June Wrap Up 2015

Hey, so it's my last wrap up until I get home in August! I can't believe I leave for Japan in about 5 hours....It's crazy!!  I ended up reading 7 books this month.....I have no idea how that happened...but I did!! I did read 4 little books this month...but I read a few chunkers as well, so let's get started!!

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass) by Sarah J. Maas: 5/5 Stars

I really loved this book. At first I had a really hard time getting into it, but once I got into this world again, it felt like I was surrounded by old friends in a familiar place. So much happened and I'm nervous as hell for the 4th book Queen of Shadows in September (I believe it comes out in September....XD). Some serious shit is about to go down. I'm so excited. XD

Lucinda's Secret by Holly Black (Spiderwick Chronicles): 4/5 Stars

I finally decided to finish off this series, so I started off with this one. I enjoyed it, but I still wish I had read it when I was younger...Not really too much to say about it. XD

The Ironwood Tree by Holly Black: 3.5/5 Stars

I thought this was the weakest of the 5 books. I thought it didn't really accomplish anything until the end. Again, nothing to really say.

   The Wrath of Mulgarath by Holly Black: 4/5 Stars

And then I finished the last book. I thought it was a pretty solid ending to a pretty solid children's series. All in all, I did really enjoy this series!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: 4.5/5 Stars

After having finished Heir of Fire, I needed some more Sarah J. Maas. I knew this book was going to be more like a paranormal/fantasy/romance book, and I knew that was just what I needed. It was exactly what I needed, and I flew through this book.  I liked the characters and the really strong world building.  That being said, I had a few problems with it.  The last 100 or so pages were boring as hell...And then there was a point in the ending and I just looked at the book like...seriously? But I was able to overlook it all because it was addicting...Super addicting.

Dragon's Nest (Dragons of Deltora) by Emily Rodda: 4/5 Stars

I really wanted to get these books done and over with. I really have a lot of problems with these books...but I'm in too deep and I need to finish them (plus I own them all anyways).  This is the first book in the second companion series to Deltora Quest.  I thought the book was ok. Nothing really to write home about. I still have a problem with the age of the characters. The characters are older (Leif is 18ish) and they make the same kinds of choices and have the same types of conversations an 8-12 year old would have. If the characters were those ages, it would have made more sense...but they aren't...and it's weird.     

To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han: 5/5 Stars

I really REALLY enjoyed this book. It was the right book at the right time. I really don't like contemporary, but I thought this book was cute and fluffy and I really did like the relationship between the sisters.  I thought Lara Jean was cute in a quirky way (Ha) and I enjoyed her innocence.  I really liked how easy this book was to read and get into. 

And that's all I've read this month!  I am 105 pages into P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han and I'm enjoying it, just not as much as the first one.  I'm going to be posting what books I'm taking to Japan next. See you there!

Bye!  

May Wrap Up and Update

Oh hey there!! I am back again! School is finally done and I have been able to read again!! It's a great feeling...minus the fact that I have so many things I want to read I'm a tad bit overwhelmed with options...First World problems.

So I'm going to just go straight into the wrap up and then I will do my official update later!  Let's do this!~

The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff: 4/5 Pots of honey

I re-read this for a project I had to do for my East Asian Religious Thought class.  I needed to do a project on Hinduism, Buddhism, or Daoism.  Daoism has gotten me through a lot of rough parts of my life, so I decided to read this again and do a book report.  I still really liked this book and I encourage anyone who is interested in Daoism to pick up this book. It's a great way to learn about the practice without being intimidated...It's funny and sarcastic and everyone knows Pooh and his friends!!

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes: 3/5 Crowns

I FINALLY finished this book!!! Gods be praised!!!! I started this book at the end of December last year and never got a chance to finish it before school started. Now...What to say about this book....It was definitely NOT my cup of tea. The first 100 or so pages were really good...Nice and murdery...but then.....*sigh* all the characters, minus King Gaius, got super annoying and totally flat. I hated ALL of them...minus Gaius...who is the best character because he kills all the annoying, stupid people. >__< The plot was really not that great and the world, though it promised to be interesting, wasn't really talked about at all. I was curious to hear about the magic system and learn more about the world...was it like ours or was it a completely different? It was pitched as being like A Song of Ice and Fire for young adults...Yeah...they had a similar-ish layout...but no...not by a long shot. It was insta-lovey in parts and things that were supposed to be emotional and sad didn't affect me.  I have a couple of Booktubers who felt the same as me and will be trying the second book, so if they give the second book high praise, I might continue...if not....then I shan't be continuing on in the series (Update: I am thinking of dropping this to a 2).

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan: 5/5 Stars

After the crushing let down of Falling Kingdoms, I decided to pick up a book that I knew I would probably like.  I still can't believe that I just read this book recently...it was released, what, 2 years ago?! Shame on me!!! I really liked this installment in The Heroes of Olympus series.  I still have some problems with liking all of the characters and reading their chapters, causing the book to drag in places, but some of those characters grew on me a teeny tiny bit in this book. I loved Percy and Annabeth's trek through Tartarus and Leo...I love Leo.  I also love that Nico (<3 <3 <3) got a chance to shine a bit in this book...I love that dark kid...I could kind of relate to him (the whole ghosty thing) but I really love where Rick Riordan took his character.  I am planning on finishing the last book The Blood of Olympus before the end of the summer and finish off the series before the release of Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (fangirl squee).  I have been watching this show called The Almighty Johnsons (available on Netflix) and it has to do with Norse Mythology...I'm so pumped for October (and yes, I have pre-ordered it XD)!! I'm super hella nervous for what's going to happen in the last book...but I'm also really excited too. ^^

 

 Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson: 5/5 Epics

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS BOOK WAS EPIC!!!! I can't even express how much I loved this book. I picked it up on a whim and I devoured the first 100 or so pages. Then in the middle something happened and I got annoyed with all the characters. They suddenly when flat and the whole David and his insta-lovey crush on Megan bothered the hell out of me...Then shit happened and I was thrown completely off by what happened...I mean, I guessed some of the things that happened, but not 100%...I had doubts...I SHOULD HAVE NEVER DOUBTED BRANDON SANDERSON AND HIS AMAZING-NESS!! T^T The ending of this was so amazing I had to control my outbursts of shock and excitement. This is why he is one of my top 5 favorite authors. I need to pick up Firefight ASAP!! I just...I can't even think of anything else to say about this...Amazing. Just read it!! XD

So those are all the books I have read in the month of May. I have also started: Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas (which, oddly, I'm having a hard time getting into)

And I'm 191/272 pages into Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang.  I had to read a few bits of it for my Comparative Politics class and I ended up buying my own copy.  It's a non-fiction book about Ji-Li and her growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China during Mao's reign. She lives in a "black list" family and it deals with her dealing with what the country wants of her and her duties to her family.  It's really fast paced book and super easy to read (it's written and set up like a middle grade book)...but it makes me sad...so I'm just kind of taking my time with it.

Day later update: I was ill and I finished the last bit of this today. 4/5 stars. Slightly childish writing style (not particularly bothersome though), fairly fast paced, and very interesting. Would recommend if you are interested in China and Mao Zedong/Cultural Revolution.

NOW for the updates:  I will be leaving for Japan on July 1st!! WOOOOOOOOOO!! I'm super hella stoked! I am not sure what my reading will be like there, but I will be bringing a few books with me to read.  I will probably do a "What I'm Bringing to Japan" post when it gets closer to that time.  Also, I'm planning on vloging my experience, so I will be posting that on Youtube. I'm also hoping to launch my Booktube channel before I leave so that's a thing. I know I have been saying that I was starting a Booktube channel for a while now, but I'm heaps serious about it this time!! Phobia or not, I want to do it!! So when that happens, I'll be sure to update my blog with the channel information!~ ^^

I am going to kind of attempt a June TBR (Video/post) soon...I'm not very good at sticking to a TBR as I'm an emotional reader and I feel like TBRs are "required reading" so I tend to become defiant and not do anything I say I'm going to....XD

So that's what's doin' and I hope to see you in my next post! Tootles!~ ^^v

April Book Haul Pt 2

I ended up getting a few more books before the month of April was over, and I'm super excited about these purchases, so I thought I'd share them with you!! So, here they are!!!

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake: So this was the first book I put in my cart in my first ever Book Outlet order! I have been looking for this book for a very long time, and when I saw it for a couple of dollars (not in the scratch and dent section), I decided I would make an order..but I wanted to get more than one book, just to make it worth the $3.99 shipping. So I got....

Cinder by Marissa Meyer: I got this book!! I have been wanting this book for a very long time. A VERY long time. It was super cheap, in hard cover, and wasn't in the scratch and dent section...so I grabbed it!! I am so happy to have this book in my possession!! >w<

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas: If you have read any of my other posts, you would know that I was trying to get enough points on my Opinion Outpost account so that I could get this book for free. Well, I missed the pre-order date, but that's ok, because the book ended up being $2 cheaper that it originally was, so I had an extra $2 that I put towards the pre-order of Heir of Fire....September....GET HERE FASTER!!!!! \>___</


Well that's all I bought for this month. ^^ I don't really plan on buying much in May because I will be saving my money for Disney World!! >w< I probably won't buy any souvenirs, but maybe I'll find a nice bookstore. XD I'll be posting my May TBR next!~ Until then!! Byie!!!

Book Outlet: http://bookoutlet.com/

February Wrap up and Friday Reads (2/28/14)

This month has been hit and miss when it comes to reading. I read 3 (and got halfway through #4) books this month and 2 of them were not very good....*Sigh* What a downer....Ah well...Let's get into it.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: This is the first book I read this month,  and as much as I wanted to like it, is as much as I hated it....I have never face-palmed so many times while reading a book in my entire life...I was so fed up with it, I skimmed the ending. I will not be purchasing the next book....and personally I don't know if I even want to check it out at the library....Such a failure...-____-

Daughter of Oreveille by Tricia Ballad: I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and I was excited to read it....but then I started reading it and I was sooooooooooooo frustrated with it that I couldn't even finish it. There was no plot, I didn't care about the characters and I just had no idea what was doin'...Bah! (I DNF'd it)

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas: FINALLY!!! A GOOD FRIGGEN BOOK!!!! I have been fan-raging about this book (it's a step up from fan-girling XD) since I finished it. I need Heir of Fire ASAP!!! *dies*

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin: I am still reading this book....GAH! I am about 53% done, so that's cool..but I have a ways to go still. It is starting to get good (I might have said that last time..?) so hopefully I can get through the rest of it quickly. I already have 3 books picked out for March, and I want to get to those ASAP!

Well that's all for now!~ I'll see ya'll in a few for my March TBR!
Peace out chickadees!

Find me on Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6483377-moriah

Crown of Midnight--A Reveiw! And a fangirlgasm *NO SPOILERS*

NO SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch.  Assassin Celaena Sardothein won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
     Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her clostest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiance-not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
     Then, one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

*5/5 Stars*

 This book......Holy shit.....This book.........I laughed, I cussed, I squee'd and face-palmed soooooooooooo many times. This book was so good, and so many things went down! Secrets and truths came out and a romance came into fruition~ So many good feels!! And then tragedy strikes and shit hits the fan.........and I just read it all with my jaw dropped. Like literally, my jaw was on the floor....the whole time. Holy shit balls.....The things that happen.......And the mysteries and secrets!! Let me just say, "OoO."

The characters, like always, are bloody brilliant. The character development just gets better and better. As secrets become known, we get a deeper understanding of our characters and how complex they are. I live for the characters in this book. I love every single one of them and I love hating the ones I'm supposed to hate. I'm super curious as to what happens to them next.

There wasn't as much world building in this book, but there was a lot more lore. We learn more about Elena and Gavin, heritage of the royal family, magic, the witches and the Fae. I love that we are finally getting more of a glimpse into the fantasy and the magical elements of this world and this series. We got a small taste of it in the first book, but the second one......All the magics!

So I made a post a couple of days ago fangirling about this series and how the next book, Heir of Fire, is coming out in September. After having finished this book.................................................Can't we just skip all those months and get to September already?!?!?!?! AHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I need it now...........T^T Why do the gods hate me so?! -3- (<---that's a sigh/pbbhhh face) I don't think I can handle the wait.....I pray to the book gods that I can get an ARC (advance reader's copy) so I have it...and then I can buy the finished copy because OBSESSION. O-O (lol)

Well....that's all for now. I really hope those who haven't read this series......DO IT. DO IT NOW!!!! I will find you and force it into your brain and eye spaces! >____< READ IT! 

Update: I have read 4/10 for my fantasy books challenge!! And I have read 6/25 books for my book reading challenge!! I'm so proud of me!

I will see you all tomorrow with my Friday reads!~ Until next tomorrow!~ Jus!