2013

I've been on hiatus for about a year and a half. No posting and shamefully little writing, but I had a lot of "life" (aka, growing up) to do. Today--miracle of miracles--I finally opened a book of writing prompts, and the flow of creative writing felt AMAZING.

I've missed my writing, and I've missed all the book reviews and friends' blog posts. I still don't have as much time as I would like for blogging, but as I work my way through 642 writing prompts, I want to share my writing and read work from other people.

Writing will always be a part of me. It's good to be back!

Oh, and Happy New Year!

Read 146 books

My 2012 resolution: read 146 books in 2012 (one more than in 2011).

My list:

January:

1. Crossed
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
4. The Thin Man
5. Mere Christianity
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone
7. Breakfast at Tiffany's
8. Clockwork Angel
9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
10. Clockwork Prince

February/March:

11. DNAngel Vol. 1
12. The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko Vol. 1
13. Michael Martone
14. Delirium
15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
16. Twilight
17. Anthem
18. Hounded
19. Across the Universe
20. Charmed Life
21. The Lives of Christopher Chant
22. Pandemonium
23. The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko vol. 2
24. Summers at Castle Auburn
25. Fall of a Kingdom
26. Rise of a Hero
27. Forging the Sword
28. The Wolf-King's Bride Vol. 1
29. Mariana
30. The Wolf-King's Bride Vol. 2
31. The Shadowy Horses
32. Austenland33. Vesper
34. The Day Before

April:
35. Clan of the Cave Bear
36. The Secret Life of Bees
37. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
38. Valley of the Horses
39. Heir Apparent
40. Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake
41. Nine Coaches Waiting
42. Born at Midnight
43. Wither

(try to get to 49 by month's end)

The Lost Gate
The Hobbit
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

List of books read for Descent of Angels Challenge

here's my list of books completed for the Descent of Angels reading challenge, hosted by Books Over Boys. while i won't be posting reviews (so my entry isn't official) i will be reading the required number of books! for this challenge, i have to read 12 books in 2011 that have an angel as a main character or a main part of the plot.

1. Halo
2. City of Fallen Angels
3. Hush, Hush
   
4. Crescendo
5. Unearthly
6. Airel
7. My Soul to Lose
8. Branded (Fall of Angels)
9. Forsaken (Fall of Angels 2)
10. Torment
11. City of Bones
12. City of Ashes
    

it finally happened.

Tahereh just announced the release of her debut novel--the first in a trilogy!!!! to see her entire post (if you haven't already), click here. to pre-order her book, Shatter Me, on Amazon (release date: Nov 15th, 2011) click here.

i can't wait!!! CONGRATS to Tahereh!!!

Incarceron review

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

(synopsis from Catherine Fisher's webpage)

Imagine a living prison so vast that it contains corridors and forests, cities and seas. Imagine a prisoner with no memory, who is sure he came from Outside, even though the prison has been sealed for centuries and only one man, half real, half legend, has ever escaped.
Imagine a girl in a manor house in a society where time has been forbidden, where everyone is held in a seventeenth century world run by computers, doomed to an arranged marriage that appals her, tangled in an assassination plot she both dreads and desires.
One inside, one outside
But both imprisoned.
Imagine a war that has hollowed the moon, seven skullrings that contain souls, a flying ship and a wall at the world's end.
Imagine the unimaginable.
Imagine Incarceron.


my thoughts:

this was another one of those books that i had high expectations for and then it didn't quite live up to them.

it was original and entertaining, but ultimately unsatisfactory. it was hard to get really engaged in the story or the characters. at the end, the story veered into the dangerous territory i refer to as "the abstract" where i couldn't understand what was happening...this book just wasn't what i'd hoped.

it also had an inconclusive ending. what more can i say?

my rating: 3.5

Mistwood review

Happy March, everybody!


Mistwood by Leah Cypess

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwood. But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

my thoughts:

i have slightly mixed feelings about this book. the idea was very original, something that seems hard to find in fantasy lately. i was very excited to read the book.

i had trouble warming up to the MC, though. the Shifter sounds cool in theory, but when actually seeing everything through her eyes...well, it was kind of cold. it made it hard to really feel very affectionate about her as a character. (maybe this was just me, though)

on the plus side, i never knew what would happen next. this is the main thing that kept me reading. while this made Mistwood an interesting read, i don't know that i would want to re-read it.

however, i gotta say, Ms. Cypess didn't leave me hanging! she gets some credit for that.

my rating: 4.1

Nevermore review

okay. so i know i'm not around much these days. i missed Valentine's Day (hope everybody enjoyed their day as much as i did mine!). i just finished a couple of exams (accounting and microeconomics) and i finally feel like i can breathe! school and life are a bit crazy, and meanwhile, my poor blog is being neglected.

i'm sorry.

i can't promise i'll be around more, but i'll try to be better about posting. i promise!! in the meantime....


Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

(synopsis from Goodreads)

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game. Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind. Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

my thoughts:

i loved the idea of this book the first time i heard it. the whole premise, the cover--it was seductive and enticing. actually the whole book sounded (and felt when i was reading it) like Beautiful Creatures minus the To Kill a Mockingbird influence plus some Edgar Allen Poe influence. if that makes any sense at all.

if you're a fan of Poe and a fan of YA lit, this book is for you. i loved it. i devoured the story. i liked that the author wasn't afraid to use characters that weren't necessarily instantly lovable. she made them dynamic, changing them throughout the story, which i think is missing from a lot of stories; i like being able to watch the character grow as the story goes on. it's more engaging and personal. this change was especially evident in Isobel, who went through some seriously-needed character development.

despite definite opportunities to do so, Ms. Creagh kept the story from veering into what i'd call "the abstract". the abstract never makes any sense to me. she let the story have some creative freedom without completely losing me, and i really appreciated that.

of course, no story is perfect (or at least, almost no story is). my complaint about Nevermore was....you guessed it, the cliff-hanger ending!! i cannot tell you how much these are starting to annoy me. oh well. i guess it means there's more from Ms. Creagh to look forward to, even if Nevermore had no closure.

my rating: 4.6