Saviors and Maidens: Why Charaters In Coldtown Were Pretty Cool

Good morning readers! What would you say constitutes a good book? A good character? In my opinion, good books have good characters that break archetypes and hearts- not necessarily in the book but you, the readers. In my book, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, I feel like these characters did a fairly good job of this- at least most of them did. This is one of the best things about this book, along next to it's thrilling plot twists! Today I'm going to do my best to delve into some characters with the most minimal of spoilers as possible!

Tana is our dear heroine- a good one at that. She's not the smartest, fastest, prettiest, or anything other than pretty kick butt awesome in general. I love that her growth is not around a love interest, like most girls you would find in a vampire book, but more so around her growth from her decisions in this dangerous territory she was thrown into. All of them challenging, rough, and some even mistakes- Tara is simply a very human girl driven into a corner and has made some very human choices. She made mistakes, took risks, even killed some people along the way! She did what she had to and grew from it- grew into a stronger, wiser person who still has her wits about her even if just barely. All of these human like characteristics and feelings and choices she made really did make her an amazing character to read about and watch perform on the pages of this book.

Gavriel was an interesting vampire indeed. His hidden personality, tragic story, and true motives all gave him a good standing in my heart, which is (trust me), filled with character love. The way he spoke and acted truly gave him a quirk that would peak anyone's interest. A line that I feel says a decent amount about him is when they are on the road and Tana speaks to him.

"'Oh yeah?' she asked, looking at him, with his bare feet, and plain dark clothes. 'With what?' The smile stayed on his lips. 'Jewels, lies, slips of paper, dried flowers, memories of things long past, useless quotations, idle hands, beads, buttons, and mischief."

He's not a stereotype, or quite the normal trickster. Such a character is definitely great, and I really can't say much more without heavy spoilers!

These great parts of characters- making them like humans, making them break molds and making them really dynamic and round really made this book a good read.  I do suggest it to you all- and if you want to see more you can find it here on goodreads! Looking back to beginning- what kind of things do YOU readers, think really make the book? I look foreword to your answers! Happy reading!

Cold, Colder and Coldtown

Good morning readers! I'm starting off this post by telling you how absolutely wonderful my last book was! As you may know, I was reading the 2nd book in the Daughter of Smoke and Bones trilogy. The second book, titled Days of Blood and Starlight was absolutely a fantastic sequel to the first- filled with just as much emotion, surprise, and action as the first book (if not more!). Kaoru, one of our strong leading characters, showed true humanity the way she was written in this book- with tough choices and sacrifices, denial and love, really just all of it made her a fantastic multi-faceted character! All the description, other characters and perfect POV switched compelled me through the book and kept me going straight on till the end. I cannot wait to see what happens in the third book- I plan to find out when it comes out/where it is as soon as I'm done reading my new book!

Speaking of new books, upon finishing the above mentioned fabulous book, I have began a new book that definitely did not start out in a calm or happy way. Tana awoke in a bathtub, the morning after a roudy party with many of the kids and her friends from town. Much to her surprise, the house is quiet, but she soon dismisses it as that she was left there while everyone else went out to eat. She soon discovered this was incorrect as once she left the bathroom and really went to inspect the house... Massacre. Everyone that had attended- dead in the living room, some looking like they had tried to escape, other looking as if they could move and continue the part at any second. Well, almost everyone- the only survivor aside from her was her Ex-boyfriend Adian, who has been infected. Tara lives in a world where vampires infection spread, Coldtown’s went up to corral them and at this very moment, her life has spun out of control completely as she scurries to escape a house with vampires in the basement, memories, and the clock, slowly ticking away to her possible demise.

My book is called The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and it's by Holly Black. I'm so caught up in this book that I don't even really know what to do! It's keeping me on the edge of my seat, and all I want to do is pull it out and continue the mass page swipes on my kindle that have been going on since a few days ago. Will Adian try to hurt her in a crazed bloodlust? What about the seemingly unstable new traveling companion/escapee do with them? Where will they go now that they have to run? All these questions and more are running through my head as I await the chance to continue reading. It's so good! has anyone else found a book that's quite as exciting as mine to read recently?

Well readers, I hope I got you interested in my books, at least a little! How exciting right? Also, keep on the lookout for that special white stuff that floats around this time of year- wish it luck! Happy reading!

New Trimester, New Books, New Post!

Good morning readers! (That's going to be different to get used to- I have a morning english class now!) I hope your transitions have gone as decently as mine into the new trimester, and that you are settling back in well enough. I have gotten the second book in a trilogy I am reading, it (the book, not the trilogy) called The Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. The first book was amazing, and I'm excited to see how Kaoru, our main character, deals with what happened in the last book. I can't really tell you too too much about what upset her or why she's struggling as it would give things away but I must say it is cool how the author wrote her- strong, but also very delicate, much like a large glass sculpture. It's strong in theory and in action-if you punched it it would probably really hurt and would give you a mean bruse but it can also break at the slightest chink in the glass, smallest fracture, tiniest scratch could be the beginning of it's destruction.

I can only predict that Kaoru and her love will meet again, but this time on very oppisite sides of the battlefield in heart and mind. How will this effect them I'm left to wonder- will it break their souls? The betrayal, the secrets, the memories that span lifetimes- all that poison and negativity that surrounds their conflicting actions due to misinformation and regret- could it drive one mad? I can ony hope it does not do one thing- turn them into a steriotypical teen novel couple dynamic with quick to forgive characteristics. That's just the worst, don't you agree? I don't think this will happen though- they seem to real for that, as strange as that is for me to say about characters in a COMPLETELY fantasy novel.

           You can find the first book in this series right here on goodreads- as well as the second! I do suggest them to anyone who wants a strong and interesting cast of characters that are not without fault or flaw but are also so realistic against the fantasy! I hope you have a good day readers, and don't forget to keep on reading!

The Blogging Experience: From Stumbles to Steps

I have greatly enjoyed blogging about my reading over the course of this trimester, and I feel it has really helped me to think about my reading material and writing skills personally all at the same time. The writing has definitely helped me improve at talking to an audience via text, thus making my more recent posts less robotic and more connectable. There was definitely an improvement in spelling along the way, along with a wider use of vocabulary used. The writing has allowed me to dig deeper into the books for sure and since I can only get better at it with time, improved my digging as I went on to more books. The later posts show this, as there are more in depth analysis of characters, scenery, and meaning behind things found in the text. Overall, the connection skills, the in depth analysis of things, and grammar are some of the biggest points of improvements I made as a writer using this blogging experience, and I can only hope to make more!

One of the things I can remember about blogging that was challenging for me was summarizing the books I burned through so quickly in a way that didn’t spoil them for future readers, but still pulled them into possibly get them to read the book. I know it got easier as I realized what was truly important to the plot in more and more books, as well as figuring out what details were better left unsaid by the other readers by not only writing more summaries, but by reading back through my posts using the mind of another (kind of, more like acting like I was another) and thinking, would this plot twist be better left unsaid? It really did help me improve over time. I was very good, I felt, at looking into characters when I wrote analytical posts about them.

I did not reach my reading goal, not yet anyway. I think this is mostly due to me pushing it back time and time again, until I reached a happy 27 books. I lie currently at 20 books out of 27 read, and I feel I could probably still make it if I tried. I used goodreads to connect to my friends to see not only what they were reading, but to allow their reviews on other books pull me in directions towards books i didn’t think I would read otherwise. The suggestions feature helped me out a bunch too! I feel I have improved as a reader over the trimester too, as I have broadened my spectrum of books to read, increased the speed of my reading yet again, and been able to spot importances in tiny details much easier now, making books not only more fulfilling, but also more interesting in general. Overall, in total this blogging experience has been a positive one I cannot wait to continue in the second trimester! (If we do that is!)

Dreams, Thoughts, and the Mind of a Boy Alone

  Hello readers! I come to you still from the depths of my book, Number9Dream. Eiji is an avid daydreamer, as I have stated before. Tody my post will be delving into the depths of this part of him, and what these daydreams may reveal about him as a person.
  The subtle transition between his daydreams are hard to spot. They seem just like coincidence at first, perfectly probable coincidence. A person steps out of a building, the rain begins, someone passes him a cigarette, and things like that are some of the starting points I have seen so far. The situations they evolve into however, are what keys you in. Eiji's mind has a bit of a adventureous streak- he seems to be the soul center of all the dreams, always saving the day and getting away with the plan, confronting the enemy and succeding or failing miserably on his own and being left to lay there dying. (I can say that even though this sounds quite morbid, my daydreams have lead me to this spot too occasionally.)
   This re-occuring  'hero' theme in his dreams leads me to believe that Eiji sees himself as normal and overly blank spot in this Tokyo canvas he has found himself in. You may disagree with me, but take a look at this way of thinking. He comes from a farming island, a place where there's not as much excitement at all. His roots however, from his parentage at least, lie in cities like Tokyo, where he is now. Being raised away from, then returning to your roots can make you feel quite out of place- plus when you had to rely on your own mind for excitement all the time as a child with your twin anyway, being put into a large environment like you much desired but still having that mind can lead to some pretty wishful thinking. Most of the times life dosen't live up to expectations anyway.
   This desperation for more, the feeling of being normal and plain is what I think will drive Eiji to do things that drastically alter the plot the more I read on. This imagination and curiosity covering this rather plain country boy just wanting more is going to change him- but for the better or worse I cannot yet tell.

   To get an example of what the transitions and daydreams of Eiji's are like (sort of), below is a short film clip called "Destino" done by Disney and Salvador Dali (A famos painter) from 2003. I feel that the clip shows how strange and roundabout these dreams really can be for someone who does not know what exactly the border between his reality and fantasy are.

 

Well, for now I bid all you wonderful readiers adieu! Happy reading!

Whoops I did it again...(But I'm starting a new book so it's ok right? No?)

   Good afternoon good readers, I have yet again missed a post day- but alas I cannot deliver several things in one post to you today like I really did before. So for today I shall fill you in on what I have begun to read for now and give you some summary to it!
  To those of you who had been following me for Through Glass, I am glad to inform you I ginished the book and am now in immense pain as I await a sequel- whydo books have to be like that? Alexis found others- and some things about herself from the others as well. Not everything is as it seems, and no one can be trusted. That's all I can say about it in the end, and now I must once again wait- January 2014 get here fast!
   I have begun to read a book (suggested and borrowed from by my dear friend Trang- go go read her blog, it's highly interesting and amusing!) called Number 9 Dream and it's by David Mitchell. God this book is confuising if you don't catch on quickly to what's going on. Our main character, Eiji Miyake, is one of the most interesting daydreamers I have ever had the pleasure (and at the same time displeasure- dangit Eiji.) to venture onto within a book. When I say venture I mean it- since the book is in first person, we litterally fall headfirst into his daydreams several times throughought the book. Considering there are only 8 chapters total in the book, you can imagine they are rather large chunks as the book is about 400-450 pages long.  I am currently in chapter 2 of the book and- even with Eiji's active imagination distracting us from the main course of time and story, enjoying the book immensely.
   Eiji is a boy who grew up without his father but knew he was out there- litterally he knew that he was exactly out there considering we start the book in a cafe in Tokyo, across the street from the building where the information upon his father's exact wherabouts can be found, but not easily taken, from a lawyer that goes by the name of Ms. Kato. This boy is on a hunt to find his father, no matter what it takes- and so far although I'm not too far in, it's not easy for him. Sisterless and far away from his little island off the coast of Japan, he is alone and I feel rather naive and this adventure- I can only hope he grows and begins to realize he's not as suave as he thinks.

A probably better summary of my book can be found here on goodreads, and for now I'm off to read again. (This book is hard to read in big chunks due to confusion- I gotta take it slow.) Farewel readers, and good reading to all of you that are getting the newest book in the Divergent series I heard came out today! (Or at least I think that's what series it was.. Either way happy reading!)

The Dual Post: aka Caitlin is Behind and so She is Going to Post About 2 Things Today!

  Good afternoon dear readers- I have failed to bring you the usual 2 posts a week this past weekend due to some personal things that have kept me busy to today I will be posting about 2 things- both my book and Romeo and Juliet, the play I'm sure we have all heard about due to it's many recreations in several forms of... Art I guess.

  First off, I will talk about my book. Oh dear gosh is this a good book. (Kind of on the graphic side though if your imagination is as actice and creative as mine is.) Through Glass is so fantastic- it has wonderful characterization so far, and there are so many suspense filed moments I just can't take it!      Our main character, Alexis, has finally decided and accomplished leaving her house. Within this accomplishment, the death toll has risen again-now to about 3 Ulama (otherwise known as tar) and 2 human. I can't reveal WHO has died, as that would ruin so much about her development- but boy has she developed. Alexis is no longer a submissive rule follower- she is busting out of the boundries she's been placed into by the Ulama, facing and beating death head on again and again, just to try to find others, find information, find anything! Her effort is inspiring honestly- it would make anyone root for this girl like I am. I can only wait and read on to see what she uncovers about the creatures that destroyed everything she ever loved and more in this thrilling book. And so I read on!

  Now for today's interesting bound into the characters in Romeo and Juliet! There are many things I could say about the people within this story- and how they affected our common character 'generes' that we have in most litterature today! (Thanks Shakespeare!) I will be focusing on the main 2 today though- Romeo and Juliet themselves.
  Romeo, oh Romeo, you are rather controlled by your emotions aren't you dear Romeo? I have discoverd this throughought the short amount of the play that we have covered in language arts class- and it has caused me to take a look into you for some reason as to why this is. Romeo has 'fallen in love;' about 2 times now since we stared this play. Though many may see this as not a good sign for a male character, I think it shows something a bit deeper about the boy. Romeo has a rather open heart- he loves easily and often, and from what we can see, when this love ends he is damaged by it too- meaning there is defanetly some true emotional connection to him when he proclaims his so called 'love' to others. I believe that this is a sign of a good person, and had he lived and not died from this love's unfortunate connections, I think in due time he would have managed to end the feud between the families. I'm not sure about how I feel about you messing around with Juliet yet boy, but I do think your heart is in the right place in the end.
  Darling baby Juliet, you're of the tender and very young age of almost 13. You seem so innocent to me- but also slightly aware of just what control your actions have upon others. With Romeo's influence, you will probably loose this control, and subsuquently suffer from it- but if you had survived, I feel it would have made you a beter person an thus this puts you in the light of good in my head when it comes to characters. Though Ifeel I don't know you quite as well as dear Romeo, I think I might just become attached to you in the end after all.
  And with those parting words, I bid thee farewell- and back to reading I go! See ya readers!

I'm Not Quite Sure About My Emotions

  Hello readers, I come to you from the beginning pages of my book to inform you that this post could also be titled I Really Don't Know What's Going On But It Hurts: Part of the Emotions By Book Series. I'm sure many of you know this feeling- when a book is SO good and/or SO emotionally capturing you become the character- suffering close to as much as they are.  I'm currently dealing with this feeling concerning my new book Through Glass. I feel so bad for poor Alexis- her life was picking up, she was about to graduate soon, her lifelong crush had just admitted he liked her back!  
  But then readers, oooh but then- BAM! Plot twist that I knew was coming from reading the book's description- but it hurts so much more than I thought it would. The  virtual apocalypse has happened- and everyone is quickly dying around Alexis, at speeds of thousands per second it seems. Her family? Most likely gone. Her? Almost dead. Her crush and forever friend? He's nowhere to be seen across the 15 foot gap between their houses windows- at least that's due to the never ending and deep permeating darkness that is now raging down upon their little town in Texas- litterally falling in oily black drops from the sky along with strange, horrifying bird and human like creatures with large claws that kill you in seconds.
  Humanity seems doomed and so does our baby Alexis (I know she's a senior in high school- but I like her and her firey red hair so much that I have deemed her a top character already- thus the attachment.) And so I can't wait to see what comes next! Will they survive? What has happened to her crush? What are these creatures, and why are they here? WHAT IS GOING ON EVERYWHERE ELSE? Sorry for the intensity, this book has just seriously thrown me for a loop- I'm only 20% in! Well dear readers, I'm off to continue the reading of this oh so interestingly tragic book- I'll keep you updated on it as I go! See you soon!

After A Long Weekend Is Said and Done...

Good evening readers. I come back to you a whole year older this rainy sunday to tell you that in my last post- yeah that didn't end up happening. I fell headfirst into another fiction book that was not realistic (I think) fiction or the next book in the Unspoken series. My book that I have chosen to begin (and not gotten too far into either for that matter) is called Through Glass and it's by Rebbecca Ethington. A summary of the book can be found here- and it's what truly hooked me into the book (Thank you goodreads!).
  There are so many possibilities and places the author could go with this book- it could be mind breakingly different or blandly steriotypical- we can only see! I can't wait to see how well our protagonist fairs! Good night readers, see you all tomorrow!

(PS: How was everyone's weekend? I know mine was fantastic- Homecoming and a birthday whew am I tired. Sorry for the so short post- and well, that's really all. See ya! )

I need to blog more between reading spurts...

  Good afternoon readers! I once again, am almost done with my book. Yes again. I need to stop doing that. BUT I'm not done yet! Need  has been a farily interesting book so far, and I was right in assuming some things about it being akin to twilight plot wise. (That being girl moves in to new place, place is freaking suspicious, girl meets guy, guy is not how he seems at all!) I can now answer some of my previous questions though- but due to spoilers I will not answer them here! (To see these questions see this post) Zara's life got kind of hectic, and some of the character arcs within the book were less filled out that I 'd hoped they'd be, but overall this has been a decent ride for a fantasy book that is oh so close to stereotype. I'd rate it about a 3.5 out of 5 stars- and this is mostly for interesting main character and a ok storyline with still some twists I didn't quite expect.

  I have decided that my next book will be either A) the next book in the Unspoken series- it came out last week I just lack the funds to get it from the kindle store- or B) a realistic fiction, considering I haven't read one of those in a while and I've recently seen a few that look somewhat interesting to me. (A note to my frined Trang: Do you have anny suggestions my dear friend? No I will not read TFiOS, please don't suggest it)

  Well, for now readers, I must be off to finish my book and to look into others for me to read next. I bid you all a happy reading!

A New Book, A New Page, A New Journey!

  Good evening readers! I have finished my previous book already- It was one of those kinds of books, the kind you can't set down until you figure out just what happened to that one character and why certain things are happening! Overall, Seraphina was an amazing book that I do recommend to those who enjoy fantasy. A fair warning though- it is heavily filled with vocabulary so it may seem a bit hard to read at first. Once you get used to the wording though, it's a fun entrancing read! Onto my new book though. (Queue the loud sighs of my friends, who are all still unused to my reading speed as they mutter something along the lines of AGAIN?!?)
  Yes my friends, I have reached the point of starting another book.  This time, the book I'm reading is called Need and it's by Carrie Jones. Our main character, Zara, has been moved up to Maine to live with her step-grandmother after her step-father died and it seemed like all the life drained out of her. I'm really not too far in, and it seems to be a multi-book series, so there are still some strangeties that need to be explained- why is she being followed? Is this pixie thing real? Are the people she's met up in Maine really this crazy?  Ah well, either way it's an interesting book so far and even though I feel like I'm getting closer to a seriotypical fantasy book-(Somewhat akin to Twilight- but I like our main character and such much better, along with the fact that im just using Twilight to get you into the mindset of oh it's that kind of fantasy that kind most now high-school girls can admit to having read at one point in their lives.) a farily interesting one at least. I will get back to you soon on how the life of Zara's going, so for now farewell dear readers! Keep on trucking!

Dragons, a Halfling and Other Predicton Related Spiels

  Good afternoon readers! I greet you from the confines of my latest book, where although I am not very far into it I get the feeling that someting big is about to happen. I will start you off with a summary.
  Our main character, Seraphina, as a halfling- part human, part dragon. Quite possibly, our dear girl is the only one in existance considering it is very very illegal to even marry a dragon-much less have a child with one. Alas, here she is, a secret to all (excluding Orma her uncle, a dragon himself and her own father- the human of her parental set) with her strange mental problems (called by her as grotesques) in the shape of humans and her slightly scaled body. The terms between the dragons and humans had begun to tense as the treaty approched it's anneverary- and heck it would, considering the prince had just been killed in a rather draconian style and the head of him was nowhere to be found! All in all, life is slightly challenging for everyone (but especially for dear 16 year old Seraphina) at the moment, with people accusing others, the treaty coming apart slowly at the seams within days of renewal, and humans taking a large interest in getting flat out rid of it!
  So there is my story so far, and it is at this time where I get to state my predictions- as grisly or unhappy they may be.
  My main prediction at the moment, is that Orma, Seraphina's dragon uncle, will be either seriously harmed or killed soon. I know, I know, that's really a sad thing to think about- but it would make a large amount of plot movement for our characters.  Considering she is very close to Orma and he holds important information sorces for her, killing off Orma would cause Seraphina to have to search, to find what's going on with her on her own. Through all this turmoil with the dragons and humans treaty as well as the fact that Seraphina might be the only dragon (even if it's only half) with the full ability to understand and create music this would create a great sorce of conflict and lead to great movement in the story.
  For today readers, that is all I have to share, as I continue on reading about the lengths Seraphina goes to hide herself and a slowly falling into war land! See you again soon!

(To obtain more information about Seraphina my book, you can look here or here! Enjoy!)

So I have decided...

  Good evening readers! I hope you all had a good weekend? I know I did. Onto my decision, of a more strange matter.
  I make it almost a habit to try my hardest to read a book all the way through, honest I do. I can only recall about a handfull of books I've ever dropped officially in my LIFE. But my latest book, the one I had all the questions on and such, that was just curiouser and curiouser, I finally dropped. I couldn't get into the characters or the kind of fantasy it was. (I guess I DO have a kind of fantasy I don't like, wow weird.) Either way, I feel parting with this book was best for me, ya know? Have you guys ever just had to let go of a book cause even though it was popular/a genere you like/filled with good detial you just couldn't take it?
  My new book however, I am actually really interested to begin to read. The book is called Seraphina and it's by Rachel Heartman. A summary of the book can be found here and really, judging by the type of fiction it is I have a feeling I will really like it. I hope our dear Seraphina is as mysterious as she seems!

Goodnight readers!

Book Transitions- From Old to New!

  Hello dear readers, I join you again, bringing absolutely positive reinforcement of my previous book, and some questons pertaining to my new one! Let's jump in and get started shall we?
  I am going to start off this post by sugesting my previous book- The Night Circus to everyone who likes fantasy of any kind. Seriously, I'm not joking all of you need to go read this book. Everything about it was 5 stars, from the description, to the characters, to even the story's whimsical orginazation. It was in essence, a perfect book after the last slightly dissapointing book I read. (See here for that review.)

  The Night Circus had several important themes in my opinion, all coming together nicely over the course of the book. One theme, (also the one I feel is most important!)is that in end, even if we are considered special and are put up on a pedistal to be displayed for all to see, we are only human. This was reinforced many times throughought the book, espicially in the end when several deaths and 'partial deaths' occured among the characters of the book- several due to regulair old human emotions blinding and changing people to the point where you can see through all the fancy acts and disguises to the real person beneath. You can see that here, in the following quote(I'll try to be the least spoilery I can be- it's harder when I get typing!)(I promise if you read it you'll understand why this event is so important!) :

"And Isobel herself has been helping to keep it balanced. Helping him. Helping them both. She looked down at the hat in her hands. White lace, caressing black woll, ribbons intertwined. Insepreable. Isobel tears at the ribbons with her fingers, pulling at the bows in a sudden fury."
 

  All in all, the book about a magical Circus, a tornament that ends with tragedy, and the interconnecting lives (ordinairy and not) that change one another to the point of no return, was honestly one of the best books I've posted about so far!

  Onto my next topic! I have begun reading The First Darkness By Mitchel Earl Gibson. So far, (and mind you I'm not even 8% into it yet) there have been 4 murders, 1 suicide and some overall stange disconnectedness that I can't wait to figure out how they all tie together. (It's better than that sounds I promise) There are several main characters from what I can tell, as we keep switching PV's.  I do have a decent few questions about it, most along the lines of:  "Why am I learning about events happening in 2 completely different time periods? WHAT IS GOING ON?? What what why can Mitchell do that with his mind and spirit that's really cool-" and other nonsense that flies through my brain as I continue to read. I will keep you updated as I read on, and can only bid you a good farewell for now!

(PS: REAAADDD THE BOOK PLEASE IT WAS REALLY REALLY GOOD. (In my opinion that is, you're free to do as you please~!)

The Thrill of a Problem

  Dear readers, my book has taken a turn for the top, surprise after surprise jumping out around every turn. At the moment, I stand about 75% through the book, and my chapters are skipping back and forth between 2 dates exactly a year apart from one another. The suspense and shock I am currently feeling from this domino effect is powerfull enough to keep me from stopping seriously, only pausing right now to write out this post before I go and marathon the rest of the book!
  I will quickly and vaugely highlight the main shock points that are currently effecting me, only in hopes that I can lure others into the book and to possibly even sort my own emotions out about it.
  First off, there has been a rather unexpected death. I will elaborate on this no further, other than to connect to it there has also been an unexpected framing as to the pereptrator of said death. Secondly, our fortune reader has made a grave mistake regarding her quickly betrayed emotions, one that could have even bigger domino effect than what I am experincing now. Finally dear readers, I must admit the breaking of a promise has been made, and it now has unforceable consiquences tie onto it as well.
  I must leave you with only that, as I continue on into the wonderful story of The Night Circus!

The Setting of Dreams

  The Night Circus, my current book, definitely does NOT disappoint so far, especially in the category of setting.  It's beautiful description started from page one, capturing me and slowly leading me into the very circus I read about, Le Cirque des Reves. (The Circus of Dreams)

 I don't often rave about settings in books, usually I pay more attention to the characters than anything else. (A habit picked up after years of designing my own characters for no reason other than that I could.) This book, however, took a different path for me. We don't see our main characters developed as in usual stories- at least not in my opinion. The setting is prevalent in describing them instead-  their surroundings reflecting off them in the monochromatic circus and highlighting their feelings and tastes. The lack of stationary PV assisting in this as well- thought this might bother others in a normal book's settings, it fits in perfectly well here.

  One of the beautiful instances of setting description can be found here, within the following excerpt of the book.

"Regardless of it's origin, the food is always delectable. The decor in the dining room (or rooms, depending on the size of the event) is as extraordinary as it is in the rest of the house, in sumptuous reds and golds with art and artifacts from across the globe displayed displayed on every available surface. Everything is lit with glowing chandeliers and copious candles, so that the light is not bright but deep and warm and bubbling."

  We don't have usual chapter progression either, often skipping around the years and switching perspectives from inside to outside as the circus comes into being and travels. These time jumps are well paced and small enough that we continue to learn about the main character's life's progression and keep things interesting. I only find myself more and more entwined with the plot as I read on, and cannot wait to see the most likely marvelous ending- there is about a 500% chance that this story will go out with a bang indeed.

Happy reading to all of you, and may your books only intrigue you as much a mine do! Stay tuned for my final words on The Night Circus!

The Good, The Bad, And The Summary

  Hello fellow readers! I would like to start off this weeks post by saying that the following entry in this blog will contain minimal to mild spoilers for the book I recently finished, Outcast By Adrienne Kress. These mostly pertain to the middle-ending of the book, so if you have plans to read it, or are interested I do suggest you don't read what I'm going to be saying. (Information on the book can be found here.)
 
   I'm going to start this review/summary off positive. Outcast was actually a fairly good book for a paranormal romance. It had great potential, and though I did feel it was a bit cookie cutter at the beginning, it slowly stretched out of it's mold and proved me wrong a ton of the time. Riley Carver, our main protagonist, lives in a town where for the past 6 years, beings labeled by the town she inhabits as 'angels' have come down once a year, at around the same time, on the same date, and taken several people from their loving homes and families. This of course, causes quite an uproar within her small southern town- but is quelled by the entrance of some rather greedy minded leaders, just like it would be often in the real world.
 
   Riley however, despises these 'angels' and their every year's taking, but you would too if they took your childhood friend away just a week after you had gotten to kiss him and realized, hey maybe we can make something of this. It had been a year since then and that time had rolled around again- this year Riley stayed home from the usual celebrations. In comes her own predicament- she shot down an 'angel' of her own that was trying to take her- and he turned human! Completely unaware of what she should do, she hides the body in her shed and goes back to bed, even more scared than before.

    Gabe, the angel-gone-boy, sheds some problems of his own on her life, but soon after his sudden entrance into her life they all click into the shadows and he fits into the town just like he had before- before being when he last remembered being there, the good old times of 1956. He catches on fast though, re-enrolls in high school, and life goes on. Living with Riley and her parents, Gabe becomes a part of her life and fills it, you know, excluding the part that Riley knows he isn't supposed to be there and that she needs to figure out why he came in the first place.

  Between school, an eventful party, secrets, and paranormal mishaps Riley's year forms a confusing but interesting mark on her life- leaving for an interesting story and endearing characters throughout. But here, dear readers, is where I will begin writing my qualms about this book. These mostly have to do with the ending and may be more my opinion than anything, but it is my blog, so onward I charge!

   The ending of this book felt, well, to put it plainly compared to the rest of it rather abrupt and a little too inconclusive to me. They end up re-claiming Gabe, they point out the lies the church told and that the priest was really just a scammer after all, and they bring everyone back. Sounds happy right? Not in entirety honestly. Yes, they do regain the people, and Riley regains her childhood friend again to her joy. Alas, they lose Gabe to the angels again- reason being that he 'does not belong to them anymore' and he leaves to let everyone back per the head angels promise.  It's the unrealistic 'angels promises' and sudden gratification for very little consequence that bothers me, along with Rileys lack of fighting will to keep Gabe- they worked so hard! They fought together, lived together, even kissed! And we don't know how her relationships with the people she became hidden friends with- the cheerleader, her friend, her the OTHER priest, are affected by the return!  All in all, it just feels too 'Virtually perfect ending yay' to me, and it was quite frustrating considering the events threw me for a loop. This kind of ending would be nice for a book getting a sequel, but alas it is not.

   In other brighter news, I started a new book today that I rather enjoy! I have begun reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It's plot line is fairly mysterious and enticing- so you can expect my next post to be my ramblings about that~! Talk with you later readers!

The Summer Reading Book And Why It's Characters Were Awesome

     Over the summer, we were told to pick a book and read it for an assignment- but you guys know that already. I made the wonderful decision to read a book called Unspoken By Sarah Rees Brennan. The book was an amazing read in entirety and I cannot wait for the next one! One of the best parts of the story though, in my opinion was the characters. Today in this post, you will be seeing me discuss with GREAT enthusiasm just why they were so amazing and how exactly they grew over the course of the book.

    The character I want to touch on is our dear protagonist Kami. Kami has lived in this town, Sorry-in-the-Vale, her entire life. She actually really likes where she lives and most of the people she lives around. She is a nice, happy, pretty much normal girl. Most people could count her only faults to be that as a child she insisted she could talk to someone else inside her head, and that she's just a bit too nosy. These 2 so called 'faults' though, are very VERY important pieces of her character development and effect on the story. Her strange ability- which is existent and very much true- is one great example of this.

    This ability is not one sided, no not at all. And when the other half of it moves into Kami's town and begins to stir things up, it gets a little tricky. Jared, this 'other half ', is a decently good looking guy- and now that she realizes he is real and no longer just in her head you'd think she would just fall right into at least crushing on the one person she's shared most if not all of her secrets with, right? Well, you'd be wrong there. Throughout the entire story, this connection is actually a big struggle for the both of them- and even though dating is suggested to Kami, she rejects it. She does not let this one guy change who she is as a person, and does not let this connection mess with her to the point where she loses control of her own life entirely either. That's what I feel, makes Kami such a strong and realistic character. Over the story she sees how harmful and helpful the connection is and grows from it- relying a little bit less on it in some situations and more in others. This quote highlights the uneven emotions both Kami and Jared have over the connection.

"Yes' she answered all the same, and they both heard uncertainty in her voice. 'But I can't just trust the people whose mind I can read. The list is somewhat limited.' 

'I don't see a problem with that,' Jared said. 'I only trust you. But if you want to be all emotionally healthy about it, I'll try to understand. That's just the kind of relationship we have." 

   The other 'flaw' in her design, her inquisitiveness, is a great factor of her development too. She's constantly delving for information and that searching does bring back life changing things. She find out things about herself, the people around her, and people she didn't even know that cause her to change greatly. She learns about what her connection really is with Jared, and she then has to decide what to do with it- thus causing a great struggle between the 2 of them and a rift with everyone else in their group of friends. She discovers a murder- and the facts surrounding that changed them all! These things bring her to question what was really true in her surroundings and what she should do to pick a side. This quote from the book, I feel showcases this well.
 "Kami was determined to solve the mystery and tell the story. She was going to be fine. but for now, she was tired, and all she could do was sit, stare out the window, and feel cold and scared."

These 2 factors in Kami's character are the main pivot points in the story, and vastly affect how it goes along. Her reactions to these changes and such propel the themes to the front of people's minds and keep all of the characters going. This alone is only a small factor in what makes the characters of this book really freaking cool. 

You can read another review on my book here that I believe well describes the content and provides good points on why you guys should read it! 

The Lynburn Legacy Book One: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan from JT Kellerman on Vimeo.