Book Reviewers Would Make Awesome Authors.

I created this post because I've noticed many people are down in the blogging community, so it's meant to be a pretty positive post. *sprinkles pixie dust and showers you with chocolate*

This isn't intended to "toot my own horn" or to establish bloggers as the kings and queens of the interwebz or maybe it is - and what's wrong with being proud of who you are, anyway?

Also, I'm including both book reviewers and book bloggers. Not everyone is both, but I'm sure most of us are book reviewers.

So, here are the reasons I believe book bloggers/reviewers would make AWESOME authors:

Favorite Books from My Childhood

This post is inspired by Amber from Mile Long Bookshelf's wonderful post!

I've always been into reading. According to my mom, she wanted to instill in me a love for the written word because she has always hated books. (Don't really know how that's possible.) Because of this, I have an overabundance of children's books on the bookshelf in my garage that I've held dear to me since my childhood. 

Get ready to witness A BLAST FROM THE PAST: *dramatic background music*

(Aside: Tierra also created a neat flowchart showcasing "The Years of My Life (in books)." You should check it out!) 

Eyeshadow, Yawns, & IDGAFs: Review of The Body in the Woods

Title: The Body In the Woods
Author: April Henry
Publication Date: June 17, 2014
Genre: Mystery

In this new series told from multiple perspectives, teen members of a search and rescue team discover a dead body in the woods.

Alexis, Nick, and Ruby have very different backgrounds: Alexis has spent her life covering for her mom’s mental illness, Nick’s bravado hides his fear of not being good enough, and Ruby just wants to pursue her eccentric interests in a world that doesn’t understand her. When the three teens join Portland County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue, they are teamed up to search for a autistic man lost in the woods. What they find instead is a dead body. In a friendship that will be forged in danger, fear, and courage, the three team up to find the girl’s killer—before he can strike one of their own.

This first book in April Henry’s Point Last Seen YA mystery series is full of riveting suspense, putting readers in the middle of harrowing rescues and crime scene investigations. -Goodreads

DNF - 1 Star

Thank you Henry Holt for sending me an Advanced Readers Copy of this book, which did not affect my review in any way.

I don't know why this is labeled a "thriller" when it definitely was not a thrill to read.

#WeNeedDiverseBooks Spotlight: Mornings in Jenin, by Susan Abulhawa

Title: Mornings in Jenin
Author: Susan Abulhawa
Publication Date: February 2, 2010
Genre: Historical Fiction

A heart-wrenching, powerfully written novel that could do for Palestine what The Kite Runner did for Afghanistan.

Forcibly removed from the ancient village of Ein Hod by the newly formed state of Israel in 1948, the Abulhejas are moved into the Jenin refugee camp. There, exiled from his beloved olive groves, the family patriarch languishes of a broken heart, his eldest son fathers a family and falls victim to an Israeli bullet, and his grandchildren struggle against tragedy toward freedom, peace, and home. This is the Palestinian story, told as never before, through four generations of a single family.

The very precariousness of existence in the camps quickens life itself. Amal, the patriarch's bright granddaughter, feels this with certainty when she discovers the joys of young friendship and first love and especially when she loses her adored father, who read to her daily as a young girl in the quiet of the early dawn. Through Amal we get the stories of her twin brothers, one who is kidnapped by an Israeli soldier and raised Jewish; the other who sacrifices everything for the Palestinian cause. Amal’s own dramatic story threads between the major Palestinian-Israeli clashes of three decades; it is one of love and loss, of childhood, marriage, and parenthood, and finally of the need to share her history with her daughter, to preserve the greatest love she has.

The deep and moving humanity of Mornings in Jenin forces us to take a fresh look at one of the defining political conflicts of our lifetimes. -Goodreads

5 Stars

Since its birth a month ago, I have been an avid supporter of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. I mean, besides the fact that I'm part of a minority, I've noticed that there seems to be one type of protagonist that publishers look for, and this in turn leads to a horribly un-diverse cast of fictional protagonists. I, like many other readers, am sick and tired of this uniformity.

Snarkfest: Overly Badass Heroes & Heroines

I'm sure most of us, if not all, love a heroine/hero with a considerable amount of "spunk." Girls like Katniss and Celaena makes us girls proud, and guys like Ash and the Darkling make us swoooon.

But.

For some, there comes a time when you encounter a hero/heroine who is just WAY too badass and extremely unrealistic. Yeah, yeah, it's fiction, but we crave a character with flaws, who isn't perfection incarnate, and who makes mistakes. Sometimes, I think, authors take the badassery way too far and end up creating a character whose only purpose is to defeat the bad guys. There's no personality, no imperfections, NADA.

City of Heavenly Fire & Other Rant-y Things

1 STAR FOR YOU.

DNF at page two-hundred or three-hundred and something

Once upon a time there was a twelve-year-old girl who loved reading. She read anything she could get her hands on - but unlike other girls her age, she refused to read Twilight. No, she was far too good for that. Instead, she devoured the Mortal Instruments series, which she believed was far more well-written, more complex than that worthless Twilight.

Fast forward two years later, and Summer is eagerly waiting for the next installment in the series, City of Lost Souls. The previous one wasn't as good as the others, but she believed that this would be the one. To kill the time, Summer browsed a website she recently discovered: Goodreads. Mind you, she did not make an account, but she did spend a considerable amount of time reading reviews of her Favorite Series of All Time.

Review: Cinderella's Dress, by Shonna Slayton

Title: Cinderella's Dress
Author: Shonna Slayton
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Genre: Historical Fiction/Fantasy

Being seventeen during World War II is tough. Finding out you’re the next keeper of the real Cinderella’s dresses is even tougher.
Kate simply wants to create window displays at the department store where she's working, trying to help out with the war effort. But when long-lost relatives from Poland arrive with a steamer trunk they claim holds the Cinderella’s dresses, life gets complicated.
Now, with a father missing in action, her new sweetheart, Johnny, stuck in the middle of battle, and her great aunt losing her wits, Kate has to unravel the mystery before it’s too late.

After all, the descendants of the wicked stepsisters will stop at nothing to get what they think they deserve. -Goodreads

2 Stars

*Thank you Entangled Publishing for providing me a copy for review.*

DNF at 75%.

Slayton's Cinderella's Dress is a lovely example of amazing concept, bad execution.

Go on, read the synopsis yourself. It's trivial how a book with so much promise can be so lacking. You have historical fiction, which I love, fairy tale elements, which I adore, and a hint of feminism. What's not to love?

Blogger Me vs. Real Me

This is not my normal type of post; it's not entirely bookish-related, but it does pertain to the book-blogging community.

The other day, I had an epiphany of sorts. I was musing on how ah-mazing it would be to attend BEA and meet tons of book bloggers in the flesh and blood. (No, that choice of phrase is not odd). And based on what other bloggers have said, it seems like a pretty cool experience to finally meet someone you've been interacting with online in person.  

In my highly improbable BEA daydream, I wondered how I would react to meeting other book bloggers. Would I be completely speechless, or would I be as talkative as I normally am?

Review: Cruel Beauty, by Rosamund Hodge

Title: Cruel Beauty (Cruel Beauty Universe)
Author: Rosamund Hodge
Genre: Fairytale retelling
Publication Date: January 28, 2014

Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.

Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.

But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.

As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love. -Goodreads

3-3.5 Stars

As a child, Belle was always one of my favorite Disney characters. (I related to her so much. Probably because we both love reading and have brown hair xD). And as such, Beauty and the Beast was one of my favorite fairy tales. So, I was expecting to love this.

Did I?

It varies.

7 Reasons to Read Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly

Title: Revolution
Author: Jennifer Donnelly
Genre: Historical fiction/Contemporary
Publication Date: October 12, 2010

From the privileged streets of modern Brooklyn to the heart of the French Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly, author of the award-winning novel A Northern Light, artfully weaves two girls’ stories into one unforgettable account of life, loss, and enduring love. Revolution spans centuries and vividly depicts the eternal struggles of the human heart.

BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present. -Goodreads

5 Stars

"I am not afraid of beatings or blood anymore. I’m not afraid of guards or guillotines.
There is only one thing I fear now - love.
For I have seen it and I have felt it and I know that it is love, not death, that undoes us."

What the heck did I just read?

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly goes right up there with novels like I Am the Messenger, A Northern Light (also written by her), and Jellicoe Road. And trust me, I do not honor any book with as prestigious a rank as this.

Review: Just Like Fate, by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Title: Just Like Fate

Author: Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young

Genre: Contemporary

Publication Date: August 27, 2013

Caroline is at a crossroads. Her grandmother is sick, maybe dying. Like the rest of her family, Caroline's been at Gram's bedside since her stroke. With the pressure building, all Caroline wants to do is escape--both her family and the reality of Gram's failing health. So when Caroline's best friend offers to take her to a party one fateful Friday night, she must choose: stay by Gram's side, or go to the party and live her life.

The consequence of this one decision will split Caroline's fate into two separate paths--and she's about to live them both.

Friendships are tested and family drama hits an all-new high as Caroline attempts to rebuild old relationships, and even make a few new ones. If she stays, her longtime crush, Joel, might finally notice her, but if she goes, Chris, the charming college boy, might prove to be everything she's ever wanted.

Though there are two distinct ways for her fate to unfold, there is only one happy ending... -Goodreads

1.5 Stars

Just Like Fate is the equivalent of eating a tub of ice cream all at once and completely regretting it after. 

Right after finishing Just Like Fate, I was ready to write a gushing review on how wonderful of an experience I had while reading this. A few hours later I was mulling over the novel and began to think how completely shallow it felt. So many irrational events occurred in the course of this book that I'm surprised I didn't catch them. It's embarrassing, really, that I had been mindlessly reading this novel without actually thinking of the story-line as a whole.

Sidenote: This goes to show NEVER REVIEW A BOOK RIGHT AFTER YOU FINISH IT.

Interview with Sangu Mandanna, Author of The Lost Girl

Today, I'd like to welcome the amazing Sangu Mandanna, author of The Lost Gitl, to the blog! Her book is a favorite of mine, and I'm so glad the author was able to do a Q & A!

Review: Time After Time, by Wendy Godding

Title: Time After Time
Author: Wendy Godding
Genre: YA Paranormal/Historical Fiction
Publication Date: April 1, 2014

She has died countless times before, and she is not going to let it happen again.

Abbie Harper dies just before her eighteenth birthday. It has happened before, more times than she can remember — and always at the hands of the same man. Her dreams are plagued with past lives, cut short.

But this latest dream feels different. Her past life as Penelope Broadhurst — an English pastor’s daughter in 1806 — keeps bleeding into her present life in ways both sinister and familiar. As Penelope meets and falls in love with the dashing Heath Lockwood, so too does Abbie meet the brothers Marcus and Rem Knight. One wants to love her; the other to kill her.
Time is running out for Penelope, but as Abbie mourns her inability to change the past, she chases the slim chance to save her future. To survive, she must solve the puzzle of an ancient love story…and Penelope just might be able to help. -Goodreads

1 Star

*Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.*

When I see this book:

This book was horrible. It epitomized the word horrible.

Flowchart: So You Wanna Read YA Historical Fiction?

I'm not the best in graphics, but I've (somehow) created a flow chart composed of GOOD (at least in my opinion) young adult historical fiction novels. It's categorized by country, time period, or sub-genre, and hopefully it's not too straining on the eye.

So... I sort of stole the idea from Vulture's YA Novel Flowchart, but I narrowed it down to historical fiction, being that it is my favorite genre. I've read pretty much everything included in this flowchart, save for a couple.

Even if you aren't the biggest fan of historical fiction, I'm sure any one of these books will captivate you and trap you inspire you to read more books of this genre!

Top Ten Tuesday #9: Top Ten Characters We'd Never Want To Trade Places With

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I (Tierra) noticed that there hasn't been a Top Ten Tuesday for a while on this blog, so I thought it would be fun if this week Summer and I did it together!

1. Penryn (Angelfall) - One thing I know for sure, I'd NEVER want to live in Penryn's post-apocalyptic-dystopian world where angels are taking over. Add that to having a psychotic mother and a lost sister, and you've got a very screwed-up world.

2. Puck (Iron Fey series) - I adore Puck. He will always be one of my favorite characters. But, throughout the series he's forced to do Meghan's dirty work, and is easily discarded once she meets Ash. He's treated like nothing, and he definitely doesn't deserve this unfair treatment.

3. Anyone from Of Poseidon aside from the main characters - Mostly because I feel bad for anyone who has to endure through the "ohmysweetgoodness!" exclamations and witness the barf-inducing relationship of Anna and Galen.

4. Mal (Shadow & Bone) - Poor Mal. I'm not his biggest fan, but he's always being made fun of by readers, just because he's "wimpy" or "boring". His presence is ignored once The Darkling is around, and he's just never good enough, no matter how hard he tries.

5. Gemma (Stolen) - Being drugged, kidnapped, and forced to live in the Australian outback is not exactly an ideal life. I would never, ever want to be in her situation. 

6. Any student at Hogwarts in the same year as Harry Potter (The Harry Potter Series) - Imagine how much stuff they had to go through because "The Chosen One" was battling something different every single year. I very much doubt that they got a substantial education.

7. A Katherine (An Abundance of Katherines) - I don't have anything against Colin, but all the way through the book the extent of each Katherines personality (apart from maybe K19) is just a number. I don't want to be just known as Katherine number 5 who was part of a mathematical equation.

8. Jacob Black (The Twilight Saga) - Always having to come second? No thanks. I almost felt sorry for him until he fell in love with Bella's daughter... Seriously, who does that?

9. Hazel Grace (The Fault in our Stars) - I admire Hazel so much, but I would not be able, nor would I want to deal with so much heartbreak and loss at such a young age. Having the knowledge that death is inevitably close would not be a nice way to live.

10. Anna (My Sister's Keeper) - She lives her life to keep someone else alive. She was literally only conceived so that she would be a bone marrow match for her sister. That sucks! And then to make it even worse she has to make the decision to stop helping her sister so that she can finally live her own life.

WHICH CHARACTERS WOULD YOU NEVER WANT TO TRADE PLACES WITH?