Pages: 323 More Info: Third Book in the trilogy. Summary: The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen. America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants. From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned My Review My Rating: 5/5 stars Before I review this book I just want to say that you must understand how hard it is for me to write this review. I found this series originally in a book shop in China called; Crosswords. I fell in love with this book instantly, and the moment the second book came out I devoured it, in a couple of hours. I tortured myself waiting for the 3rd book. I stalked Kiera Cass' blog and read all her interviews, looking for even the tiniest hint for "The One" and when the teasers were published screams were heard all over my house. Having almost a year to wait for the release of this book I had HUGE expectations. My first problem was I couldn't decide who I wanted America to be with: Aspen or Maxon. I hadn't picked a team. I guess that could be viewed as a problem considering that this would make it nearly impossible to like the final book, but I couldn't decide who I wanted America to be with. When this book came out on May 6th something remarkable happened. I couldn't bring myself to read it. I couldn't read it, after months of needing this book I couldn't read I had to force myself to read it. Not because I hated the book, oh heck no, but because I was petrified to leave the safety bubble in my fantasy where America did exactly what I wanted her to. Where everything was perfect. Finally one night I forced myself to read the book, and once I did I realized what an amazing author Kiera is. Let me tell you, endings are hard, you can try and tie up the loose ends but they're always going to be more, and no matter what you do there will always be those people who hate the book, who hate what you've done. Kiera did something brave for her ending, and I can say with a straight face that I LOVED it. I would have never come up with something so ingenious, something so wonderful. I know that their probably is a person out their complaining saying I hated this wording choice on page 78 line 2, but these tiny flaws is what makes the book perfect. When reading this book I laughed, cried and smiled. I feel like we all live vicariously through America till we all meet our "Prince Maxon". While reading this book Kiera tormented me so much, first she brought Aspen, major problem, then Kriss, again major problem. There were some chapters where I just died especially towards the end. By writing this book Kiera Cass has officially fallen into my Hall of Fame. A lot of people think this is just a sappy romance novel, but it's not. It's about doing the right thing when everyone else is telling you not to. It's about being happy and that's all that matters. I think we can all learn a lesson by reading The One. If you haven't even read "The Selection Series" it's your loss because this series, forget this book is amazing and there are no other words for it aside from perfect. Hey Guys!! Since it's March and a new month I am starting March Madness every week (or twice a week) I will be giving away books, that I have read and approve of!! March Madness WILL be international. If any authors would like to participate in March Madness email me at [email protected]. March Madness will be kicked off with a SIGNED copy of Lila's Choice by Laura Brown. This giveaway will begin on March 2nd. Good Luck!! - Express Reviews Author: Perie Wolford Pages: 170 pages Genre: Science Fiction Goodread rated it: 4.36/ 5 Summary: Telling a story about the importance of survival within any circumstances, however strange, and showing a girl-in-a-man’s-world angle, Presence is a novel about Samantha, a woman in her late twenties, both smart and attractive. One day, Samantha’s regular life is suddenly turned around as the fact of her existence is somehow erased from the world. Nobody seems to remember her, her own apartment is occupied by the uninvited tenants, and even her sister, the only family Samantha has, is unable to recognize her. Lost and confused, Samantha accepts help from a stranger, a charismatic man named Archie, whom she accidentally encounters and unwillingly joins him in his fight against the silent invasion of the planet Alpha planet as he calls it; and he himself happens to be a soldier from a parallel one, Beta. The glass wall put between Samantha’s new life and her former life makes her discover the roadside of the world, dark and silent, the hidden place where her primary instincts come to the surface and she finally feels the urge to fight for herself and for others My Review The Characters I loved Samantha, she was vulnerable and strong at the same time. I was rooting for her ALL the time! Samantha is a source of inspiration to all women. Samantha was a trooper, never quit just kept fighting, even when her world around her was tumbling down. I loved the idea of the "system" and how you can just get erased from it. The Plot I LOVED the original, captivating idea of this book. Truth to be told it was the plot that kept me entwined with the book. There were so many new elements that kept getting exposed chapter after chapter that made me want to scream. This book was filled with so many plot twists I questioned life after reading this (because of this book whenever I hear a ringing noise I freak out.) The noise that Samantha heard, that drove her crazy, drove me crazy trying to figure out what it was. I definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves sci-f Author: Xunaira J Goodreads rates it: 4.87/5 starsSummary from Goodreads: Meet Sarah, a nine-year old girl with a talent for painting and an adoptive family who supports her in everything she does. She lives a happy life with her foster-father who is her idol and her foster-mother who loves her unconditionally. Little does she know that her past will come back to haunt her and an atrocity that happened nine-year ago would come to light. What will be Sarah’s reaction when she is subjected to a past that she has no knowledge of? Sandy is scared, worried and somewhat irritated because of the weird voices she hears from the attic above. With the help of her best friend, Anne, she decides to find out the source of this all racket but what will she find hidden up there? Would the truth shock her? Will the frail, old and lonely novelist who had managed to incur an emotion so inside him be able to change the course of his life? Self-made and hardworking Jenny was looking forward to the opening ceremony of her novel when she is subjected to the hatred and scorn of her best friend, Cindy and made a laughingstock in town. Will Jenny be able to hold her head high? My Rating: 4.69/5 stars My Review: Abandoned in the Attic I liked Sarah I found her sweet and it was no wonder that her charisma charmed everyone into loving and protecting her, overall Sarah was a very likable character. I loved this story because on every page a felt a new degree of suspense. I was quite shocked when Xunaira revealed the conditions of how Sarah was raised. I found Alice's heart to be quite warm and her to be quite kind, she never had to take Sarah in but she did, and that was amazingly kind of her. Footsteps in the attic Oh my sweet goodness! This short story left me with goosebumps, I was shivering all the time, and when I thought I figured this out, man I was so far from wrong. If you love suspenseful books this is definitely the story for you! The Novelist This story actually reminded me of a story my grandparents and parents would tell me, which is why I loved this full book, they're tales we've all heard before but with an interesting twist bestowed upon them. I loved this one the most, it taught me that even thoughts have power which was hauntingly beautiful. The Ribbon Cutting Ceremony I also loved this story (surprise, surprise) this story follows a women's journey and her ugly emotions just to get what she wants, I related to this book because our emotions aren't always positive and the theme of this story showed us what these ugly emotions can lead to. Like all of these stories Xunaira provides us with excellent work with famous morals that we all hear throughout our childhood. Why didn't I rate this 5 stars if I loved it so much? I didn't rate this 5 stars because writing short stories is very hard, and it is extremely hard to portray character development in a matter of pages. I admit, Xunaira did a magnificent job writing this book but sometimes I found some characters undeveloped. Don't get me wrong though, this is By: Leigh Ann Kopans Genre: Romance, Young Adult Pages: 300 Goodreads rate: 4.44/5 stars Summary From Goodreads: 1 crush on your best friend + 1 gorgeous, scheming new girl + 1 Mathletics competition = 1 big mess SIMPLIFY. Ashley Price doesn’t have much in life after being bullied so hard she had to leave her old school to live with her aunt and uncle in Pittsburgh. But the camera she borrowed from her best friend and secret crush Brendan, and her off the charts math abilities, make things a lot more bearable. Plus, since Brendan is the captain, making the school Mathletes team should be easy. But when gorgeous new girl Sofia rolls in and steals Brendan, Ashley's place on the team, and her fragile foothold on the Mansfield Park Prep social totem pole, it’s on. Sofia is everything Ashley left her old school to escape. The only thing Ashley didn’t count on is Sofia’s sexy twin brother Vincent. Vincent is not only the hottest boy in school, he’s charming, sweet, and he’s got his eye on Ashley. He’s also not taking no for an answer. There's no real reason Ashley shouldn't like Vincent, but with the battle lines being drawn between her and Sofia, Ashley’s not sure which side he’s on. Or which side she wants him to be on. She does know Sofia is trouble with a capital T, and she’s determined to make Brendan see it. SOLVING FOR EX is a YA contemporary romance that remixes Mansfield Park as Clueless meets Mean Girls in a crazy mix of high school society, mathletic competition, and teenage romance. My Review My Rate: 4.6/5 stars The Plot I found this book adorable, I agree I might be a little biased, being a nerd and all, but I feel like any reader that liked contemporary romance would like this book. This book did take on the plot of Jane Austen's Mansfield Park and resembled it in many ways. One of the things I didn't like about this book was that I have already read Mansfield Park and I had already knew the outcome of the book, which was a little disappointing (there's nothing worse when you know the outcome of books). I found it adorable how at the end of each chapter Leigh left a little math problem that when solved would leave a message, the answer would be portrayed in the first few chapters but towards the end they would stop with the answer. The math problems might be a little harder for younger math students. There were some parts in the book that was a little confusing, like when Brendan said he didn't like Sofia but then still kissed her, I found it a little puzzling. The Characters The characters were a little confusing at times, first we get Vincet, he's charming and kind, but then he blows up at Ashley for nothing, it just wasn't his character, he showed no signs of moodiness or traits of anger, he just exploded. It was so out of context that I was surprised, but not in a good way, if you want a character to explode like that you need a little foreshadowing, sure there was the part when he was cheating but I just didn't expect it. |
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June 2017
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