An Assessment of My Voice: Can You (Hypothetically) Hear me Out There Readers?

Good evening readers! I'm simply dropping by tonight to show you my own analysis  of my writing voice- do you agree with what I have said? Do I truly speak out to you through my posts? (Wouldn't it be just awesome if I did? I actually have the ability to influence people! Wow...)

1. What specific words/phrases demonstrate your writer’s voice? How / why do these words/phrases showcase your personality as a writer?

Some of the words/phrases that specifically express my writing voice are little things in the post-like when I referred the to the main character, Kricket, as “my dear”. Other places this is seen is like my usage of reader to refer and talk to the audience directly and the slightly additional description variety among the casual words and phrases. These words showcase my personality as a writer in several different ways. One of the ways it does this is by allowing me to try to connect directly to the reader and keep on like the post is a normal conversation with someone else, allowing my readers to feel comfortable and learn how I talk. Just like in real life, my posts incorporate advanced description that I happen to find better for describing things and allow my readers to better understand my visions and therefore also my personality.

2.  What purposeful diction AND syntax choices did you make to enhance your writer’s voice? You must choose to discuss at least one diction AND one syntax technique from the list below. Make sure to include textual evidence from your post where you included the diction and syntax choices you discuss.

I tend to use a decent amount of intended informal diction in my posts. This is used to mostly make the reader more comfortable while reading and to make my posts seem more personal. Who wants to read something that reads like a textbook? I purposefully try to use differing sentence length and punctuation to enhance my voice as well. The differing of these 2 elements helps stress points that I find important and want you to think about as you read- allowing you to consider my voice and perspective compared to your own. One example of both of the above things occurring is when I wrote “ Will there be lots of running? Absolutely. These and more are some of my predictions and questions buzzing around my head. One of the many more important predictions for me is the following: I do believe that Kricket will hurt someone she loves, and suffer greatly for it in the near future. Her nature is too unbalanced to not do so- and she's close to the edge with her fear as it is.”


Well, if you did stop to read those dear readers, I hope you agreed? Even if not, I thank you again for reading my blog this trimester and  school year as my final days of freshman English come to a close. Don't worry, I will probably continue the blog- but we'll just have to see! Happy reading!

A Differing Post and Some Interesting Facts

Good evening readers- I come to you with one of the last few blog posts of the trimester today. I am now on my second book by Amy A. Bartol, and figured I should learn some more about this woman with such an interesting writing style and share it with all of you! To spice up our normal blog layout of simple paragraphs over and over, I figured your eyes wouldn't mind some bullet points!

• She is a married mother of 2
• Lives in Michigan 
• Has a very supporting family (very important when you're a writer!)
• She has a website of her own if you would like to check it out!
• Tends to lean towards more fantasy and paranormal romance writing
• She has won several awards for her books 
• Is a self publishing author

That was a bit more of an easy read was it not readers? Ah well, learning about her and reading a bit of her blog/website myself gave me a good impression of her- in fact she sounds a bit like me thought process wise. (Is that a bit to self centered comment? Oh well, this is MY blog anyway!) I do encourage you to check out not only her books- like the one I'm currently reading Inescapable, if that interests you, but to look into your own authors of your favorite books- maybe you like the books cause they are a bit like you too? Who knows what you could discover! Well, for now I wish you farewell readers, and have a happy (but probably very busy) rest of the trimester! One week till finals!

Falling into the Unknown

Good morning readers! Today I come to you with a new book titled Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol.  So far, my dear protagonist Kricket has fellen into the wrong hands from what I can tell- and they seem to be spouting nonsense to this orphan girl. The summary does make this encounter make more sense, but it surely is confusing for her. Grabbed at and tossed about until she escaped the system, Kricket has been running for a few years now. She only has to survive under the radar for a few more months to be free and a legal adult- but the arrival of people trying to get her to go somewhere that's apparently not in this world would mess with anyone. It's an incredibly action packed beginning, and you can immediately see just how street smart she is.

There are many ways the book could go from here- we're only in the beginning. Will Kricket escape the men? Probably. Will she get interested in this world and parents they speak of? Quite possibly, yes. Will there be lots of running? Absolutely. These and more are some of my predicitons and questions buzzing around my head. One of the many more important predicitons for me is the following: I do believe that Kricket will hurt someone she loves, and suffer greatly for it in the near future. Her nature is too unbalenced to not do so- and she's close to the edge with her fear as it is.

All in all, since I'm still in the very beginning  of the book, I can't really say what will happen next. There's not enough material for me to make many predictions but I cannot wait to get back to reading so I can! It is a truly exciting and gripping book. Are there any important predictions in books you've read, readers, that you made that have come true? I hope to hear about them soon, but for now I'm off to read! Happy reading!

Ps: Look at that beautiful cover! Doesn't it make you wanna read lots more?

A Useless Fear: My Opinions On The Near Witch's Theme

"Growing up in Near, I've heard a dozen stories about witches. My father hated those tales, told me they were made up by the Council to frighten people. 'Fear is a strange thing,' he used to say. 'It has the power to make people close their eyes, turn away. Nothing good grows out of fear.' "
 

Good morning readers!  Having finished my book recenly, I felt the need to touch on it's main theme- said quite well (in a way) in the quote above. The Near Witch  was a book that truly showed the detriments that come with fear and closed-mindedness. Several almost deaths, a misbegotten decision to kill, and a looming negative additude all were among the side effects of said fear. Eventually, once the fear was conquered, life became much better for everyone involved- but in the first place wouldn't it have been better if they had been able to face it faster?

Everyone experiences a fear of something- be it socializing, talking in front of others, spiders, or like myself, being yelled at. Even the few who claim to be 'fearless' are afraid of something, deep down inside. Many times, this fear only harms us in the long run. How many oppurtunities did you miss because of something you were scared of? How many what-if's have kept you awake and caused you extra anxiety when you honestly had enough to begin with? Everyone has something they have missed or been harmed by with a fear- and the book gives a good message in assisting people to know that we need to let go- "Nothing good grows out of fear. ".
I know that from now on, I am going to take this lesson and learn from it. I think honestly, all of my readers should. We need to defeat our fears- for they only will harm us in the end. We can only become better readers, as we learn from our books and read on! Have a good read!

Near: A Peaceful Community

Good morning readers! After finishing my previous book (Which happened to be fabulous, I might add- you can read about it here.) I have yet again embarked upon another adventure into a fictional world. Today I'll be talking about the setting and such of my relatively
 new book The Near Witch.

" 'Of every aspect of the moor, the earth and stone and rain and fire, the wind is the strongest one in Near. Here on the outskirts of the village, the wind is always pressing close, making windows groan. It whispers and it howls and it sings. It can bend it's voice and cast it into any shape, long and thin enough to slide beneath the door, stout enough to seem a thing of weight and breath and bone.
            'The wind was here when you were born, when I was born, when our house was built, when the council was formed, and even when the Near Witch lived,' "
 

Above is a quote from my book, talking about the strange environment in which the book is set. This book really does emphasize the wind, it seems to be an important part of the mysterious element and makes it all the more creepy to read alone in a darker place. (Trust me on this.)  This community is very small and enclosed- I was able to notice this immediately. Everyone knows everyone, and strangers? Well, they aren't really appreciated without reason. I know this town - the town of Near- is not quite like our normal village, probably because of the apparent lack of not only technology but allowance of change within. Even our man character, Lexi, who is more tomboyish and dislikes the many things that are put on this Daddy's girl to make her more feminine- is bent by the society just slightly, just enough to make it seem otherworldly. What kind of town receives no visitors?

The overall eerie feeling the setting gives off only sucks you into the book more, I have learned, already 39% through it myself. You want to know the mysteries the moor hides. You want to know if the magic is real. You want to know why everything is happening. It's perfect for me, and others who enjoy the slightly off magic feel- the feeling of something being not quite right. What kinds of settings do you prefer for your novels? While you can obviously read of mine here, I would love to hear about yours!

All in all, I cannot wait to finish this book- which I am off to continue now. A happy reading to all of you dear readers, and a good day as well!

Lhind the Magical Rock (Not really)

   Good evening readers! I apologize for the lack of posts recently, as break seemed to have taken hold, looked me in the eyes and said to me something along the lines of 'you will forget you had any responsibilities at all'. But here I stand, fighting once again and bringing you more posts to poke at, question, and hopefully read!

   I have once again started a book, this time titled Lhind the Thief (No google chrome, that is her name not a misspelled word.) I am about 50% through this book, and may I say so far it has been interesting! Magic, a completely different world, royal scandal, and a different race of creatures all make for a need to know more in my book. It almost makes you wanna place yourself inside and ask, what would I be like in this universe? How would I react to this situation, based off my social position? What other customs are there? Ah, the possibilities of different book universes make me wanna write my own!

   Back to the point of today's post, I want to give you all an idea of what our dear main character, Lhind, is like. If I had to assign her an item, among the many many items in the universe, it would probably be something along the lines of a rough opal.

   Lhind is, most simply put, different. With an outside crafted by the one and only her to assist in thieving, she looks and smells simply atrocious and quite ignorable in the grand scheme of things. This, for her position, is perfectly fine with her. The outward appearance is highly deceiving and allows her to sneakily do her job, as well as avoid being caught doing the one thing she wants as few a people to know as possible. Not only is our dear girl different (I cannot say any more than that for spoiler related reasons) but she can also do magic- which in some countries would get her killed faster than the blink of an eye. With her own memories locked about just what she is, who she is, and where she came from- this object may be more fitting for her than even I know- and in the end she might just become a finely polished rock too. We can only see!

   Overall, I cannot wait to see how Lhind's moral standings change, along with the possible re-gaining of her obviously locked memories go as I continue through my novel. Between this book, and daily life I can only hope that I'll talk to you again soon readers!

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~!)