Paper Princess | The cliches are highly addicting

Paper Princess by Erin Watt

Pages: 370

Format: epub

Published: April 4, 2016

Series: The Royals

From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…

Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone.

Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.

Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.

He might be right.

Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees.

To be honest, this is not the kind of books I gravitate towards now but since I have been reading a ton of fantasy I decided to take a little break. It’s not the greatest book ever written BUT IT IS GODDAMNED ENTERTAINING AND ADDICTING. 

The premise reminded me of Wattpad books being publish in my country , a generic poor and pretty girl, Ella (bonus points is also given since she’s an orphan too) rags to riches story with the ever cliche band of ridiculously hot and rich guys, in this case 5 well-built brothers who look like thugs rather than normal private school attendees. Let’s not forget the high school drama and clique-system (this trope never grows old). 

Aside from high school drama, it also features family drama which resembled the once that usually recurred in telenovelas, I could visualize the over the top dramatics and camera spans in revelation scene. I wasn’t really biting the book for it’s plot.

PLOT RUNDOWN IN FOUR WORDS:

1. Under-age drinking
2. Drugs
3. Sex
4. Tons and tons of drama

It’s not the plot that would drive you to binge-reading this book  (I think it’s too cheesy and telenovela-y), but the characters and their many layers.

“Somewhere along the line, I started thinking that if I just got through this bad experience, this bad day, that tomorrow I’d have something better, brighter, newer.
I still believe that. I still believe that there’s something good out there for me. I just have to keep going until my time comes.”

-Ella Harper

I was cheering Ella the entire book. She’s an optimistic, strong, snarky, funny and independent heroine (which I applaud!) she doesn’t take sh*ts from anyone. She is probably one of the most realistic characters in the book. Her as a character, will make you empathize more to her.

Now we have the ridiculously rich and GOOD-LOOKING Royals. 

Now even if how unrealistically they are portrayed, these guys are funny, smart-mouth and the epitome of cookie-cut bad-boys, and YOU WILL LOVE THEM TO PIECES (because who can resist the charms of a bad-boy?). There is no denying that. Love would be an understatement.

you might wanna rein your hormones to the minimum if you will read this book

Aside from that, you have your cookie-cutter high-school mean girl, cookie cutter high school pecking order, cookie-cutter rich kids wanting parental attentions and a seemingly weird and fucked up high school faculty who you can pay to get away with anything, which makes the whole thing fun for me because I just discovered that this type of books are my GUILTY PLEASURES.  (There’s no denying that either.)

Even if how ridiculously the plot laid out,  and how some characters (fine, mostly) are cooke-cutter examples, I have no shame saying that I am a sucker for these kinds of tropes. 

One more thing, the CLIFFHANGER (because it’s not only the Royals)  WILL RUIN YOU.

p.s these kinds of books now is being held in a special part of my brain and heart

What books made me do | No I was not possessed by Riddle’s diary

No I am not talking about Tom Riddle’s diary giving me instructions on how to kill chickens nor open the Chamber of Secrets. I am talking about things books made me do like i.e (a.) go on a spontaneous and unplanned roadtrip (b.) bawl my eyes out crying (c.) climb an old Ferris wheel (d.) made me wish I was in Hogwarts (e.) set things on fire  and (f.) made me want a French boyfriend who prefers to be called by his last name. These are just some of the things books made me do or want to do in real-life (that also includes slaying dragons and monsters).

For this weeks Top Ten Tuesday, we will be talking about the ten things books had inspired me to do. This excludes me going on a killing spree ala Celaena Sardothein.

1.) SLAY EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO BE SLAYING

Let’s get real here, although slaying monsters and dragon is still on the table, but I am talking about prejudices towards women by the society and breaking the norm on how people perceive girls. Slay ’em with “kindness”. *cue in Selena Gomez *

*this is a feminist rant. #strongwomen

2.) ACCEPT THAT THINGS WON’T GO AS PLANNED

I am referring to a lot of characters from a lot books but more specifically with Andi Walker from The Unexpected Everything and of course Mindy Kaling.

The Unexpected Everything was a book about a girl whose summer plans and internship got cancelled and things didn’t go as planned but then it turned out for the great.

3.) ITS OKAY TO BE GIVEN A RESTRAINING ORDER

Recieving a restraining order will not stop you from doing anything. Well, except “following” him around or burning any more of his possessions.

But sometimes you don’t need to take it literally, “restraining order” could also mean something that might hold you back.

(I am not promoting the burning of possessions, people.)

 

 

4.) MAKING SARCASM YOUR BEST WEAPON

Sarcasm is and always always be your best weapon against dim-witted and tiny-brained species in our kingdom. or just people that annoy you.

5.) BEING SMART IS ALSO BAD-ASS

It doesn’t mean that when you can’t kick an ass, wield a sword, aim an arrow, and throw knives that you are not a bad-ass.

Being smart, being strategic and being initiative is pretty bad-ass too. And when you are in a trio of friends you are the most important member because you basically save their butts a lot of times because you are smart. (i.e. Hermione, Annabeth, Kestrel- even if she’s not part of a ‘trio’.)

6.) YOU ARE YOUR OWN KIND OF PRETTY

You don’t need to have bleach-blond hair to be pretty. You don’t need to have crystal blue eyes to be pretty. You don’t need to have perfect curls in your hair. You are your own brand of pretty and you are definitely rocking it!

7.) SETTING UP YOUR STANDARDS IN MEN TOO HIGH

When Twilight came out, we want a sexy (non-glittering) vampire to watch us while we sleep. When The Fault in our Stars came out, we want some hot cancer survivor to loom and be friends and take us out to Amsterdam (hopefully not die). When Divergent came out we all want someone brooding and mysterious and older guy to train and climb an old Ferris wheel with.

Reading has amped our standards in men.

(And don’t even deny that childhood crush you had with Oliver Wood)

8.) QUESTION EVERYONE’S MOTIVES (JUST SOME TRUST ISSUES BUILDING INSIDE YOU)

How many books have taught us this? Some in very calmly manner and others made us cry as we read over the consequence of it.

Let’s face it. Our trust issues are in a damned state. (Reading was never relaxing)

9. DITCH PLANS JUST TO READ

You go ditch plans to read or be as joyous asf when plans got cancel. Either that’s your inner book lover speaking or inner introvert cheering or probably both. (I really should apologize to my friends. Or maybe not.)

10.) LOSE your SH*T TOGETHER 

How many times have you been told by a non-sympathetic non-book lover friend that you need to get a grip, as you cry your eyes out at the farthest corners of your room? When, reading there is no guarantee that you’ll resurface to reality in your sane self after finishing a REALLY, REALLY REALLY GREAT BOOK, hence losing your sh*t together. 

 

 

The Cilantro in Apple Pie | We need to appreciate the relationship in this book

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

 The Cilantro in Apple Pie by Kimberley Nadine Knights

Format: e-book

Published: May 5, 2016

Source: Sent by author

SHELVE IT TO GOODREADS

Fragnut. Confused? Well so is everyone else at Lumiere Hall Prep when sixteen-year-old Rubie Keane rolls in from Trinidad and Tobago talking her weird lingo. Not that she minds the culture confusion; she’s determined to leave the past behind her and be overlooked—but a certain stoic blue blood is equally as determined to foil her plans.

Gil Stromeyer’s offbeat personality initially makes Rubie second-guess his sanity, but she suspects his erratic outbursts of violence mask a deeper issue in his troubled, charmed life. Despite his disturbing behavior, a gradual bond forms between the two. However, on the night of the annual Stromeyer gala, events unfold that leave Rubie stripped of her dignity and kick Gil’s already fragile world off its axis.

Both their well-kept secrets are uncovered, but Gil’s revelation proves that sometimes the best remedy for a bad case of lost identity, is a dash of comradery from an ally packed with flavor.

Purchase the book: Amazon

This book made me realize on why I read contemporary and why I loved the genre. I read this in less than 24 hours. (I know!)

It’s your generic coming-of-age story, featuring a new girl in a school, a guy with a disturb past, & high-school drama but by a lot of things it set itself apart from most of the contemporary book I have read, it was more than that.

The book has very diverse characters, not only in terms of their racial background and ethnicity but also the personalities each character had. This made me very invested with each including Sofia Crussip.  I really REALLY REALLY (can’t emphasize this enough) love Rubie. She’s witty, funny, independent. She could now be my spirit animal. She’s an amazing character.

Another thing with this book, is that it was about FRIENDSHIP (yay to platonic relationships!) between opposite-sex (and I was happy that the author didn’t milked it to much and turn their relationship to something more.) I think YA contemporary books need this trope to spice things up because (newsflash) as much as you and your boy bestfriend get along so great that relationship doesn’t always turn itself to something more. (And also sometimes you need a break from all the insta-love and fluffy relationships)

Even if I adored this book, I still have to knocked a star out of my rating.This is because of the sudden change of POV. It came out of nowhere. Here I was sitting until I was almost at 80% done with the book when ~BAM~ here’s another side of the story. I was not a fan of the transition. However, I still find both POV to be equally engrossing.  Rubie’s POV was fresh, funny and relatable while Gil was intense and emotional. It was well balance.

Also, I feel like I was watching an end of a particular episode of Star Wars. The book could have different possible endings and to me that was the last 3 or 4  endings disguise as chapters.

All in all this is a heart-felt book, with such amazing (diverse) characters and a friendship you wouldn’t trade anything in the world. Also a great debut novel kudos to the author!

 

                                         

 Kimberley Nadine Knights knew when she kept willingly opting out of parties so she could stay home and write instead, that she was destined to be an author.

Born and raised in the tropical twin islands of Trinidad & Tobago, when this Caribbean girl isn’t creating new plotlines for her ever growing lineup of fictional characters, she spends her time strumming her guitar to indie rock songs and snapping once in a lifetime photos halfway across the globe in countries such as Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and France.

She’s an avid fan of The Walking Dead series and firmly believes that The Food Network should consider her being a judge on the next Chopped challenge.

“The Cilantro in Apple Pie” is her debut novel.

 DO YOU LOVE READING ABOUT PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS? WHAT WERE THE BOOKS (WITH THE SAID RELATIONSHIP) THAT YOU LOVED?

Friday Finds #2: The smell of physical books

Hello blog-o-sphere, I am back for this and the following week before I will be shipping myself off again this August for the back-to-school rush. I am so excited, I can hardly contain it. 

To celebrate my fourth year of struggle ( I am such a dramatic college student), I have decided to reward myself with a little book shopping. To be honest I was suppose to buy school supplies especially new pens for note taking, but I came out 20 minutes holding a bag with two books in it.

Processed with VSCO with hb2 preset

I miss the smell of books.

 

I also received my first ever book that the author sent me for review. She contacted me through e-mail and to be honest I was jumping up and down my bed. BECAUSE ITS MY FIRST EVER REVIEW BOOK FROM AN AUTHOR. #somuchhappiness

Hopefully I could read this by August so I can post the review on the same month. *crosses fingers and toes*

Adding books onto a never-ending wishlist

We are all guilty. We all do it. (Do you even deny it, I know you do.) Our wishlist 2 years ago have not even move an inch and now we are adding to the pile once again. But we are bookworms and what do bookworms do? (Aside from slaying dragons on daily basis) Read and set-up a wishlist.

So here are the 5 books that have been added to my wishlist and you should too!

1.) The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury 

SHELVE IT TO GOODREADS

She is the most powerful Jinni of all. He is a boy from the streets. Their love will shake the world…

When Aladdin discovers Zahra’s jinni lamp, Zahra is thrust back into a world she hasn’t seen in hundreds of years—a world where magic is forbidden and Zahra’s very existence is illegal. She must disguise herself to stay alive, using ancient shape-shifting magic, until her new master has selected his three wishes. 

But when the King of the Jinn offers Zahra a chance to be free of her lamp forever, she seizes the opportunity—only to discover she is falling in love with Aladdin. When saving herself means betraying him, Zahra must decide once and for all: is winning her freedom worth losing her heart? 

2.) Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

SHELVE IT TO GOODREADS

 In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.

In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair. . . .

Inspired by the Russian folktale Vassilissa the Beautiful

3.) Kingdom of Ash and Briars by Hannah West

SHELVE IT TO GOODREADS

Bristal, an orphaned kitchen maid, lands in a gritty fairy tale gone wrong when she discovers she is an elicromancer with a knack for shape-shifting. An ancient breed of immortal magic beings, elicromancers have been winnowed down to merely two – now three – after centuries of bloody conflict in the realm. Their gifts are fraught with responsibility, and sixteen-year-old Bristal is torn between two paths. Should she vow to seek the good of the world, to protect and serve mortals? Or should she follow the strength of her power, even if it leads to unknown terrors? She draws on her ability to disguise herself as a man to infiltrate a prince’s band of soldiers, and masquerades as a fairy godmother to shield a cursed princess, but time is running out. As an army of dark creatures grows closer, Bristal faces a supernatural war. To save the kingdoms, Bristal must find the courage to show her true form.

Building on homages to Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jane Austen’s Emma and the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan, Hannah West makes a spectacular debut.

4.) Long May She Reign by Rhiannon Thomas 

SHELVE IT TO GOODREADS

Freya was never meant to be queen. Twenty third in line to the throne, she never dreamed of a life in the palace, and would much rather research in her laboratory than participate in the intrigues of court. However, when an extravagant banquet turns deadly, and the king and his courtiers are poisoned, Freya suddenly finds herself on the throne.

Freya may have survived the massacre, but she is far from safe. The nobles don’t respect her, her councillors want to control her, and with the mystery of who killed the king still unsolved, Freya knows that a single mistake could cost her the kingdom – and her life.

Freya is determined to survive, and that means uncovering the murderers herself. Until then, she can’t trust anyone. Not her advisors. Not the king’s dashing and enigmatic illegitimate son. Not even her own father, who always wanted the best for her, but also wanted more power for himself.

5.) Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima 

SHELVE IT TO GOODREADS

A burning vengeance.

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?

A blood-based curse.

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.

Destiny’s fiery hand.

Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

WHAT ARE THE RECENT ADDITIONS TO YOUR WISHLISTS? Let’s talk about it in the comments section!

Friday Finds #1 | A ton of Audiobooks

Friday Finds is a meme hosted by Mizb @ A Daily Rythm. It showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list, whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

Even if my TBR pile of physical books hardly even decreased, my sane self decided to go binge-buy e-books  and of course start feeding my growing addiction on audiobooks, and with this here are my new additions to my never-ending TBR pile!

EBOOKS:

Audiobooks:

I am currently listening to Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince since I am on travel and bringing the book with me would be inconvenient since I don’t read when inside a moving vehicle (it gives me headaches).

What are your newest additions to your tbr? Any great audiobook recommendations?

 

Books I wished had more books

Hello blogosphere and welcome to another post for Top Ten Wednesday.  T5W is a meme hosted by Lainey and Sam.

This post is scheduled (my first ever post that is being scheduled :D), because I am off traveling back to university because I need to enroll myself early to avoid a stampede.

How enrollment* usually is at my university:

*normal enrollment schedule

I must avoid getting piss-off by “enrollment marshalls” (basically all those kids who enrolled at Reserve Officers Training Class and to avoid pissing them too with my constant yammering of mismanagement on their part.

So anyway…

For today’s Top 5 is about standalone books I wish had a sequel. However, I  hardly read stand alones and this topic is making my head hurt just by brainstorming and staring at my shelf and trying to come up with 5 books. So far from Day 1 of brainstorming all that happened was me sleeping through a storm the whole day. (That still counts as brainstorming).

But then on day 3 of the process of providing myself with materials to talk about in this post, I have decided to modify it a little for my convenience. So instead of talking only about stand alones, I also added few book series I wished had more books, just so I can make this list count up to 5 (Let’s be practical)

SO HERE ARE THE TOP 5 BOOKS I WISH HAD MORE BOOKS:

1.) Six of Crows Series by Leigh Bardugo (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom)

I don’t understand why this glorious of a book will only be a duology. WHY!!explain this to me.

I need more Kaz+Inej, Jesper+Wylan, Nina+Matthias. MORE!

2.) Penryn and the End of Days Series by Susan Ee (Angelfall, World After, and End of Days)

This trilogy had all it’s readers pumped because it was announced to be a 5 book series originally (or was it 7?). So when everyone was anticipating the third book what they didn’t know was that they were also anticipating the final book. Susan Ee, you own us something. Though, I still was satisfied with the ending, but there is still a tiny part in my heart that longed for more Penryn and Rafe adventures.

If you haven’t read this trilogy: Read it. just do it

 

3.) Every YA Rainbow Rowell Book ever

Am I only one not entirely satisfied on how Rainbow Rowell’s books usually ends? Well except for Fangirl, I was happy with the ending. BUT I can’t speak the same for  Eleanor and Park, Carry On and even her short story for World Book Day – Kindred Spirits.

4.) Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

Last 2015, I have been on a fazed where the most of the books I have read were contemporary under topics of suicide and mental illnesses.
And so far from the books with that topic I have read, Amy Zhang’s Falling Into Place had made me want to know the main character’s story after she woke up. It would be nice to read a sequel.

(I also cried when I read this book, the feels~~)

What are the books (standalones or series) you’ve wish had more books? Let’s talk about it at the comment section!

Liebster Award 2.0 |

(this logo is pretty!)

Holla blogosphere! How was your weekend? Mine was uneventful and it was spent with the usual activities I deemed I need to do during summer which is reading and sleeping and also profusely catch-up with all the t.v. series I’ve missed.

So awhile back I was nominated by Kayla @kdrewkthebookworm from the Liebster Award, thank you Kayla and go check out her lovely blog! (Now!)

Here are all the rules:

1. Acknowledge the person who nominated you for the award and post the award 
2. Answer the questions that were asked by the blogger who nominated you.
3. Give 11 facts about yourself
4. Ask 11 questions of your own
5. Nominate 11 blogs for the award (or however many blogs you can nominate)
6. Notify your nominees

 

The Questions:

1.) What are you doing this summer? (Or if your region is not in summertime, what did you do last summer/plan on doing next summer?)

Nothing interesting over summer, I spent two days on the beach, trying not to burn myself. Also my summer was spent with driving courses (as insisted by my mother), doing chores, sneaking food inside my room, reading, sleeping and logging in on Netflix and binge watch series I have been wanting to watch.

2.) How many physical books do you own?

I own approxiamately 200 physical books. They are strewn round my room for the reason that I still haven’t gotten around to buybbookshelves.

3.) Under what circumstances would you DNF a book?

I seldomly DNF (did not finish) a book if and only if:

(a.) Hailing rape-culture as consensual sex.

(b.) if I don’t connect with any of the characters.

(c.) When i feel like reading the book is becoming a chore than pleasure. I usually do this with reading assignments (dont tell any of my professors)

4.) What was the last movie you saw in theatres? Did you enjoy it?   

The last time I was in a theatre was last December. Just plain sad. Clearly since it was Christmas month, I watched a very Christmas-related movie that came out the month (and every human being was anticipating), I am talking about the Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, and it was glorious in every way.

5.) Do you play video games? If so, what console do you have?

6.) What are your favourite and least favourite things about blogging?

I always find blogging as an outlet for all the thoughts (nonsense and barely cohesive) that usually runs through my brain pass through midnight. I am really making myself sound even weirder. I also like interacting with other bloggers, seeing them liking a book that I like, and fangirling over fandoms that I also fangirl over with.

7.) Tell me a teaser sentence from the book you’re currently reading!

“Malcolm, this is not a love story.”

“Every story was a love story.”

8.) What device do you use to write your blog posts (computer, phone, etc.)?

I usually go between my laptop and phone depending on which I am more convient to use.

9.) Tell me a little known fact about you that no other bloggers know.

I didn’t finish reading Les Miserables because it was making me miserable in a very bad way.

10.) If you could travel anywhere in the world right this instant, where would you go, and why?

I always want to go to Greece and be immerse with their lifestyle. A trip to Underworld could also be a go.

11.) What song is stuck in your head right now? (if any)

It has been months and months and Roses by Chainsmokers feat. Rozes is still playing at the bacm of my mind. Still, havent got over with that one.

11 facts you may wanna know:

1.) Instead of starting the list I am typing this non-sense. As I matter of fact ( see what I did there? * winks*) writing and thinking about interesting facts about yourself is hard.

2.) LET START WITH THE BASIC:  I am a third year university student taking up Veterinary Medicine. My love for books is as same as my love for animals.

3.) One of my college friends was wearing a shirt with a print “Nobody cares about your blog” to piss me off, and I was pissed off.

4.) I don’t own a car. I asked my parents about it, but they think I would be safe if I drive a motorcycle. Now I am a proud owner of a blue motorcycle. I MUST BUY A LEATHER JACKET.

5.) I have a dog and she’s a huge diva. When I usually go broke in college, she is the only one sleeping with a full sromach and I’m sitting in my bed thinking about ordering food but cried when I remember that I am broke.

6.) I pretend that I don’t need sleep and that coffee is all I need but I usually lie to myself.

7.) I had a writing class when I was sophomore in college and I secretly competed with the top of the class. I didn’t won because I was never attractive enough.

8.) I just discovered the beauty of audiobooks! I am planning to listen the last 2 books of the Harry Potter Series for the #HPReadathon

9.) I always stroke the spines of the books I can’t buy at the shelves of the bookstores. I  get teary-eyed every time.

10.) I don’t trust kids, they are brutally honest. Sometimes it hurts.

11.) I am currently obsess with Orange is the New Black.

My questions for you:

1. A book that made you Kim-Kardashian-cry
2. A book you hated you almost or actually threw it to the trash
3. A book you would trade your soul to live in it.
4. A book with your ideal book-boyfriend in it (Because I need to know to see if I have any competition with me bae Jem)
5. A book you would hardcore recommend
6. A series you wish you haven’t started at all
7. A series you wish you have discovered earlier.
8. An author you can’t appreciate any book she/he wrote
9. Describe a perfect plot in one word.
10. Have you hated your favorite author?
11. Would you or would you not try to finish a book you dnf?

(I am using the old questions I had from last award that I did #lazy)

My nominees for the Liebster Awards:

1.) Sarah @ behindonbooks

2.) Clemence @ booksxorxmisery

3.) Jess @ jessreadingnook

4.) Bibliomaniac-ezza @ bibliomaniacezza

5.) Morgan @ happilyeverbookish

Sorted | My Pottermore Comeback

Hey blog-o-sphere! I am officially a student. Well, I do attend university but you know what I mean! I JUST GOT SORTED! (but my life is still a mess)

I used to have a Pottermore account (the old site, where you’ll attend classes and brew Potions and whatnots), back when I was in highschool. Then since I started college (with a crap internet connection), and I have not log in since.

UNTIL NOW.  (Does that make me a bad Potterhead I hope not) 

Now since Ilvermorny sorting was also launched, I took the liberty (I was also bored) in getting myself sorted in North America’s Wizarding School and also got myself a new wand.

HOGWARTS Sorting:

Since the dawn of Pottermore until it’s recent update of Hogwarts Sorting quiz, (I took both quizzes twice to make sure it was not a fluke)

Where are my Ravenclaw homies!! Holla! 

ILVERMORNY Sorting:

 image via mugglenet.com

For those who haven’t heard of Ilvermorny, it is the North America school of magic.

The great North American school of magic was founded in the seventeenth century. It stands at the highest peak of Mount Greylock, where it is concealed from non-magic gaze by a variety of powerful enchantments, which sometimes manifest in a wreath of misty cloud. (Courtesy: Pottermore)

Cool fact : at in that time period they call muggles as non-maj (non-magical).

Before sorting, there is an epic origin story on how Ilvermorny was founded.(read the Beginnings of Ilvermorny). Ilvermorny stands with also with 4 Houses, Horned Serpent, Wampus, Thunderbird and Pukwudgie.

But anyways, like the sorting for Hogwarts, you got to answer a series of questions that will eventually sort you to your House.  And I did that and was sorted to:

Have you been sorted to a House in Hogwarts or Ilvermorny? What House are you in? Let’s chat down below!

 

The Alpha Drive | Not Driving me enough to read it’s sequel

REVIEW CONTAIN SPOILERS

The Alpha Drive by Kristen Martin     Format: E-book                             Pages: 322                                            Source: Netgalley                                  Shelve at Goodreads

It’s the year 2055 and an anarchist organization has taken control with the aim to create a world-class society. Half of humankind is unknowingly living in an alternate reality called Dormance . . . and there are no plans to wake them up.

Sixteen-year-old introvert Emery Parker is one such dormant. An academic scholar who avoids ruffling feathers at all costs, Emery finds herself being transferred to a boarding school on the outskirts of Arizona. Little does she know, a family secret has the power to change the course of the future. When she’s approached with an opportunity to free the dormants, she sees no other choice but to accept, even though failure could mean having her memory wiped clean.

But when tech-savvy Torin Porter reaches out to her from the other side, Emery begins to question everything she was told about Dormance. If her family’s secret falls into the wrong hands, the world as she knows it will be faced with irreversible consequences. Now Emery must play both sides to uncover the truth about her family’s past or risk leaving mankind to live in an unconscious reality.

The Alpha Drive is was just in limbo between interesting enough and just full of flaws. Funny thing is as I read through it and pinpoint flaws I still finished it faster than I though I would.

This book has a lot of potential however, for me the author went a different way, making it more like an annoying 16-year old story sulking around having guy issues and just dipping her (the author) to her own premise.

I don’t know if me reading it was engrossing or was just hate-reading it.

As much as it has the same premise as any dystopian: (a) Corrupt government (b) A one-dimensional girl who is reluctant to put down the said government (c) utter mess of the plot and (d) a unnecessary love triangle, shockingly the plot hardly talks about it until we are almost 80% done with the book.

However, even if it was the generic put-down-the-corrupt government, at least the way it takes it was unique. Why unique because our dear main character answers if she was on-board was:

“I guess so”

(My reaction when reading the line)

Yes, it took her a little amount of time to process that info-dump on her. But atleast she is more decisive that the other heroines.

The plot was okay, it has unnecessary scenes, few plot holes and it was weirdly paced. The dialogue sometimes slip from making sense to cartoonish and childish (i.e. being quoted above)

The first part of the book, you would be (slightly) engross since you won’t know if the main character is working with the correct corrupt government. But that whole subplot, was forgotten as we painstakingly read through the POV of one 16 year old with issues you won’t care about, like her boyfriend another guy, underage drinking and another guy.

To justify that there is a love triangle/square (?) / circle (?) we are blessed to read a whole chapter where another generic character was thinking about how pretty our main character is. Gah, can we stop describing body parts with food?

The ending was kind of messy, it is as if wanting to tie loose ends before it hits to a cliff-hanger for the sequel.

Now the biggest question is would I still be interested to read the sequel? I STILL WOULD, BEC. DAMN THAT CLIFFHANGER WAS ON POINT.