The Grace Year by Kim Liggett

Title: The Grace Year
Author: Kim Liggett
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publishing Date: October 8, 2019
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WOW! This was a phenomenal story and a phenomenal audio book. In a dystopian world, women are born with magic and during their grace year, are banished from the community into the wilderness to burn it all off. It becomes clear the the main character, Tierney, that this is just a way to keep the women in control and to keep them oppressed, but when she tries to point the truth out to the other girls in her grace year, they turn on her.

Tierney is a wonderful and strong character in the likeness of other strong girls coming out of dystopian literature such as Katniss and Tris. She was relatable and likeable in many ways and imperfect in many ways. I was on the edge of my seat listening to this story, wondering what was going to happen to Tierney and the women in her community.

This is a YA book recommended to ages 14 and up. I definitely recommend it to women who like feminist works, anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction, and those who are fans of The Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Divergent.

Favorite Books from My Childhood

All bookworms link the magical feeling of reading to something that sparked their interest in reading at a young age. There are those  magical books that you wish you could read again for the first time and those that make you feel all the warm-fuzzy-nostalgic feels. You see the covers of those books and it takes you back in place to a time and place where you are sitting in your dad’s recliner and smelling your mom’s cooking. You pick it up and you remember exactly where you were when you read it and how it made you feel. 

These are the books from my childhood that bring back that warmth and make me want to be a kid again just so I can reread these for the first time. 

The Chronicles of Narnia series is one of the first series of books I remember my mom reading to me. Looking at the books reminds me of how my sister and I used to clamber up into her bed and huddle around her while she read. I still remember the soft glow of the lamp beside her bed and the way my parents’ room smelled in our childhood home. I remember the floral comforter my parents had and the pink pajamas I wore. This series really ignited my love for all fantasy books. I always hoped that one day I would open my closet door and discover it had changed into a snowy landscape or an ocean full of adventure.

Back in the day, Scholastic Book Club was the OG subscription box service for kids. We used to sign up for a club at the beginning of each school year and each month we would get a package with a book and some other goodies. In 5th grade my mom signed me up for the Little House Club and I managed to get all of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books and then some. I think each month I got one from the Little House series, a related activity book, and a non series book like her journals and some of the prequels and sequels about her mom, grandmother, and daughter (written by other authors). I still have my original set of books in this series and I remember that red and white box being delivered to my teacher each month and tearing into the goodies that came with it when I got home.

In 4th grade I was obsessed with the Dear America books. I remember loving the diary format. I started keeping my own diary then thinking that one day my thoughts might be important enough to turn into a book (HAHA). The first one I read was The Winter of Red Snow about The Revolutionary War. I still remember exactly where these were in my elementary school library and I still remember reading my favorites and putting them carefully into my backpack as the school day wound down. Someone recently told me that in Canada there was a Dear Canada series that was like the same thing. It blew my mind.

The Boxcar Children was one of those older books that delighted me because the idea of living a life without adults seemed fantastic in some ways. I loved the first and second book enough to reread them several times in my life. The last year I taught 3rd grade, we read this as a class book. I know I read a lot more than the first 2 in this series but I don’t think the mysteries appealed to me as much as the adventure in the first 2 books.

I saved my favorite for last. I feel like I grew up with Harry Potter in some ways. I read the first book when I first got ahold of it at the end of second grade. It had already gotten a lot of buzz in the book world because it had been published a year before in the UK. By the time my mom had put a hold on it at out library we were 135th in line to get it. When I finally got it in my hands I was so excited. I had heard so much about the magical world contained in the pages. At this time, I wasn’t reading chapter books to myself. My mom would read with me. She looked at the size of the book and told me there was NO WAY she was going to read it out loud to me. I was devastated. But then I was determined. I read Harry Potter to myself. And then with each additional publishing I read those too. I read the first book when I was 7 and the last one came out right after my 16th birthday. I had truly grown up with Harry by my side. 

What childhood books were your favorites? I cannot wait to hear your memories associated with them.

 

 

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Top Ten Tuesday – Characters I’d Like To Switch Places With

Top Ten Tuesday is a Bookish Blog Series hosted by That Artsy Reader

 

Oh man. I know I read to escape the day-to-day in life and there are many a times I wish I could switch places with a character in a book. In no particular order here are the characters I would switch places with.

Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter Series. I would rather be Ginny than one of the Golden Trio because she still plays an important role in the series without being a huge part of the drama. I don’t think I could handle the stress of being Hermione. I mean. The time turner thing in book 3 boggles my mind. I would mess everything up because I would be too stressed out to sleep.

Cath from Fangirl. I loved Cath in this novel and her sweet romance in real life. Plus I love the idea of having a twin sister. I absolutely adore my own sister and we are very close but I know twins share a closeness that is a little different.  I also wish I could write more and could go back to college and learn more creative writing skills.

Blue from the Raven Boys. Hanging out with sweet and hot guys with a fun secret? Yes please! I loved Blue in this novel. I think it would be interesting to live the life she has in her less-than-normal home environment full of psychics.

Tella from Caraval. Or Scarlett. Really either of them. I just want to experience Caraval once and the magic that it brings to a fun game. I cannot wait for Finale to be released this year!!!

Sky in Fire & Heist. I WANT TO BE A WEREDRAGON. Isn’t that enough reason? No? Okay how about I want to be rich, save my family, and have an awesome wyvern boyfriend. Okay that is all.

Jude from The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King. I love Jude. She is ruthless and brave and ultimately very flawed. I would love to experience the terrifying yet beautiful world of the Fae.

Emika from Warcross. I loved the idea of the game of Warcross and would love to just experience it and play it. I also love Hideo’s character and would love to meet him in real life even though he is pretty intimidating,

Gemma Doyle from A Great and Terrible Beauty. This is one of those series I really need to reread because I absolutely loved it and I remember wishing I could live inside the pages BUT I don’t really rememeber why…. Is that weird? Should I even include this?

Claidi from the The Claidi Journals Series. Okay. I literally don’t know another soul who has read these BUT if you are a fan of YA Fantasy I highly encourage you to look these up. I adored this series the first time I read it when I was 14 and then again when I reread it a couple years later. I discovered these at the library. This world is dangerous and beautiful and magical. I want to experience it all.

Lucy from The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. There is no secret that this is my favorite series right behind Harry Potter. I loved Lucy’s character in these books and hello HIGH QUEEN OF ANYTHING. I just can’t imagine discovering a secret world in your weird uncle’s closet and being so calm about it at such a young age. I mean she wasn’t totally calm, but she could have been more ecstatic about it all. 

 

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Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

This was such a fantastic middle grades read. Jacqueline Woodson never disappoints. Harbor Me is the story of 5 preteens in New York who are a little lost and not the best students. They have been pulled into what seems like a remedial class outside the normal 7th grade classes. They each have different stories and backgrounds but this story is about what they find in common despite being different, how they connect, and in the bigger picture… how the human race should find ways to  connect to one another. What I loved: – TIMELINESS. These kids are dealing with every known social issue in the United States at this time – The characters were so believable. As a teacher, I wanted to hug all these students. – The teacher who trusted them. In this world, as a teacher, it is hard for us not to make decisions based on what is best for the kids instead of liability. Would I leave 5 preteens in a room unsupervised? Probably not. But it is interesting to think how healing that could be for them. – the whole phrase Harbor Me, and what it means What I didn’t Love: – This book was too short. I need more! – IS this going to be relevant in 5 years, or 10. I don’t think this one will withstand the test of time so read it now while it is EXTREMELY relevant   Overall: 4/5 Stars   Buy Link: Hardcover from Amazon

 

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell Book Review

** spoiler alert ** 4.5/ 5 Stars Carry On is a magical story that is a reminder of the magic we felt when we first read Harry Potter without being too much like Harry Potter. Sure the beginning seems like it is desperately trying to be Potter, but as you get into the details, the plot, and most importantly, the characters, you realize that it isn’t much like Harry Potter except that there is magic and it takes place at a magic school in Britain. The characters were believable and well thought out. The Mage was a complicated character who was the antihero throughout the novel. Each character, even minor characters like Ebb the goat herder, had a complicated and twisted past. My favorite character was Baz who was broody, moody, and dark because of a past that haunted him, a family that ignored who he really was, and his secret crush: his roommate, Simon Snow. Though Simon has a girlfriend and so Baz knows he will never be with Simon. I think I mostly related to Agatha, who seemed determined to keep herself safe no matter what that meant. She seems hated among the fans of this novel, but I think she acted the most realistically of the characters. Most 17/18 year old girls would act the way she does in this novel, at least on certain subjects. I also liked the way her story ended – saving a dog and running away to California. The only thing I really didn’t like was the corniness in the way that spells were cast. It just seemed like saying normal phrases in a “magic way” would end up in a lot of disasters which are mentioned throughout the book “Be careful or instead of flying, Up, Up and Away could rip your lungs up out of your mouth” LIKE WHAT. Seriously though, I recommend this 100% to anyone who is craving that “reading Harry Potter for the first time” feeling.

Review: Legend of the Silver Skinner

Title: The Legend of the Silver Skinner
Author: John Mowbray
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Publishing Date: 2016
Number of Pages: 302
Amazon Link:     Kindle   Paperback

The Legend of the Silver Skinner is the story of a young man,Haroway, who has a run in with a witch at the beginning of the story who predicts Haroway’s demise. Haroway ends up running into the despicable character, Conrad, who ultimately becomes his friend and together they join Captain Black’s crew of likable pirates. Haroway has many adventures on Captain Black’s ship – including slaughtering mysterious creatures, getting lost in a jungle, and meeting the girl of his dreams.

John Mowbray has a very unique writing style that is comparable to the classics I have read in my past. He completely separates himself as the narrator from the characters and gives an unbiased view of the plot and characters as the story progresses. I was impressed with the story line and the complexity of the plot in this story. My only problem with this story was the complexity of the characters – or lack thereof. For the majority of the book, I kept getting the characters confused because their individual personalities were extremely similar which was a problem since the three main characters were all suppose to be completely different ages and come from different parts of this world as well as have different backgrounds and stories. This problem seemed to get better and better throughout the book and overall was well done for a debut novel.

I would recommend this book to people who enjoy pirate stories or the classics. Overall I gave this book 3 of 5 stars.

 

Stolen Obsession Review

I would like to thank Prism Book Tour Group and the author Marlene M. Bell for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a written review.

 

Title: Stolen Obsession
Author: Marlene M. Bell
Publisher: Ewephoric Publishing
Publish Date: March 20, 2018
Number of Pages: 355
Price: Kindle: $2.99, Paperback: $9.99
Link to Amazon Here

 

Stolen Obsession is the story of Annalise, who works for a jewelry dealer, and the mystery behind at least 2 deaths that may be linked to a cursed, 500 year old necklace. At the opening of a gallery, Annalise notices the necklace in a case and notifies her friend, the owner of the gallery, of its age and curse. The owner is convince that the one in her case is a replica, but upon further analysis, Annalise knows this is the real deal. After the murder of her boss Annalise is reeling, trying to figure out who could have killed him. Then a near rape incurs with another coworker and when she heads back to her apartment to recover from all the stressful events, she realizes is has been vandalized, her computers have been taken, and worse yet, the man whom she is so obviously attracted to gets shot by the madman who had invaded her home. After Alec, the son of the gallery owner, a Greek playboy, and the man whose bed Annalise is trying to hard not to get into, whisks her off to Greece to lay low until the men hunting her – and the necklace – are caught.

The characters in this book seem so real and so obviously flawed in a good way. I loved this story which starts action packed and stays that way until the very end. Annalise and Alec,as well as the other characters in this book, have a pretense in your heart from beginning to end. I could not put this book down and ended up reading it in two back to back reading sessions. This book is an absolute adventure with a perfect mystery. I am so glad that this is going to be a series because I cannot wait for book two! I would recommend this book to mystery lovers who also like a little romance as well as fans of amateur sleuth plot novels. With the Kindle version of this book at only $2.99, you definitely need to add this to your collection.

Overall, I gave this book 4.5 out of 5 stars! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

 

 

The Mid-Year Book Freak Out Tag

The Mid-Year book freak out tag has been making its way around Booktube lately and I thought it was really fun. I need to kick my butt in gear if I want to meet all my reading goals this year so let’s do this thing.

Best Book of the Year so Far

I have to pick one???? How about 2?

If I have to narrow it down to 2… really three… I would say Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow and the Caraval Series are my two favorite reads.

Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow is a middle grade fantasy novel about Morrigan who was born cursed. Bad things happen around her, but on the day she is suppose to die, she is whisked away to a magical land she didn’t know existed. To stay there, she has to discover secrets about herself and compete in 4 trials, or else she will be hunted down and killed.

Caraval and Legendary by Stephanie Garber is a series about 2 sisters who leave their father to go play the game of Caraval to see if they can uncover the secrets of their mother’s past, find love, and stay alive.

A New Release You Haven’t Read, but Want to

These three beauties are sitting on my shelf ready to read. I have Ace of Shades and Sky in the Deep ready to rock from back-to-back Owlcrates and I preordered War Storm as my second most highly anticipated book of the year. Honestly… the size of it is intimidating me. I will get to it soon.

Most Anticipated Releases for Fall/ Winter 2018

These are my most highly anticipated releases for the fall as of right now.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi is being released on October 16th.
For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig is being released on September 25th
and The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee is set to release October 2nd.

Biggest Disappointment of the Year so Far

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas left something to be desired. I absolutely loved this series last year when I read it and I couldn’t wait to read it. It did its job as a novella, telling a secondary story to bridge two sub series together… but it wasn’t exciting, it wasn’t super fun, it just fell flat.

Biggest Surprise of the Year

The Widow’s Watcher by Eliza Maxwell was the biggest surprise of the year! I ADORED this book and its definitely in my top 5 favorites for the year.

New Favorite Author

After finishing The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, I need to read everything else she has written. I have Hearltess and Renegades on my TBR shelf. I love her writing style and storytelling ability!

New Favorite Characters

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is up there in my favorites of 2018 and Jude and Cardan are two of my new favorite characters. They are both super complicated characters and I am excited to see what they do in the The Wicked King.

A Book that Made you Cry

I am trying so hard not to do repeats but this is the only book I have finished this year that has truly made me cry. I loved the emotion that came out of reading this book and part of the reason I loved it so much is because I was able to feel the characters’ pain and grief so well.

A Book that Made You Happy

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater made me unbelievably happy. I loved this book and its characters. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series.

The Most Beautiful Book so Far

Honestly, this was a cover read for me. I had no idea what it was about when I picked it up and read it. I ended up really liking it and its one of the only Historically inspired (twisted) novels I have ever read.

 

So, what have been your favorite and lease favorite reads in 2018 so far?

 

June Wrap Up

I had an amazing reading month and amazing buy-all-the-books month. I haven’t indulged myself on book buying sprees in a long time but with it being my birthday month I went a little crazy.

Here is what I read:

1. 
   Is” by Masakazu Katsura – A Manga obsessed with a girl and having perverted daydreams about her. I didn’t care for it, but I loved the majority of the illustrations. 2/5 stars
2. 
   Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson – This middle grade sci-fi is now one of my favorite sci-fi novels. I cannot wait to read book 2. 5/5 stars
3. 
   The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks – I liked it as a typical Nicholas Sparks novel. This may be one of my favorites of his books. I listened to half of this on audiobook 4/5 stars Candle from Little Mouse Bookshelf on Etsy
4. 
   Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi – This middle grade Alice in Wonderland retelling is amazing! I thought it was well done being different and whimsical in its own way. 5/5 Stars
5. 
   Nevermoor and the Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend- This middle grade fantasy blew me away. On the back it says “For fans of Harry Potter” which made me interested, but it truly was magical. An absolutely delightful novel that reminded me of the magic in the HP series and some of the whimsical agony and humor of A Series of Unfortunate events. 5/5 Stars and my favorite read this month!
6. 
   The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater was so magical. I felt like I was friends with Blue’s friends. I cannot wait to read The Dream Thieves this month! 5/5 Stars
7. 
   The last book I finished was She Walks in Moonlight by Jennifer Silverwood. I wrote a full review of this for the author which is posted below. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

 

7 books in one month is really good for me. I am hoping to keep this number of books per month up because I actually love getting this much accomplished. This month I am participating in the 24 in 48 read-a-thon. Please let me know of any other July Read-a-thon’s happening so I can get through my July TBR!

Oh and here is a picture of all the books I acquired this month which is abnormal. I am thankful for a wonderful reading month!

What did you read in June that you loved? What in this giant stack should I read next?

Read-a-Thin May Wrap Up

In case you have no idea Read-a-Thin is a readathon that happens several times a year as a month long read-a-thon to help weedle down your TBR pile. I love the girls that host this challenge and this read-a-thon is perfect for me because my TBR shelf has like 400 books on it…or more. I am not sure.

So here is the readathin Twitter in case you are interested in joining in for the next round.

 

So here were the Challenges for May and how I fulfilled them!

 

Challenges:

1. Buddy Read a book or read the group book (Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West)
   – Finished the Group Book Love, Life, and the List – 3 out of 5 Stars
2. Read a manga/graphic novel (or read a short story/poetry collection)
3. Read a new release
   – A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas – 3 out of 5 stars 
4. Read one of the books recommended by the hosts
   1. Challenge recommended by Taylor
   2. Jessica: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
   3. Chelsea: Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
   4. Amanda: Caraval by Stephanie Garber
      – Caraval by Stephanie Garber – 5 out 5 Stars
5. May Awareness Month: Read a book featuring any sort of illness (physical or mental)
   – Love, Life and the List had a mental illness so I counted this for this challenge
6. Read a book related to your favorite superhero
   1. Challenge recommended by Aliyah
7. Read a Retelling
   1. Challenge recommended by Payton
8. Read a book out of your comfort zone
   – And I Darken by Keirsten White 3.5 out of 5 Stars
9. Read a book with your favorite color on the cover
   – Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate 4.5/5 Stars 
10. Read a book that is a part of a series
    – Legendary by Stephanie Garber 4/5 Stars 
11. Read a book you’ve been meaning to get to but haven’t
    – Caraval
12. Read a book you started but ended up putting down
    – Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate
13. Read a book with a MC that is the opposite of you
    -And I Darken
14. Mother’s Day: Read a book that was either gifted to you by your mother/grandmother or a book that is related to a mother in some way
    – The Widow’s Watcher – 5 out 5 Stars (Favorite Book of the Month!)
15. Read 3 books or complete 6 challenges

    – I read 7 books and completed 13 challenges! Yay!

 

So that is my May wrap- up. I seem to read more during readathons. Are there any coming up this month that you are looking forward to?