Review: The Selection series

I told myself I would never read The Selection, but as you might have already guessed it, I read it. The reason I told myself this was because I heard a lot of people saying that the main protagonist was a really frustrating character (and she totally is). But, recently I was seeing a lot of hype for the series on bookstagram and it kind if got me wondering if I should at least give the series a shot. Then, on Pinterest, a girl I follow kept pinning stuff about the series and I finally just caved right in.

I have only read the first 3 books, but I wanted to review those first since they go more together.
                        

General summary: The best way to describe this series is that it's basically like The Bachelor. Now, I've never really been invested in that show. I actually only watched a few episodes of it a few years back because a teacher from my high school was on it haha. Anyways, the Selection is a contest where 35 girls are chosen to compete for the heart of Prince Maxon. Our main protagonist, America Singer is among the 35 girls chosen for the selection, but there's one small problem, she is in love with someone else and she doesn't necessarily think highly of Prince Maxon.

My thoughts: One of my favorite things about this series is the world. It was interesting to read about because it is set in the future, but it is about royalty. In this world, there is something called a caste system which basically ranks people as royalty to poor. There is so much to this world and I was a bit disappointed because I think there could have been so much more done with the world.

America Singer. America Singer is probably the most frustrating main protagonist that I have ever encountered!! She just kills me with her poor decisions! Some decisions I understood, but others I was just shaking the book hoping to knock some sense into her! And yes, there is a love triangle and it was so frustrating. Some love triangles are done really well, but this one was not. Aspen was just annoying and at times I was wondering why he was even there. Maxon, on the other hand, was so adorable, sweet, and kind! There is really more to him than just being a Prince and he did have his moments where I became slightly mad at him, but mostly he made my heart swell.

I really liked the side characters in this series like America's maids. They added something special to the series that made me enjoy it a bit more and I liked how much America truly cared for them. Marley was also a wonderful character and her and America are #friendshipgoals!
I really liked America's dad and other than Maxon, America's dad is probably my favorite character. He didn't appear much, but the small things we know about him are special and tear worthy (for me).

I feel like there are more negatives to this series than positives which is weird because I flew through these books and whilst in college so they were pretty fast and interesting reads. I would say my favorite book is the third one because it just felt like more intense and exciting things happened and the cover is so prettyyyy. When I finished it I couldn't even control my emotions because the feels were too real! I was crying of sadness and happiness...I was a mess. In fact this is how I most likely looked:

For the most part I enjoyed this series, but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone though. If you think you can handle a highly frustrating character like America then go for it, but if not then I think it wouldn't be worth your time. You're not really missing anything except Maxon's adorableness :)

SLIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD to let out some of my feels: 





I hate how America never told Maxon about Aspen! She had so many opportunities to tell him, but she doesn't! I was just waiting for it to blow up in her face and it killed me.

Also, did anyone else just feel all the feels when reading the letters that Maxon wrote to America?!?!

CAUSE I DID!

And when he said this to America:


I LOST IT!!! I literally can't think about it without my eyes getting slightly watery.

The Assassin's Blade:The Throne of Glass Novellas

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass 0.1-0.5)
My rating: 5 stars
Goodreads Summary:Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? 







*if you haven't started this series, please do because I need to talk to someone to let out my feels!
My Thoughts: There are five novellas that follow Celaena’s life before she was captured and sent to Endovier, that make up this book. It’s a prequel to the series and you can technically read this book in any order from the rest of the series, but I think it’s BEST to read it right after Crown of Midnight, which is the second book.

When reading Throne of Glass, we know Celaena is an assassin and we kind of see that lifestyle, but not quite. In these novellas, we actually see her working as an assassin and it’s pretty darn cool. I actually thought I wasn’t going to like that part of her lifestyle, but it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I can officially say I love her!

I read these novellas right after Throne of Glass so I already knew what was going to end up happening, but that didn’t take away from the suspense and it didn't take away from making me scared to keep reading further, and it didn't take away from leaving me in tears at the ending.

I thought all five novellas were interesting, others more than others, but they all contributed to the story one way or another. My favorite was probably The Assassin and the Desert or The Assassin and the Underworld.

Now, let’s talk about Sam. Guys. GUYS. I love Sam! Forget about Dorian and Chaol, it’s all about Team Sam! Haha, just kidding {kind of}. I'm still team Chaol, but seriously though, Sam. He was just supportive and ahhhh I just loved him! *heart eyes*.

I loved the relationship he had with Celaena and the ending just broke my heart into a million tiny pieces.

To me, sometimes Celaena might seem careless, but what’s special about these novellas is how we see that she isn’t as careless as she seems. I was just surprised!

We also find out a lot more about her master, Arobynn and let me just say he is a total JERK. I just can't understand how he did some of the things he did! I wonder how he will be tied into the rest of the series.

My favorite part happened in The Assassin and the Underworld when Celaena unleashed her fury. For me it was awesome, but at the same time heartbreaking.

Like I said before, I freakin' love Celaena and the ending, like literally the last couple of pages just proved how AWESOME she is.

She squared her shoulders. Straightened her spine.

My name is Celaena Sardothien and I will not be afraid. 

Just yes! I hope you guys get the chance to read this series :)

If you've read the novellas already highlight to view spoiler: Does anyone think Sam is secretly alive? I totally think so! Please tell me someone else thinks the same.

Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Goodreads Summary: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.

A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography.

My thoughts: I felt it was about time I picked this book up because I know they're going to start filming the movie soon and I want to be able to picture my own characters in my head. Plus, I kinda already love Ransom Riggs because I follow him on Instagram and I think he's good looking and he and his wife are the cutest!

What even was this book?! To tell you the truth, I was extremely creeped out in the beginning of this book because the week before I started this book, my roommate's fiancee was telling some downright, legit creepy stories and one of those stories reminded me of this book. Every time I would flip the page and there was a photo, I would get the heebie-jeebies!! And I read at night so when I'm about to go to bed I usually lay the book next to me {you know, to keep the story with me}. I did that for a couple minutes, but I kept thinking about the girl on the front cover just staring at me and I quickly got the book and placed it on my shelf. HAHA, I'm practically scared of everything.
But I know it totally looks like some horror story, but it wasn't quite that scary. In the beginning, it was more creepy and weird, but by the end it was purely interesting.

I didn't know there was going to be a relationship in this book, but there kinda was and it was really completely weird and I didn't care for it. Also, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and I found myself not really caring for them either. At one point I couldn't even remember the main characters name and I was like halfway into the book already. I also thought a lot of the characters were introduced at once and I had a hard time remembering who was who.

One thing that was really incorporated well in the book was the photography. The photos were placed right after a description of a certain place or person  and it was pretty helpful because at times I couldn't quite picture the description in my head, but then the photo would clear it up for me.

Here's a random quote I love:

She moved to pinch me again but I blocked her hand. I'm no expert on girls, but when one tries to pinch you four times, I'm pretty sure that's flirting. 

I don't even know why, but I can't help but crack up when I read it!

I think for Ransom Riggs's first novel, it was pretty good and even though I didn't love this book I will still continue on with the series because I hear the second book is better. Also, it took me forever to read this book because I was reading like a couple pages a night so I think I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't finals week :)

Favorite Quote: I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was. 

Top Ten Tuesday-10 inspiring quotes from books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This weeks theme is Top Ten Inspiring quotes from books. 

I think there is something extra special about quotes from books and here are some of my faves {in no particular order}.

1."I used to dream about escaping my ordinary life, but my life was never ordinary. I had simply failed to notice how extraordinary it was." --Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs  

~ I just finished this book and this quote really stood out to me. This was kind of an eye opener for me because we all usually think that our lives are boring and ordinary, but when I read this I came to realize that we are all extraordinary because there's something different about everyone. 

2. "There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities...I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity...You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful." -- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

~ I feel like a cliche quoting a book by John Green, but this was my favorite when I read the book. It just made me think. Like really think.

3."Ready or not, here I come. Here I come, ready or not." --Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

~ This one is personal because I thought about it right before I started college. And I was terrified to start college.

4."Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat people's gardens, don't nest in corncribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." --To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 

~ I remember reading this my freshman year of high school and I just liking this quote. I don't know how to explain it, but just know it's inspiring :)

5."I've always found that the most beautiful people, truly beautiful inside and out, are the ones who are quietly unaware of their effect." --Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout

~ I always try to remember this one for some reason.

6."We live and breathe words...It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them." --Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

~ Anyone who has ever read The Infernal Devices series will probably say that this is their favorite quote. Haha, but for real I LOVE this quote! I read it over and over and over again.

7."...take a risk." -- Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

~ I actually remember this on a regular basis and put it into practice for the most part. It explains why I do some crazy things, haha.

8."Since I was young, I have always known this: Life damages us, everyone. We can't escape that damage. But now, I am also learning this: We can be mended. We mend each other." --Allegiant by Veronica Roth

~ I think everyone is a little broken inside, but then that one person comes along and helps you. That's AWESOME!

9."She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one." Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

~ How AWESOME is this statement, really? This whole book and series in general makes me want to be more brave!

10."I claim you, Rowan Whitethorn. I don't care what you say and how much you protest. I claim you as my friend." -- Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

~ Yes, that's 2 quotes from the same book. But if you've read the book then you'll understand just how amazing it is. I don't even know if this quote is inspiring, but I really like it and it just makes me want to cry.

What are your favorite quotes? 

BOOKISH NEWS

Here's my take in the latest of bookish news:

1) The final book in The 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey just got a title!!!




It's called...DRUM ROLL......

THE LAST STAR 

This is the perfect title and I love it! It was actually my guess for the title and what do ya know, I guessed correctly.

Now, let's just take a moment to appreciate how AWESOME Rick Yancey is for uploading a video for us. I love this man!




2) The cover reveal for the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas {here's my spoiler free review for Throne of Glass}

*angels singing*

This cover is just pure cover perfection! Celaena looks super kick-butt!!! Can it be September 1st already?

3) Stephanie Perkins will be editing and also contributing a short story to Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories. The amazing Cassandra Clare, Veronica Roth, and a bunch of other cool authors will also be contributing stories to this book!

By now, I will read anything by Stephanie Perkins because she writes the best romance contemporaries of life.
2016 needs to come sooner.

4) It was announced that the covers for The Mortal Instruments series  and The Infernal Devices series will be changing. Here's the new cover for City of Bones, which will release in September 2015.

Hmmm, not sure how I feel about this because I love the covers how they are right now, but I do like how it says A SHADOWHUNTERS NOVEL on the side. I'm not really digging the font or color of the title and I'm not digging how Jace looks. And what is that stuff coming out of his hands? Is Jace now some kind of warlock? Maybe I'll like the covers for the rest of the series, but we'll see.
Anyways, I wonder how the covers for The Dark Artifices series will look now...



What bookish news are you excited for?  

Review: Throne of Glass {spoiler free}

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Rating: 4.5

Goodreads summary: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. 

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. 
Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. 
Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

My thoughts: I've been dying to start this series because I've heard it's freaking amazing! I wasn't completely blown away by this book, but it was still good. I think the reason for that is, it's the first book in a fantasy series which means things are going to start off a bit slow because of the world building and set up, but it got me excited to keep reading the series.

From reading the summary, it kind of has a Hunger Games vibe because Celaena will have to defeat others in a competition in order to receive her freedom. But it's not like The Hunger Games at all. It kind of has that Triwizard Tournament vibe from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I would say it's better to think of it that way rather than The Hunger Games.  

Celaena isn't the usual female heroine that I have ever read. She can be a bit selfish, she likes to get dolled up, and she has a taste for expensive and fine things, which isn't a bad thing, but I couldn't see why other readers seemed to love her. It did take me a while to like her, but not love her. One thing that is true is that she is such a kick-butt character! She's also funny and she loves to eat, which is something I really like about her.

Now for the love triangle {that's not a spoiler because the summary hints at it}. I couldn't decide if I liked Dorian more or Chaol. Sometimes I found myself liking Dorian more, but then Chaol would do something and I leaned more towards him. Sometimes there's love triangles where right off the bat you know who is going to be endgame, but for this series I don't know who Celaena is going to choose and it kind of scares me. But, just so you know I am Team Chaol.
Also, that doesn't mean I hate Dorian. I actually really like him and not just because he's super good looking and has gorgeous eyes, but because he's funny, loves to read, and I feel like he's going to play a huge role in the series.

I can't wait to jump into the next book because everyone says it's way better than the first. Also, I'm hoping to find out more about Celaena's past and who she really is. And I want more Chaol in the next book! 

Just read it, you won't regret it. Even Dean Winchester approves.

Favorite Quote: “What’s the point in having a heart if you don’t use it to spare others from the harsh judgments of your mind?”

Review: All Our Yesterdays

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads summary {You're really going to want to click the goodreads summary because I can't explain this book without spoiling it.}

My thoughts: This book was recommended to me by my friend Sarah who is in love with this book and I start reading it and I'm just thinking: Holy cow, why have I not heard of this book before and why have I not read it?!?!

This book blew my mind! It was AMAZING! So much confusion, suspense, realizations, sadness, and mixed emotions. 

Throughout this book, all I did was:

1. gasp
2. whisper scream
3. hyperventilate
4. whimper
5. had watery eyes

This book does deal with time travel which for me is a first so I have nothing to compare it to, but oh man, I think it was done really well. I like how the information about time travel wasn't piled up on you, but rather you start to find things out at the story progresses. Since this book does deal with time travel, it mentions the fourth dimension and right after I finished this book we started talking about time and the fourth dimension in my science class and my eyes just widened and I gasped internally! Haha, I was freaking out!

The characters go through amazing character development which makes me love them even more because they are fantastic. You see them how they were in the past and how they have changed because of drastic events in their lives. 

And of course my favorite character has to be Finn! He was just so funny and he knew how to make a sad situation into a somewhat better and pleasant one. And the sweet things he would say...oh man! I freakin' love him!

"Will you be able to catch me if I fall?"

"Doubt it," he says, "but I’ll let you land on top of me. I’ll make a nice squooshy landing.

I smile. "My hero."

I kind of predicted the ending, but not in the way it happened. It was a little tragic and before I knew it I had tears in my eyes.

I know there was supposed to be a sequel to this book, but it didn't get published and I am okay with that because I think this story is well done as a one book story. Although, I did not like the ending because there was just not enough closure for me and that is why I couldn't give this book 5 stars. I think it needed like and epilogue that gives us some insight on what happened to the characters.
But, I'm glad I got to read this book!

Happy Readings! :)