Book Review - Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Messenger of Fear

(Messenger of Fear  #1)

Author: Michael Grant

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller

Published: 2014

Pages: 308 pages (Paperback Edition) (Electric Monkey)

Read: November 2014

Rating: 4 Stars

I remembered my name – Mara. But, standing in that ghostly place, faced with the solemn young man in the black coat with silver skulls for buttons, I could recall nothing else about myself.

And then the games began.

The Messenger sees the darkness in young hearts, and the damage it inflicts upon the world. If they go unpunished, he offers the wicked a game. Win, and they can go free. Lose, and they will live out their greatest fear. 

But what does any of this have to do with Mara? She is about to find out . . .

I apologize in advance for any misspelled words or ramblings that mean absolutely nothing. I'm sick, I've a box of tissues right beside me, it's way too hot and cold at the same time and basically my head is just not right today but I want to write this review while the events of this book are still fresh in my mind.

I have read Michael Grant's Gone series  and loved it. I went to his author event up in Dublin not too long ago and well the man was an inspiration and now I've read his Messenger of Fear book too and I can tell you I wasn't disappointed.

For the Messenger of Fear event, as many of you possibly have read from the event post that I did, Michael Grant talked about his new novel Messenger of Fear. This was really the first time I heard anything about the novel. I got to see the trailer which piked my interest and then got told stories from Mr. Grant himself which left me bouncing in my seat just wanting to tear straight into the book immediately. Of course, with a mountain of college work, long days and an already staggering TBR pile, it just had to wait for a little while. I actually hadn't planned to read it this month at all, but it was a spur of the moment discussion which was a good now if I do say so myself.

Down to the actual review now I suppose. Michael Grant's Messenger of Fear deals with a lot of tragic and uncomfortable topics that have taking over this world along with the media in a frenzy these last few years as social media thrives and how people overlook the affects they have on others. That's right, bullying and teen suicide along with murder are key topics in this book. With a message that has long been waited for - if you know what you're doing is wrong, justice will be served.

'Beware The Messenger of Fear.' 

As for the story behind the message, I enjoyed it so much. I enjoyed the thriller aspect and throughout the whole book I was left intrigued and wondering what was going to happen, what had already happened? I can tell you now I did not see the ending coming and I respect Mara now that I know everything, which you don't find out till the end. Yes, this is one of those books that poses an unimaginable, must be answered question at the start and you don't get that answer till the very end. Which was perfect. The story was executed perfectly and I can't imagine any other way it could have been written.

I must admit, that I quite liked this book as a stand-alone and wouldn't mind if it was left that way. I don't know how this story can progress and what events are scheduled for the future books, but I can guarantee that I will be reading them. I'll read this series to the end!!

In hindsight, I believe this book to be for the older scale of the young adult, possibly 15+, just because of the nature and quite disturbing images that are presented throughout the book. But if you are already a Michael Grant fan, you will not be disappointed!!

*PS* - I much prefer the UK cover pictured above, sorry it just catches my attention more :P

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon

'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon!!! 

Hello guys!! As you may have heard I have created a read-a-thon which you can find the name of above and am going to be hosting this read-a-thon with 3 other awesome bloggers!!!

They are:

Jayne over at Booking Awesome

Charlette at Bookmarks and Blogging

Once Upon A Time at Magical World Of Books

So as for the read-a-thon. It begins of December 20th and ends on December 31st!! This is basically a chance to get all those books read that you wanted to read in 2014 before it ends. 

As well as that there are some awesome read-a-thon challenges which are:

1. Read a total of 2000 pages
2. Reread a favourite of 2014
3. Set your own challenge, you can be as brave or as cautious as you like!!

As for all those days during the read-a-thon. Well what do you think we'll do???? Yes, you guessed it - Games!! Games, games and more games. One for every single day :P And here they are:

December 20th- Simply your TBR for the read-a-thon
December 21st- Color the Rainbow.... this is where get book covers from your shelves and make a rainbow
December 22nd- Spell it out.... spell any Wintery or Christmas words with the books you have read this year
December 23rd- Psychic or Not.... try to predict what will happen next in the book you are currently reading
December 24th- Movie Marathon- pick your top 5 books that you think would make awesome movies
December 25th- Winter Wonderland.... create a Wintery scene with either natural materials or things inside that are associate with the season and display the book that you are currently reading
December 26th- Tell Me A Story.... use book titles and author names to create a mini story
December 27th- Building Blocks..... build a structure out of your books
December 28th- Scavenger Hunt.... find items from the covers of your TBR for the read-a-thon or from the covers of the books that you have read so far
December 29th- Shake it up.... reenact or recreate your favorite book cover
December 30th- 2015 Most Anticipated.... list your top ten most anticipated books of 2015
December 31st- 2014 Gems.... list your top ten favorite books of 2014

And as you can probably see this and the calender below are colour coded!!! Each of us hosts have different days to hold the games. Mine are coloured PURPLE!!!! So in other words I will be holding the games on the 20th, 25th and 31st :D

And finally for anyone who wants to join the read-a-thon you can simply join the new Goodreads group that has been created for all the participants of the read-a-thon. Here is the link!! You can also post a comment down below but with Goodreads at least you'll get reminder messages in the Goodreads group so I'd say go join it!!! 

And also could everyone who is participating please make a I signed up post!!! Thank you :D 

That is it for now. Keep a listen out though for some very very exciting updates!!!

#BookBlogWriMo 11/23

#BookBlogWriMo 11/23

11/23 - Book Boyfriend Criteria

Ohhh, my book boyfriends criteria, well I don't really have one of those :P There is no set criteria I look for in my book boyfriends, I sort of just fall head over heels for them because of well who they are, how they act and well how they look :P

So ya, I'm just going to list some of my MY book boyfriends :P:

William Herondale from The Infernal Devices

James Carstairs from The Infernal Devices

Magnus Bane from The Mortal Instruments

Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy

Four from Divergent

Cole St Clair from Wolves of Mercy Falls (I really need to read Sinner!!!)

Dorian from Throne of Glass

Chaol from Throne of Glass

Day from Legend

Nathan from Last Lives (Check it out :P)

Ren from Nightshade

Maxon from The Selection

The Darkling from The Grisha Trilogy

Gavril from Age of Legends

Derek from The Darkest Powers

And that is it!!! so far..... mwahahaha :P

As for real people, this just comes to mind because our college teacher put up a collage of different guys and we were told to rate our top 3 :P We were studying animal courtship in animal behaviour and well it was a bit of a game but anyway my Top 3 were:

1. Ian Somerhalder

2. Robert Downey Junior

3. Johnny Depp

Nevertheless none of them were pictured so that just showed someone's taste in men :P

#BookBlogWriMo Posts

#BookBlogWriMo Posts

Here are all the posts that I've missed because I've been so busy so here we go :P

11/10 - Memes Your Meme

I have a few memes that I participate in!! There's Top Ten Tuesday which I love doing!! I really love making lists so this I just absolutely adore. I also participate in Wishlist Wednesday. This is another meme that I love because I love displaying what books I want to get :p And to get to see if other people want or have got and read the book I'm taking about!! I also participate in Friday Finds but, I only do this if I find a book that I've added to my wishlist. Finally, the last meme I will talk about is On My Shelves, I made this one that I'm doing and really enjoy it. If you want to participate with me go ahead and join along!!! :D

11/11 - #Top10Tuesday - Most Popular Posts

Here are my top 10 blog posts!!! :D

1. 'It's The End of 2014' Read-A-Thon - This is my most popular post and it the outline of an upcoming read-a-thon which I created and am hosting with a few of my fellow bloggers. 
2. Bout of Books 11.0 Goals - The post I put up about the goals I wanted for Bout of Books 11.0.
3. Liebster Award - My post for the award I was nominated for!!!
4. Top Ten Tuesday #1 - My first Top Ten Tuesday post!!!
5. Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award - Another blogger award!!! :D
6. Top Ten Tuesday #4 - Top Books I Wanted to Reread!! Also made it to my top ten posts.
7. #ReadingCram Chills & Trills Read-A-Thon TBR Challenge - A Halloween read-a-thon I participated in this year!! :)
8. Chills & Trills Rea-A-Thon #ReadingCram - Again the Halloween Read-A-Thon.
9. Top Ten Tuesday #2 - Tope Ten List which showed the books I really wanted to read but didn't own :(
10. Hello!! - My first ever blogging post!!! :D

11/12 - Advice for Newbie Bloggers

Here's just some simple pointers :)

1. Make loads of blogging friends by following and commenting on different blogs.
2. Blog because you love it not because you have to.
3. Forget about the layout for a while and don't let it fluster you.
4. Have fun!!!

11/13 - Your Review Process

What process??? I review every book I read and I rate books on how I enjoy them. I don't look into all the technical details of writing style and grammar and all that. If I enjoy a book it will get a good rating. If I dislike a book because of writing style it will be noted. So ya, I write what I feel and think. It's possibly the day after I've finished the book that I do the review while all my emotions are still fresh but enough time for me to calm them down. That's it really, I don't make notes, I don't have sticky pads or anything. I just write when I'm finished.

11/14 - Your Rating System

As I mentioned above I rate on my enjoyability of a book so fore recaps here is my rating system which is also posted on the margin of my blog :)

1 Star - Hated / Did Not Like One Bit - Did not like at all, not the book for me, I may have finished it but was forcing myself to read it.

2 Stars - Meh - The book was meh, there was noting spectacular, finished the book to the end, but wouldn't read the rest of series if it is a series

3 Stars - Alright - This book was alright, nothing fully irked me, if it is in a series I might read the rest.

4 Stars - Enjoyed - Really enjoyed, the story was very enjoyable and I enjoyed reading it.

5 Stars - Amazing - Definite read, unputdownable, 5 stars, enough said.

11/15 - Favourite Book Blogging Things

Memes!!! I love them. I also love read-a-thons as well as just scrolling through all the blog posts and just simply creating blog posts and being able to talk freely :)

11/16 - Least Favourite Book Blogging Things

When I run out of time and all these things start piling up and then I feel guilty for not posting anything and then having to do a bunch of stuff. Kind of like now :P

11/17 - Favourite Book Tropes

A good love triangle is always entertaining. Only a good one though. Like in Throne of Glass :P I've only read the first book so far so I don't know what's happening with that yet....Don't spoil it for me!!! The bad boys are always a perk as well. God, I love bad boys :P Ya, that's pretty much all I can think of at the minute :P

11/18 - Favourite Sub-Genres

So so so so many!! Let's just make a list. Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction.....and many more!!!

11/19 - #Waiting on Wednesday TBR Books

Only some??? There are way too many on my shelves to only name some!!! Right here goes a top 10 :D

1. Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee
2. Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant
3. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
4. More Than This by Patrick Ness
5. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
6. Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
7. Allies and Assassins by Justin Somper
8. Slated by Teri Terry
9. VIII by H. M. Castor
10. Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott

11/20 - #TBT Best Books of 2014

I'll pick a Top 10 but this is going to be so so hard!! These are not in order :P Here we go:

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
2. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
4. Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
5. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
6. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
7. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
8. Feed by Mira Grant
9. Champion by Marie Lu
10. Partials by Dan Wells

11/21 - #Flashback Friday Your First Reviews

My first reviews were so bad!! :P Not saying they're any better now but I had no idea what I was doing with my first reviews.

My first review was for Bloodlines by Richelle Mead!! :D Here it is :)

11/22 - #ShowMeYourShelves

Ahhh my shelves :D!!! I love my shelves. I am actually reorganising them later today but here is what they were like :P

'It's the End of 2014' Giveaway!!!

'It's the End of 2014' Giveaway!!!

There will be a giveaway!!! This will be before the read-a-thon actually begins as a sort of warm up per se :p So keep an eye out for more information which will be coming soon and follow the link down below to get a glimpse of the book!!!

http://themagicalworldofbooks.weebly.com/read-a-thons/sham-by-ellen-allen-give-away

Mini Reviews #1

Mini Reviews #1

Here is my first ever post with mini reviews. Mini reviews are just reviews that are well mini. I'm doing this today because I really got behind on my reviews and well I want to make a new start :P

Mini Reviews #1 is going to consist of mini reviews for:

• Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
• Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• Divergent by Veronica Roth

Blood Promise by Richelle Mead 

(Vampire Academy #4)

Genres: Vampires, Romance

Published: February 4 2010
Pages: 493 pages (Paperback Edition) (Penguin)
Read: September 2014
Rating: 5 Stars

Blood Promise is the fourth book in he Vampire Academy series. I really enjoyed this book. Yes, there was slow parts. There were parts were Rose was just going around in circles but there were intense, exciting parts too. The end of the book was such a rush and is the true reason behind my five stars. We also get to meet some real interesting characters here in this book, such as Abe and many others. I believe this book to be a great book as part of this series and I really can't wait to read on and see what happens. Richelle Mead just has a way of ending a book that leaves you craving for the next one. I recommend this book to those of you who have already loved the previous books!! :)

Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead 

(Bloodlines #5)

Genres: Vampires, Romance

Published: July 29 2014
Pages: 380 pages (Paperback Edition) (Penguin)
Read: November 2014
Rating: 5 Stars

Silver Shadows is the fifth book in he Bloodlines series and I was eagerly awaiting the release of this book. Why it took me so long to read it once it was released, don't ask. I'm sure some of you have seen my rants. Anyway I really really enjoyed this book. Like really really enjoyed it. It started with so much action and really tense that I was just hooked from page one and kept on going!!! I enjoyed this book very much and even got really suprised along the way, Silver Shadows was much shorter than the rest of the books in the Bloodlines series but because of its crammed tension and action, that aspect doesn't really matter. I can't wait to see how this series will end in The Ruby Circle....

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

(The Hunger Games #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia

Published: January 10 2009
Pages: 454 pages (Paperback Edition) (Scholastic Inc.)
Read: November 2014
Rating: 5 Stars

This read was a reread for me!!! I read this whole series back before the first movie came out which was a while ago :P I can't remember how long but anyway I loved this!! I loved how even though it was my second time reading this book I could still get hooked into the story and just read page after page. I'm not going to say much here as a full in depth discussion will be taking place between me and Jayne from Booking Awesome in the feature Across Blogs about this whole series!!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

(Divergent #1)

Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia

Published: February 2 2012
Pages: 489 pages (Paperback Edition) (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Read: November 2014
Rating: 5 Stars

All I could think was when I finished this book was that 'I should have read it sooner' Why didn't I jump on the bandwagon when it was happening and read this sooner???? I don't know but hey, better late than never right? Right?? 
Yes, so I, Sarah, have finally read Divergent by Veronica Roth and my opinion of this book is that.... IT WAS AWESOME!! I loved Tris. Tris was so different to our usual heroines!! She was bad ass yes, but I also found she had a dark side, a serious dark side. I wonder is this going to fault her later down the road??? Tris really intrigued me because of this.
Can I just say I loved Four!! I really loved him at the start of the book, with his sarcastic and confident demeanor, he does change as the book progresses but I think I can overlook that.
I loved this book for the characters and the intense story. Insurgent has a lot to live up to and I just can't wait to see what happens because well that blurb for Insurgent in a little vague....


Here are my little mini reviews!!! I hope you enjoyed them and well this occurrence will happen rarely, just when I'm snowed under with 3 or 4 reviews that I have to do :) God, I feel so happy now I can scratch these reviews off my to-do list!!!

THERE IS A BOX!!!!!

THERE IS A BOX!!!!!!

Sorry guys I have been MIA recently. I was just so busy in college with tests, skill demonstrations, seminars, and a trip!!! 

Just a little on the trip. We went to Mayfield Birds of Prey and got to see and handle some amazing birds!!! There were hawks, buzzards, owls, just some beautiful amazing birds and here is some photos!! Well two, with me in them :D

Me with a Harris Hawk

Me with a Screeching Owl - Muffin

Anyway back to why this post exists. I found a box. A book depository box!!! It's a box with my name on it!!! Ahhhh and I found out that it is my christmas present!!! Yay!! I'm so excited.....I want to know what's in the box......It is possible that there is one very large book or two books in the box....so ya Imma going to have to wait......

Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award

Sisterhood of World Bloggers Award

Thank you so so so so much to Fari and Kitty at My Little Corner For Books for nominating me!!! I am so happy!!! Thank you guys so much!! I am also so late posting this up D:

Anyway what you do is:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their site

2. Post the award's logo on your blog.
3. Answer the 10 questions you've been asked.
4. Nominate 10 bloggers
5. Set 10 new questions for you nominees.

Since I've done this before, I won't nominate anyone again so I won't be setting questions either but I will be answering questions!!! Yay!!!

Answers:

1. Link your first ever post or review or video or anything book-related!

My FIRST ever post. It was a hello post of course but there it is on May 14th 2014 on a Wednesday!!! :P

2. Stand alones or series? 

That really really depends on the book. If I have unanswered questions and it's a standalone that ain't good but if it's a series and it feels finished I think you should leave it where it is. Some examples - The Book Thief was a perfect standalone. It answered every question and wrapped up really well. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill is also another perfect standalone. It could have a sequel, which I think there was supposed to be one, but it's absolutely fine on it's own. Whereas I feel The Mortal Instruments should have finished at City of Glass, not that I'm complaining but it should have. I still really enjoyed the other books though :P 

So really, it does depend on the book....

3. What would you do if book stores and libraries all closed down?

I'd be so screwed, simple as....

4. Do you suffer from knowing hardly anybody in real life who loves to read? 

Yes, I have only two friends who read in real life. That is why I joined all these books sites and started blogging!!!

5. How do you fangirl? Do you have tears in your eyes, do you scream, jump, clap, eat? If I was standing beside you, how would I know you're having a fangirl-ing moment.

I wouldn't be able to make a coherent sentence and would literally just be smiling away at myself :P 

6. The 6th book on your TBR? (Maybe it's your goodreads shelf, or your stack of books, or the 6th book from your TBR shelf) If you don't have a 6th book in your TBR, what book are you planning on reading next?

Ohhhh I made a list yesterday of what I want to read before 2014 ends so my 6th book is........

BLACKOUT by Mira Grant. It's the third book in the Newsflesh Trilogy and the first book blew me away and I'm reading the second book next!!!

7. Fantasy or Contemporary books?

Fantasy all the way!!!! I haven't actually read many Contemporary books. I do want to change that and I have added some to my Wishlist such as Since You've Been Gone and Falling Into Place :)

8. Libraries or buy your own?

Buy my own!! That is why I am broke because I live so far from a library it would be pointless and I'm a collector!!! :P A hoarder more like :P

9. How many books do you own (physical and e-books)?

Oh no, now I have to go count. I don't have ebooks of sorts. I have like novellas on my phone so ok here we go....

11 ebooks -  mostly The Bane Chronicles!!
214 Physical Books :)

So that's 225 Books total :P

10. Favorite classic?

I've never read a classic before O.o

#BookBlogWriMo 11/8 & 11/9

#BookBlogWriMo 11/8 & 11/9

11/8 - Your Blogging Tool Kit

I don't really have a tool kit perse. I am looking into making a calender system because with college and reading and everything I need a schedule. I have like a day to day calender notepad where I jot down my To Do List at the start of everyday but I'd like to have a calender just so that I can see what I need to do all at the one time, so ya that's what I'm doing today!!!

Goodreads is an essential part of my blogging. It's where I get all the covers, synopsis's and information on all the books and such. I wouldn't be able to cope without it.

Another big blogging tool is my desktop or laptop whichever I feel like using to post with. 

And last but not least in my friends and the blogging community cause literally I'd be lost otherwise!!!

11/9 - Your Blogging Workflow

Ya like above I don't have one, yet!! It's all going to be organised today!!! I have this sort of schedule for like what posts I have to do on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday so on.... But that's very sketchy at the minute. What I'm starting to do recently is have all the posts done for the week on Saturday and Sunday and then just publish them up because the weekdays are stressful and I have a lot of other stuff to do then too :P

#BookBlogWriMo 11/6 & 11/7

#BookBlogWriMo 11/6 & 11/7

11/6 - #TBT Favourite Childhood Book!!!

Well from my way way way back childhood to when I was seven or something, I remember being completely and utterly addicted to the Animal Ark novels by Lucy Daniels. These books I collected to no end until I had to stop. Unfortunately, I don't know if I still have them. They may be up in the attic or they may have been donated to charity, I can't really remember.....

Another book series I used to read were the Dolphin Diaries by Ben M. Baglio.

And finally the last series that I can remember reading during my childhood was My Secret Unicorn by Linda Chapman!!

Oh My God, doing this post has just brought me back to those times, whether I was waiting to buy one of the Animal Ark novels every week or waiting for the library bus to come around to get the Dolphin Diaries and My Secret Unicorn books....

11/7 - #FlashbackFriday Blog's First Design

Oh, wow!!! I'm just after changing my design completely these last few days :P Did anyone notice?? :)

Ahhhh I don't know how to use the link!!!!

Nope, it ain't working.......

Book Review - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass

(Throne of Glass  #1)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Mystery

Published: May 7 2013

Pages: 404 pages (Paperback Edition) (Bloomsbury USA Childrens)

Read: September 2014

Rating: 5 Stars

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. 

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Throne of Glass was so much more than I was expecting!! Yes, I did see all the amazing reviews and all the 5 stars and everything but I've often read hyped books to be highly disappointed. Not this time!!

Throne of Glass is a book that follows Celaena as she grapples for her freedom. And well all I can say is that I loved this book. I loved each and every character, even the small ones. They all had a unique sense to them and made the story what it is. Even the bad guys, everyone was so well developed that I felt like I knew them all in person. 

The story itself was intriguing, each page I was hooked onto. I wanted to know what was going to happen so badly. Between the mystery killer, the competition and Chaol and Dorian, I was kept on my feet. 

Which brings me to another topic - Chaol and Dorian. It is so unusual to have two amazing guys in a love triangle. Usually there's always one which stands out more. But damn, Dorian and Chaol, which one??? Ahh!!! Anyway, let's leave that where it is.

What else can I say, but gush....And I don't want to gush too much in case I accidentally leave out a spoiler. That's the problem with these books, you never know what to say just in case you spoil something, but oh well.

Where's Crown of Midnight???  

#BookBlogWriMo 11/5

#BookBlogWriMo 11/5

11/5 - Where You Blog

This post is going to be short because I blog in the exact same places that I read using either my desktop computer or my laptop. I then use my phone to answer any comments or to make comments. And that's it really. The same picture from yesterdays post is for today's post too!!!

Wishlist Wednesday #12

Wishlist Wednesday #12

Wishlist Wednesday is hosted by Pen to Paper and it is where you talk about one book which is on your wishlist.

My Wishlist Wednesday book is...

FALLING INTO PLACE BY AMY ZHANG

On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road. 

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher

I added this book to my wishlist on September 4 2014 after seeing it in my local bookshop. It was only a flitting glance so then I checked it out online, thought it sounded immensely interesting and then added it to my wishlist.

Why did I add this book to my wishlist?? There's a few reasons really. 
1. I have not read many contemporary novels and I want to change that. 
2. It seems really sad and is recommended for fans of Jay Asher and Gayle Forman.
3. It's rare to see the mention of science in a novel like this.
So in short, I am intrigued by this novel.

From the blurb, this seems like a novel that would really make you think. The way there are questions already engages me to think about Liz, about life, about our own impact in life, to yourself and to others. I have a really high expectation for this book because of the blurb and hopefully it will live up to it. But I can't possibly know that until I get it.

The cover was what set me to the novel in the first place. It was the cover that drew me into researching it more. There was the background colour that just drew my eye and then all the science equations along with the falling car just and the title arched just hooked me in further and well, that's the end of that. It's a pretty cover!!
I think this is Amy Zhang's debut novel??? I'm not too sure as there are more books listed on Goodreads but I don't think any are out yet so ya. Anyway I haven't read anything from Amy Zhang yet so I don't know her writing style or anything and I can't wait to see what I think of the novel!!
Has anyone read this book yet?? Any thoughts of what you thought without spoilers :P Please let me know!!!

#BookBlogWrMo 11/3 & 11/4

#BookBlogWrMo 11/3 & 11/4

11/3 - Where You Read

The only place I'm truly, completely comfortable and can read for constant hours is on my computer chair in my room. I have the seclusion here where I have no where else so that I wouldn't get disturbed. That doesn't mean that there is the only place I read. I read in my sitting room, in my kitchen, since I've started college while I'm waiting for classes as I go in on the bus which usually gives me an extra hour in the morning before college actually starts, and more recently with the shock of cold weather in my bed with the electric blanket and my cat Lulu. (There are pictures below!!! Quite a few of Lulu actually, she loves the bed!!!)

11/4 - Why You Blog

Why do I Blog??? The answer is simple really. I want to get my opinions of books out there. I want to talk about my favourite hobby to others who share the same one as me. I want to enlighten someone to read a book even if they were never considering it. I want to make make friends. I want to be a part of the blogging community. I want to participate in as much things as I possibly can. I want to know that I have people in the blogging community that I can depend on. I want to get information on books that I was iffy about before. I want to try new things.

Simple, isn't it??

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Books I Want To Reread.

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish and consists of them picking a topic each week for us bloggers to list our Top Ten.

There's quite a few of these that I've read a few years ago and when I started my Goodreads didn't rate or say I read. So some of these books might say I haven't read them on Goodreads but I have :P

Here's my list:

1. All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
This is a book that I've just read recently and actually when I finished it I was like, I have to read it again, right now, but I didn't of course, but I will be rereading this as soon as possible!!!

2. Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
An amazing historical fiction novel that I completely fell in love with when I read it and I just can't wait to read it again, to fall straight back into the story.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
Loved this book!!!! I think it's one of those that I could just read again and again and again.

4. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Absolutely love this book!!! Ansd it's sequel!! I have yet to read the last book which I am really ashamed to say....

5. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
I loved The Infernal Devices series much more than The Mortal Instruments so ya, I would definitely reread these ones. Will!!!

6. Feed by Mira Grant
Another book I'm just after finishing. My review was just out last week and well from that you could probably tell why I'd want to reread it again!!

7. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
I've actually already reread this book three times and I'm sure as hell going to do it again!! It's an coming of age, historical fiction, mystery novel. Really worth checking out!!

8. The Forbidden Game by L.J Smith
I loved this story so much...An absolute favourite of mine and one I will definitely reread.

9. Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
An intense, mind blowing story that I loved!!! 

10. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass
How could I possibly leave this one out???

#BookBlogWriMo 11/1 & 11/2

#BookBlogWriMo 11/1 & 11/2

11/1 - History of Your Blog

Well, hello everyone!!! I started my blog on May 14th 2014, don't ask me why I started blogging then because really it was one of the wrong times. Why it was a wacky time to start blogging is this - I was doing my Leaving Cert (which is technically final exams before yyou go to college, basically the biggest exam in your life over here in Ireland). I can't remember if my oral exams were that month or not but anyway the exams were in June and here I was starting a blog!! Crazy, I know. But in hindsight, I was damn well right to start my blog then as it in no way affected my results and I am doing what I want to do now!! So, mercifully that year and those exams are behind me and I never have to stress about them again.

So I started on May 14th 2014 with my First Post. I used Goodreads as a means to get my blog 'out there' by well telling my closer Goodreads friends that I had started a blog. From that point on I met some incredible people like Constance @ Craving Books, Jayne @ Booking Awesome, Noelia @ A Day In Bookland and many more wonderful people!!!

I learned about reviews, memes (I had no idea what these were when I started) and everything in between. And now I'm happy with how my blog is turning out (I still have a lot more to learn, especially about tweaking the layout - tips appreciated guys!!! :p) and I am loving this and will continue this long into the future!!

11/2 - How You Read

Here is how I read.....I'm not really sure what I'm going to say but I'm certain in I get on a topic I'll be able to rant so here goes.....

I read Paperbacks and all paperbacks if I can help it, but sometimes I can't and that is why I have hardcovers on my shelves. If you've read some of my previous posts you'll know that there was only I book that I wanted in hardcover and I got it in hardcover and that was Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori M. Lee because it was just so beautiful in hardcover!! 

So ya, I'm a paperback person. Why??? There's a few reasons:

1. They are cheaper, which is good because I'm very limited at the moment.

2. I prefer how they look on my shelf. Really I do.

3. I find hardcovers to be so bulky when you're reading them and that annoys the hell out of me!!

Now onto the whole e-book topic. E-books. Meh!! I know they are cheaper and I know I'm a very environmental conscience person and they save the endless tress from being cut down but.....there is nothing better than physically holding a book and turning the seperate pages. You can't hold an e-reader up to your nose and flick through the pages to get that book smell. You can't stack your e-books on your shelves to make a really nice display and then you can't rearrange that display when the urge captures you. Besides it has to be bad for your eyes looking at a screen all the time. I look at enough screens not to have my books on them. I just can't read from an e-reader anyway. There's just something jarring about it.

I use bookmarks!! Of course I do... God if anyone dog eared my books O.o.......

So my bookmarks. I have 4 in total. I had a really nice Shadowhunter one that I got from Etsy. It was beautiful!!! It had a little black metal wing hung on the top and I had it enscripted with 'We Are Dust and Shadows' in both English and Latin. But that broke a while back, it lasted me a long time though. Then I started using the ones the Book Depository sometimes sends out. I then lost all of them and went crazy and had to go to town where I bought a simple one with a moon and 'Books Can Take You Anywhere' written on it. Then I bought this fabulous one from a craft shop in town. There are no words to describe it. My last two I got for my birthday from my mam, dad and brother and they are the really pretty magnetic ones :)

Here is a picture of them!!!

#BookBlogWriMo

#BookBlogWriMo

I'm so late doing this. It's already on Day 2 and here I am doing the sign up post!!! What???? Anyway, I am doing this because Jayne over at Booking Awesome said I should and well I did really want to do it so here I am!!!!

Right, what is BookBlogWriMo??? I don't know yet, just give me a minute..... It was created by Brittany at Book Bumblings. And it is technically a laid back version on NaNoWriMo which is a writing competition and Brittany has created 'prompts' for each day of November!!

There is no requirements based on word counts or anything like that so yay!! simples...

 Week One:

• 11/1- History of Your Blog
• Tell us how you got started! When did you start your blog? Why? What have been some of your trials and tribulations? How many pigs did you have to sacrifice to get people to see your Facebook posts?
• 11/2- How You Read
• Paperback? Hardcover? E-Reader? Smartphone? Bookmarks, note taking in the margins, or highlighting? Tell us some of your reading rituals!
• 11/3- Where You Read
• Pretty self-explanatory. Bonus for a picture!
• 11/4- Why You Blog
• Again, pretty self-explanatory.
• 11/5- Where You Blog
• Bonus for picture
• 11/6- #TBT- Favorite Childhood Book
• What were some of your favorite books way back when? This could be a read from before you could read, or what you spent by the pool with in high school.
• 11/7- #FlashbackFriday- Blog's First Design
• This one's fun! Oh, how blogs evolve! GO to WayBackMachine.com, enter your blog's URL and take a screenshot of what you used to look like. 

Week Two:

• 11/8- Your Blogging Tool Kit
• We could all blog smarter! Share some of the best tools in your blogging arsenal.
• 11/9- Your Blogging Workflow
• Lifters can take their #gymflow and shove it! Share your blogging process and rituals using #blogflow.
• 11/10- Memes Your Meme
• Do you #ThrowbackThursday or indulge in #ManCandyMonday? Share some of your favorite meme posts from your blog or social media pages.
• 11/11- #Top10Tuesday- Most Popular Posts
• Head on over to Google Analytic or wherever your stats are located and find the 10 most popular posts on your blog. Link to them, talk about the, tell us about why we should love them. 
• 11/12- Advice for Newbie Bloggers
• Be Yoda. Share your secrets. Do or do not, there is no try. 
• 11/13- Your Review Process
• Do you write your review the second you finish the book? Months later? Take notes as you read?
• 11/14- Your Rating System
• A lot of blogs have ratings policies or systems. Some don't, but they really do. What makes you decide how many stars to give?

Week Three:

• 11/15- Favorite Book Blogging Things
• Feel free to talk about the wonderful host of BookBlogWriMo and how much you love her 
• 11/16- Least Favorite Book Blogging Things
• Yeah, sometimes blogging is a pain in the ass. Tell us why. 
• 11/17- Favorite Book Tropes
• Friends with benefits? Manic pixie dream girl? What cliche-type things do you never get sick of?
• 11/18- Favorite Sub-genres
• Self-explanatory 
• 11/19- #WaitingOnWednesday- TBR Books
• Name some books on your TBR shelf and why you're looking forward to reading them. 
• 11/20- #TBT- Best Books of 2014
• Do a top 10, top 20, or even a top 100 list of books you've enjoyed this year.
• 11/21- #FlashbackFriday- Your First Reviews
• Link up to some of your first reviews. Feel free to get reflective. 

Week Four:

• 11/22-#ShowMeYourShelves
• Take a picture of your bookshelves, whether they're physical or Kindle folders. It's always fun seeing how people organize their books!
• 11/23-Book Boyfriend Criteria
• What do you look for in a book boyfriend? Build your dream man. Book boyfriend examples and pictures of hot guys are encouraged.
• 11/24- Reading Cave Fantasies 
• You know those awesome reading nooks on BuzzFeed and Pinterest? Describe what yours would look like
• 11/25- How You Deal with Book Hangovers
• Pig out? Take a nap? How do you deal?
• 11/26 Cheating on Books: TV & Movies
• What are your favorite ways to cheat on books?
• 11/27- Authors You're Thankful For
• Who's sitting at your dream Thanksgiving table?
• 11/28- Book Pet Peeves
• What plot lines or stereotypes make you cringe or DNF?

Week Five:

• 11/29- The Future of Your Blog
• Where do you think you're going? Get in touch with your inner Miss Cleo.
• 11/30- #BookBlogWriMo Wrap Up
• Tell us what you thought of this "challenge!" It will be helpful in future planning. It's also another change to give your BookBlogWriMo posts some extra inbound links, and show some love to posts from other participants.

And That Is It!!! So here I go :P