Update #4

Hey there everybody! 

How are you today? Hopefully you're doing well :)

I just wanted to update you guys on the fact that I have created an Official Facebook page for this blog! My hopes with this page is to keep you guys connected/updated on a more regular basis, as well as allow for easier requests and suggestions. 

The link can be found HERE!

Let me know your thoughts on the page so I can make it even better for you as the readers.

Your fellow bookworm,
Kelly

Baygirl (Heather Smith)

Hello there everybody! I'd first like to start off by apologizing for my absence for the last month. As my first co-op work term came to a close, I was quite swamped with the tasks at hand which left me pretty tired in the evenings; this meant my reading schedule was placed on hold until I had regrouped and rested. Now that I'm back in school, and working hard on keep my grades up, I will still try my best to put out a new review at least once a month, but please don't hold me to that! Now, without any further delay, let's move forward with the review! :)

Baygirl by Heather Smith is a Canadian novel and a nominee of the White Pine Award. For those of you who aren't aware of the White Pine Award, it is an annual award presented to a young adult book that promotes reading for enjoyment and Canadian culture, and is sponsored by the Ontario Library Association. The nominated books are provided to students in high school (Grades 9 - 12) who then have the opportunity to vote for a winner as the program ends. I was excited to read this book, being a fellow Canadian, because I feel as though I don't appreciate "local" authors as much as I should; I really want to support some more Canadian authors. I was also excited to pick up this book because the cover is gorgeous!

The novel follows the story of 16 year old Kit Ryan, a local in a fishing village in Newfoundland. Kit has grown up in the small village her whole life and has grown attached to the little things that make it wonderful; the salty breeze, the cranky old man, and the hill that overlooks the village. Despite living the almost perfect life, Kit is faced with the reality of moving to St. John's after her father loses his job. Once the car is packed up and driven to St. John's, Kit must learn to fit in with the new kids whilst hiding the truth about the horror found at home: her alcoholic father. The plot follows Kit as she learns to adapt to a new place and fall in love, while dealing with her father and a tragedy back home.

The author does a wonderful job of creating very real characters. Each one of the characters has a personality filled with both good things and flaws; this is an aspect that I truly enjoyed. While I was reading the book, I felt as though I was looking into someone's actual life - not just a story. That in itself is an amazing thing to do because everything feels real. I was engrossed in the characters, the houses, the town, the atmosphere - I could go on but I shall spare you every detail. I highly recommend experiencing it for yourself.

Author, Heather Smith

Overall, I would rate Baygirl 5/5 because it was beautifully written and just felt so real to how life actually is. Glad to support my fellow Canadian authors, and I look forward to future books by her!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

If you would like updates for when a new review is posted, check out the Tumblr page!

Where She Went (Gayle Forman)

Looking at the title of this review, you may be a little confused as to why this is being posted without the first book review being up. To diminish the confusion, let me explain. This is indeed the sequel to If I Stay but I have a confession: I didn't actually read the first book. I watched the movie a couple months back, not knowing it was based on a book. When I discovered that, I was mildly horrified that I had watched a movie before the book. But instead of going back and reading the first book, I just had to jump right into the second one. I needed to find out what happened!

Where She Went by Gayle Forman, as I mentioned before, is the sequel to the bestseller book (and movie) If I Stay. Just as a recap for the first book: Mia is a cello player and Adam plays guitar in a band. The unlikely pairing become inseparable until a tragic events happens in Mia's life. She is left hanging in this unknown in-between and has to decide on whether she should stay or leave. Of course, Adam wants her to stay though he makes a promise that may cost him later. That's the first book, without giving away too much. The second book begins three years after the devastating accident. This book follows Adam more closely as he faces the challenges of being in a band that is rising through the ranks. He also faces challenges when he crosses paths with his old love Mia. Will the come together again, or are old wounds still to raw to allow that to happen?

The writing of this book is beautiful and I thank Gayle Forman for writing such a lovely novel. The characters are so real and you begin to feel what they are feeling. Any happiness became my happiness; any sadness became my sadness; any pain became my pain. That is a difficult thing to do, but Gayle managed to do so in such an incredible manner. There is no "sugar-coating" the emotions in the book and I love the reality of it all. For me, I find teen fiction can become a little washed-out leaving behind a feeling that my life isn't as wonderful as it should be based on the characters I'm following. But Where She Went (and the movie If I Stay) doesn't look at just the happy parts of a relationship or the teeny tiny "fights", it looks at the whole picture and how life is a long journey; there may be heartbreak, but perhaps things will find a way of healing if you give it time.

Mia & Adam (as portrayed in the movie If I Stay)

Overall, I would rate Where She Went 5/5 because it was beautifully written and just felt so true to what life and relationships are. Again, thank you Gayle Forman for writing a two-book series that I am now in love with; I promise to go back and read the first one!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

If you would like updates for when a new review is posted, check out the Tumblr page!

A Thousand Pieces of You (Claudia Gray)

This is a book I came across on Tumblr, much like many of the others I've read. I was scrolling through my dashboard when a picture of this book appeared on my screen. The cover of this novel was so captivating with all of its bright colours and the mirrored "two-worlds" that look so distant but feel so connected. It's a simple cover, yet it is also very complex because you can tell there is a meaning behind it that must tie well with the story.

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray is a book that is very unique in its own; I can't say I've read any books prior to it that have a storyline quite like this. The story follows the life of Marguerite Caine, the daughter of two very bright parents who are scientists. Her parents also happen to have created a device that allows one to travel to neighbouring dimensions: they call it the Firebird. Despite this amazing feature of the Firebird, it also seems to cause quite a bit of trouble. After a tragic event, and the disappearance of one of the assistant inventors, Marguerite is left with one thing on her mind: kill Paul Markov. The responsibility of this tragedy all falls into one arrow that points straight at Paul; however, after jumping dimensions, Marguerite must determine if he really is the cause or not. The book follows Marguerite, and her family friend Theo, as they chase Paul through dimensions, facing personal challenges in each one.

The characters in this book are ones that I did initially struggle to connect with, but I think that is more to do so with the fact that the plot is quite abstract; you can't really relate on a personal level to someone jumping through alternate dimensions. Despite that though, the relationships between all of the characters feel well developed and you can sense history between them without anything being explicitly stated. When reading the book, I became fully immersed in the world that Claudia Gray created, and I actually ended up finishing the book in three or four hours. It's not a difficult read, but the plot does have several layers, meaning even the smallest detail can actually be quite significant.

Upon completing the book, I was satisfied with the ending. I was left with the feeling that everything would work out and I liked the idea of an open ending; it allowed for some personal creativity to imagine my own outcome. But it turns out Claudia Gray is actually turning this into a trilogy, according to Goodreads. I'm not sure how I feel about it becoming a trilogy - since it is the typical thing to do now with YA books - but I will not prejudge the books until I read them. The sequel is called Ten Thousand Skies Above You and is due to release in November this year.

Overall, I would rate A Thousand Pieces of You 4.5/5 because it held my attention so easily and I didn't want to put the book down once I started. Of course, as mentioned before, it was hard to personally relate to the characters but the story was built in such a way that it wasn't too big of an issue for me. Also, the mainstream trilogy creation is a slight letdown, as I loved this book as a stand alone.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

If you would like updates for when a new review is posted, check out the Tumblr page!

Point of Infliction (Veronica N. Davis)

This review is one that has been a long time coming! I first became aware about this book after receiving a request via my Tumblr page all the way back in July 2014. This request came to the attention of the author who suggested I placed a request at my local library for a copy; and this I did! After placing the request, I played the waiting game until November 28th when I was able to walk over to my library and pick up the book. I was extremely excited to finally have the book in my possession as the anticipation had built up quite a bit! However, I did not get around to reading it at the moment as I was heading into exam month at University. Then, once the exams had finished, I was in the middle of a trilogy of which I had to complete first because I can't stand reading books in between (it ruins the flow of the plot). But, despite all that, these past two weeks I have been reading it finally!

That book that I've been reading is Point of Infliction by Veronica N. Davis, and I have to say, it lived up to all the anticipation and suspense! The plot follows the lives of those living in a town soon struck with many tragedies, all tied together by one thing: a mysterious man whose idea of justice is  corrupt and unnatural. Camille Moore is one of those lives affected, having once had a sister fall victim to this man; however, Camille will find herself unknowingly close to this man. This man, whose last name is quite the talk of the town for other reasons, has a reputation, but not for what he should. As the story unfolds, you fall into the depths of the story trying to discover if Camille will get out of the darkness that is Derek Caldwell, or if she will fall victim to the fate her sister once experienced.

Whilst reading the novel, I was excited to discover more about both Camille and Derek, and excited to discover what fate lie ahead for the two of them. There were a few parts that left me feeling a little confused, due to the magnitude of main characters, but by the end all confusion was alleviated. The story comes together at the end and ties up loose ends. Though the ending does strike hard, I couldn't help but empathize with Derek because of his honest intentions. Despite his corrupt methods, and disturbing nature, I can't help but understand why he does what he does; that is truly an impressive thing to accomplish on Veronica Davis's part, to which I applaud her.

Overall, I would rate Point of Infliction 4.8/5 because it was essentially perfect! The only thing I would have needed for a perfect rating was a little more clarity in the parts of the novel that followed secondary characters; since there were so many names, I struggled to remember who was who - though that could be because of my struggle to focus at night after a long day at work.

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

If you would like updates for when a new review is posted, check out the Tumblr page!

Blue Lily, Lily Blue (Maggie Stiefvater)

Hey there everyone! I'm back with a new review (finally) and this time it is the third novel in The Raven Cycle series. Before I begin, however, I wanted to apologize for the lack of reviews being posted lately. I'm currently on co-op as part of my schooling, and often after work I feel too tired to be able to completely focus on the stories unfolding on the page. Without full focus, I feel as though my reviews and opinions would be clouded by my lack of concentration; however, now that I'm one month into my work term, I am more focused and used to the routine. So, without further ado, the review!

Blue Lily, Lily Blue is the book to follow The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves, both of which I gave 5 out of 5 stars; it had a tough act to follow, and I was definitely more critical as a result. The plot continues where it left of at the end of the second, as Blue and the boys continue their work with the ley line. As their efforts begin to reap rewards, those same efforts also reap consequences. With the wakening of one of the "sleepers" comes the disappearance of one, the death of another, and a very close call for one of the boys. As the story approaches the end, the pace of the plot accelerates and I became much more invested in it than I was at the beginning. At the end of the novel, you are left on a cliffhanger - this was something I was extremely upset about!

The Book Cover

Though I was upset about the cliffhanger, since I was not aware that The Raven Cycle series wasn't a trilogy, I did some research to discover there will be another book to follow. Maggie is currently working on Book 4, which is due to release in the Fall of 2015. For me, this is too far away! I'm not a fan of the gaps between book releases, especially when the plot lines are a little more intricate and detail-oriented. I know that when the next book arrives, I will have forgotten many of the details from the previous. But, with that said, I still am very much so look forward to that new release!

Overall, I would rate Blue Lily, Lily Blue 4.5/5 because I did find the first half of the story to be a little slow and disorganized, but the latter half was exception and suspenseful! I can't wait for the true final installment?

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms :)

Leave a comment with your thoughts on this story or with a suggestion of another book I should read & review!

If you would like updates for when a new review is posted, check out the Tumblr page!

Liebster Award Nomination

Hey there bookworms! :)

I've been blogging for close to a year now and I have enjoyed writing every post that has been published on here. Every time I read a new book and share my own thoughts, I've always wondered if it ever truly reaches people - if people actually read it on the other end - or if it just publishes into thin air. On Tuesday, however, upon returning home from a busy day at work, I log in to find a Liebster Award Nomination from Life As I Know It. The Liebster Award is an award which lets people know about the smaller blogs that are out there with 200 followers/subscribers or less. So with that, I'd like to thank Charly.

The rules are simple:
1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Answer the questions given by the nominator
3. Nominate another 11 bloggers (with 200 or less followers) and link them
4. Create 11 new questions for the nominees to answer
5. Notify all nominees by social media/blogs

Questions from Life As I Know It:
1. One place you would absolutely love to visit? 

One place that I would absolutely love to visit someday is New Zealand. I don't care where in New Zealand I go, I just simply want to visit there. If I'm honest, I think it's because of my love for photography, and whenever I think of going there, I know I'd be filled with joy whilst photographing as much as I could.

2. Current favourite song?

This has always been a difficult question for me to answer because I use music as a personal release of emotion; I drown myself in music if I'm feeling sad or even if I'm happy. But, if I truly had to choose a song as my favourite, my current chose would be You Are In Love by Taylor Swift (but that's most because I'm working on my own interpretation on guitar at the moment).

3. Favourite word?

Now that is most certainly a question I have never been asked before. I do really like the word serendipity because it has such a happy and uplifting meaning.

4. How long have you been blogging?

I started this blog in March 2014, though it originally started out as a Tumblr page in August 2013.

5. Top way to procrastinate? (Other than blogging!)

My top way to procrastinate would be a tie between Tumblr, YouTube, and my guitar. Oh and books!

6. Sweet or savoury?

Definitely sweet :) I love baking too much!

7.If you could go on a date with any celebrity, who would it be and why?

This is probably a less common answer, but Ed Sheeran. I'd just love to have a jam session with him and improve my guitar playing. He truly is an inspiration in my own playing.

8. Favourite season?

As much as I want to say summer, because it's warm and typically there is no school, I do really love the beginning of Autumn. I love the way the leaves turn red, yellow, orange, and brown. I love the way you can be outside in a sweater and jeans, and not feel too cold. I love the smells that come with it as well.

9. Apple or Windows?

I'm an Apple girl! Absolutely love my Macbook!

10. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In 5 years from now I will be one year out of University, hopefully successfully with my Bachelor of Science in Biology. I hope that I am still with my boyfriend and that he too successfully graduated University. I hope to have a job in the field that I want to and that it's everything I imagined. But most importantly, I hope I'm happy (and still reading)!

11. Favourite memory?

Favourite memory eh? That's a tough question! One of the memories that comes to mind is a fairly recent one - from last Winter - in which one of my best friends from home and I entered into the talent contest at our University. She sang and I played guitar. The first stage of the contest was an audition tape that you submitted in hopes of making the Top 20 participants. We filmed and edited a music video to play within our performance of Begin Again by Taylor Swift. We successfully were picked to be in the Top 20, where then the Top 10 were selected based on number of Facebook 'likes'. It was close, but we made it to the live Top 10 round. During the live performance we performed Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran; it was the first time I had truly played guitar in front of an audience of people I did not know. It was thrilling! Performing live was such a rush! Normally I play guitar in my room alone, when no one is around to watch me play; I use it as an emotional escape at times. So performing live was definitely a fantastic moment and one that is amongst some of my fondest memories.

My nominations are:
**(Note: I only actually follow the first blog as of right now. I don't read a lot of other blogs in my spare time *gasp I know* so I decided to go searching the 'blogspot' tag on Tumblr to find some hidden or upcoming gems! Also, I apologize that there are only 9)

Beauty ~ Fashion ~ Lifestyle
Professional Daydreamer
Livin' On Brightside
Erikaawho
We Live & Breathe Words
Sailor Alanah Books
The Travelling Donkey
Love. Eat. Read.
Wearing Wanderlust

My 11 questions for the nominees to answer:

1. Why did you decide to start blogging?
2. Indoors or outdoors?
3. The last song you listened to? 
4. A place you like to go to think?
5. Favourite thing to bake/cook?
6. Favourite day of the week?
7. A story that always makes you smile when looking back on it?
8. Chocolate or vanilla?
9. A book you never finished and why?
10. A book you will love forever?
11. Something people may not know about you?


Thank you once more to Charly for the nomination!

Until next time,
Happy Reading Fellow Bookworms