The Orphan Queen Review

Jodi Meadows' The Orphan Queen is about a young queen who with her fellow Ospreys, or orphans, are trying to win back their kingdom. To do this, Wilhelmina must go in disguise to the very court that betrayed her country. However, their world is threatened by more. Magic is outlawed because it also brings the wraith, dark and destructive magic. Wilhelmina has magic, but if the Black Knife, a vigilante, discovers, she may be killed or disappear.

Sorry I didn't do a currently reading, but I read this one too quickly. I received an ARC of The Orphan Queen a couple of months ago from one of my friends. It took me until now to read it, but I'm glad I finally did. The main character, Wil, is really strong. She was obviously shaped a lot by witnessing the death of her parents and the takeover of her kingdom. It leads her to try and take revenge, which is all very exciting. Except, something I really liked was that she realizes there's so much more going on in the world. She realizes she's being manipulated by one of her own and she changes that. She fights back. Also Black Knife is bae. I sort of fell in love with him. God I don't know if I can put spoilers into these reviews, but I want to talk so much more about Black Knife! There were some scenes that had me squirming too. That were just freaking me out so much. I'm so curious to see how the next book plays out!

Oh my god I just remembered the cliffhanger too! I was reading with my sister and when I finished I freaked out and tried looking to see if there was a summary for the second book yet. There wasn't. The ending definitely led me to wanting to read the next book. I hate starting a new series and having to wait so long for the next book :(

Hope this sparks interest in this new series cause I haven't seen much about it yet! I really enjoyed it though. Not one of my favorites, but I see potential in it becoming one of them.

I Won A Giveaway!!!!

Last night I got an awesome email informing me I won a giveaway on Goodreads!! I started dancing outside my sister's room. Then, we sat and read together in mine. I won Nil Unlocked by Lynne Matson! I read the first book in a night over the summer because I was going to a signing the next day. It's a really good book so you should all read it! It really made my night, especially because my sister had just flown in. I can't wait to get it in the mail and do a review for it! The actual book comes out May 12th (2 days before my birthday).

Ready Player One Review

The OASIS is a virtual utopia that Wade and nearly everybody else spends all of their time in. Wade Watts is a gunter, a virtual hunter who looks for the creator's easter egg. This egg is hidden somewhere inside the OASIS and if found, will gift billions of dollars and power over the entire OASIS. For years nobody could find the first puzzle, until Wade solves it. Suddenly the race is accelerated. There's fan clubs and murder and Wade is in the middle of all of it. He must find the egg or die trying.

As I was reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, I found myself enjoying it. However, I also thought it was really cheesy and predictable at times. I did enjoy it and I found it humorous at times, but it's definitely not one of my favorites. I know that it's extremely based upon video games but there were paragraphs filled with video game and 80s trivia that I found myself getting lost in. It was a good book, but I didn't think it was that spectacular.

Sorry I feel like this is a bad review but I really don't know what use to say about the book.

This is a stand alone, but I think I saw some rumors online of it becoming a movie!

Bookmobile!

Hey guys! So today I got super excited when we were driving to the grocery store and we saw a bookmobile! They were mentioned in All the Bright Places which I'd just read two days before, so I thought it was fate. I looked it up and found where it was going to be that day and we tracked it down! Here's a couple of pictures with me as well. I got Eyes of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready, The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien, and Holes by Louis Sachar.

Currently Reading

On my plane ride I started reading Ernest Cline's Ready Player One. I've heard a lot of good things about this book and it has a really high rating on Goodreads. I'll probably finish it sometime tonight and get a review up tomorrow!

All the Bright Places Review

Finch is fascinated by death and suicide, wanting to kill himself multiple times. When he is standing on a bell tower, he encounters Violet. A girl counting down the days until she leaves after her sister's death. They are able to talk each other down. They become partners for a school project to see their state's "wonders". As they travel the state, Finch helps Violet look forward to each day. He is able to act like himself with Violet and not be the freak. But as Violet's world grows, Finch's begins to shrink.

Ok sorry I really liked that last sentence from the Goodreads summary so I stole it. This book is incredible. It's a contemporary and it's beautiful. However, it's also extremely emotional. My mom walked in on me crying and it wasn't even at the worst part yet. I loved Violet and Finch and all I wanted was for them to be happy. My books are like my children and it was so painful when I saw them hurting in this way. Finch had a really messed up family and they got me so angry. I also really connected with Violet because her parents are so similar to mine. This book is truly extraordinary and I want everybody in the world to read it because the causes of suicide need to be talked about more. The author even put in her author note about how often it occurs. I can't say enough how enlightening and amazing this book is, so you should all read it to understand my feelings.

Apparently there's going to be a movie already (it came out in January) starring Elle Fanning.

I finished this a couple of days ago actually, so I'm sorry it took me so long to post a review but I was traveling to California!!!

Talk to you all soon!

California Trip

Hey guys! So tomorrow I am leaving for California!!! Yay! I will be gone until April 6 and I am extremely excited. I will have internet so I will be posting reviews but I wanted to share the books I am bringing with me! I am not too sure on how much time I will have to read just yet but I'm bringing a lot just in case. Here's a picture of the stack I am taking!

Frankenstein is for school, but everything else is in hopes for pleasure. Not sure just yet on if I will be able to fit all of these books in my suitcase. Especially because I am bringing an additional four books for my sister who we're meeting in California. Her name's Casey and she is a sophomore at Tulane University. I'm trying to get through All the Bright Places before I leave!

Currently Reading

I have officially started reading All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. My friend Emma has been begging me for a while now to read this book. Apparently I should have tissues on standby. Also look how pretty it is when you take the cover off!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower Review

Charlie is an incoming freshman who starts writing letters to a stranger. He is socially awkward and always on the outskirts. Through his letters he tells this "friend" about his journey through friendships, dating, drugs, alcohol, sex, and family issues. His intelligence and observations give a new perspective on high school and making it through life's struggles.

Wow. So I majorly regret seeing the movie first. I usually read the book before seeing the movie so I'm not sure why I didn't with Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. I loved the movie but I loved the book even more. It has so many more smaller details that also mean a lot that wasn't in the movie and I felt like I got to know some of the characters more. Even though it takes place in the early nineties, I feel like everybody who's gone through or going through high school can take something away from this story. It has a little for everybody. Anybody who has ever felt on the outside or a little awkward will sympathize with Charlie and want him to be happy. I just wanted to hug each character at certain points. I cried at the ending.

Quick story: When the movie came out everybody I knew had already seen it. I really really wanted to see it though. My mom was out of town and so I asked my stepdad to take me. I think that was the only time I have ever seen him cry. He really enjoyed it as well and I was really happy we went together.

This book should definitely be read by everyone, as it will touch on the importance of honesty and many social issues. It's a quick read too, so please read it if you find the time.

The movie is also great and it has Emma Watson! She is a goddess. It also has Nina Dobrev from The Vampire Diaries. She played Charlie's sister and I wish she had a bigger role in the movie because I ended up really liking her in the book.

Gah! Just please read the book, it was incredible.

Currently Reading

I am now reading Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower! I absolutely loved the movie when it came out and over the summer my sister stole my book. I didn't get it back for a couple of months but I am finally reading it! I am so excited but I also know that I will start crying.

The Diviners Review

It's 1926 and after being sent to New York for using her secret gift as a party trick, Evie is living with her Uncle Will. Except, he has an obsession with the occult. Evie likes to party at the speakeasies but she is soon involved with the creepy murders that are occurring. Other characters soon become involved. Including, Memphis, who is trying to run from his power. Theta, a girl running from her past. Sam, a thief with a secret. Jericho with an unexpected mystery. Characters intertwine as something even more evil begins to surface.

Libba Bray's The Diviners was not what I expected to be perfectly honest. It was a lot more paranormal and horror than summaries would make you think. I also relearned why I don't usually read paranormals. And that's because they freak me out! Finishing the book at one in the morning was not my greatest idea. I thought the book was good enough, but it's definitely not my favorite genre so I don't think I enjoyed it as some people might. It's actually really scary and should not be read alone in the middle of the night. However, the book was funny at times too. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. The main character, Evie, who annoyed me in the beginning, grew on me and I ended up really liking her. She does like attention, but she's also extremely brave, smart, funny, and kind. I enjoyed that this fault stayed throughout the book and wasn't immediately dropped. You learn to like her with her flaws instead. Overall, I enjoyed the book but it's definitely not one of my favorites.

Despite my being freaked out, I think I will read the second book which is called Lair of Dreams and comes out August 25.

Currently Reading

I am now reading Libba Bray's The Diviners. I bought it a really long time ago and it's been sitting on my bookshelf for a while now. I've heard some good things about it so we'll see! Look at how pretty the chapter titles are too!

A Game of Thrones Review

It's difficult to explain George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones because there are so many different characters and stories woven in. I'm sure a lot of you have read, watched, or at least heard of this series. The first book starts with the king asking Lord Eddard Stark to be the Hand of the King. Except the previous one was murdered and Eddard, Ned, must try and figure out the reason and protect the king and his family. However, there are enemies within and far away. They are all playing the game of thrones and you either win or you die.

If you haven't read or watched Game of Thrones, then you really really should. Except, I did meet a girl this year who never even heard of it. I was so shocked, I couldn't even explain it to her. I guess I understand if you don't like this sort of high fantasy but it's more than just that. There's also so much politics and betrayal and loyalty in it. My favorite character, Daenarys grows so strong in the show and the book. You especially learn that each villain has good qualities and each hero has bad ones. I absolutely adore that this becomes so apparent because that's what life really is. This is definitely one of my favorite shows and I cannot wait to continue reading the series!

I definitely plan on continuing to read the books but not right away because they're so long! The first book is nearly identical to the first season except for some very minor details, so if you want to watch the show first, I will not judge you. Especially because that's what I did and it's what led me to reading the wonderful books!

I'm sorry it took me a while longer to finish than usual but I was in my last week before Spring Break and the teachers started piling on work. Hopefully, I'll be getting reviews out again!

Here's the trailer for the first season because my summary was probably extremely inadequate:
Season One Trailer

Tonight's Activity

After going to a wedding and seeing Cinderella for a second time, I'm curling up in bed with some gourmet edible cookie dough and finishing Game of Thrones!

Insurgent Movie Review

So today I saw Insurgent with my friend Sasha. My biggest regret was not rereading the book. I read it about two years ago and to be honest it was my least favorite book of the series. That's mainly what I remember, that I was bored and it took me awhile to finish. I barely remember what happened in it except vaguely the ending, I really should have reread it before seeing the movie.

I'm not sure how I feel about the movie actually. A lot of it I was like "Did that happen in the book?" I don't think it was bad exactly, but I didn't really enjoy it that much either. There was a lot of CGI and you could tell what was green screen, which just got old. Except Four was beautiful! I never tied of seeing him. Theo James made the movie for me. Miles Teller was also really good, he was the comic relief at times. I didn't have much of an opinion on Shailene Woodley, except that her hair bothered me and was not how I pictured it. They also took out all of her PTSD which bugged me because that's part of her character. She had no hesitancy in picking up a gun and wasn't afraid of intimacy!

[SPOILER ALERT HERE ON]

They had sex! We were really confused on that because it didn't happen until the third book but it did happen, so that was a bit odd.

[END SPOILER]

Sorry if this is a bad review but my thoughts about the movie were mainly really unsure on what to think. It just didn't do much for me and I feel like they changed a lot, but I don't know for sure cause I don't remember the book! But Theo James was hot and muscular so see it for him!

Cinderella Movie Review!

Alright I got the suggestion to do a Cinderella movie review since I probably won't be getting a book review up for a few days. I loved the movie so here it is!

I'm sure you all know the story of Cinderella. I know it was always one of my favorite princess stories, especially because I have a stepmom, although mine is no where near as bad as Cinderella's is! This movie was absolutely beautiful. I cried three different times, not going to lie. I went with one of my friends randomly Saturday night and we were the only teenagers in the theater. We were also the most into it; crying, laughing hysterically, and trying to hold in our cheers. This Cinderella is a realistic version (still has magic though) and isn't a cartoon. The costumes were absolutely incredible. Cinderella's ball gown was stunning. Here's pictures of it! It's hard to give it justice because you have to see how it moves.

The actress, Lilly James, was the sweetest and I felt for her so much. Especially with her stepmother, Cate Blanchett, who I wanted to punch so badly but was also able to pull of the role so well. Now the prince, Richard Madden, my love. He was adorable and so beautiful. Him and Lilly James had great chemistry and I was absolutely smitten with their story.

The movie was so good and so cute, it went into more detail than the cartoon and I cannot wait until it comes out on DVD because I am going to buy it and watch it a thousand more times. I think it's going to end up being my feel good movie for whenever I'm feeling down. You guys should all go see it because it is completely worth your time. If you can't tell, I loved this movie so much and could go on for a really long time talking about it.

Currently Reading and Life Update

So I'm currently reading George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. I absolutely love the show and I saw Cinderella over the weekend (it was amazing, go see it) which had Richard Madden (Robb Stark). He was perfect in it and I started convincing my friend to watch the show. I then decided I would read the books cause I just love Robb and Daenerys and I can start preparing for season five's return!

However, I'm not sure just yet if I will do a review on it. I also have a Sociology research paper and an AP Lit essay both due on Friday. Of course that's when I decide to start an 800 paged book! Given these, I might not have a book review up this week. I'll probably try to post something though! Maybe my top favorite books or something else. However, I have a two week spring break starting Friday as well so then I will be free to read as many books as possible! I'm counting down the days and hours. 3 days, 20 hours, 35 minutes, 45 seconds.

The Young Elites Review

Quick Summary:
Marie Lu's The Young Elites is about a fever that killed thousands. Those who did survive were left with strange markings. Rumors start to circulate that these Young Elites have strange but powerful gifts. There's Teren who is the lead hunter for the Inquisition to destroy all of them. There's Enzo, the leader of the Dagger Society who is hunting down his fellow Young Elites to join a revolution. Adelina is brought to him, a powerful Young Elite, but someone with a never-ending darkness in her heart.
Sorry if that was a bad summary, I wasn't sure fully on this one.

Ok confession time, I was never a big fan of Marie Lu's Legend series and that's probably why it took me so long to read The Young Elites. However, I regret putting off reading this so much! It was honestly so good. A lot (like a lot) more mature than Legend, it was much darker and grittier. The main character, Adelina goes through an insane amount and I really admired her tenacity. However, she's also an interesting protagonist because of how deep her darkness goes. The line, "It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt." gave me chills. There's also a lot of twists that had me crying. I am definitely not giving this book justice but I don't want to spoil anything if you haven't read it. Just know that I loved it.

You should seriously read The Young Elites, the second book, The Rose Society, comes out October 6th and I'm already dying. Especially because of the title of the book, which is mentioned at the end of the first but I can't spoil anything!

Currently Reading

I am about to start Marie Lu's The Young Elites. She also wrote the Legend series and I've heard a lot of good things about this new series she's starting so I'm excited to read it!

After the End Review

Quick Summary:
Thirty years ago World War III occurred. Juneau's clan escaped to Alaska though and the children grew up with the horrors of knowing the rest of the world was destroyed. There they lived safely. However, they were always scared other survivors would come and take what they have built for themselves. One day, 17 year old Juneau goes hunting. When she comes back, everybody in her clan is gone. She ventures out of their borders to try and find them but when she does, she learns World War III never happened. Instead, the world is completely in tact. Now, Juneau must try and survive this strange modern world while trying to find her clan.

When I first heard about Amy Plum's After the End, I absolutely loved the concept. I thought it was so interesting and wanted to read it so badly. However, I didn't really enjoy it. The writing is pretty weak, in my opinion, there's an odd magic quality that seemed out of place to me, and I was never fully pulled into the story. That's probably why it took me longer to finish this book than the past few books I've read. It may be a shorter book, but it took a lot more effort for me to read it. Instead, I was falling asleep as I read. I was really disappointed with this book. They never mention the magic aspect in the summaries so I'm going to warn you now about it. I can't even explain it because I don't understand how it was put into this book. There was also a romance that I couldn't really get into, but I did understand Miles' thinking she's crazy. However, there was a part where he said "She makes me want to be a better person." I rolled my eyes so hard at this party. It was so cliché, I could not stand it. Juneau was a very strong character but she also bothered me at times. I think what's keeping me from hating this book was Juneau's love for animals and the interesting concept.

Not sure just yet if I'm going to read the second book, Until the Beginning, but it comes out May 5th.

Currently Reading

I am currently reading Amy Plum's After the End. I've been meaning to read this book for so long because I've always thought it was such an interesting idea so I'm really excited to finally be getting to it!

The Kiss of Deception Review

Quick Summary:
Princess Lia is arranged to be married to a prince she has never met. He's from a neighboring kingdom who has always had tensions with her own and Lia is extremely unhappy. The day of her wedding, she and her handmaiden flee to a small city. While there working at an inn, she meets two boys: Rafe and Kaden. Lia is unknowing but one of them is the prince she was meant to marry and the other is an assassin sent to kill her from a barbarian kingdom. However, we don't know which is which and Lia finds herself falling in love, only with constant secrets.

Mary E. Pearson's The Kiss of Deception was recommended to me multiple times by a friend, telling me I would love it. She was absolutely correct in her prediction. I started and finished it yesterday but didn't get the chance to do a review last night as I still had homework to do... Stayed up until 3 a.m. doing that. Anyways, I really enjoyed reading it, it's high fantasy which is one of my favorite genres. On the other hand, I did not enjoy the cliffhanger which killed me. I was left crying and wanting more.

Lia is a very strong and independent character who never fails to stand up for what she believes in. I admired her for taking the chance and risking everything because of how against the marriage she is. However, she also gains an understanding of duty later on which I really respected, as it was her growing up in a way. I found it to be funny, romantic, and tragic. Even though Lia is a princess, she's not afraid to do hard work and she fights through all of the difficult circumstances she finds herself in. I loved how many twists and turns there were in this book, as I was constantly being thrown off from the mystery. It made it all the more thrilling in my opinion.

I suppose my only real complaint was that the magic aspect wasn't completely explained. In their world, the first daughters are often graced with the gift. However, it took me a really long time to start to understand what the gift actually was. I don't know if it was intentional because I can see it being made mysterious on purpose. It confused me though and is explained a bit more later on in the book but never fully. Maybe it will be in the next book.

The second book is called The Heart of Betrayal and it comes out July 7th Here's the cover which looks beautiful and very ominous!

Currently Reading

I am currently reading Mary E. Pearson's The Kiss of Deception! It was recommended to me multiple times and I've owned it for awhile so I'm excited to see how I like it. My goal is to finish it by tonight and have a review up either tonight or tomorrow so we'll see!

Golden Son Review

Quick Summary:
Golden Son is the sequel to Pierce Brown's Red Rising. In the first book, Darrow works on Mars as a miner, he is told that one day Mars will be able to be lived on. Until then, his people, the Reds, must work in terrible conditions. However, when he learns that Mars already has thriving cities and the Reds are used as slave labor, he is recruited to fight the Gold society from within. The first book has Darrow in the Academy to become a member of the Peerless Scarred, the highest Golds. The second book, Golden Son, has Darrow continuing his fight to destroy the Gold society and free his true people.

I don't want to give spoilers to people who haven't read the first book but I love this series so far. It's science fiction/dystopian and I could not stop reading either books. There is romance, which I really like (it's super cute, but also tough and devastating). However, the romance in no way overshadows what the books are really about and Darrow (the main character) makes his goals his priority. The books are quite brutal and violent to be honest, but I thought it made the revolution all the more realistic. I hate when books are about a dystopian society and the main character is fighting against it, but the fighting is weak. This book definitely does not hold back in that aspect. In the beginning, Darrow is 16 which I didn't really like because I'm not always a fan of such young people joining a revolution but the first book ends with him 18 and the second book starts with him 20, so time passes and you can see him grow into more of a man. He also doesn't immediately become a strong fighter, he has to train and the training isn't just for a couple of days (which I've seen in multiple series). I thought it was really well paced and had great character development.

There are a lot of allusions in the books and they took a line from one of my favorite poems which made me look at it in a whole new way which was awesome! There's a lot of deeper meanings in the allusions and something I found really cool about the books was how many Ancient Rome references there are. I've taken Latin for four years now and so it was really cool seeing how much they took from Ancient Rome's society. The names of ranks and people, there's "oracles" in the second book, and a lot more that I'm forgetting right now. However, it's weaved in perfectly with the science fiction.

Buy Red Rising and Golden Son! The third is called Morning Star and will be published in 2016 (not soon enough for me).

The Queen of the Tearling Review

Quick Summary:

On her nineteenth birthday, Kelsea is taken back to her rightful throne. She was raised in secrecy being taught everything a queen should know. Plain and a lover of books, she is the complete opposite of her, now dead, mother. The neighboring lands, Mortmesne, are ruled by the Red Queen, who wants her country and the powerful sapphire that hangs around Kelsea's neck. The Tearling is in a time of poverty and unrest and Kelsea must figure out a way to save her country, all while being threatened by assassins and even a traitor within her guard.

This book was recommended to me and I will be forever grateful that it was. The first in a series, I was blown away by The Queen of the Tearling. You have to be willing to not fully know the setting as it's high fantasy but it also contains references to America and England. That made me really curious and I hope we find out more about the setting. Something I really loved about this book was that there wasn't romance. Instead, it's about this girl learning how to rule her country fairly while having to defend it from a constant threat. Even though Kelsea isn't very physically strong, she is incredibly strong emotionally. She defies the classic female roles in her world which made me extremely happy, as I love strong female characters. I'm sure there will be more romance in the later books but I was really glad that they made her being queen the focus. I thought it was perfectly paced and you can tell she's rising up to become an incredible ruler. Plus I believe Emma Watson is going to be an executive producer for the movie and I've heard a couple rumors of her playing Kelsea!

The next book, The Invasion of the Tearling, comes out June 9th!

P.S. If you want a better summary go to Goodreads! I try my best but Goodreads is great for extra info!

A Court of Thorns and Roses Review

First review guys so please be patient and I am welcome to suggestions on how to improve!

SPOILER FREE

I received an ARC of A Court of Thorns and Roses through my friend, Sasha, and devoured it in a day. It's by my favorite author, Sarah J. Maas. She also wrote Throne of Glass (my favorite series ever). A Court of Thorns and Roses is a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it's high fantasy with humans and their enemies, the faeries.
When the main character, Feyre, kills a wolf while hunting in the woods, she causes a terrifying faerie to appear at her door looking for vengeance. A life for a life, she goes to live with the faerie, who she discover is, in truth, a handsome immortal named Tamlin. As time goes on her hatred for her captor transforms into something more. However, the faerie courts have a sickness that is spreading and threatens their world. Feyre must try to help, even though she is mortal.
I absolutely LOVED this book. I am a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas, if you haven't read Throne of Glass, look it up! The third book is my religion. As a result of my already existing love, I was eagerly awaiting this new series. It most certainly did not disappoint. Its beautiful world building and steamy romance enthralled me. Feyre, who's nineteen, is an extremely strong young woman. It's difficult to evolve relationships beginning from hate without it looking to choppy but I definitely did not see that. I laughed, I cried, I blushed, and I cheered. I fell in love with the characters and dreaded finishing but I could not stop. It sort of sucks that I read an ARC though, because now I have to wait even longer for the next one.

A Court of Thorns and Roses comes out May 5th, so read it when you can!

Book Blog

Hey guys! My name is Jackie and I will be reviewing books! I read all types, but mainly YA. Message me if you have any suggestions or requests! I read on average three books a week and I will try to post as many reviews as possible! My Goodreads is goodreads.com/adarlanbooks so friend me if you want!