My Thoughts: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love and dared to imagine a world free of bloodshed and war.

This is not that world.

Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it.

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life.

While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope.

But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

I initially experienced Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor through audio. And I thought it was absolutely fantastic. So naturally I wanted to keep up with that tradition and listen to Days of Blood and Starlight- which is no small venture, as the audio book is just under fifteen and half hours long. When I first began listening to Daughter of Smoke and Bone narrated by Khristine Hvam I was completely taken over. Hvam was a fantastic narrator.

For those who have read both Daughter of Smoke and Bone as well as Days of Blood and Starlight, you know that they are intense novels with a lot going on- especially in Days of Blood and Starlight. This means that mega concentration is necessary when reading the books so you don't miss anything. That is a lot of pressure for the narrator. She needs to be able to keep your attention and keep you engaged (this is also the responsibility of the author and the story). I loved how both stories came a live for me while listening to Khristine Hvam narrate them. She was theatrical when she needed to be and more subdued when it was called for.

One of my favourite things about listening to both these novels was Hvam's talent for accents. The majority of the characters in both books have some kind of European accent and Hvam was able to portray them all perfectly. Brimstone's accent in Daughter of Smoke and Bone had to be one of my favourite. Hvam was able to exude all of what Brimstone was when she was reading his parts. It was brilliant.  Another of my favourite characters that Hvam did a fantastic job with was Zuzana. Zuzana had a more critical role in Days of Blood and Starlight than she did in Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and she was sassy and whitty. She was also so endearing and caring. Whenever we got to her parts in the story I would often find myself either laughing or smiling. I loved how loyal she was to Karou and how she interacted with Mik and the...

I have said it a numerous times that I find sequels incredibly hard to review. I find that for the most part they are just filler novels and don't really contribute to the story. This is completely untrue for Days of Blood and Starlight. Laini Taylor is an absolute literary genius!! I don't know what I was expecting from Days of Blood and Starlight, but I don't think it was what I got. The story spun me around and pulled me here and there. I will admit there were a couple times where I would think to myself, "I don't know if I'm liking this story very much." This is largely due to the war setting that is Days of Blood and Starlight.

You see, in this novel, both the angels and the chimera are preparing for war. I am a pacifist, I don't like war. I also find it really boring and avoidable. And there are a lot of battle themes and brutality strewn about this novel. It was hard for me to handle. But at the same time, I loved how different the story was I was dying to see what would happen next and how it all connected.

Overall, Days of Blood and Starlight is a brilliant addition to Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It introduced new concepts and ideas into the story and developed the characters with more depth than I thought was possible. Definitely a phenomenal read.

Happy Reading Everyone!

Bout of Books 7.0

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 13th and runs through Sunday, May 19th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 7.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

I have never taken part in a read-a-thon in the almost three years I have been blogging. Mainly because I haven't had the time. But for the Bout of Books read-a-thon that is taking place next week, I actually have time. No school commitments, no work commitments. I can actually do it. This is pretty exciting for me. I'll be keeping track of my progress at the bottom of this post and on Twitter- so make sure to follow me.

So for the week I have a list of six books- considering I am a VERY slow reader this is a pretty ambitious "goal". But since I am still on the hunt for a job I have A LOT of time. I don't anticipate that I will get through all the books mentioned below. Hopefully the first four at the very least. Wish me luck.

1) Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell (I am currently reading this and want to finish it by Monday)
2) Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
3) Dare You To by Katie McGarry
4) The S-Word by Chelsea Pritcher
5) Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Geneieve Tucholke
6) Duma Key by Stephen King

Updates

Monday
Currently reading: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

What I've read: Rainbow and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Pages read: 230 pages (It was a slow day)

Tuesday
Currently reading: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

What I've read: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Pages read: 469

Wednesday
Currently reading: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

What I've read: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Pages read: 740

Thursday
Currently reading: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

What I've read: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Pages read: 981

Friday
Currently reading: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Geneieve Tucholke

What I've read: Dare You To by Katie McGarry

Pages read: 1156

Saturday
Currently reading:  Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Geneieve Tucholke

What I've read: Crossing the Line by Katie McGarry 

Pages read: 

Sunday
Currently reading: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by April Geneieve Tucholke

What I've read: 

Pages read:

Happy Reading Everyone!

My Thoughts: Pivot Point by Kasie West

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.


I absolutely love books/movies that involve dual realities, parallel universes and so on. So when I saw that Amber from Books of Amber (again) mentioned Kasie West's debut debut Pivot Point, I was pretty intrigued. Therefore, when she raved about the book and how much she enjoyed it, I was pretty thrilled and knew that I needed to read it immediately. I was pretty excited when my local library had in in stock (I did have to wait a couple weeks, but  it was well worth it).

I was thrilled with Pivot Point and for the first time ever I wanted the second book immediately after finishing this one. Generally I don't like to complete a series all at one time.When I do this I find that I get tired of the same writing style and the characters. Not the case here. I am pretty eager for the second book in this series- even though Pivot Point didn't end on a cliff hanger- it was just that good. I thought the story was so much fun and I am very curious about what's going to happen to Addie and ...

As mentioned above, Pivot Point is told form two of Addie's realities. So the chapters alternate between reality A and reality B- one chapter is option A the other option B. For some this aspect of the story would be a problem. But in this case I thought it was brilliant. You got to see that parallels between the scenarios. It was a lot of fun. You could see where they would connect (in a way). I loved this about West's writing. It was well laid out and not confusing.

Addie was awesome- she was an absolutely fantastic female protagonist. I am not sure how long it's been since I have loved a female character as much as I loved Addie, she was the perfect mix of independence and knowing when to ask for help. She was kick ass and intelligent. I really enjoyed everything about her. I also really liked Addie's dad. I have said this before and I am sure I will say it again. I am always so confused at the absence of the parental units in the majority of YA books. This is was not the case in Pivot Point. Addie's parents were definitely a feature of the novel and her dad was pretty cool. He also cared for his daughter and their bond was evident in the story. It wasn't hokey or heavy by any means, just something I appreciated.

There is a love interest in both of Addie's realities and I absolutely favoured one over the other, and in the end it all made sense. But throughout the whole story I was curious as to who she was going to chose. But do not fret. This is in NO WAY a love triangle. Not at all.

Over all Pivot Point was a blinking fantastic debut, and I think you should all go read it. You will not be disappointed. You won't want to put it down.

~Happy Reading Everyone

April Wrap Up

I am pretty sure I am going to say this a lot... April kicked my butt at school. If I thought March was insane. It was nothing compared to April. I am pretty glad it's done. May means no academic obligations and actually unemployment on my end- oh the joys of being laid off (that was supposed to me majorly sarcastic). So as of next week I will be actively looking for work and reading A LOT!! So here's to hoping.

I did manage to read five books in April, however I didn't blog very much at all. I posted one review. So here goes.

Books Read:

Lover At Last by JR Ward
Of Triton by Anna Banks
Walking Disaster by Jamie McGuire
Pivot Point by Kasie West
Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Books Review:

Perdita by Hilary Scharper

Challenges:

Blah- check back next month

But that's my month for you, I hope you enjoy!!

My Thoughts: Perdita by Hilary Scharper

Will love let her go?

After a love affair that ends in tragedy, Garth Hellyer throws himself into his work for the Longevity Project, interviewing the oldest living people on the planet. But nothing has prepared him for Marged Brice, who claims to be a stunningly youthful 134. Marged says she wants to die, but can’t, held back by the presence of someone she calls Perdita.

Garth, despite his skepticism, is intrigued by Marged’s story, and agrees to read “her” journals of life in the late 1890s. Soon he’s enthralled by Marged’s story of love, loss, and myth in the tempestuous wilderness of the Bruce Peninsula. He enlists the help of his childhood friend Clare to help him make sense of the mystery.

As Garth and Clare unravel the truth of Marged and Perdita, they discover together just what love can mean when it never dies.

**ARC received from Simon and Schuster Canada**

How to review a book you are not sure you liked. I mean, I didn't not like Perdita By Hilary Scharper,  but at the same time I can't decide how I feel about the book. It was odd. And in all honesty left me wanting more. Even though the book itself was rather lengthy at over 400 pages. I was fascinated by the premise of this book when I first looked into it. It sounded like gothic romance with a ghost story thrown in for fun. I initially thought it would sort of be like The Taker trilogy by Alma Katsu.

For the majority of the book I found that I was waiting for something to happen. I was essentially waiting for Perdita. You would think that because the book was called Perdita, that the character would be pretty influential to the story. She wasn't. I think this impacted my reading experience. Perdita was presented at the beginning of the story and she made a few short appearances (I mean very short) throughout the rest of the book and again at the end. That was it. I was a bit disappointed by this.  I was also confused by Perdita herself. What was she? Who was she? Was she a ghost? Was she a figment of imagination? As I kept reading Perdita with the assumption that these questions would be answered, and they were to some degree, but not completely.

While some may think that I did not enjoy reading Perdita, this is not true. The story was interesting and would switch back from past to present. This can sometimes be annoying in a novel, for the most part I enjoyed it. I was curious about this woman who claimed to be over 125 years old and I was curious about her life. I also enjoyed the Canadian setting during the early twentieth century. I really liked all the characters in Perdita, they were well developed and for me, they did not fall flat.

I also enjoyed the mystery and suspense of the story. That part was entertaining. And for the most part it was well written. There was a couple of times where I sometimes felt like Scharper was trying to hard to be poetic and/or lyrical, which would complicate what she was trying to say and cause some confusion. This was not a  frequent occurrence but enough to have me notice it.

Overall, there were a few things missing to make Perdita a fantastic read, but it wasn't a bad one. I'll let you decide for yourself.  

~Happy Reading Everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I liked/didn't like more than I thought I would

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish.

Top Ten Books I Thought I'd Like MORE/LESS Than I Did

This week's topic I have split into two sections. Five books I enjoyed more than I thought and five books I didn't.

Top Five I Liked:

1) Witchlanders By Lena Coakley- I wasn't sure what to expect when I first began reading this book. I am not a huge fan of fantasy novels and I wasn't convinced that I was going to like it. But as I continued reading I was pleasantly surprised with how much I was enjoying it. In the end, Witchlanders was one of my favourite books of 2011. It was beautifully written and the story was a lot of fun.




2) Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver- This was a fantastic read. I wasn't sure I would like it because it is a middle grade novel and I hadn't thought much of middle grade novels. However, when I was reading this book I couldn't put it down. It was a lovely story.

3) The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta- Because I loved Jellicoe Road so much I wasn't sure that Marchetta could enchant me again. But she did it, she totally got me. The Piper's Son was an absolutely beautiful story. If you have not read this book. Get on in.

4) Across the Universe by Beth Revis- I do not like Sci Fi. I find it boring and complicated and my eyes Across the Universe was more than just a Sci Fi novel. It was suspenseful and romantic, it was funny and heartwarming. I liked it.
cross just thinking about it. But

5) The Taker by Alma Katsu- When I first read this book I thought I was getting another vampire novel. Whoa was I ever mistaken. There are no vampires involved in this book. The writing is phenomenal and the plot is so unique and surprising. To this day I get excited thinking about the plot twists and character development.

Top 5 That I Didn't Like:

1) Looking for Alaska by John Green- Now before you get all crazy on me... I did not like this book as much as I thought I would. Readers everywhere have raved about this book. I did not see what the big deal was. I thought Alaska was one of the most annoying characters I have ever read about. I was sure that after reading this book I would never read another book by John Green... we all know how the played out.

2) White Cat by Holly Black- Again, this book was majorly hyped up. I didn't enjoy it all that much. It was mostly Cassel, I found him supremely whiny. I thought the idea mildly interesting. I will admit that I enjoyed the sequel a bit better. I have yet to finish the trilogy though.

3) Choker by Elizabeth Woods- I thought this book was going to be fantastic. It was not. I did not like it at all. I guessed the twist maybe fifty pages into the story. It was rather disappointing. What can you do.



4) Don't Breathe A Word by Jennifer McMahon- Again the synopsis of this book was SO interesting. And the story was good, but the writing was all over the place. I was never sure what exactly was going on. The end also really ticked me off.

5) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater- I did not like this book. I can't even remember exactly why. All I know is that I was not thrilled with it. I think it may be the whole romance between Sam and Grace and their insta-love. I will say, I did enjoy the rest of the series a bit more, but not by much.



That's it for me. I hope you enjoy!!

~Happy Reading.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I read before blogging

Interesting topic today. It was especially hard for me because I have always been a reader, and I have READ so many books it was hard to chose my favourites.  Also, I didn't read a lot of YA before blogging, so it was an interesting list to compile. 

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted over at The Broke and Bookish.

Top Ten Favorite Books I Read Before I Was A Blogger 

From When I Was Young

1) The Hunter's Moon by OR Melling- Read this for the first time when I was in grade four. I finally got my own copy of it for my sixteenth birthday from my mum. I have read it SO many times and still, it continues to be one of my favourite books. 

2) The BFG by Roald Dahl- This was the first book I had read by Roald Dahl and I feel in love with it. I have such happy memories of this book. Again, I still love this one now. 

3) The Harry Potter Series- I was thirteen when I read the first three Harry Potter novels (the fourth wasn't out yet), and I devoured them during my winter break. It was magical. Harry Potter has a very special place in my heart. 

From My Romantic Days 

4) Prince of Magic by Anne Stuart- Not sure that this book is particularly good, but I certainly loved it. I am pretty sure I have reread it a handful of times and I enjoy it every time. What can I say? 

5) Dirty by Megan Hart- This one has been on a number of previous lists. But I read it before I was a blogger and I was blown away by the writing and the story. Dirty is absolutely on my top five. 

6) Public Secrets by Nora Roberts- Yes I am including  Nora in this list. How could I not? This was one of my favourites from my pre-blogging days. 

Randoms 

Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult- Loved this book. I don't know what I can say about it. I thought it was incredibly suspenseful and it had me on the edge of my seat. However, it also had me contemplating my life. 

7) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffenegger- This was an all out good book. Beautiful story, beautiful writing. It was a really good reading experience. 

8) Animal Farm by George Orwell- Read this in high school and I absolutely loved it.  This is funny because I did not like 1984 at all. But I thought Animal Farm was phenomenal. 

9) If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern- This was a cute novel. Ahern is best known for her novel PS, I Love You. But she really is a gem and her novels are sweet and inspiring. 

10) The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson- I've mentioned this a few times. This is a Gothic love story (sort of), and it is beautifully written. It's special. 

~Happy Reading Everyone!