The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima--another DNF

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell—the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her...

The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards. (Taken from Goodreads.com)

I seem to be doing a lot of DNF'ing lately....I give it a 1.5 though for clans and history

I got 188 pages into this book before I thought, "Why am I even bothering?"

I am used to fantasy books...the long set up, the world building, the character development and all that jazz...but this? Geh...I can't even tell you why I really didn't like what I read...because nothing stood out!

The characters were flat and full of tropes. The main female was whiney, bitchy, entitled and just plain stupid. The main male was....meh. Neither good nor bad...just kind of there. He was made out to be a bad ass street assassin, but he made sooo many stupid mistakes...All of the other supporting characters were boring and also stupid. I hated all of them...

What I did like about this book: The world was kind of interesting. I liked the clans people. They had a very Native American/healer tribe kind of feel to them that I really enjoyed reading about. I wish they would have been the entire book, to be perfectly honesty. The history of the world was kind of interesting...but I think there were a lot of things about it that were just kind of meh.

All in all, this book was meh. I don't think I enjoy Chima's writing style, so I unhauled her other book that I got (The Warrior Heir....which is a bummer because it was signed by her) because after doing some research, I don't think I will like it either. Oh well...can't please everyone. ^^''

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard--Another Super Salty DNF Review

In a continent on the edge of war, two witches hold its fate in their hands.

Young witches Safiya and Iseult have a habit of finding trouble. After clashing with a powerful Guildmaster and his ruthless Bloodwitch bodyguard, the friends are forced to flee their home.

Safi must avoid capture at all costs as she's a rare Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lies. Many would kill for her magic, so Safi must keep it hidden - lest she be used in the struggle between empires. And Iseult's true powers are hidden even from herself.

In a chance encounter at Court, Safi meets Prince Merik and makes him a reluctant ally. However, his help may not slow down the Bloodwitch now hot on the girls' heels. All Safi and Iseult want is their freedom, but danger lies ahead. With war coming, treaties breaking and a magical contagion sweeping the land, the friends will have to fight emperors and mercenaries alike. For some will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch. (Taken from Goodreads.com)

DNF'd at 120 pages

Ugh.  I was so into the hype because she was Sarah J Mass' friend and I loved the idea of reading a fantasy book that was about friendship. Now, because I didn't finish it, my review is going to be a bit....limited....but I do have a lot to say about it.

My friend and I read it together and we both had the same problems with it. The names of places and characters were hard to read because I wasn't really sure how to pronounce them, I didn't really understand what anything was because nothing was really explained and the book seriously could have benefited from a glossary. The world was extremely flat and so were the characters. I had such a hard time caring for anyone because I didn't really have a reason to. Things happened to them and I was like, "why is this important? What does this even mean? I have no reason to care because I don't even know what's going on?!" People were mad or mopey for reasons I couldn't even understand. There were entire chapters where I would just roll my eyes or yell at the book for not giving me information.

Another problem I had with the book was that I felt things were happening just for something to happen. It was like, "let's insert drama here because we need to move this non moving story forward and get people excited or nervous for the characters." But I refer to a former problem, I didn't care about the characters, so why would I care about these crazy happenings?

I made it about 120 pages in and decided it wasn't for me. I consulted my friend, who has pretty much the same taste in books as me, and she told me it wasn't worth it, that it didn't get better. So I DNFed it. I am not saying at all that Susan Dennard is a bad writer, she just isn't for me, I guess. This book has gotten rave reviews, people love this book! I am in the minority of people who weren't sold on it. You can't like everything. ^^'' I really wanted to like this book...

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks--A Long Winded Salty DNF Review

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death. (Taken from Goodreads.com)

I DNF'd this book at chapter 15, page 116.

I had soooo many problems with this book. Where to start...

The world, for one, was flat. The author name dropped place after place and didn't really give us a reason to care. I didn't even know where our story was taking place! I looked at the map several times and still wasn't sure which "C" country we were living in. They would talk about the Warrens, but we never got a good description besides shitty and shitty (literally). I think this author is obsessed with the way things smelled. So many different descriptions and mentions based on the way things smelled. It was too much...the world has more than just scent.

The characters were also flat...and tropey as F***. Cardboard has more personality than the characters in this book. I love books about assassins, ESPECIALLY the ones that have no feels (even if they eventually show that they have feels). But Durzo...boring. Azoth/Kylar (Really...Kylar (KILER))...boring. I don't even know who else I met, but 10/10 times...boring. So much so that I can't even remember meeting them. ^^' I could barely keep track of anyone either. Name drop after name drop...and no reason to care. We are introduced to Doll Girl in the beginning (I believe she becomes important later), and some horrible stuff happens to her...but I didn't care. Jarl, Azoth's friend, has some horrible stuff happen to him....didn't care. Azoth does some stuff...didn't care and Durzo, the emotionless killer with a heart of gold, had some stuff happen to him...still didn't give two shits. Also I didn't feel it was necessary to make every female a whore (with a heart of gold) (or a virginal wonder, as I found out in some of the reviews I read). It's just...blah.

The politics...I don't even know what is happening. I don't know the world or the characters, so this makes zero sense.

Magic...I didn't get that far....I know it was a thing that exists in this book, but I didn't really understand what I had read. Does not everyone know that magic exists in this world? Durzo talks about talents and mages, and I'm guessing not everyone has magic, but they must know it's a thing....right? I mean, I understand being an assassin and not flaunting whatever power/talent you have, but NO ONE has made any mention of ANYTHING! O-o Had I not known that there was some magic in this book, I would have had no bloody ideal. I know it's a low fantasy (or I believe it is), but wow. It's like he threw it in there to make it more fantasy or something. I dunno.

All in all, this book is not for me. I could see people who are new to fantasy enjoying this. I have heard that the beginning is kind of rough, but it really picks up in the middle. I have heard that it is a page turner and that it has some cool magic and some awesome plot twists, but seeing as I don't really care about the characters, this doesn't really excite me. I definitely seem to be in the minority when it comes to disliking this book, but in doing some research, those who didn't like it had the same problems I had. The book is a giant fantasy trope with zero character development, confusing politics and nonexistant world building. If you aren't going to give me an interesting world, give me good characters. I don't care if the plot is the most amazing thing I have ever read or if the action is orgasmic, if the characters suck, who cares about what happens to them. Light them all on fire, gut and murder them all with out any mercy, see what I care.

I know this review was super salty and maybe I missed something...I know I probably did...but yeah. This book was not for me. No hard feelings though. Will just move on to something else. That's just how I do.

Books I Got From Japan!

I'm back!!! I just got back from Japan on August 28th and boy am I happy to be home! It has been a long two months, and I am so glad to not have to drag my life with me around Japan anymore!! Woooooo!!!

So, needless to say, I ended up picking up a bunch of manga, books and magazines...as you do. XD Let's just get into it (most of these were bought at Book-Off (like a super cheaper version of Half Price Books)).

 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Part 1 and 2: J K Rowling

It is my goal in life to collect all of the Harry Potter books in as many languages as possible.  The Japanese versions are split into parts...I don't know why....so here is part one and two of the first book.

I also picked up the first part of book three (which is my favorite), thinking that it would be the only one I would by. But then I decided I wanted the whole series. I didn't end up picking up the second book or part two of the third book....but that's just another reason to go back to Japan and get the other ones. XD

暗殺教室 (Ansatsu Kyoushitsu) (Assassination Classroom) by Yuusei Matsui

One of my campers really loves this series, so I thought I would try it out! I don't really know much about this series, but that's ok! I love going into series without knowing too much. ^^ I really miss this camper..she was awesome! So whenever I look at this series, I will always think of her! 

幽遊白書 (Yuu Yuu Hakusho) by Yoshihiro Togashi

Little known fact about me: This is my favorite Anime/Manga.....Ever. I LOVE this series so much! I don't know why I don't own any of it....but I love it so much. Now that I have started reading this again, I really want to pick up this series. 

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda

 I had started reading this series 10 years ago, but I never really continued reading this...I don't know why because I really enjoyed what I was reading...but whatever. I picked up the first one with the intention of picking up the rest of the series eventually. 

天使１／２方程式 (tenshi 1/2 houteishiki) (Angel 1/2 Equasion) by Banri Hidaka

 So, I don't usually shop in the shoujo section, but when I do, I shop for Banri Hidaka books! I love this artist sooooooooooooooooooooooo much! I love her characters and stories and everything! I don't know much...or anything....about this series, but I know it's about a girl with chapped lips...XD I know it will be good because of who it's written by. XD

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black (book 1)

I just finished this series this year and when I saw this book, I squee'd and picked it up! I knew this would be at a younger reading level too, so I thought it would be a good book to practice reading kanji.

魔女の宅急便 (Majyo no takkiyuubin) (Kiki's Delivery Service)

My first ever Ghibli movie, so when I saw the book, I HAD to get it! Unfortunately, the reading level was a bit higher than I had expected, so I can't really read it....but that's what kanji dictionaries are for!! XD I'm really excited to read this eventually!! 

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I didn't really think about this book series when I was collecting my Harry Potter books....I LOVE Percy Jackson....so why am I not collecting all the languages of this series as well?!?! So this is the first book (which is gorgeous) So I picked up the first book for cheap and now I'm on the hunt for other languages in this series as well!! The reading level for this series is higher than I thought it would be, (it's not as accessible as Harry Potter is, which I found to be odd) but like I said earlier, that's what kanji dictionaries are for!!

 Popteen Magazine

 My guilty pleasure magazine. It's so pastel and colorful! It really inspires me to make cute outfits and it really influences my make up as well. I really enjoy this magazine!!

Kera magazine

My all time favorite magazine! I love Gothic Lolita fashion and this magazine is awesome! I really love the lay out and the styling. I tend to read the Gothic Lolita Bible more, but it's really hard to spend the money on it because it's so expensive.  Kera is cheap and just as nice. ^^v

non-no Magazine

This is my less guilty pleasure fashion-y magazines that I really enjoy.  It still has a youthful style without being meant for young teens (like Popteen is).  This magazine also really inspires my fashion and my outfits. I love the styling and all of the spreads in this magazine! Hands down, one of my favorites!

So that's every thing that I got, book-wise, from Japan! I got a LOT of stuff while I was there, but these were just the bookish things I purchased.  I'm really happy with all of the things I got and I'm really happy to be home so that I can read them! XD But alas, school starts soon and I don't really have much time to do anything....#senioryear #aintnobodygottimeforanything 

I don't have much of a wrap up, so I'm just going to skip that...I am under on my reading challenge as well, but I'm not too worried about that. ^^v 

Until next time!~

The Books I'm Taking To Japan

I'm about to leave for Japan in about 4 hours and I thought I'd kill some time by talking about the books I'm going to be bringing with me to Japan.

I believe I have mentioned it earlier, but I'll be in Japan from July 1st to August 28th for the Guy Healy Program (USA Summer Camp).  I will be a camp counslor at an English only summer camp where I will be teaching Japanese to the students who attend. I'm super excited for this experience and I can't wait to see all of my friends!! Yay!!

So I will be super busy for the next few months, but I will also have a fair amount of travel time to fill...so I am going to bring some books with me. Here are the books I'm going to take with me!~

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han:  I finished To All The Boys I've Loved Before last month and I really enjoyed it, so I picked up the sequel as soon as I could. Unfortunately I couldn't finish it before I left, so I might end up taking it with me, which is a bit of a bummer.  But oh well...^^''

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin: *sigh* it's about time I read this. It's been haunting me for a year now, so I figured it was about time to pick it up and read it. It'll be something I can get through in a decent amount of time, but it's also not going to be something that I'll fly through and then be left with nothing to read.

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson: I need to finish this series...I really want to know what happens...So now is the time! I am going to finish the hell out of this series!! XD

So as you can see, the theme of the books I'm reading are big books in series. Haha! It'll feel good to get these done and know that I've finished two series and gotten a couple of huge ass books off of my TBR! Horray for being accomplished! XD

Also, let me shamelessly plug my new vlog channel!!  I will be vlogging my trip to Japan (if all goes according to plan...XD) Please feel free to subscribe to my channel!~ Supermomovlogs!!

The channel ----> https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc_ejQc9c5k5yQuy0i-85mg

Well, until next time!   See you in Japan!! ^^v

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!  

June Book Haul!

Hey guys! I'm here with another book haul! I wasn't planning on buying anything this month, but I ended up getting a sequel I needed and then my grandpa gave me some money for shopping...so I picked up a few things that I had been wanting!~  

P. S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

After I finished To All The Boys I've Loved Before, I ran out and picked this up right away. I'm really not a huge fan of contemporary...but I really did enjoy this. I needed something light and I really enjoyed Jenny Han's writing. I am currently reading this book and am 68 pages in and am enjoying myself. ^^

Firefight by Brandon Sanderson

I read Steelheart recently and I really liked it...but I couldn't find this dang book anywhere!! Two Walmarts, Two Barns and Nobles and a Half Price Books later, I finally found it! XD I felt like Steelheart could have been a stand alone (ish), so I'm really interested to see what problems are going to arise in this book...hopefully there are less...feelings and insta-love-y-ness...That super annoyed me in the last one.

Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

I had been wanting this book for a while, ever since it was hauled like mad on Booktube...but I haven't really seen anyone talk about it since. I did hear a few good things about it, so it kept me excited. ^^ I'm not too sure what it's about, but I like going into things blindly sometimes. 

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

I have heard mixed reviews on this book, but I still really wanted it.  I also don't know what this is about...but it's a fantasy that's based in Ancient Greece (or was it Rome.......?) and that's interesting enough for me! XD  It was said to be advertised as a fantasy stand-alone but then they announced another book after it was released...I heard that will change you views on it because it was written like it was for a series and not a solo book...hopefully I'll enjoy this. ^^

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Another book I have heard mixed things about but still wanted to try. This cover is so much prettier in person! Everything about this book is really nice! It makes me all the more excited to read it!~ I really like that books are starting to take place in different places other than the US and some sort of Europe. Yay!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Another book I have been wanting for a super long time and haven't picked up...Until now. I am SUPER excited about this book (which I have also heard nothing about). A Japanese steampunk novel with mythical creatures....ALL of the win! I don't really know what this book is about other than what I mentioned before...I'm super excited!~ 

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

My friend Robert has been wanting me to read The Wheel of Time series for a long time now and when I saw the trade paperback at Half Price Books, I decided to pick it up. I wanted to collect the hard covers, but I liked the way this book felt in my hands, so I decide that I'd finally give the series a shot. I am SUPER nervous about starting it though...Lindsey Rey and a few other Booktubers read them and they hated them...but Robert loves the series and I believe he said Lewis from Yogscast loves it...Gods I hope I like it.

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami 

This....This is one of my top 10 favorite books/movies of all time. This books is IMPOSSIBLE to find, so when I saw two copies sitting on the shelf I pretty much poo'd myself!! I read this while I was living in Japan (that's also where I saw the movie) and I have wanted to read it again ever since the Hunger Games became huge (I still think this is WAY better than HG). To those of you who love the Hunger Games and haven't read this....DO IT!!! The movie is also fabulous! The sequel film is rubbish though, so don't watch it...I like to block it from my brain and pretend it doesn't exist. XP

 Well that's all for this posting...and it'll probably be the last one, besides my June wrap up, until I come back from Japan (I leave in a few days).  I will probably end up doing a haul on some of the stuff I bring back, so that will be a thing to look forward to!

Until next time! Bye!!

Above mentioned Youtubers:

Lindsey Rey: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1VyYW1dxsY6z9j-dCWLEwA/featured

Lewis (Yogscast): https://www.youtube.com/user/BlueXephos