tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28572805484889507822024-03-13T11:43:36.577-07:00thestorygirlA blog owned by a thirteen year old reader, that will contain reviews, hauls and hopefully compititions! :)
I follow back, of course :).Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-37772436431057472272012-05-07T19:36:00.005-07:002012-05-07T19:36:40.747-07:00My YA Work in Progress<div style="text-align: justify;">
I'm not sure of many of you were aware, but I've been working on a Young Adult fantasy novel with my sister for the past few months. Okay, well not necessarily<span lang="">—we've been planning for the past few months but we started the actual writing process last week and I am so excited about it.<br /> It's an idea we've had for the last few years. Since we were twelve, to be exact. My sister came up with a very vague idea that she thought would make a good story and four years later, what do you know? We're writing it! Though, to be blunt, it is so much better now than it was when we first began planning. I don't even know how to express the amount of poor story-telling our earlier plans possessed. We've wrote out the plans for this story so many times. There have been endless "first drafts" and we've given up on it for months at a time because it was just too awful. It was only last month when we decided to give it another go and come at it from a different angle. We scratched so many plot points and characters and replaced them with new twists and such that I feel are much stronger and will live a much better impression on the readers.<br /> And we've reached 18,000 words as of today! I'm really, really excited and anxious about it and I have got no idea how we're going to get it published because I haven't got the faintest idea of how to go about that, but I'm going to try not to think about that until later.<br /> Now, as we're still in an early phase of the process, I don't think I'll share too much about what the book is about. All that I can say is that it involves an epic quest, a bad boy love interest, and two completely different antagonists that won't stop until they get their hands on something that our main character possesses. I really do wish I could share more, but I think it's best if I save it for when we're closer to completing the final chapter. We've only completed a few chapters at this point and the first chapter is long because it's told in five perspectives<span lang="">—something that's necessary to tell the story efficiently, unfortunately. It was very difficult to get their voices to sound different yet still sound like they were coming from the same book.<br /> Sigh. I'm going off now to work on it now but I think I can leave you all with a little bit that we wrote a few days ago and that I like quite a bit. Let me know what you think, if that's possible. Thank you!</span></span></div>
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<em> I sigh as my eyes flicker upwards, resting on the sky. Stars hang lazily across the dark space, watchful. For a moment I wonder if they can see us. I mean, my father used to tell me stories about the stars. He said that when we die, our souls leave our bodies and float towards the sky, higher and higher until they wrap around the stars and sink in. I don't think I believed him then, but now I hope it's true. I hope he's not really gone, just waiting. <br />
"Kaida?" A voice says beside me, seeping into my ears and scattering my thoughts. The word is deep and right away I know who it is. A hand reaches out, tightening around my wrist. "Is that you?"<br /> I turn, peering through the darkness. Blue strips of light play across him for a moment and I make out the lines of his face, the soft slope of his jaw. His curled hair dances in all directions. A grin widens my mouth as I nudge my shoulder lightly against his. </em></div>
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</span>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-21313573573429646422012-02-28T15:25:00.001-08:002012-02-28T15:28:00.767-08:00Wither by Lauren DeStefano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL5NSFdlU1JqUWAgKR26xnj4R4ZDA4JG6G1YTmtmTRO9wOxZkNj2Ysd02vLyq2KWy7HMgpla34Wo10tLGgh2Qt9bssby-uV2_i1PAs5NMbPmZR_9qesEoqYKMeo9g7CyccBOpVijZgFo/s1600/review6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCL5NSFdlU1JqUWAgKR26xnj4R4ZDA4JG6G1YTmtmTRO9wOxZkNj2Ysd02vLyq2KWy7HMgpla34Wo10tLGgh2Qt9bssby-uV2_i1PAs5NMbPmZR_9qesEoqYKMeo9g7CyccBOpVijZgFo/s1600/review6.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>BOOK DESCRIPTION: </b>At age 16, Rhine Ellery has four years to live. Thanks to a botched effort to create a perfect race, all females live to age 20 and males live to age 25. On the cusp of her 17th birthday, Rhine attempts to flee, but what she finds is a society spiraling out of control. (First book in The Chemical Gardens trilogy.)</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>MY OPINION:</b> Sigh. This is another one of those books that felt like a dream to me, the edges all milky and blurred by sunlight. DeStefano's writing style is beautiful, only comparable to things like cherry blossoms and cosmic dust. Her words all seem to trail after one another, blending together, creating sentences and phrases that taste like sugar as they roll off your tongue. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Don't misunderstand, though. This is not a happy story. While there are scenes and characters and settings that make me smile until my mouth hurts, there is always this constant, dark undertone being woven throughout the novel, and it's fantastic. I liked that Rhine let herself relax and have fun and make friends, but that she never forgot the circumstances of her whereabouts. She never forgot that she was there against her will and she never forgot that she had a brother, out there, looking for her.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rhine is a good character, although, in my mind, she is not the most memorable. She seems to lose herself in the sea of strong-willed, butt-kicking YA heroines and I don't think she has enough strength to swim to shore. One thing that I can tell you, though, is that she is likable. Her voice is fresh and hazy and even though I don't agree with some of her choices, I can still see why she made them and why they make sense. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There were a lot of secondary characters that I liked being in the presense of. Cecily and Jenna were Rhine's two sister wives and they were both extremely interesting. While in the beginning I found Cecily annoying, as I went through the book I couldn't help but fall in love with who she was and why she was that way. They both seemed like very real and fleshed out characters and they were very vivid as I continued to read. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The one thing that I didn't agree with at all was Rhine's choice of love interest. There were two male characters that she could have potentially ended up with, one being Linden and another that you'll be introduced to when reading the story. I felt like the second one was a flat character, only created to stir the waters between Linden and Rhine, but apparently he wasn't. Apparently, he was a legitimate contender for Rhine's love but I didn't feel any electricity humming between them, I didn't see any spark. That was the one thing I found very disappointing. There's not much to say about our villain. He was very well-written. He scared me, he really did, and he was a much better villain than some of the one's I've read. Much, much better.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The fact that everyone only lives until twenty or twenty five is the most terrifying concept of this book and it added an element of suspense that was hard to get away from. Even though I knew that she had four years left to live, there was a sort of fragility in all of the characters and it was very interesting to see how it would all end up. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I can't go into too much depth, but in short, this book was absolutely phenomonal. I adored it. It was one of those books that I never wanted to end and when it did, I was left feeling a little bit emptier inside. I am so excited now that the sequel <i>Fever</i> is hitting the shelves. You can bet your life that I'm going to be picking that one up.</span></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-71862679537624354452012-02-27T17:39:00.002-08:002012-02-27T17:45:06.398-08:00My Work in Progress: The Ice Festival<div style="text-align: justify;">Blue light and the moon's glow. The people, all together, all moving like silent wind. The voices and the laughter. The feeling of winter, the air cold enough to leave skin feeling stretched, but instead leaving the skin feeling new. These are the things I experience only on nights like tonight—on the night of the Ice Festival. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Surrounded by darkness, I'm herded along the path by the people closing in around me. Their bodies push against mine, their voices hushed when they speak. The ground slopes upward beneath my feet, and soon I find myself standing on top of a rise. I stop for a moment, as crowds of people continue to walk around me, and look down into the valley. The Main Tent sits below, white and shining beneath the moon's silver light. It almost looks like a giant web, so thin and beautiful it could fall apart with the pull of a single strand. I see the shadows of people moving behind it, their bodies edged in blue light. In front of the arched entrance, two Ice Guards stand with their gazes forward. I feel sorry for them. It would be awful to be stuck outside in the cold while the most beautiful show of the year is performed on the other side of the curtains. The Ice Festival is only put on once a year, when the Winter star is at its highest point. There are other festivals, of course, but I've never been to them because they take place in the other regions. I've heard the Fire Region has numerous festivals, one being the Festival of Lights. Sometimes I imagine it. Everywhere, everything, ablaze with light. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Kaida?" A voice says, and right away I know who it is. "Is that you?" A hand tightens around my arm and I turn, peering at the person through the blackness that fills the space around me. Blue light plays across him for a moment and I make out the lines of his face, the slope of his jaw. His curled hair dances in all directions. A smile flutters on my lips as I nudge my shoulder lightly against his. Oll Throck.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Note: This is an excerpt from my current work in progress. It's a young adult fantasy novel that I hope to have published in the next three to five years, as I know finding an agent is difficult and the publication process is long and tiring. If you have anything that you feel I can improve, please let me know. Keep in mind that this is only the first draft. I'm having a lot of fun with it and am excited for the day where you will all get to read it. Cheers.</b></div><div><br />
</div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-49391998291165329692012-02-27T17:05:00.001-08:002012-02-27T17:06:16.347-08:00Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-HGGzCAbv93k19BQx4ZOQAwCk50Ni3wxaTrn1_dJiH2KgNYoMTqg1ga9Unpf_KES-jftAKjaOZSiEfRhTTdcgI_UIl5Xyy_L6tDrv1MeA6bmUuEGiaDpwIJoEcLm1A8RI-rXR9S1HUo/s1600/review5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp-HGGzCAbv93k19BQx4ZOQAwCk50Ni3wxaTrn1_dJiH2KgNYoMTqg1ga9Unpf_KES-jftAKjaOZSiEfRhTTdcgI_UIl5Xyy_L6tDrv1MeA6bmUuEGiaDpwIJoEcLm1A8RI-rXR9S1HUo/s1600/review5.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>BOOK DESCRIPTION:</b> <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life? </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last. </span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b>MY OPINION: </b>The light in my bedroom is off and </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">pale moonlight is edging everything in silver. T</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">he static of my television is humming like a small ghost behind me and the sound is sinking into my skin and now I think that my body's humming, too. And I'm tired</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">—</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px; text-align: left;">I'm tired and </span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">my limbs are heavy and I feel like I'm already dreaming, which is why it's</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"> the perfect time to talk about this book. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">I think we're all aware of how magnificent Lauren Oliver's writing style is. She is truly, truly brilliant. Her words are like a spool of yarn and she knits them together one after another and creates something beautiful, something like a masterpiece. The honesty in this book is astounding. Never in my life have I read such a perfectly crafted teenage girl complete with a perfectly crafted group of friends that all shine with the sort of life that you don't normally find in novels. Although Sam and her group are the '</span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">mean girls</i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">' of their school, I found them so likable and real that I didn't even pay much attention to that. It's rare to read a story in the perspective of the mean girl, you know? I liked how Oliver let us into Samantha's mind. We got to see the workings of the inner circle and the way they all act with each other and with other people. It was amazing. And, they were so funny. That's something that I noticed when reading. Samantha was probably the most well written teenage girl that I've ever read. Ever.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">I know that this isn't the first time a story has been told where the main character repeats the same day of their life until they get it right but <i>Before I Fall </i>somehow manages to be different than anything else I've ever read. The fact that we got to see the affect that Sam's choices made each day, and how one thing she chose to do in the morning fell like a domino and affected everything else</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px;">—</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">that was wonderful, it really was.</span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">The secondary characters were absolutely brilliant. Every single one of them was three dimensional and they were my friends by the end of the novel. Juliet Sykes was perfect. The way her mind worked and the way she reacted to things was very sad but it was honest and that's the most important. Kent. Oh, </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">Kent. </i><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">He was perfect. Perfect, perfect, perfect. I'm surprised that he'd stuck by Sam for that long with the way she acted and everything, but I'm so glad that he did. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19px;">This novel was breathtaking. Honestly. The way it was told was so unique and it literally made me think about my life and the way I treat people. Life is such a strange thing. It can end at any time and none of us know what comes after and that is both comforting and terrifying all at once. In case you were still wondering, I suggest this to everyone and anyone. This book is important and it deserves all the attention in the world. </span></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-35829687331000917382012-02-27T15:37:00.004-08:002012-03-01T11:49:18.657-08:00Divergent by Veronica Roth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OyApsjF3Bh3yKn7jmDjrJqc1_E331mfRHYGXei2BizmKSaGgdbMdmOAvWvsTY7MbDQWmLmsf1_wjSp6s4lfSdH3H33gnnoxtZyB_j9wxZ9Emjda2T9iOuXwsDAidjSm-jx-4ClmQr3k/s1600/review4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OyApsjF3Bh3yKn7jmDjrJqc1_E331mfRHYGXei2BizmKSaGgdbMdmOAvWvsTY7MbDQWmLmsf1_wjSp6s4lfSdH3H33gnnoxtZyB_j9wxZ9Emjda2T9iOuXwsDAidjSm-jx-4ClmQr3k/s1600/review4.png" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>BOOK DESCRIPTION:</b> <span style="line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><b>MY OPINION: </b>In a world of recent and mediocre dystopian novels, Divergent definitely stood out. It was a book with a lot of hype and buzz surrounding it, even before its release. I picked this one up on my birthday last year</span><span style="line-height: 16px;">—</span><span style="line-height: 19px; text-align: left;">and though it took me a while to get around to it, when I did, I was sort of blown away. I didn't completely fall over, I just kind of stumbled. It was really good. </span></span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;">I enjoyed this one a lot. It was unlike anything I've read. Although it did have a similar feel to </span><i style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;">The Hunger Games</i><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: justify;">, the two books are completely different. There were so many instances that I felt my hands shaking like autumn leaves, my legs like tree branches in a windstorm. It had a lot of suspense, for sure. It was fantastic.</span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Tris (Beatrice) was a very strong character. I don't remember there being a single moment where I felt she was annoying, which is something that tends to happen when I'm reading from another teenage girl's perspective. I liked her. Her voice was new and refreshing and she was normal. She had thoughts and emotions that I could relate to, she felt the same things I would feel. Her character developed a lot throughout the novel and I can definitely say that she was a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful addition to the list of YA Butt Kicking Heroines. Four was also a great love interest. I loved the fact that he was older and he was the leader<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">—</span>I'm not sure why, there was just something about it that I really enjoyed reading. He was a little bit flat compared to Tris but I mean, you can't blame the guy. I'd be flat compared to her as well. Their romance was very well written. It was well paced and there was an undeniable chemistry between them, you could almost feel it seeping through the pages. Sigh.</span></div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I thought Roth did an amazing job at setting the different scenes, as well. Everything was very vivid and clear in my mind and I don't think I could have asked for anything more regarding her writing style and talent. You can tell that she's had some practice because her words seem to flow like water and you cannot help but to lose yourself in them. </span></div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I loved that sort of '<i>the government is our enemy</i>' element that it had to it. That's one of my favorite things to see in books, and Roth executed it perfectly. </span></div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The secondary characters were brilliant, as well. Even the darker ones, like Peter and Edward. They all seemed like flesh and bone. None of them were flat. They were all real people with real thoughts and emotions and motives and that's one of the best things you can get out of a book, ever.</span></div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I suggest that you pick this one up. It was <i>so </i>good. And it gets better as you go along. You'll laugh and you'll cry and you'll sleep with one eye opened to make sure that you don't get stabbed. I am so excited for the sequel <i>Insurgent. </i>Roth set a pretty high bar for herself. Let's see if she can bring it one notch higher.</span></div><div style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b><span style="line-height: 19px;">Note: I've read that Divergent is going to be made into a film by Summit Entertainment- the same Summit that brought Twilight to theaters worldwide. Although some may feel that too many YA novels are hitting the big screen, I think this one would make lovely company for </span><i style="line-height: 19px;">The Hunger Games </i><span style="line-height: 19px;">and </span><i style="line-height: 19px;">Twilight. </i><span style="line-height: 19px;">It would be lovely in the cinema. Not lovely as in pretty. Lovely as in horrifying.</span></b></span></div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-1835524122464411612012-02-27T12:57:00.002-08:002012-02-27T12:57:27.751-08:00Writing: Story Worlds<div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">I think that a big part of any novel is the story world that it's set in. Often, it can either make or break a novel. I'm currently working on an untitled young adult fantasy novel that I hope to have published within the next three to five years and writing the story world is one of the most interesting and difficult things about it. Not just the story world, but the different settings that I want my characters to visit (within reason, of course).</div><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713631360774396578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWyvCVqdw1F8auLFDyIFL_Ss944YZXuMpIcktch4gg0twzFGRRxRowq6nD-HRR9iboh2i15AJsxt4QPRHX7K-Rhev75ynjnTgrvbc2eCoiF3n9Ezxu6RF8pHGfomKJDfg39UFo9RmABbb/s200/witches_wagon_interior_concept_by_gamefan84-d39fy23.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 132px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: justify; width: 200px;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">One thing that I've gotten into doing is looking at pictures for inspiration. For me, this is a really effective way of getting into the feel of the scene that I'm planning to write. In the novel that I'm writing now, I know that there's going to be a scene where my MC and the LI (love interest) come across a gypsy camp, and spend the night in a caravan. (I feel really uncomfortable referring to him as the love interest because he's much more than that. But for now, we'll leave it at that.) I need to be able to describe the way the gypsy's lantern casts shadows of dim light across the wall, the way the room smells of spices and mint leaves. I need to explain the way pale moonlight trickles in through the windows, edging our love interest's face in silver.</div></span><span style="line-height: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713631542297568034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVA5-PUdfTPOOj0NlQc7nd7aFUSxYOvxR1yKp8__5K_NKhLNPcCJ-eF7JqNvxyXZxEm2WQCYP4sywdnu6UtkSn4Lekt4N5XXFFw3vLPJnfR5q5erxURaYJddsfbqfPVMfySGJAiS1-TaCg/s200/glare_in_the_night_forest_by_arsenixc-d3kimp5.jpg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 112px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: justify; width: 200px;" /><div style="text-align: justify;">Creating atmospheres is extremely important when writing a scene. You cannot fail to explain what the character is smelling and feeling and tasting and seeingbecause if you do, you're leaving the reader in the dark. And reader's do not like being left in the dark, take my word for it. There are also going to be a few scenes in my novel where our characters are travelling through the forest at night, their bodies drenched in pale moonlight. I need to be able to make the reader believe that they are in a forest, rather than sitting warm beneath a mountain of bed sheets while the static of their television hums quietly in the background. And how am I going to do this? That's simple: by practicing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; text-align: -webkit-auto;">CREDIT: </span><a href="http://gamefan84.deviantart.com/art/witches-wagon-interior-concept-197259051" style="color: #929292; font-family: 'times new roman'; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;">Picture One</a><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> / </span><a href="http://arsenixc.deviantart.com/art/Glare-in-the-night-forest-215860073" style="color: #929292; font-family: 'times new roman'; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-decoration: none;">Picture Two</a> </div></span></span>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-10548612280054642832012-02-27T12:56:00.002-08:002012-02-27T12:56:30.351-08:00City of Bones by Cassandra Clare<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxO3bTiqnzyd83yAHae3Z9ti3EYXAs0IFUK5rdeWK3J6aHBDpVmNRqYcPwbnEyKSfAdsIRUfRyzQYJJTBwEerYsfEbC1o35NJIlBftAxIxF7jqKgg4nYKLvFxvFjilfmje3sIFECmnV1wm/s1600/review3.png" style="background-color: white; color: #929292; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713616795524936626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxO3bTiqnzyd83yAHae3Z9ti3EYXAs0IFUK5rdeWK3J6aHBDpVmNRqYcPwbnEyKSfAdsIRUfRyzQYJJTBwEerYsfEbC1o35NJIlBftAxIxF7jqKgg4nYKLvFxvFjilfmje3sIFECmnV1wm/s320/review3.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 176px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative; width: 125px;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><b>BOOK DESCRIPTION: </b><span style="line-height: 19px;">When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder -- much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing -- not even a smear of blood -- to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? </span><span style="line-height: 19px;">This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon. But why would demons be interested in ordinary mundanes like Clary and her mother? And how did Clary suddenly get the Sight? The Shadowhunters would like to know. . . . </span><span style="line-height: 19px;">Exotic and gritty, exhilarating and utterly gripping, Cassandra Clare's ferociously entertaining fantasy takes readers on a wild ride that they will never want to end</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><b>MY OPINION:</b> I don't know about this one. I am sitting here trying to put my feelings into words, literally reaching into my mind and trying to pull something out, but it's proving to be very difficult. When it comes down to it, <i>City of Bones </i>isn't really anything that I haven't read a thousand times before.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Clary is one of my biggest problems. The way she was written, she was continuously contradicting herself. She explains that she is shy, yet in the first chapter she follows a group of strange looking people into a storage closet because she feels like they're going to stab another boy with a knife. She hides in the closet, planning to merely </span><i style="font-family: 'times new roman'; font-style: normal;">demand </i><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">them not to hurt each other. I don't understand that at all. I know that if I was suspecting a possible stabbing, I would not follow after them into a small space. I would scream, I would call for help, I would do something...but I would not put myself in danger by trying to <i style="font-style: normal;">talk </i>some sense into them. And she also hated people for no reason other than the fact that they were prettier than she was. I'm serious. Her and Isabelle spend a good chunk of the novel completely detesting other one because they felt threatened by the other's beauty. It was ridiculous.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jace. Oh, Jace. I can see why Clary would find him physically attractive (his tawny hair and golden eyes) but I don't see why their relationship progressed any more than that. Jace was completely self-absorbed. I mean, completely. He was your typical rude bad-boy that is continuously being reminded of how charming he is, when really, he isn't. He's an ass to Clary, who seems completely unaffected by his rude remarks. Don't get me wrong. I like sarcasm. I like witty jokes and I like confident characters, but Jace seems to take everything one step too far. I don't know. I just didn't find him appealing, and I wish he'd been more of a fleshed out character because I feel like the idea of him has a lot of promise, if that makes sense. But I do <i>love </i>his name. Jace. It feels like a sugar cube on my tongue. I just really enjoy characters with nice names.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Also, the story world just felt like a regular walk in the park for me. In any type of dystopian or fantasy novel, the story world should be something that the author thinks a lot about and this one just didn't cut it. When I read the title <i>City of Bones, </i>I was expecting a little bit more. But through the whole story, we're just stuck in Manhattan and I don't know...I would have liked it if the Bone City had been more than it was.</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">Let's talk about the villain, or lack-thereof. First off, his name is Valentine. This alone should be enough, but I doubt it is. The villain felt so forced. I didn't see any reasoning behind his motives whatsoever. All we know is that he wants to completely exterminate anything that isn't human</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman'; text-align: -webkit-auto;">—</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">but why? I wish Clare would have let us into the villain's mind a little bit more so we could see what he was thinking and why he thought that way. But since she didn't, Valentine came off as a two dimensional character with no personality whatsoever.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a decent book, I can say that. It did take me a little bit of effort to get through it. Clare's writing, however, does show a lot of potential. I'm looking forward to seeing any books she may publish in the future, outside of the Shadowhunter world.</div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-59063695357645274172012-02-27T12:55:00.003-08:002012-02-27T12:55:40.252-08:00A Sunday Wishlist<div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;">It is Sunday night. I have lukewarm sweet tea on my nightstand and moonlight is trickling in through my curtains like bath water. And since the thought of doing any school work makes me hyperventilate and I can't finish the scene I'm working on until my sister comes back in forty five minutes, I figured that I'd just make a wishlist. It'll include books, of course, films, and other things that I've had my greedy little eyes on.</div><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="text-align: justify;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713604919745512482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaoDnxIer-VI1zXdLTlm2G5SWDNxYcGHkpdeq4BVw3NOM3jMWoruQY2J1YkZu8xkEe9ereN-8t0X0U9dgmy5KE8qkDiAg3mf69cHkHov7HGJeBkqPFMVfomkrf8Ia5eD6tlrQ3uGBDL0a/s320/blogwishlist2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 176px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; width: 125px;" />One book that I've really been wanting is </span><i style="text-align: justify;">The Girl of Fire and Thorns </i><span style="text-align: justify;">by R</span><span style="text-align: justify;">ae Carson. The cover is beautiful. The title is beautiful. And it sounds like a beautiful story. Here's a summary: </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Elisa is the chosen one. </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">But she i </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">s also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can't see how she ever will.</span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess. </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">enemies </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, </span></span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">determ</span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">ined </span></span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px;">revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. </span></span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake. </span><span style="font-style: italic; line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;">Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is </span><span style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><i>fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young. </i></span></span><span style="line-height: 19px; text-align: justify;"><i>Most of the chosen do. </i>(Is it just me, or does that sound really good?)</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713607972662778162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaoRbXEcoBphqSXK4omRiaQo3rsgKpoX4tUrvH54t2eYX2H3Qh_UvFR-ADuXglltW0Klekw7-Pxu2LLEWJuZR0PKrvTuNJvgPjhjgmhYjcYGRXzvjcmKKQHW-4SAWLpxxnwkuYi6ilrsE/s320/blogwishlist1.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 207px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: underline; width: 139px;" /><br />
<div style="line-height: normal; text-align: justify;">I'd also really like a pair of these socks. I feel like they would be the perfect thing to keep my feet warm on day where snow crystals are falling down like cosmic dust and my floorboards are cold and I'm wrapped up beneath my blankets, watching <i>Where the Wild Things Are </i>for the fifth time. I also love mustard yellow. I'm not sure why, there's just something so cozy about it. Also, milk and honey bath salts and some lacy things to sleep in. Oh, how I want them so much.</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px;"><div><div><div><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713611945366512658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmAqwv776a9QaYq1QUrdQ46BnUwddL2R16UouSNVuKHZSUCSVPai3kNd89QC0ZTC1RK6iQWVCucohK3PteGx_rqpbkK4nAv7WAQi76HxbhaSms_9_oO8q6cmGOtnzxVXfor_VoQDE8VAN/s320/blogwishlist3.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: underline; width: 200px;" /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another thing that I would love to receive on my doorstep would be Bon Iver's <i>For Emma, Forever Ago </i>in vinyl. Although I love their newest album equally as much, I think it makes more sense to start with the first one. Guys. If you have yet to grace your ears with the magical thing that is Bon Iver: do it. Now. I went and saw them in concert on December 6th of last year and it was one of the best days I've ever had. It was so magical. Everything seemed so slow and hazy, like a dream. We were all drenched in pale blue light and we looked like nymphs, swimming through the air like it was water. Justin Vernon is my dream man. Even if he <i>is</i>already balding. If you're not sure which song to check out first, I suggest: Skinny Love, Creature Fear, Roslyn (featuring St. Vincent: this one was on the Twilight soundtrack), Holocene, Towers, and Minnesota, WI.</div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-55597895956722835532012-02-27T12:52:00.004-08:002012-02-27T17:22:26.151-08:00Eon by Alison Goodman<span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJE2I7le3Qs6kLJ2DRR__uYt0l2o7TaPtSwm4DGdNdHjZMNQF8L4JOL5JLsXuHXaMLeZY0TtIN2Y-Uvg0b-4Pmc0Kqktw3dw_wrRSV3zz_S0zveyhnRcknHLeSwz2nS2II9gWT9XmRuIt/s1600/review2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJE2I7le3Qs6kLJ2DRR__uYt0l2o7TaPtSwm4DGdNdHjZMNQF8L4JOL5JLsXuHXaMLeZY0TtIN2Y-Uvg0b-4Pmc0Kqktw3dw_wrRSV3zz_S0zveyhnRcknHLeSwz2nS2II9gWT9XmRuIt/s320/review2.png" /></a><b>BOOK DESCRIPTION:</b> For years, Eon's life has been focused on magical study and sword-work, with one goal: that he be chosen as a Dragoneye, an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune. But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; the penalty is death. When Eona's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a struggle for the Imperial throne. Eona must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.</span></div><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>MY OPINION: </b>Can I just take a moment to appreciate how well done this book is? It really is so well done. Goodman crafted such a wonderful cast of characters...she created such a beautiful and intricate story world that I just dove in and swam among the words, never wanting to come back up to the surface. Even though it is a fantasy novel, set in a fantasy world with fiction characters, I literally felt like I was walking through the ancient streets of China and talking to all the people that Eon was talking to. It was magnificent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The settings and imagery used in this novel are just spellbinding. I could see the training grounds, I could feel sweat beading on my forehead, on the nape of my neck. One of my favorite scenes is the one in the bath house where the dragons are at the rim of the tub<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">—</span>I really cannot even begin to express how vivid that scene was in my mind as I read.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The author is very good with her words. She seemed to string them together almost effortlessly, building the scene and describing the air around the character. I thought that was fantastic, really. I would love to live in this book for a while.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That's another thing. The characters were flawless. I loved Eon (I'm eager to see how she was pulled off as a girl in the second novel), I loved Lady Dehla(?), I loved Ryko. I'm hoping that we get to see a little romance grow between Eona and the prince in the sequel. One character that really stood out to me a lot was Lord Ido. Oh, my. He was so well written, I could see him in the flesh as I walked through the novel. It was unbelievable. He was so aggressive and sensual, in such a villainous way. He terrified me but he was so intriguing, too. I loved how (<i>small spoiler) </i>when he found out that Eon was actually a female, he sort of relished in that fact and he would put his face a little closer to hers, or breathe her in<span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">—</span>but not in a romantic way (<i>end small spoiler</i>). Well, I didn't like it, per say. I just liked how honest that was.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Besides everything else that was going on, Goodman created a constant tension by making Eon's gender a secret. There were so many instances where I was holding my breath, thinking that she was going to be found out...but she wasn't. That was a very smart thing for the author to do.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The only thing that I didn't like too much about this story was the length. Don't get me wrong, I like a long book, but I feel like there was no reason for this story to be as long as it was. In some parts, it did feel very stretched out and I don't think it was necessary. It had a slow pace, and I would have liked to see them go to more places. They were in the same area for the vast majority of the book and I think that with a big book especially, you should be able to take your readers to more places. I think that's just preference, though.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">All in all, this was such a wonderful novel. And it was so original, or at least it's not like anything that I've ever read. If you haven't read this, I suggest it.<br />
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<b>Note: Somebody find the person who made this cover and give them all the awards. it is stunning. </b></div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-15839062902496930262012-02-27T12:51:00.000-08:002012-02-27T12:51:33.446-08:00Love Interests: The Bad Boy<span style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR60j-4u_FmP3QEgWbzvqY1GXm87hdU_0GNLtAJA9EYjkAxGmIUxi2mCE7sjwr4X4aUDU5_bUGrOmrM5HBRdn1u4zFIyepXfhyphenhyphengN-yHq5MAiunehs0lc_O1MgYIMzu1oZkMHPyHeeIzYf/s1600/edward_cullen-3208.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFR60j-4u_FmP3QEgWbzvqY1GXm87hdU_0GNLtAJA9EYjkAxGmIUxi2mCE7sjwr4X4aUDU5_bUGrOmrM5HBRdn1u4zFIyepXfhyphenhyphengN-yHq5MAiunehs0lc_O1MgYIMzu1oZkMHPyHeeIzYf/s320/edward_cullen-3208.jpg" /></a>I don't think that I'm the only one who can admit that they like romance. I love the stuff. No, you will probably never find me walking over to the Harlequin Romance section of my local bookstore to pick something up, but when there is a romance element woven throughout a story without completely overpowering the plot, I am all for it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>I have read my fair share of young adult novels. I have seen so many different types of love interests that I sometimes dream about them (I don't, really...I promise), but while some get my heart fluttering like a wild thing in my chest, others make me want to shut the book and never open it up again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: normal; white-space: pre;">The one young adult book that got me into reading is, no surprise here—Twilight. Ah, yes. The most hilariously controversial book of recent years. The controversy being between the fans and the non-fans, of course. I'm not going to get into my opinion on the book, but I am g</span><span style="line-height: normal; white-space: pre;">oing to talk about one character that makes a whole lot of appearances, some even unknown to our main character: Edward Mason Cullen. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the beginning of the book, I feel like Edward knew what he was doing. He was controlling himself. He told Bella to stay away from him (because he was going to eat her). Everything was going well. I loved him. I was eating up every word he said. I wanted to jump into that book and never come out. I wanted to live in the rainy town of Forks and listen to Debussy in his bedroom—I was so into it. I was also roughly twelve years of age, but we'll leave that out of it. I'm not sure when it was, but there was a part of the book where Edward completely changed. It came out of nowhere. He became this possessive-stalker-beast and it was just ridiculous. I would've loved it if it took more than a dinner date for them to fall in love with each other, but that's really all it took.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYOm7JUTUQKnI6IkiA9LcfyVgwHIvDOskfzhU8J8qxA6_PeAmz_mr5PKv4lqEheuDXuUnmFWz8OtnMS7Qg3F9P2HwQJ3eMEW_HK83HGgwnRu9zMIAy-IyKm_388KD9Ribvdu832otuufC/s1600/Image8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713562642766675458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYOm7JUTUQKnI6IkiA9LcfyVgwHIvDOskfzhU8J8qxA6_PeAmz_mr5PKv4lqEheuDXuUnmFWz8OtnMS7Qg3F9P2HwQJ3eMEW_HK83HGgwnRu9zMIAy-IyKm_388KD9Ribvdu832otuufC/s320/Image8.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; color: #0000ee; height: 184px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; text-align: justify; text-decoration: underline; width: 275px;" /></a>That's one thing that writers <i>need </i>to keep in <span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">mind when writing love interests. Hot and cold is <i>not </i>attractive. There is no reason that your Love Interest needs to be a complete ass one day, and be a little Romeo the next. There is no reason for it. And if you're Love Interest is going from being a cold, introverted person at the beginning of the book to a more open and kind person at the end of the book</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">—</span><span style="font-family: 'times new roman';">that's fine. However, you need to make sure that it doesn't happen over night. I hate reading situations like that. You need to show the growth and change throughout the entire novel. We don't want our bad boy becoming soft and sensitive, though. Don't completely change who they are. If you have a bad boy in your story, great (so do I) but you need to make sure he comes off as a real character and potential love interest.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif;"><span style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-image: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px;"></span></span><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; text-align: justify;">Your MC may be attracted to his looks or confidence, but they aren't going to be fooled into loving this asshole just because you want them to. Trust me. Forced romance is painfully obvious in a lot of stories and that's something that I don't want in my stories, and I bet you don't want that either. You need to create characters with spark and chemistry and you need to make legitimate reasons why they would love each other or live for each other or willingly die for each other. You need to. There is no question about it.</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;">Bad Boy's aren't just steel and metal. Experiment with your character. Pull back his layers and see what's really hiding underneath. Don't rip off all of his armor in one scene, though. First, remove his helmet. Let's see how he thinks. Then, remove his shield. Let us see him say something other than a rude/sarcastic remark. Make us believe that your characters love each other. Once you do that, then you can do anything.</div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-39648029982345227402012-02-27T12:50:00.000-08:002012-02-27T12:50:07.914-08:00The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky<div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFy4cbk1krGS8sGRY4RI4DNZkdZPAuWOOeEwQwWaucQk1wxSfdxDiAbETuTWeQlXP208tBz2tyTl4ZLVrLDresRliq4wIQ362pMOiSPUih2749vdkcI3K1ovpxqfBBsj4bzzIZjIigzg/s1600/review1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFy4cbk1krGS8sGRY4RI4DNZkdZPAuWOOeEwQwWaucQk1wxSfdxDiAbETuTWeQlXP208tBz2tyTl4ZLVrLDresRliq4wIQ362pMOiSPUih2749vdkcI3K1ovpxqfBBsj4bzzIZjIigzg/s1600/review1.png" /></a><b>BOOK DESCRIPTION: </b>It is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and <i>The Rocky Horror Picture Show, </i>where all you need is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #565656; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>MY OPINION: </b>Before I even begin to speak about this book, I'm going to take a moment to breathe. It's been more than a week since I read the last word and I'm still shaking a little, feeling like this book is made up of things like warm air and sunlight. It's not a regular thing for me to be so consumed in a story that is told through letters. I usually don't like it and I usually don't read it and I usually want nothing to do with it. However, in <i>The Perks of Being a Wallflower</i>, this was definitely not the case.</div><div style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium;"><div style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Unless you live beneath a rock or in an isolated cabin somewhere in the woods, I assume you've heard about this book. If you've heard about it and you've read it, what did you think? If you've heard about it and you haven't read it: you should. Now.</div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I have never read a character that was as interesting and strange and normal as Charlie Scorsoni. He felt like a completely fleshed-out character that was living and breathing and crying between the pages of this book. I feel like I've made a new friend in him. It felt like he was writing these letters to me and I got to know him and his friends and his family, and Bill, his teacher that gives him classic novels and gets him to write essays about them. It's one of those books that leaves you feeling different. I'm not sure how Chbosky did it, but it makes you sort of see the world through new eyes.</div></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>Charlie could be anybody. He could be that boy that you saw on the train reading <i>To Kill a Mockingbird </i>or he could be that boy that you see everyday walking home but don't bother to talk to. It's fascinating, really.</div></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>He is so completely honest and beautiful and I have never read of somebody so completely mesmerizing. I wish that I knew him. He just thinks things that everybody must of thought at one point but he actually says them and I don't know, I think that's pretty damn wonderful. It makes you wonder about the things that go through the author's mind, doesn't it? It does for me.</div></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-tab-span"> </span>I thought this book was brilliant. I really did. A lot of people think that it's overrated but I have to disagree. It deserves attention. Charlie and Patrick and Sam and Brad and Bill and every other character in this book deserves attention. I recommend this book, definitely. And if you end up not liking it, a least you'll learn of a few good songs.</div></span></div></div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-13090483674955526882011-01-22T13:06:00.000-08:002011-01-22T13:43:58.157-08:00Inside Out<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Review: Inside Out - Maria V Snyder<br />
<strong></strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIJfPzb4JzhaB3i1VCkPbXPC-bJZkuKYSr8dEusTDOHw6yNX1xgmdtNqJYPb7h24VOaoRZBbYYJAbj7IJW3iPb5vUm5ym8HN044zSmvNZkq9AgbLeKUnfadjbJJF-BH3w3h_LNXhVktM/s1600/hfff.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIJfPzb4JzhaB3i1VCkPbXPC-bJZkuKYSr8dEusTDOHw6yNX1xgmdtNqJYPb7h24VOaoRZBbYYJAbj7IJW3iPb5vUm5ym8HN044zSmvNZkq9AgbLeKUnfadjbJJF-BH3w3h_LNXhVktM/s1600/hfff.png" /></a><strong>Release Date:</strong> <em>April 1st, 2010</em><br />
<strong>Age Group:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Pages:</strong> <em>315</em><br />
<strong>Rating:</strong> ★★★★★<br />
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<strong>Keep Your Head Down. </strong><br />
<strong>Don't Get Noticed. </strong><br />
<strong>Or Else. </strong><br />
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<em>I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. </em> <br />
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Let me start off by saying that this is probably my favourite book, of all the books I've read this year. Given that I've only read six books so far, it wasn't too difficult for Inside Out to steal the top spot.<br />
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I absolutely adored this book...so, so, much. I'm not even joking when I tell you that the night I finished this book, I was literally lying in bed wondering what it would be like to sneak through the pipes of Inside, just like Trella did. Trella, along with hundreds of other scrubs, live in the Inside. The Inside is a place...I'm not sure I can call it a building...divided into four levels. Those four levels are then split in half, dividing the people into the Uppers and the Lowers. The lower levels are overcrowded with, of course, scrubs. The scrubs are basically there to keep the Upper levels maintained, working long shifts and their jobs, which vary from kitchen work to handling the waste. Trella works cleaning the pipes. <br />
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Trella is a lonesome character and basically starts off hating 99.9 percent of the population she finds herself surrounded in. That's why she gained the nickname Queen of The Pipes-it refers to the fact that she's always hiding away in the pipes, keeping to herself, not conversing with anyone except for her bestfriend Cog. <br />
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I'm going to stop summarizing before I give anything away, but I really loved everything about this book. The characters: from Trella, to Riley *swoons*, to LC Karla, every character was wonderfully written. Trella even reminded me of Katniss, their strength and neverending desire to do the impossible. I loved it. It was crafted with well thought out problems, like finding Gateway, and trying to find a way to outsmart the Uppers. <br />
I didn't think that Snyder would be able to write such a great relationship between Trella and Riley, not because she's not good at writing (she's obviously amazing) but because in the recent YA novels with hints of romance, there was a lack of progression-which didn't seem to be a problem at all in this novel.<br />
<br />
All in all, it was a wonderful novel. It was the first book I read by Maria V Snyder and it won't be the last especially since...OUTSIDE IN (THE SEQUEL) COMES OUT FEBUARY 15TH! I'm definitely getting that the minute it's released. Five stars for this one, I definitely suggest it. <br />
<img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblsG2Iz_wjUFEW3OIisR1khTs5Es3PlO9LRBWfWsdD3NNjJPKrLCz3I8_2GjZ3FkQmYCqkoye6WJTugR_WlIxTqHbWzbGTMPRXZbj8zfpECRtGvsODrkmN0-0ol6pffXBbEpYBONXPFA/s320/domsign.png" /></div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-47544129280734718472011-01-21T08:25:00.000-08:002011-01-21T08:39:43.197-08:00Book Haul #3<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8TMAYZ_MLdY" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe><br />
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So, everything was bought this month because I'm not famous enough to get free books.<br />
;)<br />
Twenty Boy Summer - Sarah Ockler<br />
Tweak - Nic Sheff<br />
Fallen - Lauren Kate<br />
Vixen - Jillian Larkin<br />
Inside Out - Maria V Snyder<br />
Fablehaven - Brandon Mull<br />
Across The Universe - Beth Revis<br />
Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld<br />
The Hate List - Jennifer Brown<br />
The Girl With The Dragon Tatto- Steig Larsson<br />
The Girl Who Played With Fire - Steig Larsson<br />
Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen<br />
Crescendo - Becca FitzpatrickDominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-38582265154702846232011-01-21T08:13:00.000-08:002011-01-21T08:49:07.785-08:00Twenty Boy Summer<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Review: Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNZetfTIr5EqRpByTJm5AsLi7iMdjrl7xpxfZkYf9YyNMSfoaI4KRnMW5MPBwO9QV7epsD7Apx4TIYkUpN7jENfWrcg5GNEaMNManLtm5Qp9dHM4GXX9wUyX8t7adUUImf9r_MCH_CCM/s1600/Image1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNZetfTIr5EqRpByTJm5AsLi7iMdjrl7xpxfZkYf9YyNMSfoaI4KRnMW5MPBwO9QV7epsD7Apx4TIYkUpN7jENfWrcg5GNEaMNManLtm5Qp9dHM4GXX9wUyX8t7adUUImf9r_MCH_CCM/s1600/Image1.png" /></a><strong>Release Date:</strong> <em>June 1st, 2009</em></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Age Group:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Pages:</strong> <em>320 </em></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Rating:</strong> ★★★★</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><blockquote><em>While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best girlfriends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna's first summer romance, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.<br />
<br />
Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer.</em></blockquote>I expected this one to be a five star for sure, but maybe that's why it's not. All in all, it was a fantastic book. Ockler constructed characters that were hard to understand, yet easy to relate to.<br />
The imagery in the novel was amazing, and it actually made me cry while reading it, and laugh, and smile, and as I said...cry. When a novel does that to you, than it's definitely a good book. Ockler's ability to make you <em>feel </em>what Anna felt was beyond incredible...but the problem was that the one thing I was supposed to feel right away, I didn't feel at all. And that was her connection to both Matt and Sam. <br />
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I'm not really sure how to explain it in a way that you'd understand...but it felt like she liked Matt only because he was forbidden, and she liked Sam to get rid of the Matt-infested-memories. You know? I wasn't really given any insight on why she loved these boys, she'd just kiss them but I couldn't feel what she felt. It was like being left in the dark.<br />
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Frankie was an amazing character; typical, yet amazing. I've read the whole "party-girl-best-friend" character in so many novels, it's crazy. But this is probably one of the first one's in which she has a reasoning for her behaviour...it's her way of dealing with the pain.<br />
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With that said, the book also seemed to stretch on in some parts, and detail things that I had no interest in.<br />
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So overall, it's a solid four star book. I definitely recommend it. <br />
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<img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblsG2Iz_wjUFEW3OIisR1khTs5Es3PlO9LRBWfWsdD3NNjJPKrLCz3I8_2GjZ3FkQmYCqkoye6WJTugR_WlIxTqHbWzbGTMPRXZbj8zfpECRtGvsODrkmN0-0ol6pffXBbEpYBONXPFA/s320/domsign.png" /><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-77127852614088570622010-09-25T08:57:00.000-07:002010-09-25T09:03:13.880-07:00Perfect Chemistry<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Review: Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bP-WkJzzyuV37lsWOVmQl1xjDr97OqAmtE8ShbdEemc0d_vJjnkJca-KY_ZttYBQ_OiDB72o2kNeiWw4UHByUwmMg87jhSMrkJxGmVSCv5hsV3TxcEvuhKOhyphenhyphenD2fCUr0EZ1TytvtAWU/s1600/book15.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3bP-WkJzzyuV37lsWOVmQl1xjDr97OqAmtE8ShbdEemc0d_vJjnkJca-KY_ZttYBQ_OiDB72o2kNeiWw4UHByUwmMg87jhSMrkJxGmVSCv5hsV3TxcEvuhKOhyphenhyphenD2fCUr0EZ1TytvtAWU/s1600/book15.png" /></a><strong>Release Date:</strong> <em>December 23, 2009</em><br />
<strong>Age Group:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em><br />
<strong>Pages:</strong> <em>368</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Rating:</strong> ★★★★★</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>A modern tale of star-crossed lovers with a fresh urban twist. At Fairfield High School, on the outskirts of Chicago , everyone knows that south-siders mixing with north-siders can be explosive. So when Brittany Ellis and Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes are forced to be lab partners in chemistry class, this human experiment leads to unexpected revelations – that Brittany ’s flawless reputation is a cover for her troubled home life, that Alex’s bad-boy persona hides his desire to break free from gang ties, and that when they’re together, life somehow makes more sense. Breaking through the stereotypes and expectations that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart, Perfect Chemistry takes readers to both sides of the tracks in a passionate love story about looking beneath the surface.</em><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Let me start by apoligizing for the fact that I've literally fallen off the face of the Earth! You're going to laugh when I tell you this, but I couldn't get on because I forgot my password :$. Or maybe you didn't even crack a smile and you think I'm stupid...Anyways, I requested that they send it to my e-mail, but for some reason that didn't work. Whatever, I'm back and ready for action!<br />
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I went into this book expecting a lot. When I say a lot, I really mean it. Everywhere I turned, there was raving reviews about this novel and guess what? Here's another one. I loved it. No, I adored it. I finished it the day I bought it because even though it isn't fantasy or supernatural, or something like that (because I've been reading quite a bit of those lately) it was immensely engrossing.<br />
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I could feel everything between the characters, I could feel the passion and the pain and the wanting and the hatred. The feelings and emotions all blended together to create a medley of perfection. (Wow, nice words there, Dominique.) It was wonderful. <br />
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It was a book told from two perspectives, so I got to see Brittany and Alex's relationship develop from both point of views. I couldn't ask for anything more that a book where everything comes to life. Elkeles writing was so raw and true, that you were sucked into this world that was so much like your own, yet it was still fun to be there. <br />
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One of the best aspects of this books was that you could see that the "perfect characters" weren't so perfect after all. Brittany had a certain depth and personality that you can't find in too many books. She takes charge in situations, but sometimes she still feels helpless and ugly and flawed and insecure and I love that about her. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Elkeles also demonstrated something else that you can't find too much in the love world: a relationship that grew over time. She didn't just thrust Alex and Britanny together and have them fall in love with eachother, because that doesn't happen in the real world. They have to over come the words of everyone around them, the hateful eyes, the discouraging glares. Whether they do overcome it or not will remain a secret, for those of you who haven't read it. <br />
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It was entertaining to see both characters struggle in a life that seemed so easy on the outside. Alex was feared, Brittany was loved but they weren't being who they wanted to be. <br />
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This story may be a love story, but it is still about so much more. It's about highschool, friends, love, violence...It's about life. <br />
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Incase you didn't realize it, I definitely recommend this one. </div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-66805260298317856302010-09-03T17:41:00.000-07:002010-09-03T17:41:20.997-07:00Book Haul #2 :)<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXWQl3zVGTIe2Nzphfm4qrpzUKstzlmDgD_MkIcbSKcmzrZT43T7IPhUhaj8wdmnhNsrKi5q5s9t2ghNCoj2yERL5vVkRB69zew80TEx5BtXm7BuKMq9vDHRYAMkTAs28txgDUbSCfws/s1600/pcroa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXWQl3zVGTIe2Nzphfm4qrpzUKstzlmDgD_MkIcbSKcmzrZT43T7IPhUhaj8wdmnhNsrKi5q5s9t2ghNCoj2yERL5vVkRB69zew80TEx5BtXm7BuKMq9vDHRYAMkTAs28txgDUbSCfws/s320/pcroa.png" /></a></div>Okay I know it's only two books, but they are the two books I wanted foreeeever! <br />
Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles<br />
Rules of Attraction - Simone Elkeles<br />
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I'm actually so excited right now I could cry...okay, not <em>that</em> excited, but I'm pretty darn close! I'm on page 134 of Perfect Chemistry and it has 357 pages (in the trade paperback). Luckily for me, I snatched it for eleven bucks at my local Chapters. (Well, I shouldn't say local...It's a 45 minute walk from my house, but it takes like ten minutes to drive there!)<br />
<br />
They, sadly, didn't have The Iron Daughter, which I was pretty bummed about but at least I got these two :)<br />
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My sister Kianna is reading Rules of Attraction as I type, she was going to go on the computer but she said the book is getting too good!<br />
Incase you were wondering, I'm adoring this book so far! It's amazing<3. I love how...wait, nevermind. I'll explain everything I love about it once I post the review which should be here in a few days. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Anyways, Happy reading.<br />
Until next time, xoxo.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblsG2Iz_wjUFEW3OIisR1khTs5Es3PlO9LRBWfWsdD3NNjJPKrLCz3I8_2GjZ3FkQmYCqkoye6WJTugR_WlIxTqHbWzbGTMPRXZbj8zfpECRtGvsODrkmN0-0ol6pffXBbEpYBONXPFA/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgblsG2Iz_wjUFEW3OIisR1khTs5Es3PlO9LRBWfWsdD3NNjJPKrLCz3I8_2GjZ3FkQmYCqkoye6WJTugR_WlIxTqHbWzbGTMPRXZbj8zfpECRtGvsODrkmN0-0ol6pffXBbEpYBONXPFA/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-10936669497131353522010-09-03T10:49:00.000-07:002010-09-03T10:49:05.442-07:00Hush, Hush<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOffyDZHKz2VdN3gDMWxql3CRLAaGLnRrRQdTmDwFuUMX2o0JWh4jmTnQYDzIZbbkDoISyLaMgs8aiGOlOKA2-r97ZB7uZEfoYtO9VgyKQmDpYVYF_xIvlAfxU6pONs4RjoHZ9V9ajmg/s1600/book7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOffyDZHKz2VdN3gDMWxql3CRLAaGLnRrRQdTmDwFuUMX2o0JWh4jmTnQYDzIZbbkDoISyLaMgs8aiGOlOKA2-r97ZB7uZEfoYtO9VgyKQmDpYVYF_xIvlAfxU6pONs4RjoHZ9V9ajmg/s320/book7.png" /></a>Review: Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick<br />
<strong>Release Date:</strong> <em>October 13, 2009</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Age Group:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Pages:</strong> <em>400</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Rating: ★★★★</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><em> For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She's never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em> But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora's not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can't decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.</em><br />
<em> For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Despite what many people had to say about this, it wasn't really a wow book for me. I mean, it was really good but it wasn't something I'd sit up at night thinking about. Fitzpatrick has an amazing ability to paint pictures with her words and I felt as if I was alongside the characters. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It didn't seem to me, however, that it was really thought out. It was one of those everything-is-predictable books. I knew what would happen in the end as I was reading it, so there really wasn't much of the suspense factor.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The romance between Nora and Patch was cute, but at times Patch was very...I don't know...creepy. It sometimes got to the point where it was like "why is this our love interest again?" Many people really loved this book, and I wanted to, but I ended up merely liking it.</span> <br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Then again, I'm really picky with the books I read and I felt like this wasn't as "punch-in-the-gut" as it could have been, or as it <em>should </em>have been. Though I definitely still recommend it, because it was a good book. It was. It just wasn't you know, the best book ever or something. <br />
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Nora was a great character, but I found Vee to be the "typical best friend" in a lot of YA novels... but at sometimes she made me laugh because of her stupid decisions ;P<br />
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Anyways, this book gets four stars and I think I'll pick up Crescendo as well :)<br />
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xoxo, until next time.</span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWKdNFgxrYyLiltQSKluB4IZfLHj1RpuAJjU65aDFZbNQnuhVfrEfZ8_CYPxHhwHicXECRrbJHX9-3FYvlLCd394FidwouYA__9cwF9A4u303Tss5IOMPp3uagPl7saGBKvV-mblTVdY/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWKdNFgxrYyLiltQSKluB4IZfLHj1RpuAJjU65aDFZbNQnuhVfrEfZ8_CYPxHhwHicXECRrbJHX9-3FYvlLCd394FidwouYA__9cwF9A4u303Tss5IOMPp3uagPl7saGBKvV-mblTVdY/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-13801965631696481482010-09-03T09:36:00.001-07:002010-09-03T09:38:40.667-07:00Rules of Attraction Book Trailer :)I can't stop watching this...Carlos is beautiful. I haven't read this yet, or Perfect Chemistry, but trust me, when I read them I'll post the reviews for you guys to read. <br />
Ah! Can't wait to read them!<br />
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<object width="520" height="445"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GhEx0kaUlrU?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GhEx0kaUlrU?fs=1&hl=en_US&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="445"></embed></object>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-32246243713193955522010-09-03T09:21:00.000-07:002010-09-03T09:21:36.377-07:00The Iron King: Team Puck or Team Ash?<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BDEX7xcGNRj_mXQipokea4UAWps711uSPrkBh6MDix9nCsjfjOcGbhyphenhyphen_UbrATdkcSQ2KkpPh1ZpRfyuj2l3kx3irkziuVi2HB-piFwI02uM9XPeKOJnCzjjkWHSArR2E0_PGW3guPnw/s1600/puckteam.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BDEX7xcGNRj_mXQipokea4UAWps711uSPrkBh6MDix9nCsjfjOcGbhyphenhyphen_UbrATdkcSQ2KkpPh1ZpRfyuj2l3kx3irkziuVi2HB-piFwI02uM9XPeKOJnCzjjkWHSArR2E0_PGW3guPnw/s320/puckteam.png" /></a>So of course, like most fantasy written for YA, the Iron King supports in the art of something called "A Love Triangle". It's a smart thing to do in novels, because like I said in<a href="http://thestorygirl96.blogspot.com/2010/09/weekly-rant-one-love-interests.html"> <em>this post</em></a>, it creates tension between two characters and everybody likes some good tension.<br />
Guess what? I am a proud supporter of Team Puck, thank-you very much. I hink almost everybody I've seen has been team Ash, but I guess it's based solely on preference. Why do I like Puck better? Well I like him better mainly because I'm thinking about who's a better person to be with. Sure Ash is hot and cold as stone, but Puck seems like a funner person to be around. Plus, he has "a grin like a fox" and there's nothing more attractive than a fox-like grin. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> It's wierd, because I was expecting to like Ash more but in my opinion, Ash is a little bland. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not curious about him; I want to see under his thick layer of protection and get to know the real <em>him, </em>but I don't know. I just love Puck so much. He's always looking out for her, you know? I do like Ash, though. Don't get me wrong. He's just a very typical sort of love interest, and being handsome just makes him all the more typical. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I have a petpeeve, though and I'm guessing it comes in to play when I'm deciding who to like better of the two boys. I absolutely hate when guys are perfect looking. Is that bad? I'm sorry, but I can't deal with it. I'd think a red head with a mouth too small for his face is cuter than a blonde with the perfect nose, lips and eyes. (As long as the red head had nice lips). It's so wierd. I could care less about physical stuff (once again other than lips) although I'm in love with jawlines, noses and lips. Still. I'm team PUCK! <br />
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Are you Team Ash? Get a cute little "Team Ash" picture <em><a href="http://thestorygirl96.blogspot.com/p/team-ash-picture.html">here</a></em>! :)<br />
<br />
xoxo. <br />
<br />
Until next time.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHp6GGozxz2V3y74G6d11-WD39mO2AIfl9j55BK5LrBcHZ3jCKgkaex5L2e7mNOQccyyEqqmGSAbJTh_CCOw4Gw-1TT1Cvr9r2c3DSp6onlopPRol6e5Kk5Uk-GTAZfsX4VJaDYCHO_Bo/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHp6GGozxz2V3y74G6d11-WD39mO2AIfl9j55BK5LrBcHZ3jCKgkaex5L2e7mNOQccyyEqqmGSAbJTh_CCOw4Gw-1TT1Cvr9r2c3DSp6onlopPRol6e5Kk5Uk-GTAZfsX4VJaDYCHO_Bo/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-61589326662193291502010-09-03T07:33:00.000-07:002010-09-03T11:11:52.908-07:00Shiver<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Review: Shiver - Maggie Stievfater</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ulh9CA6clcRwkpirchIWaf0fHiQdae_ixZ5BH_ZFcH-FOT2-y1OO9jqjNC8NKRuiNbaVBuoQF66tLkkTCDHrELRySHY6opnAbxiJLgCuw5NWiAPq8RaxzkZJ2znjGgL0vyktcpAMY2g/s1600/book16.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ulh9CA6clcRwkpirchIWaf0fHiQdae_ixZ5BH_ZFcH-FOT2-y1OO9jqjNC8NKRuiNbaVBuoQF66tLkkTCDHrELRySHY6opnAbxiJLgCuw5NWiAPq8RaxzkZJ2znjGgL0vyktcpAMY2g/s320/book16.png" /></a><strong>Release Date:</strong> August 1, 2009</div><strong>Age Group:</strong> Young Adult<br />
<strong>Pages:</strong> 400<br />
<strong>Rating:</strong> ★★★★★<br />
<em>For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.</em> <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.</em> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow.</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Need I say more? </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I'll say more to avoid pissed off comments ;). </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's just start by saying Steivfater has created an extraordinary werewolf novel. Although, the werewolf element is secondary to the romance element of it, which I liked seeing as I love romance with a good struggle. I think Sam turning into a wolf in the winter is a pretty big struggle. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> This is one of those novels that really do make you feel like you are there in the flesh. Every setting, to me, felt real. Everything from Grace's home, to Sam's bookstore, to the little candy shop they went to. I loved it all. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I love when books are written from two points of views, in this case, Sam and Grace. It lets you see both of their emotions, and you can see their relationships develop from both point of views. It's amazing really. The chemistry between Sam and Grace is evident, even when Sam is the wolf. I could feel everything they felt and that is really all you can ask for in a book. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It is honestly a beautifully written novel. The imagery and dialogue is fantastic. Oh, I just adored this novel and I think you'll love it too. </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Yes, you. And you and you, too. </span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pick up a copy soon, lovelies! I loved it! </span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Xoxo, until next time. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn1uND5T78N3Qu_sK8tvT7A0iYlcBsQ9rKYOOKfbRqIWuPG75XKgolRUHguF07rBUcrU69KLdZ1XGlDN5cVL9lGzzbuH3mTaGqv7v0P1ozFsqThfbFI9XpvoBZYw_rG5EMAo7PeYkVgs/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidn1uND5T78N3Qu_sK8tvT7A0iYlcBsQ9rKYOOKfbRqIWuPG75XKgolRUHguF07rBUcrU69KLdZ1XGlDN5cVL9lGzzbuH3mTaGqv7v0P1ozFsqThfbFI9XpvoBZYw_rG5EMAo7PeYkVgs/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-26416337380524835232010-09-03T07:18:00.000-07:002010-09-03T07:18:55.325-07:00Reading Wishlist<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Hey guys! <br />
I'm going to feature four books here (and summaries) that I am literally dying to read. If you have read any of them, you can tell me what you thought. :)</div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8HCdeMnZKqXTLYDQIo2dZTcydVTriNwvi1Xe3gVKi2q8qNYKyrSyzTZibxW_TT0HeIEJtDDfvtzkSsvEIV29VrknuRi8u_SShLa4njtpqSnET72Ni5YOBiWGTxM2iImP_qK56FmDNlI/s1600/book14.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8HCdeMnZKqXTLYDQIo2dZTcydVTriNwvi1Xe3gVKi2q8qNYKyrSyzTZibxW_TT0HeIEJtDDfvtzkSsvEIV29VrknuRi8u_SShLa4njtpqSnET72Ni5YOBiWGTxM2iImP_qK56FmDNlI/s320/book14.png" /></a><strong>Reading level:</strong><em> Young Adult</em></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Hardcover:</strong><em> 496 pages</em> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Three angels are sent down to bring good to the world: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. But she is the most human, and when she is romantically drawn to a mortal boy, the angels fear she will not be strong enough to save anyone—especially herself—from the Dark Forces. </em></div><em></em><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> Is love a great enough power against evil?</em>I don't know, I just really want to read this book. The cover is beautiful, from the lighting to the text. Also, it sounds pretty original. Can't wait to get my hands on that one! :)<br />
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<em> </em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzB7aYVpxO8ZdsbS1XbMT86PoA6HzEURBo_EYe51gglvs1H38kYqIVe3siQk_h1BcJjCXJNYEVcFFq4Tl_Omq5nuJV5-78YQMsONu5v0REqP9NBbl95Pz3o_IYyVv1VNuid_p8joZTRA/s1600/book8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzB7aYVpxO8ZdsbS1XbMT86PoA6HzEURBo_EYe51gglvs1H38kYqIVe3siQk_h1BcJjCXJNYEVcFFq4Tl_Omq5nuJV5-78YQMsONu5v0REqP9NBbl95Pz3o_IYyVv1VNuid_p8joZTRA/s320/book8.png" /></a><em></em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Reading Level: </strong><em>Young Adult</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Paperback:</strong><em> 304 pages</em><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter prince she thought loved her, she is prisoner to the Winter faery queen. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real danger comes from the Iron fey—ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.</em></div><em></em><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.</em> I can't even express how much I want to read this book. I loved Iron King so much, so my need for this book is rapidy increasing every day. I actually went to go get it a few days ago, but it wasn't even in the store! I know right! Anyways, next time I go to the bookstore, guess which book I'm getting? THIS ONE! Not to mention the beautiful cover. Haha, a beautiful cover for something that is sure to be a beautiful story, I'd say :) If you've read this let me know how it is!</div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVsfZAucVrsPNLmGxGrZ-MJT9_69-nfAmV5ncMgCInWbTipSIvU2qAY5Rqcf6dhbpW0wx4Qx6QtZ2AhXDBGhvfunqjcAxl5Lvbjiia_uQ223oiw4jJPPGMvnfS2FCjDipqZBjLPs3nHU/s1600/book15.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVsfZAucVrsPNLmGxGrZ-MJT9_69-nfAmV5ncMgCInWbTipSIvU2qAY5Rqcf6dhbpW0wx4Qx6QtZ2AhXDBGhvfunqjcAxl5Lvbjiia_uQ223oiw4jJPPGMvnfS2FCjDipqZBjLPs3nHU/s320/book15.png" /></a></div><br />
<strong>Reading Age: </strong><em>Young Adult</em><br />
<strong>Paperback:</strong> <em>368 pages </em><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> When Brittany Ellis walks into chemistry class on the first day of senior year, she has no clue that her carefully created “perfect” life is about to unravel before her eyes. She’s forced to be lab partners with Alex Fuentes, a gang member from the other side of town, and he is about to threaten everything she's worked so hard for—her flawless reputation, her relationship with her boyfriend, and the secret that her home life is anything but perfect. Alex is a bad boy and he knows it. So when he makes a bet with his friends to lure Brittany into his life, he thinks nothing of it. But soon Alex realizes Brittany is a real person with real problems, and suddenly the bet he made in arrogance turns into something much more. </em></div><em></em><br />
<em> In a passionate story about looking beneath the surface, Simone Elkeles breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that threaten to keep Brittany and Alex apart.</em><br />
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I'm not even sure why I feel such a great need for this story but I do. It's been a long time since I've sat down and read a teen romance (the last one was The Last Song in like January) so to me, this book is exactly what I need right now. It's like a fresh breath of air, to temporarily get away from fantasy and supernatural stuff. Also, I've heard from just about every review I read on this book, that it was amazing. The cover didn't really captivate me, but for some reason now that I know it's bound to be a good book, it looks a whole lot better (the cover, that is.)<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX90I0OrzN4dZ6mOIkmy5OkZCeP0P-X4ipoZfJyyib0cPYTRHlp4t5fT81FPuzCKE0jKADRttnaDVorTwSxrpiayzCkn72aynjwN_tDNt-md_ltoNw4j3xsO1unhYCMcc-YOFyuVMAvQ/s1600/book9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaX90I0OrzN4dZ6mOIkmy5OkZCeP0P-X4ipoZfJyyib0cPYTRHlp4t5fT81FPuzCKE0jKADRttnaDVorTwSxrpiayzCkn72aynjwN_tDNt-md_ltoNw4j3xsO1unhYCMcc-YOFyuVMAvQ/s320/book9.png" /></a><strong>Reading Age:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em><br />
<strong>Hardcover:</strong> <em>480 pages</em> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life? </em></div><em></em><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. </em></div><em> Instead, it turns out to be her last. </em><br />
<em> Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. </em><br />
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I actually have this book, but my sister is reading it right now! Do you know how difficult it is to see the book right there on your nightstand on not being able to read it?! Lol, well she's almost done so I'm going to let her do a review on it once she finishes :) (And then I will read it and edit her review to fit my needs...no, I'm joking ;D). Anyways, the cover of this book is beautiful. It's one of those books you like having on your bookshelf, for sure. Then again, that's like every book. Oh you know what I mean. I like the idea of this book and am very, very excited to start reading! <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Well, until next time. Xoxo. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC7uJKCnaqqBNw8TUspb0GWSi4NzovmL0uEQL498R_yzXLJw0fErOceBcixVwB2oCvRMPgrYqtOSPQhGGmUCWF_ePEYEoYspkBOx8behluW41tAYh4v8CVAUhLm3IIvuBw8thCQFOLfA/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiC7uJKCnaqqBNw8TUspb0GWSi4NzovmL0uEQL498R_yzXLJw0fErOceBcixVwB2oCvRMPgrYqtOSPQhGGmUCWF_ePEYEoYspkBOx8behluW41tAYh4v8CVAUhLm3IIvuBw8thCQFOLfA/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-1234212281267790382010-09-03T06:36:00.000-07:002010-09-03T09:25:35.259-07:00Weekly Rant One - Love Interests :)<em>Hey there, bloggers!</em><br />
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For this week I wanted to discuss YA love interests and what makes them good or bad. If you're thinking about writing a YA that does include romance, you should read this :). <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> I think we all know that we had a phase where we thought <em>Edward Cullen</em> was the perfect guy, like ever. Why did we think that though? It’s fair to say that Edward didn’t really have a personality, and most of his life and thoughts and actions were just based off of Bella’s life and thoughts and actions. So why is it that we, at one point, were so infatuated with him? (You know you were, don’t lie ;D). </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBio5IWAugLYeUrwT4kpIHRPnpZ-gzCONFmXb13-vAA5TTawTe3qilUYoJaOoiu-7mx-29xOwhrKNzL3Ppm9-jhQe4GXMVySgW0cJ8YBNsIBXzIlkuGtK9WSvbigbkUxj0oaQqJdpki5A/s1600/eedward.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBio5IWAugLYeUrwT4kpIHRPnpZ-gzCONFmXb13-vAA5TTawTe3qilUYoJaOoiu-7mx-29xOwhrKNzL3Ppm9-jhQe4GXMVySgW0cJ8YBNsIBXzIlkuGtK9WSvbigbkUxj0oaQqJdpki5A/s320/eedward.png" /></a> The answer is easy: mystery. Edward was dark, edgy, mysterious and he didn’t like Bella right off the back. (Or he did, he just didn’t show it.) We don’t want a love interest we can read like an open book, because why would we read the rest if we already know everything? We don’t want a love interest that openly admits he/she will kiss the ground the MC walks on. We want it to start off on the hate level and build it’s way up. <br />
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Love trianges create amazing tension, as well. It's realistic, too because in real life you don't know what you're going to do with yourself if you like two people :)</div><br />
Also, forbidden love is an amazing way to create tension in romance situations. You know that whole “if it’s so wrong, why does it feel so right?” thing? Well, yeah. It does feel right…to us readers. We keep reading that stuff because we want to see if they will follow their hearts of their heads (and we hope all the while for their hearts!) <br />
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We do not want the MC to like the love interest for no reason (except his face). It’s exhausting to read about someone tripping over their own feet because they are so in love. Why are they in love? They don’t know the person! It’s fine to use the whole mystery thing as something to lure in the MC because humans are curious creatures, but to have your main character love another person because of their physical features is not okay. In real life, that wouldn’t happen. Physical traits attract people momentarily, while personality is the key to keeping someone for the long run. This is one reason why in real life, Bella and Edward would not have worked out. He would have ate her. But they are both drawn to each other by curiosity. Bella likes being in constant danger, because she’s been a boring wreck her whole life and Edward likes that he can’t read Bella’s mind. Other than that, they have nothing except Edward’s ability to never fall out of love that would keep them together. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPYWwFpdMpSVTomqqD2r1CbqUP5cWEpJ1lSlxPjrdO0Ait1qtbvAaoZpB0S78_4lqnzj-QblwXwdSxe063tJH9Mmn5wy9d-4sF8Zo1D370gR3ijtBafvHzDDDwqD_P5V5yy50H2JK_fo/s1600/book7.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPYWwFpdMpSVTomqqD2r1CbqUP5cWEpJ1lSlxPjrdO0Ait1qtbvAaoZpB0S78_4lqnzj-QblwXwdSxe063tJH9Mmn5wy9d-4sF8Zo1D370gR3ijtBafvHzDDDwqD_P5V5yy50H2JK_fo/s320/book7.png" /></a> Patch (Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick) is one example of someone that, realistically, you probably wouldn’t love all too much. He admittedly stalked her, all the while wanting to kill her. If I was Nora, I would have said “Bye bye” and cried my eyes out. (No, I wouldn’t cry, but I would hyperventilate or something. I don’t know). We all like Patch because he’s mysterious and hot but it’s safe to say that in real life, he would have lost me when I found out he really was stalking me. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> My point is, when you are writing romance in your novels, please do make the characters like each other for a reason other than physical beauty and a mysterious vibe. I want them to feel something when they are together, feel something when they are a part. Just make sure your MC has a life other than the love interest and vice versa. (We all know the no-life-without-my-lover thing from Twilight. Seriously, was it even healthy that she stopped speaking to ALL her friends once she was with Edward? No. It wasn’t. So don’t do that -___-). </div><br />
Xoxo, Until next time :).<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31P-LbTwH51HCRMH3XvHxU6Lqc0-5VLz72gfeHQRPB4aaEsU5CYXKx1KMTJsXFei5rqyBjAsfZlWmKGEihFDhEEIRtOvVB4KAEK38G-_z0KVybawebumYb7xxgMMhBXblgMtLJJ9wOwY/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31P-LbTwH51HCRMH3XvHxU6Lqc0-5VLz72gfeHQRPB4aaEsU5CYXKx1KMTJsXFei5rqyBjAsfZlWmKGEihFDhEEIRtOvVB4KAEK38G-_z0KVybawebumYb7xxgMMhBXblgMtLJJ9wOwY/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-879841910155070602010-09-02T21:31:00.000-07:002010-09-02T21:32:20.159-07:00Mockingjay<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-zYBCj-bx4p0bzrUcCg3gNGEfiOEPsklPn1IWfsx79cxtj50q-xC4eHIUvXQflsE80cC8c-qXtLudNJtoSdkBFuF4RDFBxIG9TWSojPh4zfMPwcnN-CLYCCM45MRIWKLPTutFN8iCdg/s1600/book5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-zYBCj-bx4p0bzrUcCg3gNGEfiOEPsklPn1IWfsx79cxtj50q-xC4eHIUvXQflsE80cC8c-qXtLudNJtoSdkBFuF4RDFBxIG9TWSojPh4zfMPwcnN-CLYCCM45MRIWKLPTutFN8iCdg/s320/book5.png" /></a>Review: Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Release Date:</strong> <em>August 24, 2010</em></div><strong>Age Group:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Pages:</strong> <em>400</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><strong>Rating: ★★★★</strong></div><em>Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins’s groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><em> </em>Even though this book wasn't the best one to many people, it was my favourite. I absolutely loved it. I think that Suzanne Collins did a wonderful job finishing the series up, although the ending could have been edited a time or ten. I read many reviews on this one before I started reading it and they all didn't like it too much, saying that it had a much different "feel and tone" than the first two books. While this is true, I think that's why I liked it better. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> To tell the truth, I wasn't all that wowed by The Hunger Games (first book) because many reviews were stating that it would be the best book in the world! Well, no. I didn't think that...I didn't think that about Catching Fire either. Well, as I was saying, I read the reviews that this book disappointed many people so I went into it with not-so-high expectations. <br />
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Do you know what happens when you go into a book with low expectations? ....You end up loving the book! I seriously loved Mockingjay, I loved Gale so much more in this book...but he didn't seem like the same person that he was in the first two, in some way. Peeta officially got to me in this book too! :) <br />
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But, there were also some things off about this book. I didn't feel a connection to many of the secondary characters that I was supposed to love, but I did enjoy Finnick. Also, Collins wasn't very successful in establishing relationships between Katniss and her two love interests. It was more like the two boys liked Katniss and she didn't like either of them. She would kiss someone and it would literally say "I kissed him on the lips"...Uh, that's great Katniss honey, but how did you <em>feel </em>when you kissed him? How did he react? How did you react on the inside? None of that was expressed in the novel and I seriously think that is one thing that prevented me from caring too much about their relationships. I found myself saying "those boys could do better than Katniss" and I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to think that.<br />
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Also, the ending made me flip through the novel, thinking I missed something. (You'll see what I mean when you read it). I must admit though, Katniss can kick serious butt! <br />
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I definitely recommend this novel, to everyone who liked the series or maybe even those who didn't. Who knows? Just pick up a copy and start reading, lovelies :)<br />
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Xoxo, until next time. </span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XL317pqOppRTqehwcE8wgynbhSg3NMHP7c1FizdqT0RfmJ4f62mLnWQ9z87k9UhHbdE6e-LdbhevctkQVlbyYpgxhJPpOiQptEXIyNcomZLXjB-QWwsqY2fuoS7dG_TBAPAxwzxyx50/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XL317pqOppRTqehwcE8wgynbhSg3NMHP7c1FizdqT0RfmJ4f62mLnWQ9z87k9UhHbdE6e-LdbhevctkQVlbyYpgxhJPpOiQptEXIyNcomZLXjB-QWwsqY2fuoS7dG_TBAPAxwzxyx50/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-89307026747608572282010-09-02T20:57:00.000-07:002010-09-03T09:57:24.655-07:00Book Haul #1 :)<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ugqORq077RdYZSJri7Mk-A8EXjJWdYwyHzjtpeEosMFQLJsltF-vPg2TtYRDhBLSylHSAt1yBhGNNY_7C5n8k-Lx-8YCkLnJWWcX4dHY9oE26BNh2wCFCrPQ3OvvJviWSBbcSo8eniY/s1600/Image9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ugqORq077RdYZSJri7Mk-A8EXjJWdYwyHzjtpeEosMFQLJsltF-vPg2TtYRDhBLSylHSAt1yBhGNNY_7C5n8k-Lx-8YCkLnJWWcX4dHY9oE26BNh2wCFCrPQ3OvvJviWSBbcSo8eniY/s320/Image9.png" /></a></div><strong>Book Haul Number One :)</strong></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
So I bought all of these books myself this week!I live in Canada so I went to Cole's and picked these up. I don't really have much of a taste for Coles, I prefer Indigo/Chapters as they have a much bigger selection <em>and </em>they have seats ;). <br />
My twin sister and I actually went to buy Perfect Chemistry, Rules of Attraction and The Iron Daughter, but since the mall we went to only had a Cole's, they didn't have ANY of those books. (I know right, unbelievable :P). <br />
And don't think I'm kidding when I say that this particular Coles store only had one bookshelf of YA books! <br />
Well, anyhow, the books I got this week are: <br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6482837-before-i-fall"><em>Before I Fall</em></a><strong> - Lauren Kate</strong><em><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7747374-i-am-number-four">I am Number Four</a></em><strong> - Pittacus Lore</strong><em><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6068551-shiver">Shiver</a></em> <strong>- Maggie Stievfater</strong><em><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6050678-leviathan">Leviathan</a></em><strong> - Scott Westerfeld</strong><br />
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<strong> </strong>I'm still happy with all of them! What did you get this week?<br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Xoxo, until next time. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuJ9fe7WvHZeWXPgBTvW2k-1-yJSf3ODg6IN39EOx8FnpVDU5sgoA8FnGvl-DOulXdIYImT8L11mgWiETRekdnZ9vQFkcKf072Q4Gq7omW-25kDVSeGvFqTrcmBHXmE_e1dQyr7K-Y6o/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsuJ9fe7WvHZeWXPgBTvW2k-1-yJSf3ODg6IN39EOx8FnpVDU5sgoA8FnGvl-DOulXdIYImT8L11mgWiETRekdnZ9vQFkcKf072Q4Gq7omW-25kDVSeGvFqTrcmBHXmE_e1dQyr7K-Y6o/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2857280548488950782.post-65290256360304923942010-09-02T17:09:00.000-07:002010-09-02T17:44:28.666-07:00The Iron King - Review<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUkhRTe2RSQ5pBKUOSpW6rLuGh8bsxWfnmfPkVUmZ5tcJrmDzx6f3uGERlkphU9CAQwMIzpPRILXKDMsS62MsE3vSJggXMuhdFxM68M4JD51aP1u6amGkhXjKbvR8NbQ8-bSCMZsKsYc/s1600/book6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUkhRTe2RSQ5pBKUOSpW6rLuGh8bsxWfnmfPkVUmZ5tcJrmDzx6f3uGERlkphU9CAQwMIzpPRILXKDMsS62MsE3vSJggXMuhdFxM68M4JD51aP1u6amGkhXjKbvR8NbQ8-bSCMZsKsYc/s320/book6.png" /></a>Review: The Iron King - Julie Kagawa<br />
<strong>Release Date:</strong> <em>February 1, 2010</em></div><strong>Age Group:</strong> <em>Young Adult</em><br />
<strong>Page</strong> <strong>Numbers:</strong> <em>368</em><br />
<strong>Rating:</strong> ★★★★★<br />
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<em> Meghan Chase has a secret destiny—one she could never have imagined…</em><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em> When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.</em></div><br />
<em> But she could never have guessed the truth—that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.</em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I actually loved this book. Julie Kagawa really did an amazing job at crafting a character that I could actually allow myself to care for. Meghan was an awesome character, she was strong, independent, but she still had feelings. It wasn't like absolutely nothing got to her, so she seemed real. I loved her. </span><br />
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I was blown away, and considering I didn'<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span> </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">t have expectations (It was the first fairy book I read) I loved it even more. </span><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It was an exceptional debut from Julie. She constructed an immensely compelling group of characters, all the way from Ethan to Ash to Puck to Grimalkin. I adored them all! I'm not lying when I say that there wasn't a single dull moment in this novel! There was always some sort of struggle, which I loved :) Every time you thought something was okay, something else would pop up. Not to mention that this author is amazing at painting a scene and still fitting in dialogue.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I suggest whole heartedly that you pick up your own copy of this 5 STAR book! :)</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">xoxo, until next time.</span> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3l61t8Nkt2d_ZZHzJJyf66I0mZonBXQFU_q32nJea0tLCQfaZvveBztnypHnxwWdZRHBANk9gLpkguSKSRoqsnoBABrzjsGjsjZMERxsYEGle4v8eR4lkvpae7OGZnEMM5uXgwi9RZq8/s1600/domsign.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3l61t8Nkt2d_ZZHzJJyf66I0mZonBXQFU_q32nJea0tLCQfaZvveBztnypHnxwWdZRHBANk9gLpkguSKSRoqsnoBABrzjsGjsjZMERxsYEGle4v8eR4lkvpae7OGZnEMM5uXgwi9RZq8/s320/domsign.png" /></a></div><br />
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</em>Dominique.http://www.blogger.com/profile/08840110952034352866noreply@blogger.com5