Writing My Own Fairy Tale

Three things to start with: 1) I'm still a big Chaol fan. Love him. 2) The end of this book is insane. Insane. 3) This review will contain Throne of Glass spoilers. If you haven't read the first book, consider yourself warned.Now the rest. If you have read Throne of Glass then you know some of Celaena's past and that she has now become the king's assassin. You also know how the relationships between her and Chaol and Dorian left off. If you haven't read Throne of Glass, I think you might be completely lost. As fun as this book is, you should definitely start with the first one.Crown of Midnight starts as you might imagine with Celaena doing the work the king has given her as his new assassin. And she kicks some serious ass. She is definitely a dangerous assassin. And a sneaky one. Chaol and Dorian are still there, brooding and handsome as ever. So is the king, who is still super creepy and full of secrets. Nehemia and Fleetfoot also play big parts of this book as friends of Celaena's. And we get to meet some new people: Archer, Mort, Baba Yellowlegs, and Roland just to name a few. Each character plays an important part in the story and I admit that I wasn't always right about how their stories would play out.As far as the story goes, there is a lot going on. Assassins, romance, murder, political intrigue, mysteries, magic, heartbreak, everything is here. I think because I had so much time between reading the first and second book, I forgot a lot and had a hard time getting back into the story. I also haven't read any of the novellas, so I'm not sure if events mentioned in this book were covered in the novellas and if reading them would have helped or not. The book is told from the third person, so we bounce around from character to character. It helps with the world-building and getting the full story but the transitions between scenes were very abrupt. The beginning especially felt all over the place to me and didn't really have a good flow to it. But it eventually settled into a nice rhythm and definitely picked up for the last 25% of the book. I read the last quarter of it very quickly. Everything was happening and I was dying to know the answers. We get some answers, some very big answers, but are left with more questions and a very open end that sets up the next book well. I'm looking forward to the next adventure for Celaena and hoping we'll get a lot more from Chaol as well. And with four more books to go, I think I'm going to get my wish.Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I thought there was a lot going on and I had trouble with the transitions from scene to scene, but I really liked the characters, both old and new, and the ending. I really liked Celaena in this one as well (who is apparently inspired by Arwen from LoTR, Cinderella, and Velma Kelly from Chicago). If you've been waiting for a book with a real assassin, this is it. She doesn't hold back. I liked that she really focused on solving the problems she was presented, not depending on anyone, not wavering in her choices, and trying to do the right thing. She struggles with her job and wants her own freedom but also knows that she is going to have to play a bigger part in freeing her people than she originally thought. The story gets much bigger in this book and the corruption is much deeper than we've seen. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story, especially after that ending! There is some romance in the book, but it is most definitely not the focus. So don't read this one if you're looking for a sweet romance. Or a love triangle. Celaena has made her choice and the book sticks with that. I would recommend this book most definitely if you loved the first in the series. I would also recommend this series if you like epic fantasies and political corruption. Now I just have to mention one thing that did bother me during this book. I won't go into details about it because that would be a little spoilery but I will say that parts of this story that present itself during this portion feel as if they were added simply to prolong the series. I know there is a lot of love out there for this series and for Celaena (because she is a true kick-ass heroine that isn't whiny or boy-crazy or co-dependent or apologetic or any of those things that we can usually find in YA female heroines) and I include myself in that group. I also have confidence that Maas will tell a great story. I just hope that it continues to be amazing and doesn't veer from the feel of the original story. I say this just because I know it began as one story, then it became a trilogy, and now there are six books planned. I'm just worried. I shouldn't be, though, right? It will be amazing.

Starting out, I have to say that I love the cover for this book. Also, I want to mention that while I enjoy music, I'm not really what you would call a 'music person'. I like music and I listen to it often, but I don't usually identify with songs or feel strongly about them like I do with books. If you enjoy music like that, I imagine those parts of the book will speak more deeply to you than they did to me. Regardless of my feelings towards music, I still enjoyed the book and think it's one you should give a chance.This Song Will Save Your Life starts off quickly. We meet Elise as she explains to us her personal history with and desire to be noticed and no longer the outcast. It is painful. She so desperately wants to be someone else that she changes everything about herself over one summer so she won't be picked on during her new school year and can hopefully make some friends. It is very painful to read and very emotional to think about how she's feeling. And has a very similar feel to Hannah's story in Thirteen Reasons Why. If you have ever struggled with depression or being the class outcast, my guess is that this first chapters will hit very close to home. It is difficult to read but it is actually over pretty quickly and we can move onto the less painful, more healing part of the book. It certainly isn't all good feelings afterwards, but a lot of what we see is Elise discovering what's really important to her (being popular? being happy? having friends? being yourself?).I'm glad I read this book. These topics (depression, suicide, bullying) can be really difficult to think and talk about but it's important to have books that deal with these subjects and deal with them well. Sometimes people don't understand the impact their words and actions can have on others around them and this book shows very painfully exactly the effects they can have. If people read this book, I hope that's something they take away from it. The other thing I hope they take away is hope. Hope that you can be yourself and find others who do appreciate that. Elise eventually finds people that understand her and appreciate her for who she is and what she has to offer. She doesn't need to change herself like she thought she did.On the other side, I did have a few problems with the book. My main problem was the MC, Elise. I just didn't like her. I wanted to. I really wanted to. Especially when we're told all about her past and her pain. But my problem is that as the story progresses and she goes back out into the world and school, she seems very judgmental and hypocritical. She finally finds people that she can sit with at lunch but then she proceeds to keep herself distanced from them because they aren't cool enough. These girls are trying to be her friend (the only ones who are) and accepting her into their group but then she just keeps thinking not nice things about them. If her thoughts were based more on her inability to trust classmates, that would be one thing. But it didn't feel that way and it made me want to slap Elise for doing the same thing to these girls that others were doing to her.The last issue I have is how easy the fix was for Elise. Sure there are minor setbacks along the way, but everything ends up happy and clean. She wants to DJ? Her dad gets the equipment and she learns to DJ in like two weeks. She wants to be the best at everything? Okay, now she's the best DJ. It was just a bit too easy of an ending for me for book with such deep and difficult issues. Not everyone will find their true passion at sixteen when they might need it the most. But I hope that's not how everyone will feel about this book because I know sometimes we want a book to end happily and full of hope. That this book certainly does that.Overall Feelings: I enjoyed this book even though I had a few issues with it and am really glad I read it. I would recommend it to anyone who reads YA contemporary and likes books that deal with heavy issues. While I wasn't a huge fan of the MC, she did have a very authentic teenage voice. Also, if music plays a big part in your life I think you would like this book.

When I was approved for this one, I decided I wanted to go ahead and read it with the kids to see what they thought. And I'm glad I did because they really enjoyed it! Putting fairy tales like this into comic book form is pretty genius. Those are two of my kids' favorite things! (And I suspect they aren't the only ones.) Gathering seventeen fantastic artists to go along with it is even better! I did have a slight problem adjusting to all of the different styles throughout the book but when I was done it was fun to go back and look over all the illustrations finding our favorites and some new styles we weren't yet familiar with. In the end, I think it really worked! My kids are four and seven and there were a couple stories we had to skip over because they were just too scary or violent, but that's to be expected with fairy tales. They don't fluff up the stories here. But the kids each have their favorites (a couple tales we even discovered for the first time here!) that we've read several times already. I can't wait to see this book in print! If you're kids are fans of comic books or fairy tales, I'd check this one out.*I received an eARC of this on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

I read Fangirl way back in July. I was lucky enough to win an ARC and couldn't wait to get started on it. Since I finished it, I've been trying to figure out what I could possibly say about it that would truly convey to you guys how much I loved it. Now it's finally time for Fangirl's release (Yay!) and I am out of time. I'm resigned to the fact that I will not be able to do this book justice but will do my best to share my thoughts on this book and my love for it with all of you anyway.Fangirl introduces us to Cather. Cath and her twin sister, Wren, are heading off for their freshman year of college. This past summer has been stressful for Cath because she's preparing to leave her father who has some stability issues and her sister told her she didn't want to room together. Now Cath, who is very introverted and nervous, is heading to school without the ability to depend on her sister and Cath is not happy. Another important part of the book is that Cath is a huge Simon Snow fan. Simon Snow is the equivalent of Harry Potter. The last book is set to release before the end of her freshman year and Cath has a huge following for her Simon Snow fan fiction. She has always wanted to finish her Simon Snow story before the end of the real series, but now that she's in an unfamiliar place surrounded by a strange roommate and her weird boyfriend without her sister's support and with the demands of college courses, she's unsure of whether she can keep writing her fanfic at all, let alone finish it. Fangirl follows Cather's first year at school and how she copes with everything that's new and different.First off, I have to mention how much I related to Cather. I grew up as the more quiet, introverted, worry-wart twin in a single parent household, though to be fair my mother is mentally stable and my father hadn't completely abandoned us. But right off the bat I felt like I understood Cath. When I moved away to school I had many of the same feelings she was having. When she mentioned not going to the cafeteria because she didn't know how it worked, I cringed because I understood all too well. I was lucky enough to have a high school friend close to me at school who walked me through things like this but I only went to the same cafeteria on my campus for months, no matter where my classes were located, because I was just too nervous to go to a cafeteria I hadn't been to yet. It's stupid, sure, but it was just how it was. I worried about everything, didn't make friends easily, and stayed inside unless I was dragged out by the few friends I did have. So all of the feelings Cather was having at the beginning of her freshman year were very familiar. But I can also see how someone who doesn't understand those feelings could find Cath completely annoying. So if you can't associate with any of those feelings or thoughts, you might not like Cather much and find her very irritating.Next, I must talk about Simon Snow. I am a huge Harry Potter fan who has never read fan fiction so the whole Simon Snow thing threw me for a bit of a loop in the beginning. Simon Snow is very similar to Harry Potter. But if I'm being completely honest, a few of the passages got a bit long for me. Parts of the Simon Snow books and excerpts from Cath's fan fiction are thrown into the book. At times I just wanted to get on with Cather's story instead of reading about Simon Snow. But the Snow parts are done in a way that you could totally skip over them if you want. If you don't skip them, they do pay off in the end. But it did take me a few passages to figure out that some of it was the 'real' story and some of it was fanfic. If you aren't a fan of wizards and fan fiction, don't let that keep you from reading this book, just skip those sections.Lastly, I must talk about the romance. I won't name names but I actually really enjoyed the development of the relationship and the characters qualities that brought them together. I loved seeing them leaning on each other and helping each other and growing together. I'm a huge fan of most of the characters in this book (except her mom) and think they all add something to the Cath's growth (even her mom) but I think the boy changes Cath the most in the best ways. And I'm always happy when there is no insta-love but a real relationship that develops over time because the characters actually get to know each other and challenge each other and have fun together. That's the best.Overall, I have to say again that I loved this book. Do I think that everyone will? No. It is a little slow with characters that not everyone will associate with or understand. And with fan fiction that could also be a turnoff, this book is definitely not for everyone. But this book does have some wonderful characters that I really related to, situations that brought out plenty of emotions, some really funny dialogue, and an overall feeling of authenticity. Plus, almost all of the characters in this book experience growth from the beginning to the end. My favorites are Cather, Levi, and Cather's dad. And of course, Simon and Baz. If you decide to give Fangirl a chance, and I certainly think you should, especially if you are heading to college, relate at all to Cath, or enjoy YA coming-of-age contemporaries, I really hope you'll love it.

This was a pretty decent book. It was fun, fast-paced, and the writing was pretty good. I did enjoy reading it. But it did not feel original at all. I just kept having the feeling that I'd read the book before. Sometimes it was Paranormalcy, sometimes it was Half-Blood, sometimes it was Vampire Academy. No matter how much I enjoyed reading it, it still felt like a standard YA paranormal boarding school story. And that is a huge bummer. But if that's the kind of book you love reading, definitely add this book to your list. If you're getting a little tired of boarding school stories, you should probably just skip this one.

This is a fun book about two friends who spend a week together while attending summer camp. My 7 yr old son loves it. It's cute and funny but nothing exceptional. For me, it was just okay.

I was so excited when I found out I won this one from Entangled Teen. It looked like such a fun book! And I'm happy to report that that's exactly what it was. It was fast, fun, nerdy, and very cute. The whole thing was super predictable and the MC might not be entirely my favorite for hiding her true self for so long and making others feel bad about the things they liked, but the ending is cute and the nerd boy is simply adorable. Definitely worth a read, especially if you're a girl that's into comic books or gaming or any kind of fandom. I was definitely giggling at all the references!

This is my first Lauren Myracle book and I was really excited to read it. But, unfortunately, it was not the experience I was hoping for. Since reading it, I've been having a hard time putting my thoughts into sentences and paragraphs that make sense so I decided to go with a good old-fashioned pro/con list for this review. There are some things I liked about this book but several things definitely made me cringe. And no matter how beautiful the writing may be, in the end, I can't get past the parts that I didn't like enough to be able to really endorse this book. But when you're reading my review, just remember that many people have loved this book and the things that bothered me may not affect your enjoyment of this book at all. So if you're ready, you may proceed.Pro-The romance was sweet in the beginning and had a slight Eleanor & Park feel to it which I loved. It started very sweetly between two misfits who'd been crushing on each other for a while. It turned serious quickly but I really enjoyed the beginning parts where they talked about their feelings for each other and tried to figure out what was happening between them. -The writing definitely captivated me. There were some really beautiful parts. And it was quick, I read it in one day.-I'm totally in love with Wren's best friend. Everyone needs a friend like her. Someone who's honest and true and real and loyal. She was fantastic. And I think I may have liked the story with her and her crush more than Charlie and Wren.-Charlie was a nice guy. An actual nice guy. Maybe too nice. But I definitely appreciate when a YA book has a nice guy as the interest.Con-I wasn't a fan of Wren. She was self-centered and whiny and felt closer to 16 than to a high school graduate. So you have parents that think they know what's best for you? They want you to go to college? I get that they're a little controlling. So what. Your boyfriend is in the foster care system because his mother was not good to him. His foster-brother is paralyzed. His foster parents are barely scraping by. He's working and trying to help his family. But you want to talk to him now? Even though you're just hanging out at your friend's pool? Ok, cool. I'm sure it's important. She was just too whiny and needy and self-centered to really connect to.-*Be warned, this is a bit ranty. Sorry.* Charlie and Wren's relationship turns serious pretty early on. I'm fine with that. That happens. I'm also fine with sex in YA books. I get it. Especially in this book where the characters are 18 and just graduated from high school. I also appreciate that they actually talked about sex before they had it. It wasn't something that just happened, they prepared for the moment. What I'm not okay with is sex in YA books that purposefully don't use condoms. Wren went on the pill and made Charlie get tested so that they wouldn't have to use condoms. In my book, unless you're supporting yourself and could then also support a child, you take the pill and use condoms. I'm just not okay with YA books that teenagers will read that don't support the use of condoms. I just don't understand why you would even think it necessary to add that. And I'm definitely torn about this because I do really appreciate that the author even discusses this. So many YA books just brush over the details or fade to black when things start happening. But Myracle's characters actually discuss sex before they have it and what they want to happen. I just don't understand the justification for the characters to promote not using condoms. *Okay, rant over. Moving on.*-The big event that occurs near the end is weird. I found it unnecessary and a little forced.-The very end of the book made me roll my eyes. I was hoping it could be a little more mature since we're dealing with 18-year-olds growing up and supposedly setting off on their own paths, but it just didn't deliver. I wanted some growth from Wren and maybe an ending that felt a little like Perfect Chemistry's ending. I was a little disappointed.Final Thoughts: I think this book will probably be a bit polarizing. There are already many reviews from people who have loved it. There are also a few from people who didn't. So I think you'll have to decide for yourself if it sounds like something you'll want to try. Like I said earlier, the writing is actually good and there are some beautiful moments. And with a sweet romance and a nice YA male interest, there are definitely lots of good parts to this book. I'm not saying that there's nothing positive here. I'm just saying that for me, the negatives outweighed them this time. I gave The Infinite Moment of Us two stars.*You should know before you pick this up that there is sex in this book. And there is no lack of details either. As Lauren Myracle explains in a note at the beginning of the eARC, she didn't want to write a YA book that she'd be okay with a 12-year-old reading. And I'd say she accomplished this. So if you like your books more on the clean side, I'd keep on walking.*

Loved it. Will post a real review closer to the release date.

I really enjoy Jessi Kirby's writing. I picked up In Honor because I had read Golden and loved it. While I didn't love this one as much as Golden, I still really liked it. I liked Honor, even if she could be a little annoying and childish at times, and I liked Rusty, even though he could he a little harsh and standoffish at times. Overall, the book was a great journey through the grief of both Honor and Rusty. Together, they understood the pain each was going through and helped each other sort through their leftover feelings of abandonment and anger from when her brother left them to enlist. I wish there had been a little more of an ending. I felt like the book just stopped and I needed more for the characters in this book. I would definitely recommend this book if you like road trip books or emotional journey books and can handle a bit of an open ending. I can't wait to read more Jessi Kirby books!

*3.5 Stars*Enjoyable and unique well-written ghost story with an interesting heroine. Just didn't fall in love with it.

I have to be honest and admit that I just wasn't a fan of this book. It started out just like I expected it to, as a fun book about a girl programming an app to find people boyfriends. But then at about the halfway point it takes a strange turn. Then it ends up all over the place. It's a fun romance, but then it's heavy with the programming talk, then it's about dirty company ploys to get teenagers to buy more stuff, then it's a book about blackmail. I just couldn't enjoy it anymore. I wish it had picked just two of those ideas and gone with them and left the others alone. It might not have felt so long and so all over the place then. But either way, I just wasn't a fan of this. I also want to note that I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator was just fine. Not my favorite that I've listened to, but I would listen to her again.

I have to start this review by stating that while I enjoy New Adult books and the issues they bring to the table over Young Adult books, I don't read very many of them. But I was seriously hooked by the premise for this one. Not only does it switch up the typical gender roles but it also seemed that none of the characters come from a violent past. And I liked that. There seem to be plenty of NA books that deal with those issues (and many are amazing books!). I just liked that Catching Liam took a different approach. And I'm so glad I read this book. I can't wait for the rest in this series!My favorite thing about this book without a doubt was the characters. Liam is studying abroad for the year from Scotland and is handsome, smart, optimistic, and fun. We first meet him in the morning at Jillian's apartment while he's making waffles in his underwear. Jillian is a junior in college who still hasn't declared a major and is smart, sarcastic, strong, and vulnerable. We first meet her that morning as well, as she's trying to figure out who the guy in her apartment is and why he's still there. Their relationship continues from there with many ups and downs but I really loved them together. Liam was sweet and kind and honestly interested in Jillian and Jillian worked hard to keep up her tough exterior and hide her secret from him, but she couldn't control her heart like she thought she could. Jillian never apologized for what she wanted or for who she was. And Liam worked hard to prove he'd be there for her when she needed him. Together, they were great.I also really enjoyed the focus on friendship in this book. Jillian has two close friends who had also adopted this catch and release game but both had recently fallen for guys of their own. They supported Jillian is her desire to keep up the game for herself, they were there for her when she needed them, and they took care of her in ways her family didn't. In regards to college friendships, I think Sophia Bleu really nailed these relationships. Living together, friends become family and I can't wait to read more about these two (they each get their own Good Girls Don't book!).Final Thoughts: I really loved this book. I stayed up way into the night just so I could finish it and find out what would happen between Liam and Jillian. I promise you, it was worth it. This book is everything New Adult should be. It deals with relationships, friendships, sex, living on your own, thinking about the future, accepting who you are, and figuring out how to change the parts of your life that you want to. Jillian is dealing with some issues (that don't originate from a violent or horrible past) and she's discovering how to be an adult and handle them herself. Her friends support her throughout the book but it's Liam and their relationship that end up helping her grow the most. I highly recommend this book as a New Adult contemporary romance and I hope you'll give it a chance.

Can I start off a review by talking about the ending? I'm going to because what was that ending?! I realize this book is part of a trilogy and the story must continue but that ending is one of the biggest non-endings of a book ever. It is crazy. And not because a ton of stuff is happening or anything, there is just a mention of something and that's it. The end. But there is so much more there! I need answers! So I guess I need to read the next book, The Lives We Lost. I just sometimes wish that I could go into a second book not because there are no answers in the first book but because I want to read more about the story.Now onto the rest of the book. I actually really enjoyed the story and the progression of events and how everything falls apart. As far as YA science-fiction, I thought it was pretty well done. The disease is scary and the quarantine put on the island felt like something that could really happen. So far, this felt just science-fiction-y and not dystopian or post-apocolyptic to me. I'm not sure what the rest of the story will hold in terms of how the government is involved with the disease and island or if the disease has spread and affected more of the world. But for now, since we don't really have any answers to those, I'm calling it science-fiction.I liked Kaelyn as an MC and her journal as a way to document the events. I enjoyed getting to see the actual dates and time that passed rather than just a seasonal reference here and there. I liked the internal monologue we got to see and the progression of her thoughts and feelings as the disease and quarantine continued. Her hopes changed, her actions changed, and the way she thought changed. It's scary to think about something so deadly coming on so quickly. What would you do? Go out and risk getting sick by helping other people and your community when it seems no one else will? Or would you lock yourself and family away from the rest of the community in hopes that you could survive until a cure was found? What would you do if someone you loved got sick? How do you watch someone you love deteriorate so quickly, knowing there is nothing you can do? The emotions really drive this book, much more than action.In the end, I'm giving The Way We Fall 4 stars. I really enjoyed the book, the characters, the progression of the disease and the breakdown of the community, and the emotions of the book. But I just didn't completely fall in love with it. It felt a little bit distant, I was never completely engrossed in the story. I'm excited to move onto The Lives We Lost and get some answers about what is happening at the end of this book. I think this one sets up well for the rest of the trilogy and I'm excited to see which direction the story goes. I'm hopeful for Kaelyn and Tessa and Leo and Gav. If you're a fan of science-fiction and enjoy a book driven more by emotions than non-stop action, give The Way We Fall a try. I think you'll enjoy it!

Wow. I was really worried about this one. I've read If I Stay and Where She Went and loved them both. And I'd heard so many great things about this one that I didn't hesitate in starting it when I got it. But then as the book went on, I reallly started to hate Allyson. To start off with, she was in Europe on a trip with her best friend paid for by her parents and she was complaining about the trip? I let it go a little because I know teenagers can be annoying. Then she met Willem and the romance and the day in Paris was pretty great. Her behavior still wasn't my favorite, but oh well. Then when she gets back she's almost unbearable. I don't know how everyone else in teh book put up with her for so long. I seriously almost gave up on this book halfway through. If I hadn't already read and loved a Gayle Forman book, I probably would have. But I wanted to see it through and find out what her plan was. And I shouldn't have doubted. The second half of the book was way better than the first, Allyson does some major growing and changing and her actions become something that I wanted to see from her, not something that made me cringe. I loved the new supproting characters from the second part as well and that cliffhanger was killer. I'm so glad I stuck it out with this book. I still didn't love it as much as the first two I read, but I'm much happier than I thought I would be. I'm very hopeful for the next one and can't wait to see what we'll learn about Willem. If you've started this book and aren't sure about finishing it, remember that this is a book about finding yourself, not a romance. The romance is a good (small) part of the book and the part of the book that starts a lot of the changes that will eventually come, but romance is not the main focus of this book. If that's what you're searching for, don't pick up this one. Wait until you are looking for a book with some life questions and soul searching. This would be the book for that. I'm giving this book 3.5 stars because the beginning was so hard to get through. Allyson was just so whiny, which was hard to stomach because she actually had a lot of great things in her life, I almost gave up on the book. Even though I did love some of the other parts, I can't overlook my feelings from the beginning and am averaging out those feelings with my end feelings for a middle of the road score. .Also, I just want to note that I listened to this one on audio and the narrator was fantastic. A few of the voices were annoying (particularly Allyson's roommate), but that happens in real life sometimes, so it happens on audiobooks as well. Overall, the performance was very good and I will definitely be looking into other books narrated by this reader.

So so so good. Seriously. Aliens are huge right now and this is an example of how to do it right. It was scary, emotional, and intense. If you like sci-fi or YA books at all, check it out!