PAUSE

I feel like it's been forever since I've written a blog post. When in reality, it's hasn't even been a month, haha.
I decided to take a pause from blogging on here because I just started my 2nd year of college and it's taking up more of my time than I thought it would.

I also haven't read a single book since December and it hurts. It really hurts. The only thing I've read is the first 7 chapters of Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard.

I'm getting a little personal here by sharing something I wrote in my journal the other day:

Thursday January 13th, 2016

 Today was a good day. The first good day I've had since I've been back at school. You know why? Because I read for the first time in like over a month and for the first time in 2016. 

I read the first 3 chapters for Glass Sword and I just lost myself in that world. Everything around me faded. I felt at home and I forgot what that felt like--it was nice. I actually teared up a bit. 

I miss reading so much! But I'm scared that if I start a book, I won't be able to stop myself from reading it and I can't afford to do that this semester.  

That is one of the reasons why I'm taking this break from book blogging. My first year if college, I read at least one book every week, and for some crazy reason, I thought I would be able to do that again this year again. WRONG! If I'm lucky, I can read one book every month, but we'll see what happens.

I don't think this pause will have an affect on anyone, since I don't have a big audience, but I just decided to post this for those who thought "maybe she died?".

note: Please tell me someone has read those 7 chapters of Glass Sword that were released!!! If you have, email me, message me on goodreads, just contact me because I'm experiencing all the feels and I need to share them with someone!!! My roommates are watching a movie in the living room, while I'm in my room just dying!!!

-Happy Readings!!!

TTT: Top Ten Resolutions We Have For 2016

This week's Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Resolutions We Have for 2016. 

I'm seriously stressing over all the books I want to read for this year!!! Tomorrow I start my 2nd year of college so I know I won't be able to read much for the first half of the year, but I STILL resolve to finally read these books/series.

P.S. Along with the following books, I really want to read a different genre other than YA. I'll maybe pick up a classic or some historical fiction.

   

1. Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. 2016 is the year for Percy Jackson. I WILL READ THE SERIES. 

2. The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. I feel like a loser because I have not read this series. 

3. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray. I've been wanting to read this book since early 2015 because of one specific review I read & also because of the cover. IT'S SO PRETTYYYY! 

4. The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo. People always talk about the Darkling from this series and I think it's about time I find out who this Darkling fella is. 

   

5. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Kat from Katytastic has been recommending this series for what feels like FOREVER! And it's been on my TBR since 2014.

6. Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch. I actually don't know why I want to read this book other than I'm tired of seeing it on my TBR. 

7. The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken. I just really want to read this series.

8. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin. I also really want to read this series. I also hear some things about a boy named Noah. 

 

9. Where She Went by Gayle Forman. I read If I Stay back in 2013 and it was just okay for me. But, I do want to know what happens with Mia and Adam plus, it's told in Adam's POV so that's pretty cool. 

10. Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling. I've been itching to reread this series and I believe 2016 is the year for that. I read the first three books in Spanish so I'm actually quite excited to read them in English this time around.



What are your resolutions for 2016 {bookish or non-bookish}? Are any of these books included on your list? 

Top Ten Tuesday: The Best Books of 2015.

This weeks prompt: Top Ten Best Books I Read in 2015. 

It's that time of the year where I am forced to choose 10 books that completely gave me all the feels and pulled at my heartstrings because TBH, those are the best books in my opinion.

I read 59 books in 2015 and I'm supposed to pick 10 that were my favorite? I tried really hard to pick 10, but I couldn't so I chose 11 plus honorable mentions. 
P.S. In order to make my life less stressful and complicated, this list is in random order.

P.P.S I am probably going to use many uppercase words because they describe my feelings.

   

1. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare. My 1st read of 2015 left me in tears and so many feels. These characters truly mean so much to me and they are some of my all time favorite!!

2. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare. How could I not choose CoHF?! This book along with Clockwork Princess were read during my 1st semester of college. That semester was rough because I didn't really make friends and I didn't like being in my apartment. So the Shadowhunter world was my escape and that is why these books mean so much to me. To say that I love these books along with the characters is a HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT. 

3. The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski. The writing was brilliant in this book! Arin and Kestrel are wonderful characters who fight for what they believe and mix that in with some gov't/political stuff and you got yourself some pretty hard decisions. Which basically just means I was  am still a mess.

4. The One by Kiera Cass. There's nothing super special about this series, but there's something about them that just sucked me right in. It might have something to do with Maxon Schreave, though. I still remember how I felt after reading this book: my roommates were all out of town which meant I had the apt to myself which meant I could properly flail without judgement.

   

5. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs. Thanks to this book, I now wish I had peculiar abilities. Thanks Ransom Riggs for the ending in this book. It was WOAH and EPIC.

6. This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. TBH, I don't really understand all the sci-fi stuff in here, but that doesn't stop me from loving this series. There was something about this book that reminded me why I love to read. The characters, Jubilee and Flynn are unique and great together and they left a mark on my heart...right next to Lilac and Tarver.

7. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir. THIS BOOK. I was hooked from page 2 and was almost always on the edge of my seat throughout the whole story! It's full of heartbreaking decisions, but that's what makes it beautiful and why I couldn't stop thinking about it. #OBSESSED 

    

8. The Unbound by Victoria Schwab. Two words: WESLEY AYERS. What really made this book memorable is the dialogue. Sarcastic, snarky, and funny dialogue = VERY HAPPY ME.

9. Winter by Marissa Meyer by Marissa Meyer. THE BEST FINALE. This series is one of my all time favorites and the characters are the best! Full of sarcasm, funniness, craziness, and swoon worthy guys. It was AMAZEBALLS  and PERFECTION which means I AM A SATISFIED HUMAN. All the applause for Marissa Meyer who knows how to close a series with 824 pages.

10. The Wrath & the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh. Oh man, SO MANY FEELS with this one. Khalid and Shahrzad give me life.

11. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. Despite some negative reviews about this book, I LOVE IT. The plot twists and betrayals were insane and made it memorable for 2015. I think Cal is fire. Literally.

Honorable mentions:

  

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson. This is an honorable mention because I cried like crazy at the end and I don't even know why.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas. This whole series was actually a fav of mine this year, but Queen of Shadows just kinda sorta maybe ruined it for me. But Crown of Midnight is my fav so it deserves some mentioning.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. I loved this book. I was never bored while reading it and that ending deserves an honorable mention. Definitely did not see that coming. And Julian is just adorable.


What were your fav reads of 2015? Did we have some in common? Share your thoughts in the comments!! 

Review: The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Before I read this book, I saw reviews that said it was SO good, but I think it was just decent. I also heard about a huge plot twist, but I got to the end and I was like where is it? Must not have been that big of a plot twist if I missed it.
All in all, this book was kind of 3 stars for me, but I rounded it up to 4 stars because of the ending.
Here are my scattered thoughts in list form because lists make thoughts seem more collected.
Cover is linked to Goodreads summary.


-First, I had a hard time believing some parts of the story, like when Lia escapes on the day of her wedding. If I'm not mistaken, Lia is a princess living in a guarded castle/kingdom or whatever it's called. Yet, she manages to escape without one person or guard noticing. And on her wedding day where there should be people everywhere! I don't buy it! 
- I didn't care for most of the first 200 pages. I felt like nothing was really happening. It was basically just the Assassin and the Prince trying to get Lia's attention or Lia flirting with them. It was all really sort of annoying. OMG these guys. They were competing for her attention and I was just like:

 

-Yes, there is a love triangle. At least I think there is. The Assassin and The Prince. In the beginning, you don't know which guy is which and it frustrated the heck out of me, but I had my guess on who was who, but sometimes I would second guess myself. It's frustrating, but it made me keep wanting to read the book to figure out who was who and in the end I was right!
-I really do hate choosing sides because sometimes my ship sinks and it hurts my shipper heart, but I am on #TeamPrince.

-I really liked Lia's relationship with her brothers, especially Walther. They weren't around much, or at all really, but I liked how she talked about them. Through her point of view, we heard stories about things they did for her and it was so cute. *cries forever because I want an older brother*

-The 2nd half of the book was way cooler and interesting to read. There was traveling, but stuff was actually happening. The lies are revealed, some truths are let out, some people die, and discoveries are made!!! It was way cool.

-I'm not too attached to the characters like I thought I'd be. Lia  reminds me of Shahrzad from The Wrath & the Dawn because of her mouth. Other than that, I think she's just alright.

I think the sequel will be a little less boring and things will actually happen.

10 quotes I loved from books I read in 2015

Sometimes I'm a loser and do things like accidentally hit "publish" on a post that's supposed to go up on a Tuesday instead of on a Saturday. So I apologize if you are seeing this twice. And other times I'm a loser because I link the wrong post. 

This weeks Top Ten Tuesday is: Top 10 quotes I loved from books read in 2015.
Here are my fav quotes that stuck out to me the most or they just give me all the feels! Enjoy.

BOOKS MENTIONED: 

Since You've Been Gone// Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children// The One// Shatter Me// Ignite Me// Finding Audrey// The Boy in the Striped Pajamas// The Wrath & the Dawn// Things We Know by Heart

What quotes were your fav of 2015? Did we have any of the same quotes? Don't forget to leave a link to your TTT post! 

Waiting on Wednesday #2

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. 

I am desperately waiting for The Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutkoski. The third and final book in The Winner's trilogy. Here's a link to the summary for the 1st book, if you're interested: The Winner's Curse

War has begun. Arin is in the thick of it, with the East as his ally and the empire as his enemy. He’s finally managed to dismiss the memory of Kestrel, even if he can’t quite forget her. Kestrel turned into someone he could no longer recognize: someone who cared more for the empire than for the lives of innocent people—and certainly more than she cared for him. At least, that’s what he thinks.

But far north lies a work camp where Kestrel is a prisoner. Can she manage to escape before she loses herself? As the war intensifies, both Kestrel and Arin discover unexpected roles in battle, terrible secrets, and a fragile hope. The world is changing. The East is pitted against the West, and Kestrel and Arin are caught between. In a game like this, can anybody really win?

I picked up The Winner's Curse on impulse. It was just kind of sitting there on the shelf at the library and I didn't know what to read next, but I needed a book to read for my spring break and I was in a hurry so I just checked it out. Best impulse of my life. I also had never heard of Marie Rutkoski, but let me tell you something: her writing is beautiful. I love it. 

The first two books have made my heart hurt really bad so I'm sure The Winner's Kiss will do the same. The story of Kestrel and Arin is so heartbreaking, but that's what makes me keep rooting for them and love this series even more. 

The ending of The Winner's Crime was THE DEATH OF ME. It still haunts me and makes me cry. Ever since then, I have DESPERATELY been waiting for The Winner's Kiss to come out.

I hope our main characters will be okay and not die. I think they might suffer some more, but everything will be okay at the end and hopefully nothing too tragic happens. Right? 

Until March 1st rolls around, I'll be crying and hyperventilating because of that cliffhanger. 

Monthly Wrap-Up: October

October, you were good to me...mostly. Here are the 8 books I read this month.
The covers and titles are linked to the Goodreads summaries.

      

       

   

The Archived 4 stars: I FINALLY got to read a book by Victoria Schwab! I admit I couldn't get into the beginning of this book because I was in a weird reading slump from reading An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir AKA easily one of my favorite reads of 2015, but I eventually got sucked into the Archived world and I don't even know when it happened. While reading, I kept getting a Ghost Whisperer/CSI type of vibe which was the best because I love those shows. I love this book, I love the world, and I love Wesley Ayers. Tall, spiky hair, and guyliner aren't really my type of thing in a guy, but Wesley Ayers is an exception. 

The Unbound 5 stars: This book made me understand why everyone loves Victoria Schwab and her writing style. I didn't quite see it in The Archived, but I definitely saw it in this one. I completely love the interactions between Mac and Wes...they are the best!!! I thought Wes couldn't get any better, but then I read this book...once again, Wes Ayers aka Guyliner is everything. I'm hoping there will be a third book because I need more Mac+Wes in my life along with a setting that reminds me of Ghost Whisper.

Adaline Falling Star 5 stars: It's a long story to explain, but this book holds a special place in my heart and I finally had the chance to reread it after like 5 years. 

A Monster Calls 4 stars: This story was beautiful and the illustrations were the best. I loved the Monster and also Connor, but seeing go through his internal struggles was kind of heartbreaking. I believe this book is being turned into a movie that will come out next year so that's exciting!

The Raven Boys 4 stars & The Dream Thieves 3 stars & Blue Lily, Lily Blue 4 stars: I finally read the first three books in The Raven Cycle!! I've been meaning to read these books since like January. These were some good reads, but I wasn't blown away by them. They were the type of books that I liked and enjoyed just not loved. I think the reason for that is because Maggie Stiefvater's writing style isn't really for me and I was constantly getting confused in the first book, but eventually I familiarized myself with it. The story is really unique, but I don't understand the plot too much, it's the characters that make me really enjoy this series. Plus, The Dream Thieves contains one of the most devastating kisses that I have ever read in my life!!!! FYI, I am slightly obsessed with Blue and also Gansey. Those two just give me life right now

The Wrath & the Dawn 5 stars: I never planned to read this book, but then I saw a lot of people really enjoyed this book plus Marie Lu and Marie Rutkoski blurbed it so I gave in. I'm SO glad I read it because it is one of my favorite reads of 2015. It's so beautifully written and the descriptions of the food and clothing are the best because they create such a vivid picture in my mind. and who doesn't like vivid descriptions of food? The culture was also super interesting. The characters were just WOW. THE ENDING and THE SHORT EXCERPT FOR THE 2ND BOOK...I CAN'T EVEN WITH MY EMOTIONS RIGHT NOW. I AM NOT OKAY. I JUST WANT NEED THE NEXT BOOK. I WANT MORE KHALID BECAUSE I LOVE HIM. MAY 2016 SEEMS SO FAR AWAY *sigh*



What books did you read in October?