Review: Caraval

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Caraval by Stephanie Garber was PHENOMENAL. This was actually one of my favorite books of 2018. This book was one of the first few books I read after a very long reading slump after my mom passed away. I was devastated and wasn't able to do the one thing I truly loved to do, read. Caraval brought me out of that slump and made me realize how much I missed reading.

There wasn't really any character that I felt completely invested in but it didn't take away from the story one bit. The magic and story behind the book kept me going even when I wasn't in love with the characters. There was a true sense of magic in the book unlike anything I had ever read before. When I read the book I couldn't get enough. You truly get swept away.

To get a full review of this book go listen to my podcast The Book Hangover. You can find the episodes on iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.

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Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas was alright. I liked the book enough to keep reading the series but I wouldn't say I loved it. This book did help me get out of a reading slump after my mom died though. Because of that it will have a special place in my heart.

I liked the Rhys and Feyre the most out of all of the characters. They are the ones the author pushes you to care for. I did relate to Feyre having PTSD from being under the mountain in the first book. I liked the way Sarah wrote Ferye and I enjoyed her personality.

If you enjoy hard core YA tropes then this series is for you. If you aren't a fan of tropes and typical YA books then I would stay away. There is a love triangle, a poor young heroine that doesn't know she is beautiful but saves the day literally it is all there.

I am a sucker for Fae books though and I do enjoy the way she sets up her story and keeps it different even though Fae books all are based on the same stories. I do recommend this book if you enjoy YA tropes and if you like Fae books. I don't believe that the huge cult following that this book has is justified though. I really wasn't wowed the way that all of the followers who are absolutely in love with this book said I would be. I am a little disappointed in this book in the series but I will continue on with the series and read what comes next.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Alright guys, you may hate me for this one.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling was not my favorite. I have always wanted to read this book because of everyone's undying love for it, and honestly it fell flat for me. I felt bored through almost all of the book. It was 100 or so pages of kids going to school. I'm sorry but I know what school is like I did not need to read that much. I honestly thought the book could have started with them getting detention because really that was the only the start of the actual book.

I wanted to love these books so much and I didn't. I have seen all the movies and I didn't mind them and my husband who doesn't read at all read them all so fast I wanted nothing more to understand everyone's love for them and I just couldn't. I actually tried to read this at least 5 times and everytime I got bored during the first chapter and I set it down.

Maybe these type of books just aren't for me. Who really knows. All I know is I think this book is kind of boring and honestly I wouldn't recommend this book. I need a book that reals me in from the first chapter and I was bored. This entire book I was bored. I wish I did like it more but I didn't. I will try to read the next book to see if maybe the second is better than the first, but I am not rushing to read it.

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How a Tragedy can still affect you 6 years later.

Hello all! We have a new episode up! In this episode we review This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp. This book explores some very dark topics and we follow Ariels story that ties into the book. In this episode we talk about some very scary things and we also talk about things such as rape, abuse, and death. If this is something you cannot handle then please do not listen. If this is something that you feel you can handle listen and let us know what you think of the book and our opinions. You can find the episode on Google play and iTunes. Both the links are on our podcast page of the website. Podcast ( hyperlink to the page)

Destroyed by Stacy McWilliams Cliffhangers.

We have a new episode out friends! This week we reviewed Destroyed by Deception by Stacy McWilliams. She is our friend and we absolutely love her. Seriously go and pick up her books, because she is a beautiful writer. You can listen on iTunes, and Google Play, Let us know what you think and if you have a book or books you want us to read let us know. 

Also don't forget to rate and subscribe. We want to know what you think of the podcast and what we can do to improve each episode and season!

Why Ellen Hopkins Why. ( A review)

This book is about 16 year old Ariel Pearson, Who is dragged across the country by her father. She has never been in one place long enough to have friends or a life, until she lands in Sonora. Ariel is struggling to find out who is she (what teenage girl isn't?!), she is struggling with her sexuality and realizing that she doesn't want to be her dads play thing anymore.

This book really is amazing, just like Ellen Hopkins other books. I picked this up at Walmart one day. (because even when grocery shopping I have to stop and check out the book section.) Hayley and I read the front cover and we both bought it instantly. First of all I bought it because it sounded really suspenseful and interesting. Second of all I purchased it because it had my name in it, which most things in life so rarely do. You would like having a Disney princess with your name you would find it everywhere. Well you don't. I love having things that share my oddly original name. Also I love the fact that Ellen wrote her as a ginger, which also is a quality I share. 

Throughout the book Ariel is Mentally and physically abused by her father but she is always making excuses for him. As someone that has personally seen what it's like to live with an abuser I immediately understood her actions and feelings.  Ellen does such an amazing job of making these characters feel real, and their feelings palpable. This is a real life coming of age story. Poor Ariel was just starting to figure out who she was only to have it all taken away, and you can truly feel the anguish and misery she was going through. 

The one thing that bothered me was the fact that all of her friends really didn't seem like it was a big deal. I feel like if this were to happen to me my friends would be freaking out. They were just so chill about how her dad was unhinged, and how this stranger was here trying to get close to her. I Ariel was my friend I would have been terrified for her and trying to do everything I could to make sure she was safe and her friends were just like  Eh things happen.  I definitely was a little disappointed in the way monica handled it, it was all just a little weird. 

I loved this book and I rated this on goodreads 5 out of 5 which it definitely deserved. This met all my requirements for a good book. It made me feel, It drew me in from the first couple of pages, and it had beautiful writing style/the grammar was pretty damn perfect. I literally recommend every single of Ellen’s books to everyone. Her writing style is poetry which different and refreshing, and it's amazingly easy to read which is really cool. I read this 600 some page book in a matter of three days which is slow for me but really fast for some. As intense and emotional as this book is it's a really light read and answers all of my questions. I wouldn’t let anyone younger than 15 read this though. There is some sexual content (though it's not descriptive really) and there is talk of alcohol and pot. 

Any way! Thank you so much for reading my review of The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins. We are going to be reading and reviewing more of Ellens books in a podcast episode but I loved this book so much I needed to share my thoughts with you. What's your favorite Ellen Hopkins book I want to know. Also if you have read this one let me know what you think. 

Until next time happy reading!!

Ariel <3

We Have a Book Obsession. So Sue Us.

Hello friends!

Today we’re talking about some of the books we’ve hauled lately that we’re excited about reading! All of these are books we’re dying to read, and can’t wait to review for everyone :) 

Hayley: A lot of these have been ones I’ve seen on Goodreads and have been on my TBR for a while, but I bought them recently, and I have a couple of recommendations as well that I picked up! 

• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: Okay, I know I’m going to get the look from at least one person, BUT- I think I might have originally seen this book on Goodreads or something, but I didn’t think much of it until I saw the trailer for the movie. For a long time, I’ve always strived to read the book before going to see the movie. I’ve done that with a lot of book-to-movie adaptations, and this one will definitely be one I read first. The trailer seems pretty good, so I’m really hoping this book is a good one! It sure looks good.

• Girl In Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow: This is one that I picked up while browsing this afternoon. I think with this one, the title is what drew me in. Who is the girl? Why is she in pieces? What happened? Only one way to find out. The description seems promising, this is one I’ll be reading and reviewing hopefully sometime this year. (Guys, my TBR pile is huge so that would be a big thing for me!)

• Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven: This is actually a book that was recommended to me by one of the girls in the podcast group on Goodreads- thank you, Moana! I think this is one I might have seen floating around Goodreads as well, but I never really looked into it. It looks like a good one, and I’m excited to read this book for sure.

• We Are Okay by Nina LaCour: I’ve been eyeing this book for a while, between Half Price Books and Barnes and Noble. In the end, I decided I couldn’t leave this on the shelves at BN. This seems to be in my comfort zone reading wise, being a realistic fiction YA novel. I’m already curious about what happens to the main character and what makes her split town, and knowing I have a few books to get through before I get to this one is already torturing me. 

As for right now, I’m currently reading The Lying Game by Sara Shepard, which yes… (sigh) I found because I watched the short-lived ABC Family TV series. I have found that in reading the books that right off the bat, there are some significant differences between the show and the books, the most significant one being that Sutton didn’t reach out to Emma to switch places, Sutton is dead. So yeah, there’s that. I am really loving the book so far though, and I’m definitely going to be reading the whole series. Already dying to know what happens! 

Ariel:

Whats up guys?! So it’s been so long since I’ve written anything I have been super busy with wedding stuff. Let me tell you planning a wedding is really fucking hard and I don’t recommend it haha. So I have picked up a lot books recently. I have a problem so sue me. 

First I made a goal for todd to read and own every single Stephen King book. I have especially been looking for Carrie, Misery, and the Shinning. I recently was able to Pick up all three which I was so excited about because I got them all at Half Price and they NEVER have copies at our store! Those are the three books I have been the most excited to read as well so I am super happy I was able to find them. I can’t wait to read them all.

Next, I have been slowly purchasing the Wicked lovely series on paperback. I read these all on my Kindle but for some reason I had the first book as a physical copy. I really loved the series so I figured I might as well buy the full series as physical copies. I currently have Wicked lovely, Ink Exchange, and Fragile Eternity. I can’t wait to have the full series! I love having paper copies of series that I really really loved. 

I also have been purchasing the Deadly little Secret series by Laurie Faria Stolarz. She is the author of Blue is for nightmares, which is my favorite series. I saw this at half price and bought it immediately. I didn't even read the description, I knew I needed all of her books. I just finished the first book of the series and I read it in 4 hours. THIS SERIES IS GOING TO BE AMAZING. I cannot wait to share the whole series with you. 

The You I’ve Never Known by Ellen Hopkins. I saw this book at Walmart and read the inside cover and was blown away. First of all I had to purchase because the main character's name is Ariel. Of course I have to read it!! Second of all Ellen Hopkins is an absolutely fantastic writer. Her writing style is in poetry form and it is seriously so cool! My ex step-sister turned me onto Ellen Hopkins which I’m very thankful for. I read Crank in like 3 hours, her stories are amazing and are really easy to read!! I wish I could put three heart eye emojis after that because I totally would.

I recently started The You I’ve Never Known and let me tell you it is crazy. I cant wait to finish it and share it with you guys. I have seriously devoured it. It is so different and unique I am blown away! We are going to start reading Three Dark Crowns next which we have been dying to read for some time so as soon as we finish our books now we are going to dive into that which I’m HELLA excited for! 

Do you guys have any books you recommend, or any books you’ve picked up lately that you can’t wait to read? Have you read any of the books on this list? Let us know! 

Until next time, happy reading everyone!

~Hayley and Ariel :)