3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge | Day #2

I’ve meant to post this earlier but I’ve been incredibly busy–actually, I’m posting at work. I’m on break. LOL. This is the second day of the challenge and I’m loving it. I want to thank Kelly @ Another Book in the Wall for tagging me. It is quite a challenge to choose between which Bloggers to tag and which quote to post but here it goes:

The Rules

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day)
• Nominate three new bloggers each day

I read the Selection by Kiera Cass a long time ago, but a quote that stuck with me was:

“It is always the fear of looking stupid that stops you from being awesome.”

I tag the beautiful Anna @ Reading Peaches , Melanie @ Mel to the Any, and finally the amazing LaRonda @ Flying Paperbacks

Thank you for reading. I’m out! XOXO.

 

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3 Days, 3 Quotes Challenge | Day #1

So this is the first time I’ve been tagged to do anything, so let’s see how this goes. I want to thank Kelly for tagging me first of all, she’s such a sweet blogger and her posts are fire!

The Rules

• Thank the person who nominated you
• Post a quote for 3 consecutive days (1 quote for each day)
• Nominate three new bloggers each day

I just finished reading High Voltage by Karen Marie Moning and this author writes so beautifully–she has a quote that I stick to every two pages. For this day I will start with a quote that called me to this book as soon as I started reading it and it goes:

“You don’t grieve love; you celebrate that you had it.”

I tag the lovelies, Larkin @ Winderfilled Reads, Taylor @ Forever Bound By Books, and finally Raven @ Dreamy Addictions

Thank you for reading! I’m out. XOXO

Non-Spoiler Book Review | “High Voltage,” by Karen M. Moning

5/5 Stars

Again, another masterpiece by the all-time great and wonderful Karen Marie Moning.

Champions don’t spring from happy childhoods

Where to start? Every time I read one of her books I feel like I’m reading the Bible (not really, but you know what I mean?) What I mean is that she is so wise. Every two pages I would find something that I could relate to. I promise you there are more tabs and bookmarks this book than actual words, LOL. I could just post a whole post about the quotes that I found interesting in this book and it would be very long.

I think that that’s one of the things I love the most about her writing, she sophisticated yet simple. She thrives on greatness and the perfect expression of characters emotions. I also learned about 500 new words in this book–every chapter had a new big word and I look forward to finding them. I feel like an intellectual when I read her books and I love it. Not once in the story did I felt lost. Her point always comes across. The world-building was on point. The characters were well represented and each had a clear idea of what their purpose should be.

I do think that sometimes she includes things that are incredibly unnecessary and redundant. Like she’s just trying to fill in space. This book is also shorter than it looks. It has about roughly, 415 pages. That’s not counting the deleted scenes and the glossary at the end. That’s another thing that I appreciate about this author, if this is the first Fever book you’ve picked up, she provides you with an extensively detailed glossary of each character and place at the end of the book. It comes in very handy trust me and you wouldn’t have to read 9 other books to catch up–though I highly recommend that you do so.

This one, the Fever Series #10, we follow the story of Dani O’Malley and the years after the song of making was sung. There are still terrors hunting the streets of Dublin, the song of making did repair their world from being absorbed by the black holes but it also brought many powerful and dangerous creatures that want to end the human race. We also discover that Dani has some sort of superpower–more than the ones she already has and we discover finally what she’s meant to be. She still shows levels of immaturity in the early chapters of the book, you know, she’s still growing. She misses Dancer very much and even though it’s been two years she still loves him.

Things start to get better in the picture when Ryodan comes back (he left to have her figure out her life). He grounds her. Makes her feel things about herself that she wouldn’t have seen otherwise. I love how raw and unapologetic he is. We don’t realize until this book–well, at least it is very clear to see how much he loves her. How long he’s been waiting for her and how patient he is. They fight most of the time because they are the same person and in a chapter of this book Dani explains it better than I ever will. There are quite literally two pages of her talking how similar they are and that’s why they crash so much, but also, that’s why they love each other.

Love doesn’t build cages. It builds stairways to the stars.

Ryodan is so smart–I love this man. I think that his love for Dani is unconditional and he’s even more emotional and perceptive than Barron’s. It took us at least 9 books to clearly figure out how Barron’s felt about Mac. It only took us 3 to figure out how Ryodan felt about Dani. Together they discover a new evil that’s been hunting the streets of Dublin and together they stop it.

Dani–even though she shows immaturity at the beginning of the book–she also shows growth and passion. She’s very passionate about everyone she loves and everything she does. Ryodan is there every step of the way, helping her grow, watching her become the women–the creature that she was supposed to be.  Something that’s worth mentioning is that we don’t see Mac at all in this book, which leads me to believe that we’ll have at least a couple more books to read in Dani’s perspective because there are still unresolved issues that need addressing.

I cannot wait to join Dani and Ryodan and Mac and Barrons in their new adventures. If you like paranormal romance, anything fae induced and two of the most obtuse people you’ve ever met, then this book is the best thing for you.

I would recommend for 18 year-olds and older.

Review : Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) : Tomi Adeyemi

Uh! I’m so excited, my best friend likes this book too. Her review is very good and I’m so upset that I didn’t get to make the connections she made when she compared the book’s kingdom to our present current U.S. government and Taylor also compared the King to our current President which I wish I could’ve thought about. Anyways, please read her review because it’s amaze balls!

FOREVER BOUND BY BOOKS

Author:Tomi Adeyemi

Title: Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1)

Release Date: March 6th, 2018

Format: ARC

Publisher: Henry Holt Books for Young Readers

Page Count: 448

Genre : Young Adult , Dystopia, Romance, Fantasy, Empowering

Reviewer : Taylor

Synopsis Via Goodreads

Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo and Sabaa Tahir.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zelie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. 

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and…

View original post 652 more words

Non-Spoiler Book Review | “Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi

5/5 stars

OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG.

I don’t know where to start. This book was AMAZING –since the beginning to the end. From the first line,

“Pick me…”

To the cover, I mean the cover alone makes you want to pick the book up. It was quite literally an amazing trip. It was good enough to see it as a movie. This for sure is one of my favorite reads for the better part of last year and most certainly this one! I cannot wait until you guys get to read it this Tuesday the 6th when it finally comes out.

This book follows along the path of two siblings, a runaway princess and a purpose ridden Prince all across the country of Orïsha. This book is written from three points of view but the main character is still Zélie. She one of the many maji that are being mistreated by the ruthless king. The king that took the magic away from their kingdom.

The characters were strongly driven, each had their own purpose and had different distinctions between them. Zélie herself was so strong, she stood when she couldn’t do it anymore, pushing to the edge. She fought with all her might showing me and everyone in the book how strong she truly was. Even when she didn’t know it herself. She has PTSD from dealing with the memories of losing her mother at such a young age. She’s so vulnerable and yet so strong. She knows that until magic comes back they will never be treated with respect, so that’s what she’s going to do. She will rise.

“Live (…) Whatever you do, survive,”

Princess Amari is a very strong character too! She surprises me at every turn. She’s stronger than she believes she is and when she finally figured that out, she’s like a force that shouldn’t be reckoned with. Zèlie’s brother, Tzain, is a very powerful character too–not in terms of powers, but in terms of his personality. I love him. I really do. I love how determined he is to keep his sister alive, to protect her at all cost. He’s passionate, determined, very hard-driven and extremely sexy. I will marry him. There’s seriously nothing wrong with him.

The book never followed a pattern that I was expecting–which is not necessarily a bad thing. The way that Adeyemi brought everything together and tied correlations and narrations were beautifully shown throughout this book. She truly has a beautiful way with words and I cannot wait to read the next one. The tone, the context, and the message were clearly presented in this book and I’m so glad I’ve stumbled upon it.

Even though the book is supposed to be written in a different world than ours, it is clear to see some of our current situation reflected in this book. Even though every character in this book is black, there’s a lot of racism against the maji, which are noticeably distinguished by their white hair. The maji are treated like the worst of society, they are made into slaves, captured and tortured all because one day their magic might become powerful enough to eradicate the kingdom. There’s also a serious correlation with the BLM movement, which I don’t know if the author did that on purpose or not, but after I read this quote, BLM immediately came to mind, (Not Spoiler, I promise),

“Your people, your guards–they’re nothing more than killers, rapists, and thieves. The only difference between them and criminals is the uniforms they wear.”

However, I’m going to say that it is so hard to pronounce half of this book. I’m actually very surprised that she hasn’t made a YouTube video about a pronunciation guide to the words in this book. It very easy to get lost if you don’t pay close attention. So, just keep track of your reading and take notes lol.

If you enjoy dangerous adventures worked with a little bit of romance, magical superpower and torture then this is the perfect book for you. I would recommend for 15 year-olds and older.

I’m Out! xoxo

P.S. Thank you for reading!

Non-Spoiler Book Review | “Turtles All the Way Down,” by John Green

3.5/5 Stars 

I read this book a couple of months ago when it first came out, I just never got to write down a review for it. I’m just so lazy you guys. LOL. (Don’t judge).

I was actually expecting so much more from John Green, he’s such an amazing author, but this book was not all that. I like the subject that the author wrote it on, I feel like mental health–especially the kind that our main character had–is not talked a lot about in YA books.

This book follows the story of Aza, whom with her best friend Daisy try to solve a murder mystery. Aza has a mental problem (and I don’t know if I’m explaining it right, so don’t roast me, LOL) that she lets her thoughts consume her. It doesn’t sound bad, but in her case it is. I’ve never read anything like it but, again, it’s not John Green Material. When you read John Green you expect to cry for two weeks after you read the book, to always have a box tissue next to you and your soul to be destroyed for the rest of your life.

When I read this book, I was like “meh.” And don’t get me wrong–it was an interesting story and it has a lot of potential and I’m pretty sure a lot of you would love it, but again, I was expecting more from JG. Aza was a very interesting character, to get inside her head and experience her illness was mindblowing and I recommend everyone to read just because it is a good thing to be aware of this situation.

I feel like most of us can relate to Daisy, Aza’s best friend. There’s a scene in this book (I don’t think this is a spoiler) where Daisy hardcore judges Aza and the way Aza reacts and teaches her about her illness at the end of the book really made an impact on me. I can see myself easily falling into the zone that Daisy was in when she said what she said, and I appreciate the effort the Green put into explaining how that illness feels like.

Finally, if you’re interested in mental health issues, a dab of romance and an interesting friendship, oh! and murder mystery, give this book a try. I would recommend for readers 12 years and older.

I’m Out! xoxo.

March TBR Pile | 2018

I just went and looked at a couple of blogs and saw this trend floating around. I was honestly kind of depressed and jealous because many of these bloggers read about ten to fourteen books a month! I wish… I mean I used to read that many books a month, but working full-time and going to school full-time barely gives me time to breathe.  I really miss reading like that though. However, I’m going to try to push my limits this month and read at least 8 books, silently prays and these would be:

“High Voltage,” by Karen Marie Moning

I’m super excited about this book! Anyone that knows me knows that I would die for Karen Moning. She’s one of my favorite authors ever and I’ve been waiting for this book forever. I’m excited to see how Dani and Ryodan develop in this book. I cannot wait!

“Children of Blood and Bone,” by Tomi Adeyemi

I’m already reading this book, and it’s like your own personal bible. It is so big! But I’m loving it! I want to finish it today (though I doubt it because I have to go to work soon). But this book is full of action, love, mistrust, and lots of magic. I cannot wait for its release and for y’all to read it. I also love Tomi Adeyemi, so there’s that! I really am enjoying this book and cannot wait to finish it just to write a review on it.

“Hero at the Fall,” by Alwyn Hamilton

This book I’m super excited about! I absolutely loved the other two, and I sincerely can’t wait to see the adventures that Hamilton is going to bring us in this new book. I received an e-arc for it but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet, and I want to read before Tuesday the 6th because High Voltage is coming out then and I’m not going to be reading anything else until I finish that one, LOL. Anyways, Traitor to the Throne left us with a huge cliffhanger and if I don’t get to read this before the end of this month, shoot me! (HAHA, see what I did there? No? Then you need to read this series).

“Restore Me,” Tahere Mafi

I don’t know what is there to say about this book/series that you guys don’t already know. I loved the first three book in the series and even the novella and when I heard that Mafi was coming out with a fourth book, I about died! Now, it is not on the top of my priorities because I was actually happy with the ending of the last book–like I would have been fine if she decided to end it there. However, we have been blessed by the Lord with a fourth book and I am no one to not the gifts that the Lord brings upon us, so Mafi: here I come!

“Obsidio,” by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I still haven’t finished Gemina yet, which is the second book on this series, but I plan to finish it at some point to tackle this bad boy. I enjoyed the other ones very much and the only I haven’t finished the second book is because I’m clearly stupid and very lazy. I love the visual stimulation that these books brings. They are most certainly a different format than anything I’ve ever read and I’m so excited to read the last one! (At least I think it’s the last one).

“Tiger’s Dream,” by Colleen Houck 

So, when I first started this series, I read the four books in five days. I remember making a big deal on snapchat about it (add me: deniamartinezz LOL). But anyways, I heard that she was coming with a fourth book as soon as I finished reading the series and that was a couple of years ago and the book never came. Now, I’m going to tackle this book to ground to finally get it on my hands and add it to my collection because I truly enjoyed the series.

“To Kill A Kingdom,” by Alexandra Christo

I just found this book while browsing on Goodreads and I found it pretty interesting. It also has kind of the same font as the Six of Crow does on the front cover, so that’s what called my attention to it. I read the description of the story and I’m kinda interested in it now, so why not give it a try.

 

For my last book, I like to keep it open. Since I work in a bookstore, there’s always a new book that catches my eye and then I’ll be like, “Oh! That seems interesting!” and I’ll give it a try. So yeah girls, this is all I have for this month, I hope I get to read them all and probably squeeze a few new adult romances as well as romance in general because I love that genre. I hope you girls can relate to any of these book and please let me know if you are as excited as I am to read any of them!

I’m Out! xoxo.