Sunday Cover Scramble [167]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Harry Potter Moment of the Week [104]

This is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows.The idea is to share a favorite moment, magical item, character, spell, quote, object from the books, films or J.K.Rowling herself! Click the links to the blogs to see how to join up &  upcoming topics.

If you could change one thing from book three, what would it be? 

I really enjoyed the third book for the blown-up aunt, the backstory we got on the Mauraders, Lupin as the Defense teacher, the mystery and fear surrounding Sirius Black, and the added information we got on animagus. It's really difficult for me to think of something that I would change in this one.

So, I'll go for a couple of small things. First, Ron so crazily upset that Scabbers is missing, and blaming Hermione for her cat eating him. Ron has hardly even talked about this rat, and I understand that it is his pet so he has grown attached even if he hasn't shown it, but him automatically blaming Hermione and Crookshanks about it was upsetting. He kept telling her to keep her cat away from his rat, which it appeared she made every effort to do and he still got incredibly angry with her. He made no real effort to keep Scabbers out of harm's way however. My next thing would be some more of Ginny here. I really enjoyed the character of Ginny in the books, but I feel like if she would have had more of a base in the earlier books, her movie character would've been more well rounded. I would've given her a little more character development and some spots where Harry notices her positive qualities as early as book three as some foreshadowing so some fans weren't so shocked by it.

What would you change about book 3?

Review: The Awakening (Gifting #2) by K.E. Ganshert

Published: July 1, 2015 by Createspace
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Paranormal
Format: ebook
Source: purchased

Goodreads Summary

"I can't go home. It's not safe. Nowhere is."

Tess Eckhart isn’t crazy. She’s not suffering from psychosis. She and Luka Williams are part of The Gifting. Before they can find out what that means, the man with all the answers turns up dead. The only thing he left behind? A few patient files that lead to the nation’s most lawless city.

With authorities chasing them, Luka and Tess escape into the very heart of peril and against all odds, find an underground community of people just like them. They aren’t gathered together for the sole purpose of survival, either. They have a plan and a purpose—to awaken as many people with The Gifting as possible. It’s dangerous and deadly work. Tess wants to help. Luka is desperate to keep her safe—a task that proves increasingly difficult as Tess’s gifting comes to light.

Could Tess Eckhart be the One they’ve been waiting for? The One who can save them all?

"Our mission resulted in three dead ends - a dead man, a missing man, and a runaway teenager."

The Good

Such a great follow up to The Gifting. I'm amazed at where this series is going. The Awakening has a great mix of meeting new characters, learning more information, action, and suspense.

Our two main characters Tess and Luka are on the run. They meet a fountain of other great characters on their trek. We also get to see some of the characters from the first story every now and then which I enjoyed. I love that there is no one you can trust in this series.

This is a very creative and interesting story. The Awakening spent a large majority of the time with our characters in the dream world where they are training to hone their skills as a Fighter and a Shield against a darkness that the rest of the world says doesn't exist.

The Bad

Very cliffhanger ending that has you wanting to immediately jump into the next book. Thankfully, I don't have to wait. I would've been very annoyed reading this one before the third was out.

The Romance

In The Gifting, Tess and Luka pretended to be in a relationship to explain why they were spending so much time together. This has blurred a lot of things and caused quite a bit of confusion on Tess' part who doesn't feel that Luka could actually have any feelings for her beyond the connection they share with their gifts. I enjoy both of these characters. Even though Tess is brash and often does exactly what she's told not to, I appreciate that she is willing to do anything to save people she cares about. While Luka is a great guy, he doesn't do a good job of talking about his feelings and just assumes that his actions tell Tess all she needs to know. I would agree with that if not for the pretending to be in a relationship before and the appearance that he is overly concerned with her safety. That part comes off more big brotherish, so honestly I understand Tess' confusion.

There are characters added in this one, Link and Claire, who are attracted to Tess and Luka. It causes quite a bit of jealously. I don't feel it's an actual love square, but it adds confusion on the feelings between Tess and Luka and where they stand. Wouldn't it be nice if they talked a little more about how they feel.

Conclusion

A little unnecessary jealously thrown in for conflict in the relationships. A lot of action and suspense, mixed with amazing characters. Some you feel you can trust, but really I won't be trusting anyone until the final pages of the third book. I love the concept of this story and how it seamlessly mixes the Paranormal with Dystopia genres. Amazingly gut-wrenching cliffhanger ending. Definitely recommended.

Excerpts

"You're right. the dreams are getting worse. But if you think going back to Thornsdale without you will make them better, then you don't know anything." He removes the hemp bracelet from his back pocket and wraps it around my wrist. "I'm not going back. I want to find these others as much as you. So please, do us both a favor and stop trying to save me."

No white-eyed men are lurking around the corner. No big burly government officials will drag me away. No nurses are waiting to jab needles into my neck. Still, I'm a teenage girl. And this is a creepy warehouse basement. I clutch my bag and hurry out into the antechamber. Someone grabs my arm. I let out a shriek that is quickly smothered by someone's hand. My nostrils flare, but my fear vanishes, because I smell wintergreen toothpaste.

But I force myself to concentrate on everything I know about Cap and just as his wife's face swims into focus, he's there making a tally of everyone here - Link, Claire, Jillian, Rosie, and now him. "You seeing this, Cap? She just linked five of us without breaking a sweat."

Sunday Cover Scramble [166]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Review: The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Published: September 18, 2012 by Scholastic Press
Genre: YA, Paranormal Fantasy
Format: ebook
Source: purchased

Goodreads Summary

Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue never sees them--until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks to her.

His name is Gansey, a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble.

But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul whose emotions range from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher who notices many things but says very little.

For as long as she can remember, Blue has been warned that she will cause her true love to die. She doesn't believe in true love, and never thought this would be a problem. But as her life becomes caught up in the strange and sinister world of the Raven Boys, she's not so sure anymore.

The Good

By the end of The Raven Boys, I was convinced that this was a work of character development and an incredibly original story. If you are a character-driven reader, this story could very well appeal to you. On the surface, these characters could come off as stereotypical. You have trailer park trash wanting to rise above his family and dreams of having the kind of money his friends have. You have the boy with the troubled past that comes off as abrasive and you shouldn't mess with him. You have the posh, incredibly wealthy but nice guy who talks in words the others most likely have to look up on occasion. Then you have the quiet, no one really notices outcast boy to round them out. In addition, there is the girl that desperately wants to be a part of this group because she needs something big to make her different and able to stand out.

That's what they may come across as on the surface. However, Steifvater magically weaves the human intricacies that make us all unique into each and every character. There are little tidbits of their personality that you glean from the pages that are like tiny surprises you were't expecting. It's a lot like getting to know someone on a deeper level that you had previously judged incorrectly. I find myself wanting to know even more.

Add to that the unique mythology that makes up Gansey's quest and the magic therein along with a houseful of psychics on the side and it's an incredibly interesting story with quite a bit of surprise and humor mixed in.

The Bad

One of the things that is hard about reading The Raven Boys is the way Steifvater jumps back and forth on things and adds random information in the middle of a topic. She will be telling you how one of the characters is sitting there, then jump to a random history lesson of something that character was thinking, then to how hot it is in the car, back to the original conversation the character is having with someone else. It can be quite disconcerting and definitely takes some getting used to. I basically had to let go of any valid timeline my head was trying to keep track of and go with the flow of the story as it was presented.

The Romance

Well, there is only one girl in the group of boys. I think a few of the boys are intrigued by her, but currently one has more interest over the others. Unfortunately for Blue, romance for her isn't going to be able to go anywhere good since the prophecies say she will cause her true love to die. We'll see more on that in future books I'm expecting since this wasn't really explored a lot in The Raven Boys.

Conclusion

I quite enjoyed it. Once I got over the lack of solid timeline in the way the story was written, I was able to just digest the information we were given. Steifvater delivers on intricate details of each character and causes me to feel as if I am also a part of this group. They've gotten under my skin and I want to know more. The magic that lies within has me curious to where all this will lead and the psychics are a funny addition with their eccentric natures and conversation. Recommended for character-driven readers. 

Review: The Gifting (Gifting #1) by K.E. Ganshert

Published: June 1, 2015 by Createspace
Genre: YA, Dystopia, Paranormal
Format: ebook
Source: purchased - Free on Amazon

Goodreads Summary

"If science is right, then I am crazy. And crazy is dangerous."

In a world where nothing supernatural exists, Tess Eckhart is positive she’s going crazy. After her complete freakout at a high school party, her parents worry she might be right. So much that they pack their bags and move across the country, next to a nationally-renowned facility for the mentally ill.

Tess is determined to fit in at her new school, despite the whispers and stares. But when it comes to Luka Williams, a reluctantly popular boy in her class, she’s unused to a stare that intense. Then the headaches start, and the seemingly prophetic dreams that haunt her at night. As Tess tries harder to hide them, she becomes increasingly convinced that Luka knows something—that he might somehow be responsible.

But what if she’s wrong? What if Luka Williams is the only thing separating her from a madness too terrifying to fathom?

"Just because a lot of people believe in something doesn't make it true."

The Good

I couldn't stop reading this. I can't put my finger on exactly what had me hooked because as I look back it seems like a pretty normal book, but I had to finish it. If it wasn't for work and being a responsible adult, I would've gotten it done in less than the day that it took.

Without getting too spoilery, the setting is wonderful. It's our world, but it isn't. There are a few huge political changes that make it seem like a parallel to the world we live in. It's so easy to imagine this world and become immersed in it, since it is so similar, while at the same time wondering how you'd feel if those few changes really were thrust on us.

The characters in this were marvelous. We have some true teen personalities that I remember seeing when I was in high school. We have characters that seem to change drastically overnight and some that are incredibly mysterious.

It's in this world that we have Tess. She's moved with her family quite often, but this most recent time is her fault. She sees things she shouldn't...hallucinations in classrooms and friends' houses and her dreams of people dying never cease. What makes matters worse is that people with mental illness in this world are considered a 'burden' and sent to a rehabilitation center. But are they really being helped?

The BEST part of The Gifting though is that the entire time reading I'm wondering if what she is seeing is real or if she is a delusional schizophrenic. Either way, I'm fascinated by her story.

The Bad

There are cliches within the pages, mostly about the 'amazing' boy being interested in little ole normal main character girl. Only Tess isn't so normal.

The Romance

Tess is a freak. Luka is the all-american poster boy for talented handsome gentlemen. These two have undeniable chemistry and I love watching their interactions. Tess gets a little head over heels and flustered around him while also not trusting that his interest in her is sincere. I'm enjoying the romance here so far. Luka is a character I love so I'm hoping things work out well.

Conclusion

I read The Gifting so quickly. It mixes Paranormal and Dystopia seamlessly and the action parts are both mysterious and thrilling. I immediately bought the second book in the series right when I finished it. While it ends in a cliff-hanger, the story is at a breaking point. The characters are quirky, fun, and intense. The world is so similar to ours and yet light years different and I am fully invested in where this story is going from here. I got The Gifting for free on Amazon. I would absolutely recommend reading it whether free or not.

Excerpts

According to science, humans have no souls.

It's been a good first day. The best, actually. No headaches. No weird feelings. No unexplained cold or warm presences. Just school and a friendly girl and a much-too-noticeable boy.

"Now I don't know what to think. I've never met anyone who sees what I see." 
I nibble my lower lip. "I don't get it."
"Me, neither."
"No, I mean, if you really saw what I saw, then why didn't you react? That man came right at us and you just sat there."
"I've trained myself not to react."
"Trained?"
"It's not safe to be crazy."

Sunday Cover Scramble [165]

Let's have some fun! I am going to post covers on here every Sunday that are scrambled up graphically, making it hard to tell what cover it is. I would like your guesses on what cover you think I've posted. I won't answer you until I'm posting the next one to let you know if you are right, allowing others to guess as well. Some will be hard, and others may be easy. Let me know in the comments if you'd like some more hints and I'll offer some more if no one guesses it correctly.


I am pulling covers off the Most Popular Page on Goodreads.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin