Obsessed With Fairy Tales : 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #234

The Meme Comes From The Book Dare

Books I Read Last Week:

Review: Four Three Two One by Courtney C. Stevens

Summary from Goodreads:

In this contemporary YA novel, a girl reunites with the three other survivors of a bus bombing that killed nineteen people, and together they face the secrets, struggles, and emotional warfare that each has been enduring.

Golden “Go” Jennings wasn’t supposed to be on Bus 21 the day it blew up in New York City. Neither was her boyfriend, Chandler. But they were. And so was Rudy, a cute stranger whom Go shared a connection with the night before. And Caroline, a girl whose silence ended up costing nineteen people their lives.

Though it’s been a year since the bombing, Go isn’t any closer to getting over what happened. Since Chan shuts down every time Go brings that day up, she decides to reach out to Rudy. Just like that, the two fall right back into their easy, deep connection. Facing the past head-on with Rudy has opened up a small window of healing Go never thought was possible. So she makes an impulsive decision: Round up the rest of the survivors and head to New York City. There they will board an art installation made of the charred remnants of Bus 21.

But things are never easy when it comes to rehashing the past. Uniting the four stirs up conflicting feelings of anger and forgiveness and shows them that, although they all survived, they may still need saving.

Review:

Annual End of the Year Survey

(image stolen form Goodreads, idea stoen from Jessica @AGreatRead.)

2018 Reading Stats

Stacking The Shelves

Reviews:

Review: Flame in the Mist (#1) by Renee Ahdieh

Review: To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin

Friday Meme: Things Coming Out This Month That I Want To Read/See/Play # 142

Books: Week of 1/07

Movies: Week of 1/07

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Review: Flame in the Mist (#1) by Renee Ahdieh

Summary from Goodreads:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wrath and the Dawn, comes a sweeping, action-packed YA adventure set against the backdrop of Feudal Japan where Mulan meets Tamora Pierce.

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.

Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

My Review:

Waiting on Wednesday # 216 and Wishlist Wednesday # 216

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you pick a book that is coming out soon that you want to read.

Happy Holidays! Teaser Tuesday #79 and Top Ten Books I Hope I Find Under My Christmas Tree This Morning #213

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #233

The Meme Comes From The Book Dare

Books I Read Last Week:

Stacking the Shelves/Weekly Update #224

Stacking The Shelves

Reviews:

Review: Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Tess Sharpe (Editor), Jessica Spotswood (Editor)

Review: After the Fire by Will Hill

Summary from Goodreads:

Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she'll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn't count on is that her mother's obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy's mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats.

Between her mom's diet-helicoptering, missing her sister, and worrying about her collegiate future, Savvy has enough to worry about. And then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

Review:

Friday Meme: Things Coming Out This Month That I Want To Read/See/Play # 141

Books: Week of 12/31

Movies: Week of 12/31
Taylor Russell in Escape Room (2019)

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Review: Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft by Tess Sharpe (Editor), Jessica Spotswood (Editor)

Summary from Goodreads:

A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era.

Review:

Waiting on Wednesday # 215 and Wishlist Wednesday # 215

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you pick a book that is coming out soon that you want to read.

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #232

The Meme Comes From The Book Dare

Books I Read Last Week:

Review: After the Fire by Will Hill

Summary from Goodreads:

The things I've seen are burned into me, like scars that refuse to fade.

Before, she lived inside the fence. Before, she was never allowed to leave the property, never allowed to talk to Outsiders, never allowed to speak her mind. Because Father John controlled everything—and Father John liked rules. Disobeying Father John came with terrible consequences.

But there are lies behind Father John's words. Outside, there are different truths.

Then came the fire.

Review:

Stacking the Shelves/Weekly Update #223

Stacking The Shelves

Reviews:

Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Review: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Friday Meme: Things Coming Out This Month That I Want To Read/See/Play # 140

Books: Week of 12/17

Movies: Week of 12/17

Thursday, December 13, 2018

Review: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Summary from Goodreads:

A dark enchantment blights the land

Agnieszka loves her village, set in a peaceful valley. But the nearby enchanted forest casts a shadow over her home. Many have been lost to the Wood and none return unchanged. The villagers depend on an ageless wizard, the Dragon, to protect them from the forest's dark magic. However, his help comes at a terrible price. A young woman must serve him for ten years, leaving all she values behind.

Agnieszka fears her dearest friend Kasia will be picked at the next choosing, for she is everything Agnieszka is not - beautiful, graceful and brave. Yet when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he takes.

Review:

Waiting on Wednesday # 214 and Wishlist Wednesday # 214

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you pick a book that is coming out soon that you want to read.

Teaser Tuesday #77 and Top Ten January Releases I'm Looking Forward To #211

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #231

The Meme Comes From The Book Dare

Books I Read Last Week:

Review: Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

Summary from Goodreads:

Once upon a time, back at Darrow-Harker School, Beatrice Hartley and her six best friends were the cool kids, the beautiful ones. Then the shocking death of Jim—their creative genius and Beatrice's boyfriend—changed everything.

One year after graduation, Beatrice is returning to Wincroft—the seaside estate where they spent so many nights sharing secrets, crushes, plans to change the world—hoping she'll get to the bottom of the dark questions gnawing at her about Jim’s death. But as the night plays out in a haze of stilted jokes and unfathomable silence, Beatrice senses she’s never going to know what really happened.

Then a mysterious man knocks on the door. Blithely, he announces the impossible: time for them has become stuck, snagged on a splinter that can only be removed if the former friends make the harshest of decisions. Now Beatrice has one last shot at answers--and at life.

Review:

Stacking the Shelves/Weekly Update #222

Stacking The Shelves

Reviews:

Review: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

Review: A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

Review: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

Summary from Goodreads:

After
Jess is alone. Her cabin has burned to the ground. She knows if she doesn’t act fast, the cold will kill her before she has time to worry about food. But she is still alive—for now.

Before
Jess hadn’t seen her survivalist, off-the-grid dad in over a decade. But after a car crash killed her mother and left her injured, she was forced to move to his cabin in the remote Canadian wilderness. Just as Jess was beginning to get to know him, a secret from his past paid them a visit, leaving her father dead and Jess stranded.

After
With only her father’s dog for company, Jess must forage and hunt for food, build shelter, and keep herself warm. Some days it feels like the wild is out to destroy her, but she’s stronger than she ever imagined.

Jess will survive. She has to. She knows who killed her father… and she wants revenge.

Review:

Waiting on Wednesday # 213 and Wishlist Wednesday # 213

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, where you pick a book that is coming out soon that you want to read.

Teaser Tuesday #76 and Top Ten Books I Want to Read in December #210

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #230

The Meme Comes From The Book Dare

Books I Read Last Week:

Review: A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti

Summary from Goodreads:

When everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run?

So that’s what Annabelle does—she runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She’s not ready to think about the why yet, just the how—muscles burning, heart pumping, feet pounding the earth. But no matter how hard she tries, she can’t outrun the tragedy from the past year, or the person—The Taker—that haunts her.

Followed by Grandpa Ed in his RV and backed by her brother and two friends (her self-appointed publicity team), Annabelle becomes a reluctant activist as people connect her journey to the trauma from her past. Her cross-country run gains media attention and she is cheered on as she crosses state borders, and is even thrown a block party and given gifts. The support would be nice, if Annabelle could escape the guilt and the shame from what happened back home. They say it isn’t her fault, but she can’t feel the truth of that.

Through welcome and unwelcome distractions, she just keeps running, to the destination that awaits her. There, she’ll finally face what lies behind her—the miles and love and loss…and what is to come

My Review: