Bookmarked Pages

Honestly, I was super excited about this book just from the description of it, I expected a lot more of it and that it would be more suspense and even thrilling than anything else. But most of this book was sadly teenage drama. And even more so, stereotypical drama that didn't bother to expand. This book could have been so much better, could have lived up to the hype, but instead it plummeted to a sort of force to finish.

The writing itself? It had it's good moments. But there were sloppy moments. It's what kept me from actually giving it three stars were those sloppy moments. It was frustrating to read because there was this mystery you get in the first few chapters of this book, and you want to know what happens. But instead of actually dealing with it, you get teenage drama and rather boring moments where it felt rather dragging, like it could have skipped forward and no one would have missed it.

I found the plot sort of sloppy. Though I saw it coming, I found it rather choppy and like the author only remember after what they wanted and threw it in randomly. The whole thing felt rushed and not well put together. The pieces were there, but it was like they weren't actually put together in the right places and were left awkwardly with a jumble of a picture that made no sense.

I've said a lot of negative about this, but the one thing I did like was the sister dynamic. Though the drama was honestly boring between them (honestly, your sisters. In any normal case, you would both end up saying 'screw it, it's not worth both of us hating each other over the same boy'), I found the other part of their relationship understandable. I know, having a step-sister very close to my age, you fight over stupid things, you end up hurting each other, but you're also there for them. You'll fight for them. And I think that Nick and Dara did have that to an extent. I liked where it was going, but I just wish that they didn't let some boy get in the middle of it. Maybe I'm just sick of love triangles.

This book wasn't for me. But I think maybe some people will like it. Those who liked 'We Were Liars' might enjoy it. You notice similar themes in them, for sure.

This was a wonderful quick read that is perfect for young readers, but also has enough sass and great characters for older readers as well. I honestly loved this book, despite being 22, I can see how Jackson and Maggie wrote this as a book that they themselves would love to read, because it reads that way. I found the story adorable, the characters great (also, I loved how Pip didn't overly describe herself, so you could easily imagine her as any race), the art really adorable (I want a poster of all the creatures), and the plot really adorable. I really want to read the other books that they're planning for this series to see what happens next to Pip in her adventures.

I was already a fan of Anthony Marra first book, 'A Constellation of Vital Phenomena', which is one of my favourite books to this day. So when I saw that he had written a series of short stories, I knew that I wanted to read them.

The characters are real and interesting, in a time of Russian history that is dark and not exactly easy to live through. It spans from Communist times to 2013. Not only does it span years, each story and character interconnect. It spans families, towns, and countries.

Not only this, but you learn that not all the characters are all what they seem. They may seem like horrible people from one point of view, only to learn their stories and the truth behind them. The stories teach you that in a time when suspicion between people can paint them in untrue light until you see it all through their eyes. Not all stories are true and not all narrators are reliable.

I found the writing really well done and it reminded me of Marra's other story in a good way. I admit, I was sent into a reading slump after reading this book because I wasn't ready to leave his stories and his characters behind. He tends to have a way of capturing my mind so easily, it's hard to go back to other books. He brings the history of a country I know only bits about to life in a really captivating way.

I have not read Cruel Beauty just yet, so I found this stand alone book a good peak into the world and what to look forward to in that book. And I admit, I'm horribly excited to read it if it's anything like this book. I'm a fan of any fairy tale retold and this book didn't disappoint. I found the characters well written, the story interesting, the plot exciting. I liked that none of the characters were perfect. They were deeply flawed in one way or another and I loved how Rachelle didn't succeed in her plans half of the time. I liked that Armand was a disabled character (I won't say more for spoiler reasons). I loved the folk tale within the story with Zisa and Tyr. There really wasn't much in this book I didn't like. I recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a book with a strong female character and a fantasy world that you can get utterly lost in.

This book is as strange and as magical as I had hoped when I read about it months ago. I truly loved this read. Despite the strangeness of it, it wasn't so off putting, but instead I got completely wrapped up into this story and found myself thinking "why not? who says that this is insane?" I loved the characters, loved Glory and the fact she was trying to break free from the shadow over her without even knowing it. I loved how she grew within the story, loved how she took control. The characters were different, but horribly real. The plot was interesting and kept me reading until I couldn't make sense of the words and had to call it a night. This book is an amazing experience.

I really enjoyed this read. It's the first of Murakami's books I've been able to read all the way through. I think I should have started with some of his shorter works instead of 1Q84. I found the story really interesting, with a mix of strange mixed in, which is common with his writing. It was well written and left me thinking after I put it down and craving to know more. I spent a lot of sleepless nights wanting to just read more. However, the end left me with more questions than those that were answered, but I found this really true to life itself. We don't always get the answers we crave and we also might never know them. This book makes me really want to go back and finish 1Q84 and get a chance to read his other books as well.

This book is utter tragedy. This is the other side of cancer. I truly enjoyed this read, but I had to take breaks every now and again just because it was so hard to keep reading because of how heavy it would get. It shows that life isn't something you can guess what will happen next, the unexpected happens. I found the writing itself well down, though there were times I felt it dragged some. But I really did enjoy it. The story catches you from the start to the finish and leaves you wishing for more. The characters are different and real.

This might have been one of my favourite reads this year (this and another one). I honestly didn't expect it to be this good, but it proved me completely wrong. I was hooked within the first few pages, and more so when the story got going. This book was a good glimpse in this dark part of history, never once trying candy coat it. And it wasn't put aside so that the two characters that fall in love isn't the main plot. It was a nice change, when most books will do just that. The writing was real and left me feeling like I was there, leaving me nervous with them, with my heart pounding. I stayed up late most nights reading, not able to put it down and my eyes burning. I found myself relating to the moments when the characters admitted they were gay, that they might love another woman, but that maybe all they had been told that it was wrong, wasn't true. How they felt about being in relationships with men, how there was simply nothing there, I felt like they were describing my own experience before I came out. Now that I'm done, I miss the character and I wish I could know more. And I'm so happy how it ended.

I won a copy of "The Man That Wouldn't Stand Up"! I was wondering what the email was about and was a little confused. I'm so excited to get to read it! Look for updates on that in the future!

This book is an amazing look into mental illness. I was lucky enough to get an early access e-copy of this book. At first, the book seemed confusing, that it made little sense, but was interesting to read. But the more you read, the more it made sense and when it did, it was mind blowing. There were deep moments that left me simply having to stop reading, to digest it and wrap my mind around it and how true it all seemed. It felt like a real look into a teen psych ward, unlike “It’s kinda a funny story”, that seemed to gloss over the experience to make it romantic. This book didn’t do that. Instead, it gave a real look, one that was chilling and eye opening, but at the same time important. The main character goes through hell and back, but you hoot for him through it all, and the story doesn’t disappoint in that aspect. He grows amazingly, but only when he hits bottom first, which sadly is what life sometimes gives us.

Is anyone else having problem with getting to the point of downloading their book? I keep getting an error page and I'm not really sure what to do. This is my first month, so I'm sure I'm missing SOMETHING, I just don't know what.

Hopefully I'll get more read today/tonight.  I had to do a paper for University, so it ate into my reading time and now I need to get my brain unfuzzy before I start again. I'd like to finish it by next week or the one after, but I've picked up and put it down so many times, I don't know for sure. I do love it, though. It's so good. I just get really freaked out by it sometimes and need to hide it under other books to get the creeps under control.