WHY AM I HERE?!
I'm here because it is a very special day in my life :). hmmm.. May 20th.. you may be asking, but Stephanie I don't know of any highly anticipated books coming out, or Taylor Swift doesn't seem to be introducing a new album so why is this day so special?!
... IT'S MY BIRTHDAY WHOOT WHOOT! Yep I'm finally 16 (so old ahhhh) I honestly didn't have any epiphanies or anything at all. I even had a chem quiz today. However, I'd like to thank everybody for everything. (I often think birthdays make you more grateful for everything than thanksgiving + there's presents so it's sort of like thanksgiving + christmas?!!!) In the past 16 years of my life I have experienced lots of things and done many things. I couldn't have done anything without my family (duh how else would I get birthed) Also my twin sister (so yes it's her birthday too) and my older sister. Next, I am more than grateful for my many friends who are able to handle my extreme weirdness and not run away screaming. Last, but not least, I'd like to thank the bookish community for being a part of my last half a year and already impacting me so much! For fun I'll do a little 16 random facts about me: 1. I love dogs (like a lot), but I can't have one. 2. I wear glasses. (and have been for the past 7 years!) 3. I can tell the difference between my twin sister and I even in our baby pics! 4. I run a bookstagram! (@bringing.paperback) (lol shameless self promo) 5. I love to bake! (but I'm pretty bad... especially with macaroons) 6. I laugh a lot and sometimes really weirdly... 7. At the same time I'm shy (especially with adults or strangers) 9. I have to try to dream to fall asleep 10. I don't like coffee or tea (sorry, but thank god I don't get very sleep very often!) 11. I really like cheesecake. 12. I am a sophomore in high school (or I think that's year 10 or 11 in the UK?!) 13. My signature on all my posts is a crown because that's what my name (stephanie) means! 14. I used to have a guinea pig and in her honor I am vegetarian one week a year from the day she died. 15. I have an identical twin sister. 16. I have no idea what to be or do when I grow up. (that was a lot harder than I though! I almost just quit at 9 lol) Comment your birthdays down below! Thank you again for everything! (Now I'm going to go eat or read ;) !! )
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A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
Synopsis: "Kell is one of the last Antari, a rare magician who can travel between parallel worlds: hopping from Grey London — dirty, boring, lacking magic, and ruled by mad King George — to Red London — where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire — to White London — ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne, where people fight to control magic, and the magic fights back — and back, but never Black London, because traveling to Black London is forbidden and no one speaks of it now.
Officially, Kell is the personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between the royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they’ll never see, and it is this dangerous hobby that sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to take her with him for her proper adventure. But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save both his London and the others, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive — a feat trickier than they hoped." Review: The creativity of this book is absolutely infinite. Victoria Schwab has literally left my brain turning and speechless. There has rarely been a book where I have been completely enthralled and didn't have any romance (in fact it's already pretty rare to just find any young adult book without romance). The only romance is my love of this book. Everything was so vibrant and detailed and I can't stop thinking about it. Initially I just saw tons of pictures of this on bookstagram and then, without even reading the synopsis I went on to get this book from the library and I couldn't be happier because this book really lived up to its hype. Let's start with Kell. Kell is such a perfectly described person (or Antari) but I really felt like I knew him while at the same time he was able to keep this mysterious presence throughout the story. From the smallest gold button to his magical blood and his darkened eye everything about Kell was known and unknown and truly a character I really enjoyed unfolding by reading more.He seems cold yet ready to help everyone, especially his beloved brother/prince, Rhy. Then there's Lila. When Lila was first introduced I honestly had no idea what to do with her and how she would be relevant, it turns out she was VERY important. I loved how Lila was portrayed. She reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Bennet (sorry reading Pride and Prejudice for school right now) in that she knew what she wanted and did anything she could to achieve it... hmm now that I think about it she could pretty much be like all the other incredible strong female leads in recent ya novels!.However Lila is different in her own quirky way. PLOT TWISTS WERE PRESENT. To be fair.. I really couldn't predict almost any of the novel due to it being so different from what I usually read, but STILL some of these plot twists were CRAAAYZY. (but amazing!!!) At some points I literally just gasped out loud... However I also found that I had a TON of questions throughout the book, but I guess the answer for all could just be magic... ADSOM honestly was not what I expected but still such an incredible novel. I loved being able to see this whole different place form in front of me. I feel like this book really taught me or at least pushed me to be more adventurous and love harder. However this book is not really over! Yep that's right now I'm headed off to go and read A Gathering of Shadows to catch up more on Kell and Lila and just maybe learn some more of the Londons and some life lessons mixed in! I would really recommend this book to and fantasy/ adventure lovers out there, but I think this book is really great for anyone so go and check it out! Cover: ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ (UM FREAKIN GORGEOUS) Favorite Quote: " 'Some people steal to stay alive, and some steal to feel alive. Simple as that.' 'And which are you?' asked Kell. 'I steal for freedom,' " - pg 266 (not really a quote but I LOVED THIS LANGUAGE) " 'As Athera. To grow. As Pyrata. To burn. As Illumae. To light. As Travars. To Travel. As Orense. To open. As Anasae. To dispel. As Hasari. To heal.' " - pg 257 AP Testing
UGH AP TESTS SO HARD. This year is my first year taking a AP test and I'm so stressed. (I'm taking AP Human Geography) Since I don't have much time to talk I like to hear what you guys are taking! (If you aren't from the US I think AP Tests are somewhat like GCSE for UK and idk for other places SORRY if you know let me know!) So yea comment below on what courses you are taking!
The Blood Between Us by Zac Brewer
*I was sent an ARC copy ( through a giveaway on goodreads run by Harper) of The Blood Between Us, but this will in no way affect my review. *
Synopsis: "Family secrets turn deadly in this edgy page-turner about the insidious limits of labels and the ties that bind just a little too tightly, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod. Growing up, Adrien and his sister, Grace, competed viciously for everything. It wasn’t easy being the adopted sibling, but Adrien tried to get along; it was Grace who didn’t want anything to do with him. When their scientist parents died in a terrible lab fire, there was nothing left to hold them together. Now, after years apart, Adrien and Grace are forced to reunite at the elite boarding school where their parents were teachers. Being back around everyone he used to know makes Adrien question the person he’s become, while being back around Grace makes him feel like someone he doesn’t want to be. For as much as Adrien wants to move on, someone seems determined to reopen old wounds. And when Adrien starts to suspect that Grace knows more about their parents’ deaths than she let on, he realizes there are some wounds no amount of time can heal. If Adrien isn’t careful, they may even kill him. " Review: This book really addresses the new changes of society and the acceptance of LGBT's as well as Zac Brewer himself, a transgender and gay. (PS. The letter he wrote in the beginning of the novel for all his readers was incredibly touching.) Yes this book talked about family and mystery and communication, but I think one of the main points was trust. Throughout the novel Adrien did NOT trust his sister, Grace, AT ALL, but in a way he didn't trust almost anyone, but progresses to throughout the novel. I found this book to be a great shorter read (especially since it's AP test time). It was a good book with a bit of everything (action, love, mystery, and drama). The book was just great for something to find yourself in another world with someone else's problems for a while. Adrien had plenty of problems to share. Adrien and Grace's relationship was sad and yet a little relatable. I have two sisters myself (a twin and an older sis) whom I love, but can hate at moments and that's why I could see Adrien's side of things. It never feels good to be left out. Being a twin is a lot like Adrien and Grace's circumstance because everything needs to be fair and equal or nothing at all. The slight twist is that their equality really set off Grace's fury. Grace is that person we all love, but hate. She's the girl that got perfect grades but partied every day and never even touched her textbook. It sucks because no matter how much I wanted to see Grace's side of things in the beginning of the book I couldn't due to seeing things through Adrien's perspective. BUT DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS (like I did) Things aren't always what they seem (Another great point this novel really shows) Adrien's sexuality. He really went through a lot, but I was glad that there was time for him to figure himself out. Unfortunately a lot of people are against certain sexualities which could even be seen through the peer pressure Adrien faced. This book really advocates for people to be whoever they are HOWever they are, because it's ok. THE PLOT TWIST. I saw it coming, but not really. I felt in my bones that something would happen, but what actually happened was nowhere close to my radar. SO YEA There was THAT. This book was very cute. There was a lot of chemistry related with this book so at the start of each chapter there were chem vocab words and definitions which made me laugh. (especially since I'm actually taking chem this year and I've been learning a lot of them). It was pretty cool to see something I learned in this book. The only problem I had with this book was the ending. I have a couple questions. ( What were on those pages?! ) As well as my dislike for the quickness of everything in the last 1-2 chapters. I felt stranded, because I felt like I had just gotten to understand everything and quickly my world was turned upside down. (otherwise I would have given this book a 5 star) Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend this to anyone in need of a book, but doesn't have a lot of time! Cover: ★★★★★ Favorite Quote(s): " 'To think that someone could love someone else so much that they would give up everything for them.' 'It must have been a hard choice to make.' 'When it's love, I don't think the choice is all that hard at all. You just feel it. Even if it scares you. It's just there.' " (pg 230) " 'So many of the stars are dead before we see them.' 'There's a cheery thought.' 'It's true. The light reaches Earth on delay, and by the time it does, so many of the stars are already gone.' I wondered how quickly all the light in my life would disappear. My parents, my friends, my dreams. My chest felt heavy. 'Kinda makes you wonder why they bother shining at all.' "(pg 231) Forcing a Book Slump
You probably all think I'm crazy. Who would do that to themselves right? Well it's almost AP's and so I decided to stop reading for awhile but it's been a lot harder than I thought! I miss having the back of my mind running around in another world while I live in mine.
What do you guys like to do when you can't read? I've been studying of course but I was just wondering :) I'd like to know more about you guys so in the comments mention whether or not you're as crazy as me and has also participated in a forced book slump and also a favorite hobby and why! OR simply just start a conversation in the comments below because I like to get to know a bit more about any of you that read my reviews and blog post! Siren's Fury by Mary WeberStorm Siren by Mary Weber
Synopsis: " 'I raise my chin as the buyers stare. Yes. Look. You don’t want me. Because, eventually, accidentally, I will destroy you.'
In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled. As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist. Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed. Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons. But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for? Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win. " Review: Isn't that synopsis so hooking?! I decided to pick this up by chance at the library because the cover looked familiar and I am so grateful I did because this was one heck of a good fantasy book. The books starts off with an immediate hook ("Fourteen circles for fourteen owners.") How could anyone stop reading after that line?! This book was written very well and everything showed up very clearly in my brain. Both the characters and landscape were detailed and breathtaking the more I turned the pages the larger their world unfolded in front of me. Nym, the main character, has such an intense system of emotions and a long unfortunate history. However though she believes herself to be hated I found her very easy to like. She had a kicked puppy vibe to her and that made me more and more curious and when the explosion came of who she was I liked her even more. A strong and powerful women is always a good thing to see in a book, but Nym had weaknesses too and that made her seem more realistic. Oh the romance. Plenty here. At the first glance I swore she would fall head over heels for Colin and in the next pages Eogan shows up. Although the buildup for their romance was slow I could almost feel like they fell in love at first sight. However their love was also rushed and shushed and meant to be kept a secret while most people could probably tell by just glancing at them. The entire plot was amazing. I loved how each character really came into play and everything just kept me turning the pages. I could not stop. Don't get me wrong I LOVE this book but this ending WOW. Cliffie is all I'm going to say and those of you who HATE cliffies should know that you needn't worry! The second book is already out and ready for you to get whereas the clueless me did not now and I finally got the second book from the library a week or two later. Fantasy lovers this book is for you so go and read it! Cover: ★★★☆☆ (probably the only thing that kept me away from this book longer) Favorite Quote: "Was I born to destroy life, or to defend Faelen?" " 'Maybe the ones who've struggled with true evil are the ones meant to make the biggest difference against it, you know?' " Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Synopsis: "Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.
Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters." Review: Highly recommended for anyone who loved Fangirl! Personally I don't remember much of the Simon and Baz part of Fangirl BUT (in my opinion and this may not carry true for everyone) but I really enjoyed reading this book without remembering much of Simon and Baz because everything felt more of a mystery and honestly I was actually really considering Simon and Baz weren't even going to be the Simon and Baz Fangirl showed. Now onto the important parts of this review... As soon as I opened this book I was in love, and to be fair I was already greatly impressed by the cover, but even more so with the map (ahhh book maps are the best don't you agree?) Rainbow Rowell sure knows how to choose her artists because everything is AMAZING especially after reading the story or during and getting to literally follow along with the map and the few art pieces put in to separate each "book". I remember Simon being some lanky guy, but wow Rainbow Rowell also really knows how to describe each character incredibly well because I can see each character in my head like there's already a movie that was made. Each character plays a part and I loved seeing how both Simon grew up as well as his relationships with Penelope, Agatha, and Baz. I loved how each character was given a chance to speak their mind, not only was I really able to capture each character's mentality, but I could also see into parts of the story which might otherwise have been lost. ESPECIALLY BAZ'S LINE ON PAGE 176 I KNEW ALREADY BUT STILL AHHHH! The plot... Where do I even start?! I loved it and even though I didn't have any background or remembrance of any possible tidbits of Simon's magic world I fell in so quickly and fluidly it was like I was there my whole life. I felt immediately drawn into the plot and each page had me yearning for more. ALthough for me there were no MIND BLOWING plot twists there were LOTS of little twists turns and made this book quite the page turner. I loved the way the spells were brought into the books as just common said things in our daily lives. This just made my reading experience that much more exciting when one of my teachers at school said "Clean as a whistle", for everyone else it was just a common phrase but for me I just imagined Simon. Overall, there was a pretty amazing plot line and lots of adventures to follow along with. Now for the part most of you are probably interested in if you've read Fangirl... the romance. I don't want to give anything away to those who have not read Fangirl therefore all I can say is that yes it was like in Fangirl and yes it is quite romantic and cute. There were hero scenes included and honestly I was sort of lulled with Simon's relationship with Agatha in the beginning with a false sense of security and confusion due to Fangirl (not saying they don't have a relationship later on! who knows until you read it! ) Honestly the cover already gives the most away but still I'll keep my mouth sealed and head on into the spoilers box...
Spoilers: SIMON AND BAZZz AHHHHH OKOK I KNEW but STILL. So cute and magical. Honestly I really thought Simon was straight though and Fangirl was an alternative version?? I DON'T KNOW WHY.... Honestly I was SO happy seeing them happy and with a pretty happy ending because I also really thought one or the other was going to die and that would have made me cry. Thanks to Rainbow Rowell for letting me smile at the end of the book instead of cry! (I was also at school at that point so that could have been really weird for the people around me...)
Cover: ★★★★★★★★★★ (Can I do that? IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL)
Favorite Quote: "Clean as a whistle." (Sorry had to do that!) "I never really thought that would happen." “Just when you think you're having a scene without Simon, he drops in to remind you that everyone else is a supporting character in his catastrophe.” "You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.” - I have some more but.. spoilers prevent me from sharing ;( -
Back to School + Finals Week
This has been one long spring break and now it's over... For most people this just means going back to school again, but unfortunately my school has decided to put finals... right. after. spring. break?! Who does that?! Instead of having the usual relaxing break I've had a week of tons of projects and very little reading. Enough of this depressing news so instead I've decided to sum up the fun things I've done over break.
1. Finally start The Young Elites ( IT WAS SO GOOD THANKS @booksthetics aka Nani ) 2. I watched Zootopia (AND SO SHOULD YOU! LOVED IT!!) 3. I tried to hike with cats with my sisters (dog owners were totally judging us) 4. Went to the library and got a buncha books to read after finals are over! 5. I started the #aprilbookshowers challenge on instagram and I hope to be able to keep up! 6. I watched LOTS of youtube videos... Not much but still had a pretty decent spring break! Overall I just had a nice slow paced week amidst many future busy weeks and it was nice to really de-stress myself just a little. Now it's time to get back into things *sigh* let's just not how about instead you tell me a bit about your break!? (or if you're one of the lucky one's that just started break what you plan on doing!) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Synopsis:" This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.
This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit. But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again. Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more--Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes." Review: This is one of my most interesting reads (for lack of a better word). I was surprised at pretty much at EVERY turn including when I opened up the book and found out the kind of format this book was written in (It's written almost like people would text one another but always with paragraphs here and there). I would have been over my head with this kind of format just one or two years ago and although I still loved this very much and made this read very memorable, I also found myself easily get distracted or finding that it was incredibly easy to stop wherever and whenever I wanted. With that being my only complaint, we can now get to the good parts. Oh Kady... Oh Ezra such a typical science fiction romance but still SO MUCH MORE. Kady being the mastermind and Ezra the pure love and recklessness they somehow fit perfectly and their dire situation just pronounced their love even more. Watching them fall in love was really weird though in the sense that they weren't even aboard the same ship, but it's science fiction so who can really know? *shrugs* Although I never doubted their relationship, I doubted my predictions of the plot the ENTIRE way through this book.... The plots twists in this book honestly really deserve a round of applause because not only was I so invested in the fast pacing plot but then the plot twists just kept pushing more and more into the story. However the creepiness factor of Aidan actually did slow me down in reading speed because Aidan just gave me the chills and so did all the death and gore. However Aidan had this incredibly mind opening role and Aidan just really brought this book together. This is a book that everyone should read or at least pick up once and try because there's just SO much to it and I can easily see how much work is put it to it. LIKE THE SPECIAL PAGES AND I have never been so proud to find that on the bottom of page 190 Marie Lu is there!! AHHHHH COOLEST THING I HAVE EVER SEEN but then there's also all these amazing artwork and the way the words and the art fit together is just an absolutely amazing experience for anyone. Then there's last 10-20 so page .... what can I even say. It was SO WELL PLANNED I don't even know how Amie and Jay did it because that was amazing and completely set me up to go out and get Gemini even though it hasn't even been published yet. To be honest it was what I was hoping for but NEVER something I could see coming. IF SOMEONE SAW THIS COMING YOU ARE LYING .... I loved it SO MUCH THOUGH I CAN'T COMPUTE STOP STARING AT ME, DON'T LOOK AT ME. DON'T LOOK (aha jk I'm not sick,dying, or crazy don't worry) Cover: ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ (UM DOES ANYONE NOT LIKE THIS COVER..) Favorite Quote: “I should have told you I loved you every day. I should have given you the stars.” "'In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.' -Orwell"
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Stephanie C.A fan of anything fiction, furry, & fun. Archives
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