“Life is a gift. Don’t forget to live it.” Title: Everything Everything Author: Nicola Yoon Published: September 1, 2015 Medium: Print (softcover) Pages: 307 Genre: Romance   Rating: Summary: Everything Everything is about a “bubble girl” who has a super rare disease that makes her allergic to everything so she can’t go outside without potentially dying. But ~SHOCKER~ a cute boy moves in next door, romance ensues, she risks everything, and there is a mostly happy ending.  Thoughts: I don’t really read cute romance novels (or non-fiction in general). Perhaps it’s some sort of leftover bias from my teenage-self, but they’ve always seemed pretty pointless to me. Why would I want to read about real world things when I already live in the real world? But I saw this book at BookCon and it sounded cute and looked like a quick read and  I’ve been really trying to expand my horizons a little, so I bought it. And I loved it! It was cute, had an interesting (albeit odd) twist, and made me smile a lot. It even had a happy ending, which I don’t get a lot of with many of the other books I read. So I highly suggest this one!

“When decisions like that are made by the government, it emboldens those who are already prejudiced to speak their deepest thoughts of hate. They assume they are simply brave enough to say what everyone really thinks.”   Title: Lord of Shadows Series: The Dark Artifices #2 Author: Cassandra Clare Published: May 23, 2017 Medium: Audiobook Narration: James Marsters Length: 23:30 Genre: Fantasy Rating:   Summary: *excluded to avoid spoilers – discussion will be posted soon* Thoughts: I enjoyed this book even more than the first one, but it did get off to a slow start for me. I love when authors take important issues and integrate them into their books, especially in the fantasy genre. I think people are more open to acknowledging things like racist and injustice when the races they discuss aren’t human, but I don’t think this distinction lessons the message at all. It forces people to realize that these things are happening in the real world and that maybe they should be paying better attention. Story-wise, this book made me cry a bunch of times, but none as much as the ending. It was an improvement to the series, and makes me want to read the final book as soon as it comes out in December.

“No one really wishes to be queen.” Title: Three Dark Crowns Series: Three Dark Crowns #1 Author: Kendare Blake Published: September 20, 2016 Medium: Print (hardcover) Pages: 398 Genre: Fantasy Rating: Summary: Three triplet queens are born every generation on the island of Fennbirn. They are separated by “gift,” or special power (Elemental, Naturalist, or Poisoner) and sent to live in the communities that share their specific gift so that they can learn and become stronger. When they come of age, they will be expected to fight to the death so that only the strongest remains to rule and birth the next set of triplets.  Thoughts: I had tried listening to the audiobook for this several months ago and I couldn’t get passed the first two chapters, but a friend suggested I try reading it instead and lent me the book. I was surprised that I loved it! Many other reviewers thought that the love-interest parts were too heavily focused on, but I disagree. Only one of the love interests was super focused on, and that became very important for the end of the book. The other love interest that was frequently shown was a focus, yes, but less so than overall survival. This book was excellent though, and…

“I am different from what my world demands I be. And I am not worse for it.” Title: War Storm Series: Red Queen #4 Author: Victoria Aveyard Published: May 15, 2018 Medium: Audiobook Narration: Amanda Dolan, Erin Spencer, Sashia Maarleneld, Vikas Adam, Charlie Thurston Length: 22:23 Genre: Contemporary Science Fiction Rating:   Summary & Thoughts: I cannot possible separate these two sections in my head, let alone on this page. Therefore, I will be posting a full discussion post on this book soon. Link will be posted here when ready:)

“You don’t need a prince to save you. I don’t have a lot of patience for stories in which women are saved by men.” -Neil Gaiman Title: The Sleeper and the Spindle Author: Neil Gaiman  Illustrator: Chris Riddell Published: October 23, 2014 Medium: Print (hardcover) Pages: 72 Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tale Rating: Summary: A queen is notified by her dwarf companions that a sleeping curse has come over a nearby kingdom. The curse stems from the princess castle, where the princess sleeps under the same curse. Despite the fact that it is the day before her wedding, the queen strikes out to save the princess alongside her three dwarves. When she gets to the top of the castle and awakens the princess, she gets a dark surprise. Thoughts: I thought everything about this book was beautiful! The artwork throughout was gorgeous, with golden ink to bring out some of the details. The story was interesting and the twist at the end, though a little telegraphed, was still a new twist on the original story that I had not yet seen. The queen gets to be the hero, in all aspects. She even awakens the princess with a kiss. From what I have read of other reviews, many of the…

“The Ability to feel is a strength, not a weakness” Title: An Enchantment of Ravens Author: Margaret Rogerson Published: September 26, 2017 Medium: Print (hardcover) Pages: 304 Genre: Fantasy, Romance   Rating: Summary: A prodigy painter names Isobel paints for faeries, the most dangerous and vain creatures in the land of Whimsy. Faeries crave human creations and pay for them in enchantments, many of which are poorly worded and cause chaos instead of their intended effect. Isobel is careful though, with all of her dealing with the Fae. That is, until she meets Rook, the prince of the Autumnlands. As she holds her painting sessions with Rook, she begins to feel something for him. Now, in love with a faerie prince, she is dragged off into faerie because she painted him in a way that has put his life in jeopardy. While in the faerie lands, she discovers a power within herself and her work and must fight her way back home. Thoughts: I truly enjoyed this book! It was a quick read with a really cute story. Faeries happen to be one of my favorite topics to read about, so I love seeing their lore integrated into popular games, books,…