June Wrap Up

Last month, I literally read like no books at all. But this month, I actually read a grand total of 7 books. I am so proud of myself and I hope to continue this reading streak until the end of summer.

1) P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

I gave this five stars because I absolutely enjoyed it. It was a very satisfying sequel to the previous novel.

Rating: 5 stars

Review: http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/06/ps-i-still-love-you-by-jenny-han-review.html?m=1

2) An Ember In the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This book was amaze balls! It was definitely my favorite of the month and that's all I have to say.

Rating: 5 stars

Review: http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/06/an-ember-in-ashes-by-sabaa-tahir.html?m=1

3) Shredderman: Secret Identity by Wendelin Van Draanen 

This is one of my favorite books from my childhood so I decided to give it a reread. It is still wonderful and funny in my opinion.

Rating: 4.3 stars 

4)  Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor 

Let's just say that this was way better than the first one but I am not eager to read Dreams of Gods and Monsters just yet.

Rating: 4.4 stars 

Review: http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/06/general-info-days-of-blood-and.html?m=1

5) Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

This was hilarious. I loved Oliver and I can't wait to reread this in the future!

Rating: 4.8 stars

Review: http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/06/between-lines-by-jodi-picoult-and.html?m=1

6) Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

So sad. This book was just so sad! If you read this then you should know why.

Rating: 5 stars 

Review: http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/06/off-page-by-jodi-picoult-and-samantha.html?m=1

7) Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

I suddenly had the urge to reread this baby so i did. And I loved it just as much as I did the first time.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Review will be coming very soon.

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer Review

General Info

Off the Page by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer
Published May 2015 by Delacorte Press
(SPOILERS!!)
384 Pages
Hardcover - Goodreads
Plot Summary
In the companion to Between the Lines, sixteen year old Delilah is finally united with her dream guy Oliver who happens to be an actual prince from a children's fairytale book. In order for Oliver to come to the real world, someone had to take his place in the book world. That is where Edgar comes in. Now that Edgar is in the book, Delilah has to help Oliver adapt to the human world. But when Edgar wants to come back, what will happen to Oliver?
My Personal Favorites
I loved this book way more than the first one. I loved all of the POVs but my definite favorite was Oliver. To be honest, Oliver is a better student in school than I am. He gets a perfect test score, tons of friends, and is all around great considering that he is out of a fairytale. When Seraphima and Jules switched spots, I couldn't stop laughing. Seraphima was so funny in the whole mall scene how she ran out the dressing room and showed everyone how her bra looked. Seraphima was just hilarious period. I also liked how everyone dealt with Frump's death. Being characters in a book, Oliver and Seraphima never even knew that death meant no coming back. That part had me in tears because Frump was Oliver's best friend and then he was just gone in the blink of an eye, and it kind of symbolized Oliver growing up mentally. I liked that this book took an emotional turn because it made me feel more attached to the characters. Like when Edgar's mom Jessamyn was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor, I cried like a baby. I was glad when they solved that by taking her to the book world because I couldn't see another person I cared about die.
My Personal Dislikes
Wow! I don't think that I have anything to say in this section.
Rating
5/5 stars
My Final Thoughts
This will definitely be in my top books of 2015.I really recommend that you read Between the Lines first because you probably won't experience all the feels. That is all I have to say. See you in the next post.
~Naya J.



Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer Review



General Info

Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha Van Leer

Published June 2012 by Simon Pulse Simon Schuster

(NO SPOILERS)

353 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

15 year old Delilah loves to read but one day in her school library she comes across a children's fairytale Between the Lines and becomes obsessed. After rereading it over and over again, she discovers that one of the pictures have changed. And then the main character, Oliver starts talking to her. It turns out that he wants to get out of the book. Together Delilah and Oliver attempt to get him out of the book while falling in love with each other at the same time.

My Personal Favorites

I absolutely loved this book. It had a great storyline that I never read before and I loved the characters. I liked the whole idea of what happens once a book is closed. It was kind of like how kids thought that their toys would move while they were asleep or not there. And the pictures and color font were amazing. I thought that added a great touch to the story. If you're looking for a book that would have you laughing your heart out, this is definitely the book for you.

My Personal Dislikes

The only thing that I had problem with was the ending. It wasn't a major problem but I thought it was a little unrealistic. I looked pass this because the book for me was just for entertainment.

My Rating

4.8/5 stars

My Final Thoughts

Overall this book was a fun light read that I can see myself rereading in the future. Oh how I wish that Simon Lewis(aka Robert Sheehan version) would talk to me through the pages of The Mortal Instruments. I would do anything to get him out. If you plan on reading the companion novel Off the Page, I do recommend that you read this one first because I am currently reading it and Oliver just seems outright dumb without knowing his back story.

See you in the next post.

~Naya J.

 

 

Young Adult Stereotypes

So I admit that I LOVE LOVE the Young Adult category when it comes to books but over the past two years, I came to a realization that most books have similar elements. Like a lot of similar elements. It's almost like reading the same thing over and over again. I am not losing an interest in YA, I'm just making an observation. So to back this up, I'm going to tell you most of the stereotypes I've encountered in YA literature.
1. The Main Character Is Almost ALWAYS A Female.
-This annoys the crap out of me. I am a girl so sometimes I want to experience being in the mind of a  male. Come on authors give me some more male protagonists!
2. Girl Hates the Love Interest For the First Half Of the Book.
-  Okay I get that the author doesn't want to make the romance insta-love but does the boy and girl
   have to hate each other every single time. This happens in The Infernal Devices trilogy by  
   Cassandra Clare, The Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and many more. I love both of those
   series but it's kind of getting old. But I'll still read books like that because I really love the
    tension.
3. In a Love Triangle, The Girl Never Picks the Friend.
- This is with almost all love triangle when the choices are the main character's friend and
     someone they just met, they always pick the new guy. This happened in Twilight and The Mortal
     Instruments, but I'm sure that it happened many more times in literature. JUST PICK THE
     FRIEND ESPECIALLY IF IT WAS SIMON LEWIS!
This was my YA Stereotypes. I hope you enjoyed it because I might do a part since there are so many more that I didn't put in this post. Anyways see you later, I'm assuming in the next post :)
                                                                                                                         ~Naya J. 

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

General Info

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Published November 2012 by Little, Brown for Young Readers

(SPOILERS)

513 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

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. 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?

*This summary is provided by Goodreads*

My Personal Favorites
This book was such a step up from the first book. I liked almost everything but my favorite element of the book was definitely Zuzana's and Mik's relationship. They are just super hilarious. I loved the part when Zuzana tells Karou that she became a woman- if you know what I mean:). I also liked the whole humans interacting with the chimaera. But when Thiago tried to rape Karou, I was near to tears. Like no, she has to preserve herself for one man and that man is Akiva.

My Personal Dislikes

Honestly the only thing that I didn't like about this second installment is the slow start. Like it took forever to get juicy. But besides that this book was great.

My Rating

4.4/5

My Final Thoughts

After reading the first book back in April, I wasn't amazed. But this book was so close to doing that. I am super excited to read the next book now. I am actually going to pick it up right now. BYEEEE!!!

See you in the next post.

~Naya J.

 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Review

General Info

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Published April 2015 by Razorbill

(SPOILERS)

446 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. They both have one thing in common: they want to be free. In a world inspired by ancient Rome, Laia lives with her grandparents and her older brother. The Empire is powerful and as Scholars, Laia and her family wouldn't dare challenge them. But after her brother is arrested for treason, Laia goes to the Resistance for help. In exchange for helping her brother, she must go undercover as a slave to spy within the Empire's greatest military academy, Blackcliff. While there Laia meets Elias, the school's finest soldier and surprisingly the most unwilling. When they realize that their destinies connect in a special way, they will change the fate of the Empire forever.

My Personal Favorites

Oh my god! This book was amazing! It is definitely going down as one of my top 15 books of this year. So let's get down to the nitty gritty. I really liked Elias, like I love him. He is just so caring, strong, and a great leader. I also liked Helene. She was just the definition of badass. There were some qualities I didn't like about her like how she was so loyal to the Empire but it is pretty understandable. Laia was also a great character and I totally ship her with Elias. #Elaia will happen you guys and they will be endgame. The antagonist is cool too because Marcus seems hard to conquer and now that he is Emperor it is going to be even more difficult. There are too many things that I absolutely loved in this book and I can't possibly list them all but I cannot forget about the escape at the end. That was SOOOOO crazy and props to Laia for being the hero in that scene.

My Personal Dislikes

There wasn't really anything I disliked about this book. It was just #FANTASTIC and #EMBERLICIOUS!

My Rating

5/5 stars

My Final Thoughts

I am so glad that there will be a sequel because I need one. This being Sabaa Tahir's debut novel, it was awesome and I cannot wait to read more by her as an author. What did you guys think about this book? Comment down below. See you guys in the next post.

~Naya J.

 

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han Review

General Info

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Published May 2015 by Simon & Schuster for Young Readers

Second Installment in the To All the Boys I've Loved Before series

(SPOILERS!)

337 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

In the long awaited sequel for To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han, Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky are going strong as a real couple after being fake for so long. But then the hot tub video from the ski trip is leaked. And then John Ambrose McClaren, Lara Jean's past crush comes into the picture. Who will Lara Jean choose: Peter or John? This book will have you flipping the pages so fast and leave you wanting another installment in the series.

My Personal Favorites

I literally loved this book so much. It was definitely a satisfying sequel for one of my favorite contemporary reads. So since I liked a ton of stuff I'm just going to list my favorite moments down below.

1) I loved the whole Assassin game and how Lara Jean took it so seriously.

2) The treehouse scene where Peter and Lara Jean talk about SEX. It had me rolling because it was so hilarious. My favorite scene in the whole entire book.

3) When Kitty got Peter to take her to school after Lara Jean and him broke up. I was just like "Wow. Your little sister stole your hot boyfriend.

4) I really liked the part when John and Lara Jean plays in the snow and the Frozen reference was just so perf.

5) The party at the old folks home

6) When John and Lara Jean shared their first kiss

8) I am Team Peter so when they ended up together at the end, I just screamed. Hashtag Team Peter for life!

My Personal Dislikes

To be honest, the only thing that I disliked was the ending. I really wanted to see Peter and Lara Jean after they got back together because it just ended so abruptly.

Rating

5/5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't better than the first book but I still loved it. I really hope there is another book because I am in desperate need of one. Please Jenny Han, make it happen. I am begging you! I hope you guys liked this review and I might do one for the To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

See you guys in the next post.

~Naya J.