Raven Reads: Rebecca's Book Blog!

"Breathe, dammit..."

I'm not sure if I can breathe after reading this story. Salt for Air by M.C. Frank is about teenage fanfiction writer Ellie is astonished to encounter a merman asking her to save his life. It's a story not about love but about death and loss. It's a story about trying to survive, whether in this reality or another.

This book was a whirlpool (see what I did there?) of emotions. One second everything would be fine and dandy (or at least as fine and dandy as it could get in this story) and then the next splash! (I'm not stopping with these water puns) everything would go to hell. I rarely got a minute to catch my breathe, but that was fine. It just made me want to read more and more. I've read enough of Frank's writing to become familiar with her tone and I was happy to fall back into those lyrical, poetic pages. That effect just made me glide through this story so much easier and something that I really appreciated. 

"You're it."

Everybody's 'it' and by 'it' I mean the characters that I grew to care for in a bit over 200 pages. There's more that I won't mention because of spoilers so I'll just talk about the main two. There's Ellie, of course, the main female character who's point of view the novel is in. Placing the book in her point of view made me really feel for her being able to see her innermost thoughts. In particular there was one scene that my heart literally broke for her and had me saying "oh no no no no" when it happened. Our spectacular merman is our other main character who, well, it was hopeless for me not to fall in love with. Of course there were times I wanted to slap him across the face but near the end of the novel I was crying his name nonetheless.

M.C. Frank never fails to disappoint with endings and Salt for Air is no exception. There were at least two points I thought 'what else could happen' and other things happen they did. But it wasn't meaningless run-on at the end of the story like other novels I've read, it was substance, scenes that needed to happen or the story wouldn't have been so fulfilling at the end.

This book takes a spin on the ever-popular greek mythology and revitalizes it in a new way. The myths in this story aren't the cut-and-dry definitions that you can find in any textbook. They're unique and unexpected. And don't even get me started on the descriptions of the mer-creatures because they're just beautiful. I wish I was an artist so I could draw them, but the gorgeous image in my head will just have to suffice.

I'd recommend Salt for Air to anyone who wants to read an amazing story about fighting back and taking back what is yours. Oh, and also anyone who likes mythology and mermaids too. You'll enjoy it as well.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel by the author in exchange for my honest review*

It's been a loooong time coming but I finally finished this book! And it wasn't the book's fault that it took me so long, it was life. After I was finally able to continue reading I read the book in a week!

Fire and Bone by Rachel A. Marks is the first in the Otherborn series. It follows main heroine Sage as she is trust into a world of deities and she's forced to figure of what it is that she wants as she discovers the truth about the world around her and herself.

I'm giving this book a 5 star review for a number of reasons that will be explained in this review. Let me just say that I loved it a lot and I can't wait for the rest of the series!

I'll start off by talking about the characters. To be completely honest, I found Sage a bit annoying at the beginning of the novel. I suppose I can't blame her though for not wanting to trust in the new reality she found herself in. However, by the end of the novel I absolutely fell in love with her as a character. In just 360 some odd pages she changed completely from the beginning of the novel and I loved that character development. Another character that surprised me was Aelia who I grew to really appreciate as well. And of course, we have to talk about the swoon factor of the book, Faelen and Kieran. Hot magical boys, what's not to love? I guess you could say that they're two sides of a coin: Faelen the good and Kieran the bad. But there's so much more to them and I loved getting to explore that in the novel (also Kieran is just one of my favorite character names of all time).

It's refreshing to read a book about Celtic mythology. It's not something you see very often, or at least something that I haven't. I literally knew nothing about the deities coming into this novel but it explained everything that I needed to know and by the end I wasn't confused. What I also love about the book is that while its based on these deities the children of them are more important so you don't really need to know much information on the deities themselves.

The plot of this novel was fast-paced and I liked that. The entire book happened within a couple weeks time (well..for the most part) and I was glad it didn't feel like a long drawn-out read. From the beginning of the novel your mind is working trying to figure out what the Before scene is about and what this infatuation with fire that Sage has. As the novel progresses you get tid bits here and there but never the whole story. But that just kept me wanting more. I had to keep reading to figure out the whole mystery. And then once I did, well I was surprised.

The end of the novel wrapped up the story well while leaving it open for the next books in the series. I pretty much knew what was going to happen in the final chapter but it just make me say yaaaasssss when it happened but also nooooo. And then the epilogue...brilliant. I can't wait for the next book!

I'd recommend this book to fans of Percy Jackson and just teen fantasy books in general. Love magical guys? This book is for you. Love strong female characters? Yup, read this book. Want a kickass read that will leave you wanting more? Read this book now.

~*~*~ It's the release party for Salt for Air by M.C. Frank! ~*~*~

To celebrate I've created a tag that can be done on your blog, instagram, tumblr, youtube or anywhere! Be sure to check out the book at M.C. Frank's Release Post and purchase it at Amazon Link!

Let's get into the tag!

Questions:

S - Seaing Love: What's your favorite sea or ocean themed book?

A - Lost At Sea: Who's a character that you hate so much you wish they would just get lost at sea never to be heard of again?

L - Sea Life: The ocean is so diverse with the life you find there; what's your favorite species from a book? (i.e. vampires from Twilight or aliens from the 5th Wave)

T - Tidal Wave: What's the most shocking plot twist you've ever read? (Please include a spoiler warning!)

F - Water Flow: What story do you love because of how well the story flows?

O - Oceanic Distance: Oceans are vast just like the time we wait for new books; what's a book you've been waiting on forever?

R - Coral Reef: These are so beautiful yet disappearing rapidly; what book got a new cover and you can't help but like the old one better?

A - Archipelago: This is a group is islands in stretch of water, kind of like a series of books in an author's universe; what's your favorite series of books?

I - Icy Depths: What's a character you wish you could bring back from the icy depths of death? (Please include a spoiler warning!)

R - Raft! You're stranded in the ocean! But you're on a raft at least. What three book characters do you wish to be on that raft with you?

My Answers:

S - Seaing Love: What's your favorite sea or ocean themed book?

I absolutely love the Siren by Kiera Cass. A lot of people feel like it falls in comparison to her Selection series (or at least the first three books) but I actually enjoyed it a lot more. I read it during a readathon a couple years ago and couldn't put it down. 

A - Lost At Sea: Who's a character that you hate so much you wish they would just get lost at sea never to be heard of again?

There's a few characters I could chose for this but we'll go with a old hatred - Gale from the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I honestly started to dislike him from the first book but by the end of the trilogy I couldn't even stand seeing his name on the page.

L - Sea Life: The ocean is so diverse with the life you find there; what's your favorite species from a book? (i.e. vampires from Twilight or aliens from the 5th Wave)

For this one I'm choosing the Fey from the Iron Fey by Julie Kagawa. This series was one of the first fantasy series I completed and I fell in love with how magic worked in this world and how the fey used it.

T - Tidal Wave: What's the most shocking plot twist you've ever read? (Please include a spoiler warning!)

I thought long and hard about this one and I had to choose the plot twist in We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. Spoilers under the cut!

F - Water Flow: What story do you love because of how well the story flows?

The thing I loved most about the No Ordinary Star series by M.C. Frank was how well the story flowed. Gah, the story was just beautiful and how the plot and characters were woven together made an amazing story.

O - Oceanic Distance: Oceans are vast just like the time we wait for new books; what's a book you've been waiting on forever?

I have to mention Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare, because come on. But the book I really want to talk about is Maximum Ride Manga Vol. 10 by James Patterson and NaRae Lee. Because holy crap, this book was supposed to come out three years ago. And then the date kept getting changed. And now it says 2019 but I'm not really sure if the volume is ever going to come out

R - Coral Reef: These are so beautiful yet disappearing rapidly; what book got a new cover and you can't help but like the old one better?

 The cover for the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare are the ones that popped into my head instantly. While I really like the new covers I can't get over how much I love the old ones. I haven't bought the new covers (only City of Bones because B&N had an exclusive edition and I got it signed by Clare) and I don't think I'm going to. (And I have to mention that the COLS original cover is one of my favorites of all time).

A - Archipelago: This is a group is islands in stretch of water, kind of like a series of books in an author's universe; what's your favorite series of books?

WHY DID I MAKE THIS QUESTION. This is an impossible choice. I can't just choose a favorite book series. There's so many that I love. Since I've already mentioned a few of my favorites in this tag I'll mention one I haven't yet: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. This series is just swoon. I can't believe I waited so long to read it. But I've forever grateful that I finally did and I can't wait for the next book (or spin off book, or whatever the next books are going to be).

I - Icy Depths: What's a character you wish you could bring back from the icy depths of death? (Please include a spoiler warning!)

This answer contains a spoiler warning for the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth. You have been warned.

R - Raft! You're stranded in the ocean! But you're on a raft at least. What three book characters do you wish to be on that raft with you?

Okay, let's see. First I need Percy Jackson from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
by Rick Riordan. Because he's the son of Poseidon and like he can control the sea and get us were we need to go. And then I'm going to pick Jace from the Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare because like he'd defeat any evil sea creature that tried to kill us. Because things would surely attack us. And finally I'm going to chose Max from Maximum Ride by James Patterson because at the very least she'll provide some company and can fly me out of there if things get dicey.

Thanks for making it to the end of this tag! If you did...you're tagged!

Heir of Ashes is the first book in the Roxanne Fosch series by Jina S. Bazzar. It’s an epic, exhilarating fantasy journey and I can't wait to see where the rest of the series leads.

At 400 pages this novel might seem long and drawn out but it was anything that. I read 200 pages in nearly one sitting without even realizing how much I was reading. Each and every page of this novel was important for understanding the plot, the story and Roxanne.

The story centers around main character Roxanne Fosch as she runs for her life from crazed scientists who seek to keep her locked up. The book starts would with a bang and event after event after that kept me on my toes and at the edge of my seat.

The story was a bit confusing at first, but what fantasy novel isn't? Creating a world and culture takes time and craft, something Bazzar mastered beautifully. Little details sprinkled in here and there kept the gears turning in my head, wondering the truth behind Roxanne’s life and what she really was. The end of the novel weaved together wonderfully, all the little pieces falling into place perfectly. I wouldn't say everything in this book was unpredictable, I did see a few things coming, but this book contained the perfect mix of predictable and unpredictable.

Roxanne Fosch is an interesting heroine. Bazzar crafted her to be a strong, independent woman who didn't need a man (okay, but the man she did allow to help her was swoon worthy anyhow). It was refreshing to see Roxanne fight back again and again, never giving up.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who's looking to read the start to a unique fantasy series with a kick-ass heroine. 

Hey everyone! So the wonderful @tea.books.lover and I created a tag for the month of April over on instagram! It was based on the beautiful book by M.C. Frank, Lose Me. (Click HERE to go see the challenge!) 

I decided to do a modified version on this on my blog and create a tag out of it! First of all...if you're reading this you're tagged to do it (just kidding, but I'd be fun right?) Let's get into the tag! 

1. Summer Lovin' - Choose a book that reminds you of Summer

For this one I think I have to chose the Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith. While this doesn't seem like a summery book it does take place during the summer (if my memory serves me right) and I read it during the summer so it always brings back so many memories for me. 

2. Drama - Choose your favorite play 

My favorite play? This is particualry a hard one because I don't really remember many plays that I've read. Romeo and Juliet is a classic but I can't exactly say that one is my favorite.I did really enjoy Harry Potter and the Cursed Child however. So, for now we'll say that the Cursed Child is my favorite play. 

3. At the Seaside - Choose your favorite water scene from a book (don't forget to tag the spoiler!) 

Every time I think of this scene I get so many feels all over.  Perhaps because it was one of my first OTPs ever (Spoilers belowfor the Last Olympian so scroll past if you do not want to see)

***SPOILERS***The underwater kiss scene from the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan is probably one of my favorite scenes of all time, never mind the water park. It's as Percy says: "It was probably the best underwater kiss of all time." ***SPOILERS****

4. Survival - Choose a heart-pounding book where you weren't sure if everyone was going to survives

Practically every book I read fits into this category, mostly because the books have some kind of thriller in them. For this one however I think I have to choose A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas because I was on the edge of my seat the entire time terrified that SJM could kill off all the characters I had grown to love. 

5. Proud/Prejudiced - Choose a book where a character is too proud to admit their dislike of someone is unjustified (i.e. they hate someone no real reason) 

This first book that came to mind to me (other than P&P/Lose Me, of course) had to be the Selection by Kiera Cass. Because I swear America was so proud and prejudiced Maxon so hard with no real evidence of who he really was. This had me wanting to ring America's neck as I was reading, screaming at her to just get to know the guy. 

6. Family - Choose a book with a heartwarming family 

I have to choose Maximum Ride by James Patterson for this question. While the characters (the flock) in this series aren't blood related (except for a couple), they are still a very tight-knit family. Every time something dared to break the bond between them in the books it just proved how much stronger they were together than apart. 

7. Well-loved Book - Choose a book that you have had for years and love so very much 

I choose City of Bones by Cassandra Clare for this one. I got this book......well, I don't exactly remember when it was. It had to be around six years ago. I got the paperback copy of it for my birthday from my best friend and I've loved that copy ever since. I've read it a few times, the spine is broken, the corners bent, and it has that older book smell. I can flip directly to the Midnight Flower without even thinking (my favorite chapter in the book). While I have two other copies of CoB the paperback one is still my go-to copy when I need to look something up or reminiscence. 

8. Swoon-worthy Romance - Choose your favorite book ship 

Okay, I don't know why I made this a question. I can't choose my favorite ship. It's just impossible. Instead, I'll give you a list: Jace and Clary from the Mortal Instruments, Percy and Annabeth from Percy Jackson, Feyre and Rhysand from ACOTAR, Max and Fang from Maximum Ride, Megan and Ash from the Iron Fey, Ari and Wes from Lose Me. I could go on all day. I have too many ships that I consider my favorite. It really changed from day to day, book to book, fanart that I see to fanart, and the list goes on and on. 

9. Modern Adaptation - Choose your favorite adaptation of a classic tale

For this one I pick A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas which was an adaptation of the Beauty and the Beast. And oh, I don't mean just the first book, I mean the entire series. Without giving away spoilers its hard for me to explain how exactly Beauty and the Beast relates to the rest of the series, but please! Talk to me about it! 

10. Golden Boy - Choose a character who is viewed as good and perfect and may/may not be

I'll give two examples for this one, one where the character is as good and perfect as everyone thinks he is and one where he is not. 

For the former I'm going to choose Jace from the Mortal Instruments because he is as good and perfect and beautiful as he's portrayed to be. For this I mean he's not evil underneath all that golden. Underneath all that golden is just a beautiful person. Okay, I might be a bit biased because I think Jace is kinda the perfect specimen. 

For the latter, I'm going to pick a certain character from ACOTAR, spoilers below:  

***SPOILERS***Tamlin. The horrible, despicable, little weasel of a character. Okay, I think its not hard to see that I hate this character. In the first book he was portrayed to be the good guy, the man behind the beast. But in reality there was just more beast behind the sliver of a man. ***SPOILERS***

11. Book to Movie - Choose your favorite movie adaptation of a book

Hahahahahaahaha....as readers I think most of you can agree with me that movie adaptations for books generally suck. You go to see the movie all excited that it might be kinda like the book and then leave very disappointed. For this one, however, I do actually have a couple movies I really enjoyed. The adaptation of the Maze Runner by James Dashner was pretty great. I actually enjoyed it more than the book (I found the book rather boring). And the adaptation of the 5th Wave by Rick Yancy I really enjoyed as well. Maybe it was because I hadn't read the book in a while but I thought it did pretty well hitting the points of the novel I really liked. 

12. Athletic Heroine - Choose your favorite heroine who happens to be athletic

I think most heroines I like fit into this category because I mostly read fantasy or adventures reads where the characters pretty much have to be athletic or they're going to die. But for the sake of this tag I'll single out one in particular. I've chosen Emma Carstairs from the Dark Artifices by Cassandra Clare. I just really love Emma and really enjoy reading about her in her trilogy. 

And.....that's it folks! I hope you enjoyed this tag! Don't forget to do this and tag people! And let me know! I'd love to see your responses! Thanks, and have a great day! 

(On a side note - does anybody know how to do the spoiler cut? I used the spoiler cut button but it didn't work. I've used it before but probably not in like a year.) 

Reapers is the first book in an action-packed sci-fi/fantasy series by Bryan Davis. In an almost post-apocalyptic world the hero Phoenix attempts to serve his reaper sentence. However, problems thwart him from every angle and force him to either stay true to his morals or abandon them all together.

When first reading the synopsis for Reapers I thought it was a really interesting and unique idea. I think a lot of people, including myself, are fascinated with the idea of what comes after death and this novel explores that. Well, at least it explores how your soul gets from your body to its final resting place.

Davis took a spin on the typical reaper tale and made the Reapers in his book a staple in society. They weren’t imaginary symbols of death that children were scared of in the dark. They were mythical creatures of death who had once been regular people, forced to serve the reaper sentence.

The character dynamic was something I really enjoyed in the book. I fell in love with our hero, Phoenix right away (how could I not with such a great name?). The other characters sprinkled in through out the chapters. Davis developed each character in such a way that was illuminating as well as intriguing. Little details would be spread out here and there about each character, similar to a treasure map, where the ‘X’ marked the spot when you finally, satisfyingly understood the character.

The plot in Reapers flowed well with actions at the beginning of the novel coming back to haunt the characters at the end. The story had fast-paced scenes and steadier ones that allowed my heart beat to slow and rest. All in all, the plot of Reapers was a true moving story with a hundred different pieces that could have fallen apart if they weren’t so expertly crafted. The plot tied the novel together nicely and created an ending while also leaving things unanswered for the rest of the series.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who is fascinated with life and death, the future, or reapers as themselves. This book might just become one of your favorites.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Control Freakz is a YA Science Fiction/Psychological novel that follows teenager Natalie after everything she’s loved is taken from her.

Going into reading this novel I was not exactly sure what to expect. I can’t say I’ve ever read a psychological thriller. This novel was defiantly a new flavor for me. I gave it a four star review.

I felt the story was a slow read in the beginning, but once the action started to occur I could barely put it down. The one thing I really enjoyed about Control Freakz was the look into the main character’s mind. Evans didn’t just say that Natalie did this or Natalie did that, no, he explained why she did it, what she was feeling in every moment. I’ll admit some things felt repetitive but this writing style made Natalie feel real and human.

I really liked the character development in this novel. I believe any story is an incomplete story without a character changing in someway from beginning to end. Control Freakz is definitely a complete story. I’ll just say that the characters changed a lot from the first pages of the novel.

How real this novel feels almost terrifies me. A power-hungry President who’s made the country a living hell...I’m just going to leave it at that.

I think Control Freakz is a great book and it impresses me even more that it was written by a fifteen year old. I barely wrote a collection of short stories for a school project when I was seventeen and even that I look back on with cringe. I’d recommend this to anyone who wants a not typical run of the mill story, a story where you can understand the going ons of a character.

Hey all! Today I decided to do something a bit different and do a booktag! I will be doing the Makeup Book Tag! I'm going to be mixing up the questions a bit in the order in which I use my products. 

First off my bare face without any makeup >.< 

QUESTION 1: PRIMER

For Primer I use Wet n Wild's Face Primer. I don't know a lot about primer so I just buy what's cheap. But this product has given me nothing to complain about so I'm sticking to it. I dab it onto my skin and rub it in with my fingers. 

Pick a book that's left a lasting impression 

For me this would have to be the entire Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare. These books mean so much to me and I don't think I'd be the reader/writer I am today without these books (psst! check out my Shadowhunters fanfiction here!)

QUESTION 2: CONCEALER 

For Concealer I use CoverGirl's Smoothing Concealer in the color Fair. I love this concealer because I feel like it blends well with my foundation. I swipe it under my eyes and in areas of my skin that are especially broken out. I then dab it in with my fingers. 

Pick a character you wish you could get rid of 

For this question I'm going to have to go with the first character I think I've ever hated in any book: Jason Grace. Yeah, he's one of the main heroes of the Heores of Olympus but I really cannot stand the guy. To me he's annoying and tries to act better than Percy...which he's not. Not by a long shot. 

QUESTION 3: FOUNDATION

For Foundation I either use CoverGirl's Clean Matte Liquid Foundation or CoverGirl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation both in the color Classic Ivory. I'm out of the 3-in-1 so today I used the Clean Matte. I love CoverGirl's foundation because its relatively cheap and stays on for most of the day. I use a blending sponge to dab it onto my skin. 

Pick your favorite first book in a series 

As much as I have problems with the later books in this series, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is still my favorite first book in a series. This book is such a great introduction to the series and I love Celeana, Chaol and Dorian so much. I even tabbed the hell out of my copy so I can quickly jump to the points I loved so much. 

QUESTION 4: EYESHADOW 

For Eyeshadow I have a lot of pallets but today I used CoverGirl's (are you really surprised anymore?) Eye Enhancers shadow in Tapestry Taupe. I really enjoy this eyeshadow because its a pretty brown/gray color. It goes on smooth and stays on all day. I wish my eyeshadow brush and brush it onto my eyes, especially into my crease. 

Pick a book that has your favorite colors on the cover 

I have to pick this gorgeous cover of Pride and Prejudice. Blue is my favorite cover and this is just so pretty. I own this copy and it has its own place of honor on my shelf. 

QUESTION 5: POWDER

For Power (when I use it) I use CoverGirl's Clean Matte Powder in the color Classic Ivory. I feel like this powder gives me that extra clean coverage over my foundation. 

Pick your favorite last book in a series 

I don't think I will never not pick City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare for this question. Other final books have came close but COHF has reigned supreme in this category for me. It was honestly just the perfect ending to the Mortal Instruments. 

QUESTION 6: EYELINER

For Eyeliner I have a few different sticks of varying colors but today I used Smashbox's Always On Gel Liner in the color Fishnet. I haven't used this liner much but I like how smoothly applies and how it doesn't smudge. 

Pick and dark and mysterious book

For this one I'd have to pick With Malice by Eileen Cook. This book is sure a mysterious read, I didn't know what was happening until the end of it (and do I even know now that I've finished?) 

QUESTION 7: HIGHLIGHTER 

For Highlighter I use essence's contour power. I don't actually contour, I only use the highlighter. I don't know much about highlighter but I feel like this one isn't too light or dark and gives me that shine that I like. I apply this with a brush to my cheekbones. 

Pick a book that brightened your day

For this one I have to choose the Prophecy of Shadows (Elementals #1) by Michelle Madow. This was the first book I read after a really long reading hiatus and really put me into a much better mood afterwards. It also got me back into reading. 

QUESTION 8: BLUSH 

For Blush I use a this coral-colored blush in a big combo pallet I got from Ulta Beauty. I like this blush because I feel like its not too pigmented and gives me that right level of blush. I apply this with a brush below my cheekbones. 

Pick a book with come cringe-worthy romance

I have to choose the romance in Betrayed (House of Night #2) because I cannot stand the love crap in that. I'm only continuing on in the series because I like the idea of the books but I cannot deal with the romance. 

QUESTION 9: MASCARA 

I have four different mascara I rotate between depending on the day but today I used essence's I <3 Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara. I really like this mascara because it makes my lashes look so long and thick. For the most part, its also not super clumpy and stays on all day. 

Choose a loooooong book 

I've been waiting to mention this book...A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think this book is my favorite of all time. It just gave me all the feels and I literally loved how far the story went from the beginning of the novel to the end. Please, fangirl with me about it, please. 

QUESTION 10: EYEBROWS

For Eyebrows I use the lighter brown shade in the same pallet my blush in in. I don't normally do my eyebrows but when I do I use this shade. Since I've only used this a handful of times I'm not sure how much it compares to other shades. I use a brush to apply this and the brush out my eyebrows with an eyebrow brush. 

Pick a book you think everyone should read 

No Ordinary Star by M.C. Frank. This book is honestly so epic and amazing, I love it so much and I think anybody who picks it up will too. It's a futuristic science fiction novel that honestly such a fast-paced read. Everyone should pick up this book...now. 

QUESTION 11: LIPSTICK 

For Lipstick I have a lot of different ones but I've really been enjoying lately Maybelline's Color Sensational Lipstick in the color Pink Sand.  It isn't too pigmented and doesn't smudge which is really important. Also, I feel like it stays on for a while and reapply it is hassle-free. 

Pick your favorite book kiss

I've mentioned Shadowhunters so many times in this tag already but to this day my favorite kiss is the Midnight Flower kiss in City of Bones. That kiss...I just love it so much. I won't say who it is because of spoilers but that ship is just my otp and the kiss is perfect. 

Aaaaaaand finished! 

Thanks for checking out this tag today and feel free to do this tag if you want to! Have a wonderful day and happy reading! 

It's here! It's finally here! The beautiful trailer for the amazing No Ordinary Star series by M.C. Frank! 

First, check out the trailer HERE and then read an excerpt of my spoiler free review below! 

A fairy in the Arctic, a tin solider in the future, and a mysterious clock that keeps the world balanced; what exactly is this story about? That's what I ventured to find out as I began my read of No Ordinary Star - or NOS - by M.C. Frank.   I was intrigued from the start. I wanted to find out more about our characters, about the year they lived in, about the mysteriously Clockmaster, and about how the world go so screwed up in the first place. I'll just say, which the answers I was provided with in this book I was not disappointed.

 

Psst! Don't forget to check out the ongoing giveaway HERE for $15 to the Book Depository!!

If you’ve ever been on the internet then you’ve probably met some very diverse people, people that you would have never met IRL (in real life). Waiting On You by Joey Paul is about two people wishing to escape the world around them and the harmony they find in an online chat room. 

I gave this book a five star review for two reasons: it was a really amazing read and it spoke to me. It’s not often I can find myself really relating with characters but these pages captured something that was really important to me: online life. People warn you about talking to strangers online but hey, it’s where I found my people as a shy, awkward teenager, just like Zach and Angelina in this book. 

This novel was a fast read. In fact I finished the last 150 pages or so in one sitting when I had only planned to read one chapter. I just couldn’t put it down. 

I’ve already said that I related to the characters but I love them for so much more than that. I like that they’re dynamic, changing characters with plenty of development. A story is good when you can feel a character’s pain. My heart bled for Angelina. My blood also boiled.

The thing I love the most about this story it's believable (and it makes me sad about the world because of that). Real problems are brought up and faced in Waiting On You and the outcomes of those...well you know if you’ve read it and if not, what are you waiting for! 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Waiting On You and I recommend it to anyone who’s found an escape in online life or anyone who wants a quick, wonderful read. 

Disclaimer: I received an ebook of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Its February and that means its the time for love and couples and GIVEAWAYS! Do you want to win $15 to the Book Depository? Of course you do! Read below about how to enter! 

This giveaway is hosted by the amazing couples from M.C. Frank's books: Ari and Wes from Lose Me (see above), Astra and Felix from No Ordinary Star and Beatrice and Dominic from Ruined. 

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY CLICK HERE

Want to know who these couples are? Read some of my review of Lose Me below! 

...Ari is a stunt double in a new adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, which is actually pretty dang cool. Ladies, you don't have to be the leading actress. You can kick-ass by jumping off cliffs and driving cars around sick bends. Ari is an enigma the moment you meet her repeating “today is not the day I die” over and over again. Something’s amiss, obvious by the gentle cues from the writings, but you don't know what it is.

Wes is the leading man in the movie, literally the Darcy. And he’s just as you would picture as described by Ari before she meets him. But Wes isn't just a two-dimensional characters, smiling at the camera. He has feelings and demons that will haunt him throughout the novel....

 

Click here to continue reading my review! 

Aaaand that's it! Good luck everyone! 

Prodigy Prince is the first book in a new YA Fantasy series, the Seven Covenant, by Natasha Sapienza. 

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

Zephoris is a place of peace and harmony… or at least it was. Prince Nuelle discovers not all is as it seems when his entire life is turned upside down in one day. Traveling to the knight academy our young hero has his destiny thrust upon him: it’s up to him and his six prodigies to defeat the evil Antikai.

Reading Prodigy Prince is quite literally stepping into another world. Sapienza’s worldbuilding is epic and unique complete with magic, monsters and evil henchmen. Like any story with a new world, stepping into it takes some getting used to. However, the Tribe Guide and the Creature Guide provide ample knowledge whenever something new is introduced into the story.

It was quite easy falling in love with the array of characters in Prodigy Prince. There is a slew of characters in this story and it would have been very easy for each new character to appear to be a static, boring person. That is not the case in this novel. I felt that each character introduced had their own unique personality which was explored upon in great detail. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series to see where further development can take these characters.

The plot was fast-paced. Every page I turned it seemed like something new was happening; there was always some action and hardly a dull moment within the pages of this book. This story wasn’t typical, the plot turned and spun in new directions that I couldn’t even see what was coming next. I enjoyed being surprised.

I recall shouting when I reached the end of the novel. Whether that was for joy, sadness, surprise or horror, I’ll leave that spoiler out. I was in awe at the ending and I am very excited to see where the next books in the series will lead.

I’d recommend this novel to anyone who loves high fantasy, adventures, and/or fast-paced reads.

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review)

I like the story. What I didn't like? The obnoxious love polygon and the fact that I saw all the major twists coming from a book away while the main character was so surprised even when she had thought about it herself beforehand. 

I'll be continuing this series I'm just hoping these things get better. 

Mehhh...I'm not sure exactly how much I like this book? I defiantly don't like Zoey practically falling in love with every boy she meets in 5 seconds flat. Especially considering one of them is an Ezra/Aria situation and I am not down for that. And otherwise the amount of insta-love in the book? Not a fan. 

A few years ago, when I was a teenager, I feel like I would have really enjoyed this book. I still did like the book I could just see the obvious flaws with it now. I can't tell if some of the things in the book are just tropes or plot twists, time will tell. I'm excited to continue with the rest of the series! 

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