Beauty & The Books|Book Haul May 2015

Hey ya’ll! It’s been a while since I have done any "book related” posts, and I have really missed them! I really miss doing lifestyle related posts, so I am definitely going to start doing more of them. Today I’m going to share with you some books I have picked up recently. I will have each book linked, in case you want more information. I’ve also included link to their Goodreads pages, if you want to read reviews and ratings.  

Paper Towns by John Green

-Goodreads Page-

Paper Towns is about a boy named Quentin Jacobsen who has had a long time crush on a girl named Margo Spiegelman. They randomly become friends one night when she shows up at his house. They spend the entire night together and then everything changes the next day at school. From what I can gather, Margo disappears but has left clues for Quentin to find her. The movie adaptation comes out in theaters this summer, on July 24.

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz

-Goodreads Page-

The Isle of the Lost is a Disney adaptation about the Disney Villains and their children. The Villains are Maleficent, The Evil Queen from Snow White, Jafar, and Cruella Deville. The Villains and their families live on an island called Isle of the Lost and it is ruled by Maleficent. The Disney Villains were banished to the island and stripped of their powers 20 yrs ago, and are unable to leave due to an invisible fortress. There is key to help them possibly regain their powers and unlock the fortress somewhere hidden on the island that they must find. It seems to me that this is going to be a coming of age story about the children, and the lesson is that just because you come from an evil family, doesn’t mean you can’t choose to be good.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

-Goodreads Page-

Outlander was originally published in 1991 and there are 8 books in this series, with the ninth book in the works. It’s about a woman named Claire Randall who is a combat nurse in the year 1945. She has just come back from the war and has been reunited with her husband. They are on a vacation in the British Isles when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient stone circles, and is transported back in time to Scotland in the year 1743. This has been made into a TV Series on Starz network and I have not watched it. I have heard really amazing things about this series, and I’m excited to start it. I’ve heard is all things romantic, dramatic, fun, exciting, and adventurous.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress

-Goodreads Page-

These are all fairy tale retellings about Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel. The prequel to this series called The Fairest came out in January of this year, and the next book in the series comes out in November titled Winter, which is going to be featuring Snow White. So far I have read Cinder, but have yet to start the next book in the series, Scarlett. I believe that each book features the character(s)  from the previous book in the series. I really enjoyed Cinder, and have heard really awesome things about this series in general, so I am excited to continue reading it.

Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black 

-Goodreads Page-

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is about a girl name Tana who lives in a world where there are caged cities called Coldtowns that house vampires. There’s another thing, if you enter a Coldtown, you aren’t allowed to leave it. One morning after a party, Tana wakes up to find herself surrounded by dead bodies. She, her ex boyfriend who has been infected, and another boy whom she does not know, are the only three survivors. They have to find a way to save themselves, and the only way to do that is to entire a Coldtown.

xoxo,
Casey

VLOGMAS Day 9|Beauty & The Books: Holiday Gift Guide

Hey ya'll!

I decided to put together a gift guide for book lovers and for people who may just be getting into reading. Makeup, skin care, and fashion are some of favorite things, but another is reading. It's a safe getaway for me and it's one of my absolute treasured hobbies. I have a little bit of everything on this list from contemporaries, to paranormal-fantasy novels, as well as picks for fashion and beauty lovers. Just a little FYI - almost every book is from the Young Adult section because that's my favorite section to read from.

Contemporary
Two really great reads are The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (TPOBAW) by Stephen Chbosky and The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. They are perfect for someone who is wanting to read a coming-of-age story. FanGirl by Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite books of life. All of Rowell's books that I have read have been pure magic. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is a tear jerker, and it's so amazing. You really cannot go wrong with anything John Green, his books are so real and raw.

Paranormal/Fantasy
If you, or the person you are buying for, has not read Harry Potter, it's a must. I truly believe that kids between the ages of 10 to 12 should start this series. It will always be adored by me and millions of others. Anything Cassandra Clare is absolutely fantastic. The Mortal Instruments Series and The Infernal Devices trilogy are both wonderful. A series that doesn't get enough love, in my opinion, is The Beautiful Creatures series by Kami Garcia. The first book was turned into a movie, and they did not do it justice AT ALL. If you have seen the Beautiful Creatures movie, please do not let that deter you from reading the books because there is no comparison. It's one of my most enjoyed series that I have read and I was really disappointed in the movie.

Fashion & Beauty Lovers
If the person you are buying for is a Fashion or Beauty Addict, these next books are must haves. I have read and loved each one of these. Living In Style by Rachel Zoe is a pretty large book, so it could double as a coffee table book. The cover is gorgeous, there's amazing pictures inside, and everything from fashion to beauty, skin care to style, and home decor are discussed. For personal style and building your wardrobe, From A to Zoe by Rachel Zoe and That Extra Half An Inch by Victoria Beckham are must haves.

If you are wanting to give a bit of a bigger gift, a boxed set or series is a great route to go. Target has really great deals on boxed sets, as well as alternative covers for some of the most popular series'. There's a Harry Potter paperback boxed set that I am lusting over. Each book has a new cover and when the spines line up they create a picture of Hogwarts. Any Harry Potter fan would adore it.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins also got a makeover. Each book boasts a new, aluminum type cover that is really fun and sleek. You can find them individually with these updated covers, as well as in a boxed set.

Like I said earlier in this post, you cannot go wrong with anything John Green. If you are buying for a book lover, but you're not sure what genre they enjoy, give John Green a shot. You can find a boxed set with four of his best selling books that would make any book worm happy. In the set you will find The Fault In Our Stars, Looking For Alaska, An Abundance Of Catherine's, and Paper Towns.

Another idea for a larger gift, is to create a gift basket surrounding a book. For example, say you are interested in purchasing a book that has been turned into a movie. You could purchase both the book and the movie, put them in a basket along with a bag of popcorn, some candy, a soda, and maybe even a candle. This would create a really nice gift that any book lover would appreciate for a comfy night in. I know if I received that as a gift, it would probably be one of my favorite ones!

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's Beauty & The Books and found it helpful. If you have any books that are similar to any of the ones I mentioned here, please leave them in the comments below. I love adding books to my TBR and getting suggestions for others!

xoxo,

Casey

Beauty And The Books: Books I've Read Recently

Hey ya'll!!

Today I introduced my Beauty And The Books series to my YouTube channel! I talk about the last four books I've read and give mini reviews on each.

The first book I talk about is Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter. I totally forgot I already did a Book Review on it at the end of August. For some reason I thought I had finished it in the beginning of September, but really it was the very end of August, oops! The other three books mentioned in this video are Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, and Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor. Watch the video below for a mini review on each of these books.

I hope ya'll enjoyed this video. Have a great weekend!

xoxo,

Casey

Beauty And The Books: Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter

I just finished Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter and I loved it! It's the first book in the Shadow Falls series. I don't know what it is about series' that I love so much, but I just can't get enough. I'm notorious for reading multiple series' at a time too. I always have this big TBR list so there's always other books I'm excited to read, which distracts me from finishing one series at a time. I will read one book in a series, and even if I loved it I usually will go to a different series before picking up the next book in the series that I just finished reading. In my eyes it's like watching TV. You don't want to sit there and watch the same show, episode after episode, over and over again because you'd get bored. That's how I am with books. I don't want to ruin a good thing so I like to "change the channel" after each "episode". Catch my drift? :)

In Born At Midnight, the main character Kylie is having a tough time. Her parents are going through a divorce, her Nana just passed away, her boyfriend broke up with her, and for some reason this guy dressed as a soldier is following her around. Anyone would be weirded out to have some random guy following them around, and popping up at random times and places. What makes this situation even creepier is that only Kylie can see him. Her parents naturally are worried about her, so they have her visit with a psychiatrist to try and figure out what's really going on. Kylie is a good kid, but with everything going on at home she decides to go to a party with a friend of hers to try and unwind. While at the party, the cops show up and take everyone to the police station because of underage drinking, and for drugs that were found at the party. Kylie was not drinking or doing any drugs, but because she lied to her mom about the party she gets in a heck of a lot of trouble.

Naturally her mother is worried about her, but Kylie's mom is not the motherly type. She's cold natured, and doesn't show a lot of affection. When her mom picks her up from the police station, she tells Kylie that her psychiatrist had recommended she attend a summer camp, and after the party fiasco, her mom decides that summer camp is the best way to get to the bottom of Kylie's issues. The camp her psychiatrist recommends is called Shadow Falls. Kylie does not want to go to camp, and she wishes her mom wouldn't make her go. When they arrive to the bus station, Kylie starts to take in the other kids that are also attending Shadow Falls. They all appear to be gothic, and look like the kind of kids that are up to no good. She begs her mom one more time to please let her stay home, but her mom doesn't budge, and sends her off to camp.

Shadow Falls is not a camp for troubled youth like she had thought. When she arrives and the camp leaders are giving their introductions, everyone won't stop staring at Kylie. She's really confused and doesn't understand what's going on. Things get even more uncomfortable when a fellow camper raises her hand, and asks in front of the entire camp "What's she doing here?", pointing right at Kylie. Soon after that, Kylie finds out what kind of camp Shadow Falls really is, and needless to say she's pretty freaked out. Shadow Falls is a camp for supernaturals. Everyone attending the camp is either a vampire, a werewolf, a shape shifter, a witch, or a fairy. Kylie is totally creeped out and doesn't understand why in the world she's. All she knows is that she's just a regular teenage girl. She wonders why her psychiatrist would recommend this camp for her in the first place, and she can't wrap her head around the fact that supernaturals even exist.

After everyone arrives at camp and the initial introductions have been made, Kylie goes in for a meeting with Holiday, one of the camp directors. Holiday explains to Kylie that her psychiatrist recommended Shadow Falls because she believes that Kylie is a supernatural, or at least half of one. What led her to believe this is Kylie's brain pattern, and her ability to see ghosts. Every supernatural has a different brain pattern than regular humans, and they all have the ability to read said patterns. Kylie is beyond confused, she's scared, and she really wishes that this wasn't happening to her. She's not even the slightest bit convinced that she's a supernatural. She is looking for every excuse in the book, and every possible explanation, for why her brain pattern is different and why she could be seeing this ghost.

Throughout the rest of the book, we follow Kylie through her first few weeks at camp as she tries to discover who she is, what she is, and how she came to be that way. We get to watch her come into her own, form new friendship's, and witness a love triangle that is starting to unfold. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Supernatural YA Fiction. There are five books in this series, along with a few side stories. Born At Midnight received 4.15 stars out of a possible five on GoodReads, and the rest of the books in the series also have above a four star rating. 

I hope ya'll enjoyed today's Beauty And The Books post! Let me know in the comments below if you've read this series and what your thoughts and opinions are on it.

xoxo,

Casey

Beauty And The Books: The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

I have been wanting to dive into this book since last year and have finally gotten around to it. The 5th Wave was recommended to me through Barnes and Noble because I liked dystopian adventure type books like Divergent, Hunger Games, and The Maze Runner. I didn't do a lot of research, or read a lot of reviews on this before I read it, and I'm glad I didn't. I like to go into books not knowing a whole lot, I like to be surprised with my reading and I don't want any spoilers, so I'm going to discuss the book without giving everything away so you can enjoy it as much as I did. It was different than I thought it would be, and I think that made me love it even more.

The beginning of the story kind of reminds me of The Walking Dead. The main character Cassie is all alone, living in a tent in the woods of Ohio. She walks during the day searching for food, and hides in her tent at night so "the Others" won't find her. The roads are abandoned, and so are all the stores and shops which have all been looted. She's a lone survivor of The Waves and isn't sure how many other survivors are left, all she knows is she can't trust anyone. The Waves were brought on by aliens. They invaded Earth and have been slowing killing off the human race wave by wave. These aren't the little green martians, or tall skinny aliens with giant eyeballs, they look just like you and me. You can't tell an alien from a regular person, which is why no one can be trusted.

Let's break down the waves. During the 1st Wave, all things electronic stopped working. All cell phones, computers, and electricity stopped at once. Same goes for cars and planes which all just died mid drive and mid flight, causing pile ups and planes crashing down from the sky. During the 2nd Wave, all coastal cities on every continent were wiped out during a giant tsunami. During the 3rd Wave there was a plague that slowly began infecting the human race and killing them off. It didn't effect everyone though, some people didn't get it at all and some people got it and then were able to recover, but only a slight few. The 4th Wave, which the world is currently in, brought along the Silencers. The Silencers are The Others who are out killing off the survivors of the 3rd Wave. They hide on top of buildings, in the woods, and wherever else they can think of and basically are sniping out any wandering survivors.

The 5th Wave was a fun, easy read. It had a lot of different Parts and short chapters which I loved. Another thing I liked about the writing style, was that we got to read from different character's point's of view with each new Part. Sometimes I enjoy reading different point's of view, but depending on how it's written it can be really confusing or it doesn't flow well. Rick Yancey did a fantastic job with each transition. They flowed really well because instead of switching every other chapter, we got whole Parts with multiple chapters for each character and their point of view.  This really hooks the reader in, and makes you understand the waves and the new world much better, but you also get invested with each character. I really enjoyed the characters and their stories and development. Of course there were characters and Parts that I enjoyed more than others, but I loved getting to read through different eyes and experiencing all their different journey's. Yancey literally gave life to each character, and you could tell which character was who just by their attitude and tone with each changing Part.

I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of dystopian, action and adventure, or sci-fi/fantasy books. It's a page turner and flows really well. It didn't go through any ruts where it got slow or boring. The story advanced smoothly, and each part progressed at a perfect pace. The second book in the series is called The Infinite Sea and it comes out on September 16. I cannot wait and definitely will be purchasing it. This series is definitely going to be a competitor with The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. There's already a movie in the works for The 5th Wave, set  to come out in 2016, starring Chloe Moretz as Cassie.

I hope you enjoyed today's review and are enjoying my Beauty and The Books series. Reading is one of my favorite things to do, and I look forward to bringing you more book related posts. Let me know in the comments below if you've read The 5th Wave and what your thoughts were on it!


xoxo,
Casey

Beauty and the Books: Book Haul

Hey ya'll!!

I've been running low on new reads lately so it was time to stock up again. I got a few stand-alone novels, along with some series books both new and continuing. I always gravitate towards books in a series versus stand-alone novels for some reason. I don't mean to do it, it just kind of happens. Some of these books I've wanted for a while, and some were recent discoveries. I went a little cray, and got more books than I probably should have at one time. There were so many that I wanted to read that I couldn't pick just a handful, #booknerdproblems. This is a pretty big book haul, well pretty big for me. I have nine books to show you today. Yeap you read right, I said nine. (Insert wide-eyed emoji here, P.S. Don't judge me!)

I have a few different ways that I choose the books that I want to read. I like to pop by different book sections when I'm out running errands or grocery shopping, just to see what's new and to get a peak inside. I also like to check out the Barnes and Noble website for new and upcoming releases. There's different suggestion links and categories that filter everything, making browsing really easy. Often times I end up checking out books based off of ones I see and hear about from BookTubers. Here are some of my favorites to watch in case you are interested: Katytastic, PeruseProject, Kassidy Voinche, BooksandQuills, PriceisWong, and PolandBananasBooks. Goodreads is also a really great site. Users rate books on a Star Scale from one to five and give their own personal reviews. It's a great way to see what books people are loving, or have loved in the past.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (NOOK Book)

4.51 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (NOOK Book)

4.43 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: Is Rose’s fate to kill the person she loves most? It’s springtime at St. Vladimir’s Academy, and Rose Hathaway is this close to graduation. Since Mason’s death, Rose hasn’t been feeling quite right. She has dark flashbacks in the middle of practice, can’t concentrate in class, and has terrifying dreams about Lissa. But Rose has an even bigger secret . . . .She’s in love with Dimitri. And this time, it’s way more than a crush. Then Strigoi target the academy in the deadliest attack in Moroi history, and Dimitri is taken. Rose must protect Lissa at all costs, but keeping her best friend safe could mean losing Dimitri forever….

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (NOOK Book)

4.1 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart. Shadow and Bone is the first installment in Leigh Bardugo's Grisha Trilogy.

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (NOOK Book)

4.14 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: To survive in a ruined world, she must embrace the darkness…. Allison Sekemoto survives in the Fringe, the outermost circle of a walled-in city. By day, she and her crew scavenge for food. By night, any one of them could be eaten. Some days, all that drives Allie is her hatred of them—the vampires who keep humans as blood cattle. Until the night Allie herself dies and becomes one of the monsters. Forced to flee her city, Allie must pass for human as she joins a ragged group of pilgrims seeking a legend—a place that might have a cure for the disease that killed off most of civilization and created the rabids, the bloodthirsty creatures who threaten human and vampire alike. And soon Allie will have to decide what–and who–is worth dying for…again. Enter Julie Kagawa's dark and twisted world as an unforgettable journey begins.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (NOOK Book)

4.17 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: 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.

Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (NOOK Book)

3.84 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: From the world of Beautiful Creatures-a dangerous new tale of love and magic. Ridley Duchannes is nobody's heroine. She's a Dark Caster, a Siren. She can make you do things. Anything. You can't trust her, or yourself when she's around. And she'll be the first to tell you to stay away-especially if you're going to do something as stupid as fall in love with her. Lucky for Ridley, her wannabe rocker boyfriend, Wesley "Link" Lincoln, never listens to anyone. Link doesn't care if Rid's no good for him, and he takes her along when he leaves small-town Gatlin to follow his rock-star dream. He teams up with a ragtag group of Dark Casters, and when the band scores a gig at a hot Underground club, it looks like all of Link's dreams are about to come true. But New York City is a dangerous place for both Casters and Mortals, and soon Ridley realizes that Link's bandmates are keeping secrets. With bad-boy club owner Lennox Gates on her heels, Rid is determined to find out the truth. What she discovers is worse than she could have imagined: Link has a price on his head that no Caster or Mortal can ever pay. With their lives on the line, what's a Siren to do? Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthors of the Beautiful Creatures novels, are back to cast another magical spell. Their signature blend of mystery, suspense, and romance, with a healthy dose of wit and danger, will pull fans in and leave them begging for more.

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (NOOK Book)

3.94 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth. We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from New York Times bestselling author, National Book Award finalist, and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (NOOK Book)

3.99 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: A critically acclaimed novel that will change the way you look at life, love, and family. In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (NOOK Book)

3.98 Stars on Goodreads

Synopsis: Book one of the New York Times–bestselling All Souls trilogy—"a wonderfully imaginative grown-up fantasy with all the magic of Harry Potter and Twilight” (People) Deborah Harkness’s sparkling debut, A Discovery of Witches, has brought her into the spotlight and galvanized fans around the world. In this tale of passion and obsession, Diana Bishop, a young scholar and a descendant of witches, discovers a long-lost and enchanted alchemical manuscript, Ashmole 782, deep in Oxford's Bodleian Library. Its reappearance summons a fantastical underworld, which she navigates with her leading man, vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont. Harkness has created a universe to rival those of Anne Rice, Diana Gabaldon, and Elizabeth Kostova, and she adds a scholar's depth to this riveting tale of magic and suspense. The story continues in book two, Shadow of Night, and concludes with The Book of Life, coming from Viking in July 2014.

I've got a lot of reading to do, and plenty of material to work with! Let me know in the comments below if you've read any of these books and what you're thoughts were on them. 


xoxo,
Casey

Beauty and the Books: Half Bad by Sally Green

Hey ya'll!!

Another week, another book read. Like the new name change?! I decided to go ahead and change the name of my book related posts from "Book Work Series" to the new and improved "Beauty and the Books". I think it's a better fit, what about you? Today's Beauty and the Books is a review on Half Bad by Sally Green. I have been really excited to read this book and had high hopes for it. I enjoyed reading it, but it ended up being different than what I thought it would be. Find out more about the synopsis in my TBR here.

Half Bad is the first book in a new  trilogy, Book Two comes out at the end of 2015. It's about a boy named Nathan, who is half White Witch and half Black Witch. White Witches are good, Black Witches are bad. Nathan's mother was a White Witch, and had a husband and a family of her own. Nathan's father, Marcus, is the most evil of all Black Witches. He killed Nathan's mother's husband, and left her to raise Nathan and the rest of her children on her own. Nathan's mother couldn't deal with it all, so she committed suicide when Nathan was just a baby. Nathan and his siblings were then raised by their Gran. He has never met his father but knows of him. Nathan has to go into town to meet with the Council every year on his birthday. Starting as a young child, he is submitted to tons of questioning about himself and his father, a man he has never met.

I was surprised at how much the book dealt with discrimination, even though it didn't outright say anything about it. I don't know if that was Green's intention in writing it, but that's how it came off to me. You really feel for Nathan as he grows up with everyone hating and judging him, and assuming he's bad news just because of who his father is. No one will be his friend, his teacher's don't take the time to educate him like they do the other students, his oldest sister is very hateful towards him, and even the Council members discriminate against Nathan. The Council sends many notifications to Nathan's house, always changing and giving new rules and regulations pertaining to Half Codes (anyone who is a mixed witch), making his and his Gran's life that much more stressful and miserable. He does have people on his side though. His Gran, his brother Arran, and his sister Deborah treat him well, along with his schoolmate Annalise.

Annalise comes from a Pure White family, all who play major roles in the Council. She and Nathan form a friendship that quickly turns into something more. When her brother's find out about this, they confront Nathan and begin torturing him, hurting him terribly. His family is really upset by this, but know there's nothing they can do about it because Annalise's family is such a huge part of the Council. Soon, Nathan and his Gran are notified by the Council that he is to come in for more questioning. When he arrives and goes through his normal questioning, he is taken into custody, is given a new guardian, and is whisked away immediately, all while his poor Gran watches the whole thing.

Nathan's guardian is a tough, military type woman. She has him on a strict schedule and he is kept chained in a cage at night to sleep. Even though she hits him, and works him to the bone, they grow a sort of fondness towards each other. Just when they grow this newfound fondness, Nathan is taken away again. This time he is taken into the custody of the Council, where Annalise's brother is now working.

While in custody, Nathan ends up escaping. When he was still living with his Gran, he met with this old woman named Mary. Mary told him of people who could help him receive his Three Gifts. Every witch must receive Three Gifts on their Seventeenth Birthday in order to become a witch and find out their power. Nathan already knows that the first person he is supposed to find, lives in the area where the Council building is. Nathan begins his traveling adventures, making stop after stop, and meeting different people who are all steps to finding Mercury, the witch who hopefully will help him with his Three Gifts. I don't want to spoil the entire story, especially since this is the first book in a trilogy, so I'm going to stop the spoilers here.

Nathan is tested in many different ways in his short life, and even though the whole world seemed to be against him, he didn't let that stop him from achieving his goal in getting his Three Gifts. I think this is a great book about facing diversity, and being strong even when you don't have anyone cheering you on. It's a great book for kids in school to read as well. It does a great job of showing how we shouldn't discriminate against others for who their parents are, or where they come from. That everyone is their own person, and despite where they originate from, it doesn't always mean they are going to turn out that same way. We shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Sometimes the best people are the ones who have all odds against them, sometimes that person just needs someone to give them a chance.

If you enjoy fantasy and paranormal books, I recommend giving this one a try. I enjoyed it even though it was different than what I expected. There wasn't as much magic in it as I thought there would be. If there's anything negative for me to say, it would be that I wished the book would have been  more "magical". I'm really excited for Book Two.  Half Bad ended on a cliff hanger, so I think there will be a lot more magic and action in the second book!

I'm close to being done with my TBR List, and will be on the hunt for more reads pretty soon. Let me know what books you recommend, or what books you'd like to see reviews on in the comments below!


xoxo,
Casey

Book Worm Series: Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira

Hey ya'll!!

In today's Book Worm Series I'm reviewing the debut novel by Ava Dellaira, Love Letters To The Dead. I have been anxious to read this for a while now because I've heard great things about. This review is going to be short and sweet, mainly because I didn't finish it..... Here's why.

I did not like this book..... at all. I'm so disappointed! I was really looking forward to it. I really tried to like it, I wanted to like it so bad, it just didn't happen. It was very slow, pulling teeth slow. I had looked at different reviews periodically while reading and so many reviewers said things like "It starts out slow, just give it a chance!", "It's like there's two halves to the book, the first half is slow and the second part you can't put it down!", "Once you get past the first half, you'll love it!". Well guess what, I got well into the so called "second half" and I still wasn't feeling it. I wanted to stop reading it well before the "second half" but I decided to listen to the other reviewers and stick it out. I really hate to not finish books. It literally is hard for me to not finish them and I actually feel guilty when I don't. Thankfully it rarely happens that I don't finish one. But if I'm not enjoying myself, then why should I continue wasting my time reading something that I'm not interested in?

I can see why people have liked it and raved about it. The book is not terrible, it really does mean well, it just wasn't doing it for me. I didn't relate to any of the characters, any of the "letter recipients", or to any of the situations the characters were going through. I think the main reason is because Laurel seems so young. She doesn't have any sort of personality, she's very mopey, and just annoying. If I can't relate to a character, if a character is not interesting to me, or if the character fails to have any sort of personality then I simply won't enjoy the book.

Love Letters To The Dead is about a girl named Laurel. She recently started going to a new high school after her sister May died, and her mom left town. She goes back and forth after a week long stay between her Dad's house, and her Aunt Amy's house (her mom's sister). At this new school Laurel meets new friends and tries to move on with her life. She is given an assignment on her first day of school, to write a letter to a dead person. Since her sister recently passed away, she couldn't bring herself to turn in her assignment. Her teacher was understanding, giving her two extensions, but she still didn't turn in the assignment (she may have ended up turning one in towards the end, but I didn't get that far). In her letters she tells stories about her past, and talks about the present with her new life and new friends. Mostly her letters are about missing her sister, and how her sister used to be, but she would never talk about how she died. The so called "second half" that many reviewers referred to was when Laurel reveals how May died. When I got to that part in the book I thought to myself "Ok, I've made it. This is going to get good now". Wrong, I was so wrong. I stuck it out for a few more letters, but it still never ended up interesting me, so I just gave up.

I wish I was walking away from this review telling you to go out and pick this up, but I can't bring myself to do it. I feel like such a Debbie Downer right now for writing a negative review, but it happens sometimes! Let me know in the comments below if you've read this book and what you thought about it!


xoxo,
Casey

Book Worm Series: Eleanor & Park *No Spoilers*

Hey ya'll!!

Today I'm going to give you my thoughts, and an overview, of Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. The reason why I'm not doing a full on review with spoilers is because it is so good that I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read it yet. The first Rainbow Rowell book I read was FanGirl which I absolutely loved. For more information on FanGirl click here. I adored Eleanor and Park! It was funny, relatable, and tugged on my heart strings. Throughout the book, the points of view are constantly shifting between Eleanor and Park. Normally I don 't like books like that, but Rowell wrote it so well that the transitions between characters is smooth and easy to follow.

For those of you that don't know, Eleanor and Park is about two high schoolers who start out not liking each other, but overtime they grow on each other and have their "first love" experience. The way Rainbow Rowell wrote about first love was on point and totally relatable and realistic. You really feel like you're a high schooler again while reading it, and relive those feelings of having crushes, being embarrassed, and having to be around people that you just can't stand.

Eleanor is new to school, and is very much an individual and stands out from all the other students. Her choices in clothes are questionable, and she has unruly red, curly hair. She quickly becomes the target for name calling and bullying by her peers. Even though it hurts her, she doesn't try and argue back, or stand up for herself.

Not only does she have a hard time at school, but her home life isn't any better. Her family is poor, and they don't have much of anything. She lives in a rundown little house with her mom and younger siblings, along with her step-dad. Her step-dad is an absolute terrible person. The whole time I was reading I was so disgusted by him. He's very mean, a drunk, and his life goal seems to make everyone in that house miserable with him. Eleanor's mom isn't any better. She's the kind of woman who allows that kind of behavior, and is very submissive to the abusive behavior.

Park's life is very different from Eleanor's. He has a great family, and his life is everything Eleanor wishes her would be, normal. His parents are still together and they adore each other. He has a younger brother who towers over him, and his grandparents live right next door. He also has it pretty easy at school. He isn't super popular, but he isn't a nerd either. You could say Park is in the "happy medium" section on the social scale.

I don't want to give anything else about the book away. All I want to say is stop what you're doing, and go read this book. It's so good, so worth it, and I promise you won't be disappointed. I absolutely adored it, and will recommend it to all book lovers out there.

I hope you enjoyed today's Book Worm Review. Until next time!


xoxo,
Casey

Book Worm Series: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare *SPOILERS*

Waaaahh I can't believe The Mortal Instruments series is over! But good news, there's a new series coming out in 2015 called The Dark Artifices and we are going to see our beloved characters again! Yay!!

City of Heavenly Fire was one of my favorite books from The Mortal Instruments series. All of the characters really shined. The story was exciting from the get go. In some of the books there would be a few chapters where things would get kind of boring and slow, kind of stop and go. But in this last book, things were go, go, go the whole time. It stayed interesting and fun, and I really liked how the chapters seemed to go back and forth to all the different story lines going on. 

My absolute favorite thing about this book was the tie-in to The Infernal Devices. If you have read the first five books in The Mortal Instruments series, but have not read The Infernal Devices or City of Heavenly Fire, then absolutely do not read City of Heavenly Fire first! You have to read The Infernal Devices series before you read City of Heavenly Fire to fully understand what is going on.

We lost a lot of people in this book, but that was expected. Jordan died early on in the book, Maia became a complete badass and killed Maureen, grumpy Raphael was killed because *gasp* he actually showed some feelings and refused to kill Magnus, and Sebastian, along with all the Endarkened and fellow Shadowhunters, died at the very end. I was not expecting Jonathan Morgenstern to surface once Clary stabbed Sebastian. I was really glad that happened though because it allowed Clary and Jocelyn to have at least some kind of closure. 

Not only did a lot of characters die, but Simon had quite the journey.... He was kidnapped right after the Shadowhunters went to Alicante and crazy vampire Maureen locked him in a cage and dressed him up in leather pants and a billowy shirt. Simon is freaking out thinking about how he's going to get out of there when, out of all people, Rafael shows up and helps him escape. He takes him to Alicante to help him represent the Vampires. I started to think that maybe Rafael was starting to be nicer to Simon, until he gave him drugged blood and Simon embarrassed himself to no end. Simon eventually goes to Edom with his crew to help stop Sebastian and he practically is starving the entire time. 

Poor Simon, he was really put through the ringer. You think Simon's bad luck is over until Magnus summons his demon father to help them out of Edom. Magnus's dad wants Magnus's immortality as a price for getting them safely out of Edom. By giving his dad his immortality, Magnus would die immediately because he is over 400 years old and his body would just wither away to nothing. Simon steps up and offers his immortality instead not thinking it through that he too would die immediately because he's undead. The demon says that Simon can live without his immortality, but he has to give up his memories. He would have no memories of his friends, of magic, or of the Shadowhunter world. Once I read that I was like "Noooo!". It was so sad! I've always liked Simon's character, so when they were all going to have to live without him it was just terrible. In the Epilogue, when Clary, Isabelle, and Magnus are waiting for Simon at his school and Clary ends up having a conversation with Simon, he ends it with giving her a flier for his bands concert. When it showed what was on the flier, I did a double take! I got really excited because I just knew they all couldn't just move on

without Simon. I'm really excited  to see how all of their stories progress in The Dark Artifices!

We can't forget about the Faeries. Those dang, evil Faeries. I was pretty shocked at the scene where Sebastian was in bed with the Seelie Queen, because I didn't see it coming! I've been reading, and watching, City of Heavenly Fire book reviews, and the best theory for The Dark Artifices I have heard thus far is that the Seelie Queen is going to wind up pregnant with Sebastian's baby, and that's who is going to be the new villain in The Dark Artifices. Holy moly! Let that one sink it for just a minute.

We were introduced to new characters, which are going to be the main characters in The Dark Artifices series. Emma Carstairs is going to be the new heroin in the upcoming series, along with the Blackthorn children. I really like how Cassandra Clare not only introduced them in this final book, but she gave them a pretty good sized role, making it nearly impossible to not want to read the new series. Talk about hook, line, and sinker! Not only do we know that Emma and the Blackthorns are going to be in the new series, but Jem and Tessa are going to be in it too! Emma thinks she is the only Carstairs left, so I'm really excited to see how Jem is going to tell her that she is not alone, and that he too is a Carstairs. Not only are the Carstairs going to be making a comeback in The Dark Artifices, but Jace has decided to take on the Herondale name! Get it? Will, Tessa, Jem... Jem Carstairs and Will Herondale... So not only will Emma find out she's not the only Carstairs left, but it looks like Jace is finally going to get some good news and learn more about his family through Tessa, since she married Will in The Infernal Devices and they had a family of their own. CAN'T - FREAKIN' - WAIT!

I really enjoyed City of Heavenly Fire. Cassandra Clare did such a wonderful job with both The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices, that I know The Dark Artifices will not disappoint. 

I would love to know all of your thoughts on these series and all of the books. What was your favorite series and what are your theories for the next series?

xoxo,

Casey

Book Worm Series: TBR and How To Save Money On Books

Hey ya'll!!

I'm finishing up City of Heavenly Fire and wanted to share what books I have that are waiting "To Be Read" (TBR). When I buy books I usually buy in bulk. Especially if I'm on a reading high and I'm finishing books in three days. Also, I usually have a list of books that I want and can never decide on just one or two, so I end up getting five.

I normally buy books through my Barnes and Noble NOOK account, but sometimes I get the actual book. I like to check Half-Price Books (HPB) first before I buy them any other way because - now I'm going to state the obvious here - they are half price. Most of the time the books I end up getting at HPB are in really good condition, with slight to no wear at all, so I really recommend checking there before anywhere else. If HPB doesn't have what I'm looking for, I check out Target. They typically have all the New Releases and Popular books. They are also almost always at a discounted price compared to buying them from Barnes and Noble, or bookstores alike. If Target has what I'm looking for, I compare their price to the NOOK price and make my decision that way. For the most part, Target and NOOK books are pretty comparable price-wise. Hard covers are going to be more expensive, while the paperbacks at Target are usually about the same price as a NOOK book with maybe a $1.00 difference. I notice a lot of times NOOK has random discounts on their books. I remember shortly after Christmas, NOOK was having a sale on select NOOK books and all three books from The Infernal Devices trilogy were selling for $4.99. I got the whole trilogy for only $15.00. I was pretty excited about that find because if I were to have purchased them all in hardcover, they would have been $15.00+ per book. Books can get pretty expensive if you're buying more than one, and if you're a serial reader and tend to blast through books in under a weeks time. Do a little research, go to a couple different places, and more than likely you are going to save some money on your book purchases, and probably discover some new reads to add to your TBR list.

My TBR list is in no particular order. These are just the books that I have in my collection that I haven't read yet, but am planning on reading soon. I also plan on doing Book Reviews on them once I've finished.

Book One:
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (NOOK Book)
After reading FanGirl, and falling head over heals, I wanted to read something else by Rainbow Rowell. Eleanor & Park has received lots of love, winning the 2013 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction and being a 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor Book. From what I can gather from the synopsis, Eleanor & Park is set in the 80's and is about two teenagers who are social outcasts. They fall in love with each other and bond over their personal interests. Eleanor is bullied in school over the way she looks and dresses, and suffers from an unstable family life. Park is there to help her through all of this. I loved Rowell's work in FanGirl, and have heard so many great things about this one, so I'm really excited to read this one.

Book Two:
Love Letters To The Dead by Ava Dellaira (NOOK Book)
I have a feeling that this book is going to be a Holy Grail Favorite of mine. Based on the synopsis on Barnes and Noble, Love Letters To The Dead is about a girl named Laurel who receives an English assignment. The assignment is to write a letter to a dead person. Laurel writes her first letter to Kurt Cobain, but doesn't stop there. She continues writing to famous dead people, to name a few - Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and more. She writes about her life and own personal struggles, which eventually help her learn to cope with her sisters death. I cannot wait to dive into this one!

Book Three:
Half Bad by Sally Green (NOOK Book)
Half Bad is the first book in a new trilogy about witches in modern-day England. There are White witches (the good witches),and Black witches (the bad witches). The 16 year old main character, Nathan, is neither one or the other, he is actually both. His father is the most powerful, evil Black witch, and Nathan's mom is unfortunately dead. Poor Nathan is not welcome by either side, and is kept in a cage and tortured. He needs to escape before he turns 17. At 17 he is supposed to receive three gifts from his dad and come into his own as a witch. If he doesn't, he will die. Half Bad sounds like a fun, thrilling read that I'm pretty excited to get into.

Book Four:
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (NOOK Book)
Thirteen Reason Why is a New York Times Bestseller and and International Bestseller, with over 1 million copies sold. The main character Clay Jensen comes home from school one day to find a package on his porch addressed to him. Inside, it is full of recorded cassette tapes from Hannah Baker. Hannah is his former classmate, who committed suicide two weeks prior. On the tapes, Hannah explains why she made the decision to commit suicide. Clay learns a lot from Hannah through the tapes. He witnesses her pain, the truth about why she did what she did, all while facing facts about himself. I feel like I'm going to need a box of tissues, wine, and possibly Starbucks because I don't think I'm going to be able to put this one down.

Book Five:
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (NOOK Book)
The 5th Wave is the first book in a new dystopian series. I'm particularly fond of dystopian reads thanks to The Hunger Games and Divergent. The 5th Wave is about a girl named Cassie who is an unlucky survivor of the "waves". After the 1st wave there was darkness, after the 2nd only the lucky ones escaped, after the 3rd only the unlucky survived, and after the 4th - trust no one. It's the beginning of the 5th wave and Cassie is running from "them". From what I can gather, the "them" are aliens who look like humans, but they kill every person they find. Cassie believes that the best way to stay alive, is to stay alone. She soon meets mysterious Evan Walker, who may be her only hope to saving herself and rescuing her brother. Will she give up? Will she learn to trust? Will she surrender? I'm curious to find out!

Book Six:
Hollow City: The Second Novel of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (NOOK Book)
I read the first book, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, and enjoyed it so I decided to get the second book in the series when it came out. Like the first book, Hollow City is full of creepy old pictures of "peculiar children" with special "abilities". This book begins in 1940, and picks up right where the first book left off. I can't really explain what this book is supposed to be about without explaining the first book. Basically it's about this group of kids that live in another world, a spirit like world, where they never age. Jacob's grandfather was part of that world but was able to get out and live his own life to an old age. Jacob discovers this world and rescues the peculiar children and brings them into the real world. This book is supposed to be about their journey after they have escaped from Miss Peregrine and her spirit world.

Book Seven:
Shadow Falls: The Beginning Books 1 & 2 by C.C. Hunter
I came across this series while browsing in Target. The book is a two-in-one, with the first two books in the Shadow Falls series, Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn. This series is about a girl named Kylie Galen who has a lot of negatives going on in her life. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend breaks up with her, her grandmother dies, and she's being stalked by a strange man that only she can see. Her parents are worried about her mental state so they send her to a psychologist who then sends her to Shadow Falls Camp. Both Kylie and her parents believe the camp is for troubled teens, but they all thought wrong. The camp is for all paranormal beings: vampires, werewolves, fairies, witches, and shape shifters. Kylie has to first deal with the fact that all these creatures are real and she is now living amongst them, while figuring out what she is in the process. This series seems to be right up my ally because I love paranormal fiction and think they're so fun to read.

I hope you enjoyed getting a look at my TBR list. If you've read any of these books, let me know your thoughts on them in the comments below!


xoxo,
Casey