Wrap Up: July 2015

July was also another fabulous reading month for me! I read more books than I did last month, which is awesome! While I didn't love all the books I read this month, I very thoroughly enjoyed all of them! Behold, my July Wrap up!

Midwinterblood
by Marcus Sedgwick 

The first book I read in the month of July was Midwinterblood. I loved it. It was an amazing and beautiful story following several different story lines that all eventually connected together and became one cohesive story. Throughout the whole novel, I was confused as to where and how all these stories would all combine, but it honestly takes until the very last page for you to understand every single part of how all the stories combine. The book is full of masterful storytelling and romance and beautiful writing. Definitely recommend it!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Full Review Here 

The Dark

by Lemony Snicket (Author), Jon Klassen (Illustrator) 

When I saw Lemony Snicket's children's book on one of the shelves in the bookstore, I sat down and read it. It look me only a few minutes to read, and in such a short book, I've never seen a better message. While all children's book have some kind of meaningful message, the majority of them tend to be pretty cheesy. But not this one. I'm obviously not going to tell you the message but this story was just so interesting and wonderful and all within 40 pages! Definitely read this one!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Something Strange & Deadly (Something Strange & Deadly #1)

by Susan Dennard

The third book I read this month was so fun and fast-paced. Something Strange and Deadly follows Eleanor Pitt, who is a young woman who goes against the society's standard of most young girls in this time period. She's a refreshing character to read from, even though she has her teenage girl things. Not only do we have awesome characters throughout this whole novel, but the plot is very interesting as well. Zombies in Victorian London? Sign me up.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Full Review Here

The Geography of You and Me
by Jennifer E. Smith

I really wanted something light to read for this month as well, and it happened to be the only unread contemporary sitting on my shelf. Overall, this book was a very light and fun read. I was disappointed that it didn't really expand more on our two character's stories, because I felt like there could  have been more between them then just the obvious long distance romance. While I didn't feel like it was a necessarily a memorable story, I would still recommend it if you wanted something fun and fluffy to read.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ (3.5)
Full Review Here

The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1)
by Renee Ahdieh

This is my new favorite book of the year. It was absolutely amazing. I was even going to write a full review on this but I couldn't get all of my thoughts collected together enough to write one. All the characters were fabulous. The writing flowed beautifully. The plot had an insane amount of depth and so far, we've only barely touched the surface. Even writing this now, I'm struggling to type all the things I loved about this novel because I loved EVERYTHING. READ THIS BOOK!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

The Summer I Turned Pretty (Summer #1)
by Jenny Han

Again, more contemporary novels to read for the summer! This was also a very fun read for the summer. I didn't love it, but I did really enjoy it. There were just a few reasons I couldn't give it 5 stars, the primary one of those being Belly's character in general. I liked her for the most part, but then she'd whine and become so childish that it was hard to read from at times. I understand she is a teenage girl in this novel, and we follow her through her younger years as well, but you'd assume some things would go away over time. But overall, a very fun summer read!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Full Review Here

It's Not Summer Without You (Summer #2)
by Jenny Han

This was probably my least favorite book in the series, mainly because the romance/character development felt kinda rushed. Despite this, I still gave this book 4 stars because I honestly enjoy the drama of these novels so much. While it might seem unnecessary at times, I just find it very entertaining. So other than these minor problems in this book and those that carried on from the first novel, I enjoyed this book very much as well. Although they are not my favorite contemporary novels, I still recommend them.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Full Review Here

We'll Always Have Summer (Summer #3)
by Jenny Han

Not really sure which book was my favorite in this series, but I do think it might be this one. This book was just packed with drama. Although some of it was way too much, it was just so entertaining to read. I honestly couldn't put this book done because I just wanted to know what happened! While the love triangle was unrealistic, I didn't find myself irritated by it as much, mainly because I wasn't extremely attached to either of the love interests. But all in all, it was a satisfying ending to a series, even though we could have gotten more conclusion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Full Review Here

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
by Morgan Matson

This was my first Morgan Matson book and I was pleasantly surprised. I loved this book so much. Maybe because I had just come back from a road trip before reading this, but I insanely enjoyed it. The romance in it wasn't at all a key component, because the two characters had so many other problems they needed to come to terms with and deal with before dealing with romance. While I expected a fun contemporary, I was very surprised to see how this book dealt with some heavy topics and wasn't just all daisies and sunshine. This is definitely a new favorite!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Falling Kingdoms (Falling Kingdoms #1)
by Morgan Rhodes

I needed some fantasy to finish off the month and I sure got an awesome one. Being a first book in a soon to be 6 book series, this book was definitely a set up for the later books in the series. Yet, I still really enjoyed it. I love reading about world-building and political court intrigue which this book delivered a lot of. I didn't give it 5 full starts though, because I predicted almost all of the "big" shocks, so to say, towards the end. Not saying that I didn't enjoy them, they were just a little obvious to me in the end. I'm still excited to carry on with this series and see what it has in store!

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ (4.5)

Tell me down below if you've read any of these books and if you enjoyed them! I love hearing your thoughts!

The Geography of You and Me ; Review

The Geography of You and Me
by Jennifer E. Smith
Rating: 3.5/5

Truth be told, I was not planning on picking this book up for a while. Despite it being summer, and contemporary novels generally read more in the summer, I was in a fantasy kick. But, this novel is generally short and I wanted to finish it so I could count most of it for Cram-A-Thon!

When I initially picked it up, I really enjoyed the story. While I was not wowed, I really wanted to see what was going to happen and where the story was going to go. The premise of the novel sounded interesting, and the part of the novel that related to it was very enjoyable. But as the book progressed, I found my self having to reread some of the pages/paragraphs because it just wasn't that interesting in the middle.

As I said above, the beginning of the novel was very fun. Although I found the characters hard to relate to, they weren't irritating and were easy to read from. We get to know all about the character's backgrounds and where they came from. The interaction between the two love interests was entertaining and their relationship wasn't instalove at all, which I appreciate in a contemporary. The plot progressed nicely throughout all of the first half of the novel, and I had high hopes for the remaining parts.

Unfortunately, the middle of the novel felt very dragged out to me. If you've read the book, you understand the problem the two main characters are facing, but for me, all the confusion/angst was kinda unnecessary. I totally understand the purpose the middle was supposed to serve for the relationship between these two people, but I felt like it could have been more enjoyable had there been more than just the two main characters moping around. Although their were some parts I enjoyed (mainly the postcards and explanations of the various cities), the majority of it was just okay for me.

Thankfully, the end picked up rather quickly and more interesting events started to happen. The main characters were much more enjoyable to read from in this part, versus the middle. The ending was very cute, and I did like how Smith concluded it all. Overall, I did like this novel and I would recommend it if you are looking for something fun and adventurous.

T5W 7/22/15 ; Side Characters That Deserve Their Own Books

7/22/15 - Side Characters That Deserve Their Own Books

5. The Commandant 

An Ember In The Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

The Commandant doesn't necessarily deserve her own book as much as I want one. Yet, I feel like a book having the Commandant as the lead character would be so interesting. We could follow her through her childhood and young-adult life, and see everything that made her the way she is currently. While it might not be an easy read, based on the things we know about her already, I still feel like it would give us the much needed insight that we didn't get in An Ember In The Ashes.

 4. Count Olaf

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Again, another villain. With Count Olaf, I loved how we did get to learn some of his motives behind his actions. But again, we still don't know much about how he first got to know the children's family and how they are linked at all. (Or maybe we did and I'm just forgetting.) Anyways, I would really enjoy a book from Olaf's POV, despite how twisted it might be. I'd really just love to be able to get inside of his head. 

3. Jalal

The Wrath & The Dawn by Renee Andieh

My reasons for this one are pretty simple. The first being that Jalal is a hilarious and beautiful character and I generally just want more of his interactions with all the other characters in the series. The second is that Jalal knew Khalid when he was younger. I want to know everything about Khalid as a child and teenager. I want every detail. Even though we got tons of explanation about his actions, I just want to see him as a person and how him and Jalal grew up together. I think it would be cute. But then tragic. But overall, cute!

2. Liraz

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy by Laini Taylor

Liraz is freaking awesome. And it would be even more awesome if we got an entire book/series devoted to her. Liraz's character has had one of the biggest character growths I've ever read and to get a continuation to her story, or even a prequel would be amazing. She was left in a good place at the end of the series, but there were still so many questions I had that needed answers. Most of them were regarding either Akiva or Liraz. I just need more of this badass angel in my life. 

1. The Marauders

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

I have a feeling these guys are on almost everyone's list. And for good reason too. Ever since the Marauders were first mentioned, I wanted to know everything about them. Not only was my favorite character, Sirius Black, in them, but all the wonderful old wizards we heard so much about throughout the series. A series following them in their schooling and adventures would be amazing, almost as amazing as Harry Potter's, I dare say. While we know the fates of all the Marauders, I still want a 7 book series about them. Or at least a TV show. (HBO, looking at you!)

Top 5 Wednesday is is a weekly meme/topic discussion hosted by Lainey of gingerreadslainey.

Feel free to share your opinions down below as well! 

The Summer I Turned Pretty ; Series Review

The Summer I Turned Pretty Series: Books #1-3
By Jenny Han
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars 





So, all in all, I really enjoyed this series. I ended up reading the entire trilogy while I myself was at the beach this summer, and it was very fun!

The Summer I Turned Pretty: 
What I was looking for in this book was a fun summer contemporary, and that's exactly what I got. The setting and story were very enjoyable and added that sense of fun to the story. I enjoyed the characters, for the most part. They all had their flaws, but I just couldn't get over Belly and how childish she was. I understand that she's only 15-16 in the first book, but her decisions and her manner of speaking to the other characters is so immature. Although, I could understand most of Belly's annoying decisions regarding to Conrad, due to the flashbacks. The flashbacks added a lot of the story as well, and I enjoyed reading them and finding out what happened in past summers. Overall, a very fun summer read!

It's Not Summer Without You: 
The first book ended off on such a good note, and I was disappointed when within a few pages of this second installment, most of the good things from the previous book when away. Especially with the breakup and death in the family. Despite these things though, the story still continues pretty well. Belly still has to deal with these things in the past coming up now, but for the most part, her annoying nature didn't come up much. There was even more drama in this second book than the first one, with Conrad running away and Belly having only Jeremiah to talk to anymore. While I found the first two books pretty equal in how much I liked them, there was much more story given in this one. Although I didn't agree with the ending of this one very much, it was still very good!

We'll Always Have Summer: 
Hands down, this was the best book out of the entire trilogy for me. I read it in a sitting because I honestly could not put it down. This book picks up two years from the end of It's Not Summer Without You. It picks up very quickly and we are already launched into the drama within the first 50 pages. Throughout the entire last book, we have already seen these characters grow up so much, and now we see them handling adult issues and going to college. I think Jenny Han doesn't a great job of portraying positive adult role models throughout this whole series, as well, my favorite being Laurel. Rather than this story becoming a typical new adult romance and having these collage kids totally blow off their parents, that's not what this story becomes. I felt like the whole thing was executed very well. I enjoyed this entire trilogy as a whole, and it was just what I needed for summer. As well, I hope everyone enjoyed the ending of this last book as much as I did. 

Also, just to add to this review, Jenny Han's writing style is so enjoyable and fun. It literally makes you fly through these novels. Definitely recommend this series to anyone looking for some fun summer contemporaries, that still deal with some darker issues.

T5W 7/15/15 ; Anticipated Pre-Orders for the Rest of the Year

7/15/15- Top 5 Most Anticipated Pre-Orders for the Rest of the Year

5. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray 

Everyone has been waiting for this book forever. Thankfully, I didn't read the Diviners until last year, therefore I didn't suffer from as much withdrawal as most did. But I am still so excited for this book to come out! We finally have a set publication date and it even has a cover! Cannot wait to see where this series goes in this next book!

4. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

I will forever love Rick Riordan and his books. I grew up reading Percy Jackson, and then continued on into my teenage years reading Heroes of Olympus. Now, I cannot wait for this new series! It finally has a cover as well! Although some people argue that these series are childish and aren't meant for people above the age of 12, but I disagree. While these books may be geared towards children and preteens, that doesn't mean they aren't amazing!

3. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Again, so many people have been raving about their excitement for this book! I am one of them! I really loved the Grisha trilogy, and when I found out Leigh Bardugo was writing a new book in the same world, I immediately knew I had to pick it up! The premise sounds so amazing as well, so I cannot wait to pick this one up!

2. Winter by Marissa Meyer

The conclusion to one of my favorite series is coming soon! Despite how sad I will be when this amazing series is over, I am insanely excited to find out what's gonna go down in this last book. I have been waiting for what feels like forever! Fairest just wasn't enough to keep my excitement at bay! I know the conclusion to the Lunar Chronicles will be epic, and I need it now! 

1. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Do I even need to give an explanation for this one?? The Throne of Glass series is my favorite series of all time. (Next to Mara Dyer, of course.) I cannot wait for this book and it's only the fourth book in the series! We still possibly have 2 to go! I'm so excited and anxious for this continuation of the series and even if my ship doesn't sail, I know I'll still love! I honestly can not wait! (celaena&chaolforevernothingcanchangemymind)

Something Strange & Deadly ; Review

Something Strange & Deadly
by Susan Dennard
Rating: 4/5 stars 

Susan Dennard, you did not disappoint!
I had originally heard very mixed reviews about this trilogy. Some people really loved it and found it very action-packed and enjoyable, while others were bored by the book and didn't enjoy it at all. Despite the various reviews, I really ended up liking this novel!

The story was very intriguing from the start, and it was very fast-paced. Our heroine, Eleanor, was very spunky and didn't let people talk down to her. Her interactions with all the other characters were wonderful to read. The other main/side characters in the novel were very interesting as well, and I was never bored reading about any of them either. It was very refreshing to see a very diverse cast of characters throughout the novel. Not only did things like ranking in society and ethnicity set them apart, but they all had very varying personalities as well. 

Now to focus more on the storyline itself. I really enjoyed the plot and the setting of the novel. Even though I love the 1800s steampunk setting in novels, I haven't read many of them. The various gadgets and machines we learn about throughout the book are described well, as we get a good image of what they look like and how they are used. The plot was developed very well too, and wasn't hard to follow at all. While the descriptions of how the dead came about are vague at first, we soon learn when they first showed up, and how they believe they came to be. There was a lot action throughout the novel, and it dominated most of the book. I was expecting a very angsty and cliche romance, but the romance was very light and slow burning and didn't really start to develop until the end of the novel. Our main character, Eleanor, being very stubborn and headstrong, wasn't really focused on the romance as much as she was on finding her brother and stopping the dead. 

In addition, the writing flowed very well and was well balanced between descriptions and dialogue. Susan Dennard still took time to develop her characters thoroughly, as we got to know some characters very well from the beginning, while some we understood more as the story went along. Nothing about her writing was confusing and while it wasn't mind blowing, I still enjoyed it very much!

The only reason I did give this book 4 stars instead of 5 was because of the pace. The overall pace of the novel was good, but in almost all of the action scenes, I felt like everything was being resolved rather quickly. The scenes would only last for a few pages (end battle excluded), and many important things would happen in a very short span of time. While it was still easy to follow, I just found it unbelievable that the issue could be solved so quickly. I just really wished we would have gotten more in-depth with the majority of the action scenes. 

Overall, I really liked this novel, and ended up finishing it in about two sittings. I defiantly recommend it if you are looking for something a little different than a normal steampunk novel.

Book Tag ; Unpopular Opinions

I was tagged by the amazing Steph over at A Blog of Books and Novels to do the Unpopular Opinions Books Tag! This tag was originally created by The Book Archer . I usually am good about not sharing opinions I think might offend people online, so I tend not to. But now, I have an excuse!

1. A popular book or series that I didn't like

The Selection is very popular, especially now with the Heir coming out. I have seen it talked about everywhere and personally when I read this series, I was not wowed at all. I mean, they were fun books to read and I thought the plot would be entertaining, which it was for the most part. But America Singer. I literally cannot stand her, she's possibly one of the most annoying character perspectives I've read from in a while. She'd be okay sometimes, but most of the time her decisions and thought process in general annoyed me.




2. A popular book or series that I love but everyone else hates

Um, yeah. The Twilight Saga is what initially got me into reading YA, and while my tastes have improved, Twilight still holds a place in my heart for this reason. Without Twilight, I don't think I would have been motivated to venture into more YA novels and discover what genres I enjoy the most and which ones I'm not so fond of. I know everyone pretty much dislikes Twilight because of the insane hype it used to get, but it was my gateway to where I am now, so yes, I still love Twilight, despite the hate it now gets.

3. A canon ship that I don't agree with

So sorry to all the Jessa fans out there, but I honestly have a hard time accepting this ship. Maybe its just because my love for William Herondale is so intense, but honestly, this canon ship just irks me. I don't hate it, but I strongly dislike it. I love both Jem and Tessa as their own characters, but together, I really just don't see it. Love triangles in general irritate me, and maybe the fact that this was actually a successful love triangle bothers me. I don't know what it is, but Tessa and Jem just aren't a ship that I support. This also has a lot to do with what I just personally believe about love and heartbreak and all that jazz.

4. A popular book genre that I hardly reach for

Ah yes, dystopian. I kind of went through a phase about 2 years ago where all I really read was a ton of dystopian novels. (I just used a picture of The Hunger Games as it was the first that came to mind, don't get me wrong, I love THG.) And while reading these novels, I just became really bored with them once I started reading more genres. So many of them are literally the exact same novels but a different world, where some other bad guy/girl has built a society that can no longer be lived in. Cue teenage girl/guy feeling like they need to put a stop to this single handed and add in an unnecessary angsty romance. No thanks.

5. A popular or beloved character that I do not like

Tris from Divergent was the first character that came to mind. I really wasn't bothered by Tris in Divergent, I thought she was fine for the most part. But as the series progressed, I just couldn't stand her. I know she is a symbol of strength and selflessness to many, but for me, she was just someone who didn't make good decisions. Not saying that all the choices she made were bad, because that's not true. She would do almost anything for her family, and I admire that, but the rest of her qualities were just something I couldn't really get over.

6. A popular author that I can't get into

Now this might be a little weird. So, I really enjoyed TFIOS. I really did. Since the hype has died down, I finally remember how much I loved the book. TFIOS is the only exception. While I think John Green's writing is great, his characters are where I just can't. For me, the majority of them all fell very flat and weren't easy to relate to. All of his older novels, at least for me, follow the story line of "boy meets girl who is adventurous and wild. boy is shy and awkward." I guess that just isn't my thing, as all of his books that I have read have felt this way, except for TFIOS.

7. A popular book troupe that I am tired of seeing

Ironic one of my least favorite books is on this list. This book has one of the character troupes I despise the most in novels. The whole "best friend is secretly in love with main character, but knows she'd never go for him". This annoys me so much it is unreal. I can live with love triangles, but love triangles where one of the males/females are the best friend of the main character bother me soso much. It can actually bring me to hate a character. I feel like this character troupe only serves the purpose of adding unneeded drama.

8. A popular book series that you have no interest in reading

This is actually a series I'm currently just not interested in continuing. I read the first book in this series over a year ago, and I thought it was okay, but had potential. Then I was spoiled for the next books and saw it following the lines of the angsty teenage romance with a paranormal aspect and I just wasn't feeling it. I'm still not sure if I'm going to leave this series unfinished, but at the moment, I'm just not into it. Maybe one day, but right now, there are just so many more books that I want to read.

9. A movie/T.V. adaptation that is better than the book

Don't get me wrong, I loved the Hobbit as a book. I thought it was interesting, set up a good storyline for the Lord of the Rings, and was straight and to the point. But in the book, there just wasn't enough of it to be able to get attached to any of the characters, which is a completely different story in the movies. The book was split up into three movies which gave room for plot development, extra scenes and characters, and also gave us 3 years worth of getting attached to these characters. So while the book is amazing, the movies are personally, a lot better.