Friday, August 28, 2015

Mad about the Hatter by Dakota Chase

Finally! I'm here with a review of Mad about the Hatter by Dakota Chase. Yes! I know! A review! First off, I was given this book for free by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Genre: LGBTQIA, Fantasy, YA
Pages: 237
Type: Standalone
Publication Date: August 20th, 2015
My Rating: 3/5
Synopsis: This isn’t his sister’s Wonderland…. Henry never believed his older sister, Alice’s, fantastic tales about the world down the rabbit hole. When he’s whisked away to the bizarre land, his best chance for escape is to ally himself with the person called the Mad Hatter. Hatter—an odd but strangely attractive fellow—just wants to avoid execution. If that means delivering “Boy Alice” to the Queen of Hearts at her Red Castle, Hatter will do what he has to do to stay alive. It doesn’t matter if Henry and Hatter find each other intolerable. They’re stuck with each other. Along their journey, Henry and Hatter must confront what they’ve always accepted as truth. As dislike grows into tolerance and something like friendship, the young men see the chance for a closer relationship. But Wonderland is a dangerous place, and first they have to get away with their lives.
Review:

   I was intrigued by the book in the very beginning. I mean, the cover is gorgeous and the concept was cool; what more did I need?

Turns out I did need more.

This book took off to an amazing start with me. It was wonderful and magical and Hatter was sarcastic and hilarious! Everyone was so interesting because hey, it IS Wonderland! It was most definitely interesting!

While I loved Hatter from the very beginning, I had doubts about Henry, Alice's brother. He just seemed stuck up and not wanting to believe in anything! I mean, I get it. He doesn't know where he is and he's finding that what he thought his sister had been lying about (wonderland) for ages actually is true! But he was so rude about it! He did redeem himself a couple chapters later so all is well there.

Hatter was mad and awesome, though. And THAT reminds me of a song called Mad Hatter by Melanie Martinez. It literally reminds me of this book. The world was very developed and detailed. Everything was extremely vivid. Unfortunately, I felt that the book was too short and descriptions too long. In fact, that was a problem I had with the book. It was very short and there was no wow factor in the story. I felt like everything in the book was like, "Hey, this happened. OK. This happened and then this. Great."

There wasn't any suspense or major twists. It was like a lazy river when it really could've been a wild, untamed sea. I think that if Chase had lengthened the book, we would've enjoyed it much much more.

The ending wasn't very satisfying. There was no intrigue, no 'what if?'. It was all just THERE. No stopping, no puzzles, no gripping my chair. I do think that the ending could've been better.

The book was pretty cool about the whole LGBTQIA element. I expected more from that side, but what I got was pretty negligible. Chase didn't emphasize much on the fact that both her characters are bisexual. Instead, she emphasized on the task at hand. I loved that Wonderland people didn't make a big deal out of Henry and Hatter. I loved their relationship. The romance was slow and steady. In the start, I felt that it was a bit fast. But soon, it was going super slow. And this is a short novel. So that's something to say! The relationship was very realistic.

In the end, I feel that Dakota Chase's strong points are characters, and descriptions. Her weak points are plots, pace, and twists. I think Chase would be able to write much better contemporaries than fantasies.

All in all, I recommend reading but keeping in mind all these things I just talked about. It's worth a read.










Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Cover Guessing Challenge

Hello! Today I'm going to be doing the book cover guessing challenge! As the title suggests, you need to guess what the book is all about just by the cover. Then you go back and see what the book is REALLY about. I was challenged (that word feels so weird!) to do this by Sania over at GRAPEFRUITBOOKS. So thanks, my friend! I decided to do this with Sania. So she has picked out some books for me and I have no idea what they're about. I'm gonna guess and then she's gonna rate me. I'm gonna give you guys exactly what I said to her in our emails when she rated me.

BOOK 1: The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kate. 
My guess: Cheerleader dies because of a goth guy. So now she hates all goth guys but then this one comes along and she just can't hate him. She's slowly starting to fall for him. But there are complications since he is human and she is ghost.

Goodreads says:
Alona Dare–Senior in high school, co-captain of the cheerleading squad, Homecoming Queen three years in a row, voted most likely to marry a movie star… and newly dead.

I’m the girl you hated in high school. Is it my fault I was born with it all-good looks, silky blond hair, a hot body, and a keen sense of what everyone else should not be wearing? But my life isn’t perfect, especially since I died. Run over by a bus of band geeks—is there anything more humiliating? As it turns out, yes—watching your boyfriend and friends move on with life, only days after your funeral. And you wouldn’t believe what they’re saying about me now that they think I can’t hear them. To top it off, I’m starting to disappear, flickering in and out of existence. I don’t know where I go when I’m gone, but it’s not good. Where is that freaking white light already?

Will Killian–Senior in high school, outcast, dubbed “Will Kill” by the popular crowd for the unearthly aura around him, voted most likely to rob a bank…and a ghost-talker.

I can see, hear, and touch the dead. Unfortunately, they can also see, hear and touch me. Yeah, because surviving high school isn’t hard enough already. I’ve done my best to hide my “gift.” After all, my dad, who shared my ability, killed himself because of it when I was fifteen. But lately, pretending to be normal has gotten a lot harder. A new ghost—an anonymous, seething cloud of negative energy with the capacity to throw me around—is pursuing me with a vengeance. My mom, who knows nothing about what I can do, is worrying about the increase in odd incidents, my shrink is tossing around terms like “temporary confinement for psychiatric evaluation,” and my principal, who thinks I’m a disruption and a faker, is searching for every way possible to get rid of me. How many weeks until graduation?

My Results: So I got a 90 per cent. It was very close except the girl wasn't killed by goths. 

Book 2: The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross. 
My Guess: A girl with a mission who needs to wear red dresses and attend balls she doesn't really want to go to and wear steel corsets because she's just that badass. Over this time she falls in love with either the enemy or her partner in crime.

Goodreads says:
In 1897 England, sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne has no one... except the "thing" inside her.

When a young lord tries to take advantage of Finley, she fights back. And wins. But no normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch...

Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special, says she's one of them. The orphaned duke takes her in from the gaslit streets against the wishes of his band of misfits: Emily, who has her own special abilities and an unrequited love for Sam, who is part robot; and Jasper, an American cowboy with a shadowy secret.

Griffin's investigating a criminal called The Machinist, the mastermind behind several recent crimes by automatons. Finley thinks she can help and finally be a part of something, finally fit in.

But The Machinist wants to tear Griff's little company of strays apart, and it isn't long before trust is tested on all sides. At least Finley knows whose side she's on even if it seems no one believes her.

My Results: 79 per cent. There's more to it but she is on a mission and she does fall in love with her enemy. 

Book 3: Splintered by A. G. Howard.

My Guess: A retelling of Alice in Wonderland where Wonderland isn't what everyone thinks of it as. It's a dark, twisted place and no one is safe. Everyone hates her but she falls in love with a Wonderlander. (Is that what they call people who live in Wonderland? :P)

Goodreads says:

This stunning debut captures the grotesque madness of a mystical under-land, as well as a girl’s pangs of first love and independence.

Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.

When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own.
 

Results: A solid 95%. It's really about Alice's descendant. There's a love triangle. 

Book 4: Naked by Stacey Trombley. 

My guess: About a girl who was either sexually assaulted or was sent into sex trafficking and everything went downhill. She's now dealing with consequences of something that drastic.

Goodreads says:

I could never fit in to the life my parents demanded. By the time I was thirteen, it was too much. I ran away to New York City…and found a nightmare that lasted three years. A nightmare that began and ended with a pimp named Luis. Now I am Dirty Anna. Broken, like everything inside me has gone bad.

Except that for the first time, I have a chance to start over. Not just with my parents but at school. Still, the rumors follow me everywhere. Down the hall. In classes. And the only hope I can see is in the wide, brightly lit smile of Jackson, the boy next door. So I lie to him. I lie to protect him from my past. I lie so that I don’t have to be The Girl Who Went Bad.

The only problem is that someone in my school knows about New York.

Someone knows who I really am.

And it’s just a matter of time before the real Anna is exposed…
 

Results: 89 per cent. There is some sex trafficking and stuff. 

Book 5: Paper Weight by Meg Haston
My Guess: About freedom, puppets or a girl who loves paper weights.

Goodreads says:
Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert.

Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at mealtime, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid.

Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn't plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she too will end her life.

In this emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut, Meg Haston delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss, while posing the question: Why are some consumed by their illness while others embark on a path toward recovery?

Result: 0 per cent. I was waayyy off! 

That's all! I challenge you since I don't know who to! 









Monday, August 24, 2015

The 90s Tag!

Hey, I haven't posted a review and I know that! I'm sorry! I had these reviews planned out; but I'm in a sort of reading slump. I need to finish those books! But anywho, I was tagged to do this by the ever-so-fab Theepika @ ItsTheepika. Thanks buddy! (That was so pretentious!) And just like Theepika, I wasn't really born in the 90s. I was born in the 21st century. To be exact, 25th Feb 2001.

1. She's All That: A book couple that are an odd pairing, but fit together perfectly. 
Eleanor and Park. They are opposite but still fit so well! Well, opposites do attract after all.

2. 10 Things I Hate About You: A book/series with which you have a love/hate relationship. 
I'm gonna go with Fifty Shades of Grey. Yes, I have read that book. Only the first one. And I did sort of enjoy it but I also kinda didn't. So...

3. Clueless: A character that is completely clueless but you love them anyway. 
I'm going with Tessa from the After series by Anna Todd. Tessa is just so innocent and clueless, it's kinda hilarious!

4. Titanic: A book that made you cry.  
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. Man, I couldn't read more than half of this book properly, because my eyes were bleary. This book is the death of me. I love it soooo much!

5. American Pie: A book that made you laugh. 
The book I'm currently reading, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It's hilarious!

6. Can't Hardly Wait: A book with a crazy party. 
Ok. I don't really understand what this question means. A crazy party?! I don't know, can't think of any crazy party. Maybe one in Delirium by Lauren Oliver. That was pretty crazy and not in a good way!

7. Cruel Intentions: A character you can't fully trust. 
Definitely Snape!

8. Drive Me Crazy: Favorite boy-next-door couple. 
Lola and Cricket from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

9. Scream: A book with a memorable villian. 
Sebastian Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare.

10. The Craft: A book with witches. 
Harry Potter, Heir of Fire and The Witches.

That is all for this tag, I'm not going to be tagging anyone. You can do this if you want.

Monday, August 17, 2015

The Bookfangirling Award!

So... I'm sorry! I was supposed to do this ages ago. No excuse. Sorry! But, I was nominated for this award by the awesome Denise @ TheBibliolater. Thanks a bunch! :D


Rules
1) Create a post to accept your award.
2) Add the blog award button into your post and put it on the side of your blog as a widget.
3) Answer the questions I have below.
4) Nominate between 5-10 book bloggers who you think also deserve this award.
5) Come up with your own 5 questions for your nominees.

1. Why did you start blogging?
A. Obvious. Because I love books. And blogging means talking (rather, writing) about books with OTHER people. So.

2. What is your favorite book of 2015 so far and why?
A. So, I have a few. Wonder, ACOTAR, Sold, The Night Circus, The Bone Season. I loved all of them. I'm not going to specifically say WHY for each and everyone of them. That would take forever. They were all just awesome. I either had fun reading them or I learnt something super important from them. But I think that Wonder should get this title. :)

3. Have you ever done anything embarrassing while fangirling?
A. Nothing super embarrassing but, there was this one time where I was fangirling with my friends at class. And suddenly, behind me someone cleared their throat. Looking around, it was my teacher. And I think she heard me talking. So. Yeah. That was sorta embarrassing. But more embarrassing things have happened to me. So this was nothing.

4. What was the book that got you into reading?
A. There wasn't any specific book that got me into reading, but two authors really triggered my reading spirit. Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl.

5. Who are your book boyfriends?
A. Will Herondale - Duh.
Warner - Also, duh.
Damon Salvatore - Triple duh.

So that was all for the questions. I nominate:

Laura @ BlueEyeBooks
Sania @ GRAPEFRUITBOOKS

Alright. I can't think of anyone else to nominate sooo...

My Qs:

1. The third question that I answered above. 
2. 1 all time favorite book. Only one. 
3. How many books do you read on an average in a month?
4. Have you ever fangirled to your parents?
5. When was the last time you fangirled and why?

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The Reading Habits Tag

Hey! So today I'm gonna do "The Reading Habits" tag. And I've been wanting to this tag for a while now, but I just haven't gotten around to doing it. So when Sania from GrapeFruitBooks tagged me, I was like, yes please, bring it on!

1. A certain place you read at. 
A. My room. At day, on my carpet or my desk. At night, my bed.

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
A. I have this heart paper clip bookmark I use a lot. And because I'm an obsessed bookmark collector, bookmarks. Unless I don't have a bookmark at hand.

3. Just stop reading/ stop after a chapter/ stop after a few pages?
A. Depends. I'm not very particular about it.

4. Eating and drinking while the reading is happening?
A. YAASS! I do that all the time. I'm not someone who just sits and eats. No. I will have to do something while eating. Like reading, TV, or yes, talking. :)

5. Multitasking: TV or music while reading?
A. None. I might do things while eating. But reading and anything else? Big fat no-no.

6. One book at a time or several at once?
A. Depends. But I would most definitely prefer one at a time.

7. Reading at home or everywhere?
A. Everywhere. I read books during spare time at school, when at a restaurant, I'd even take it to a party. But my parents wouldn't let THAT fantasy become a reality.

8. Reading out loud or in your head?
A. Both. I know this is weird but I sometimes act like I'm a narrator of an audiobook. And then I read it like audiobook are read. Weird, yes. Embarrassing, yes. Fun, yes.

9. Read ahead or skip pages?
A. I don't do either, per say. But sometimes, my eyes just kinda skim through the next couple paragraphs. Bad, I know!

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it new?
A. Honestly, don't care. But a new spine sure is nice. :P

11. Do you write in your books?
A. Never felt the need to.

People I tag:

Theepika @ ItsTheepika
Laura @ BlueEyeBooks
Denise @ TheBibliolater

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Genre: YA High-Fantasy 
Pages: 562
Type: #3 in Throne of Glass Series
My Rating: 5/5 
Synopsis: She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

Review: 

*This review may or may not be spoilery if you haven't read the first two books in the series. If you haven't read THIS book yet, continue reading*

O. M. G. 

Yeah, yeah, by god this book was fantabulous. The book pretty much started where it had left off in crown of midnight. We find her in Wendlyn. The story had a couple different perspectives. There was Celaena in Wendlyn, the Ironteeth witches (!), and the palace people. And all the perspectives were awesome, but I love Celaena way too much, so I was always waiting impatiently for her part to come. 

The story was building up once more. The tensions between various lands was obvious. The games played were woah! Maas incorporated new characters in the story very well. They didn't feel left out or anything and I have to say, I loved all of them. They were each unique and different. The character building in this novel went beyond the roof. A lot of character building happened. By the end of the novel, Celaena had changed a lot, she was determined and she had finally accepted that she was Aelin. We see Dorian and his magical powers. We see parts of what the king has been conspiring. 

The plot line, I feel in this book was like the first one. We're back to the point where Maas needs to build a base before moving on. Throughout this book, we saw everybody as more or less dormant. Plans and whatnot. I feel that the next book will hold many surprises as Aelin and the King come face to face. I can sense a lot of excitement from the next book and I can't wait to read it!

Overall, when you read this book, I think you should go with that thought in mind that this is a novel creating a war. This is just the start. With that in mind, I take leave. Hope you pick this book up! 

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Blogger Recognition Award!

Omigod! Can you believe it? Cuz I most certainly can't! Thank you so much Theepika @ Just That Girl for tagging me!


RULES:

  • Select 15 other blogs you want to give the award to. Do some digging if you must! Find those blogs. You cannot nominate yourself or the person who has nominated you.
  • Write a post to show off your award! Give a brief story of how your blog got started, and give a piece or two of advice to new bloggers. Thank whoever nominated you, and provide a link to their blog. List who you’ve nominated in the post. Make sure to also attach the award itself! (You can do this by right-clicking, saving, and uploading the image above).
  • Comment on each blog and let them know you’ve nominated them. Provide a link to the award post you created.
My Story: 

Books are something that my family doesn't see much of. As a kid, I don't remembered either of my parents reading a fiction novel. I am the eldest child, so no exposure from a sibling either. But when I was in the 3rd grade, I had changed schools, and the new school had a library period once a week. At my school, there were 2 libraries. One for junior kids and one for senior kids. I slowly fell in love    with books at that junior library. Unfortunately, students never got to pick a book. A random book would be given to you by the librarian. I remember itching to get up and pick a book of my own once I was done with the one in my hand. I waited impatiently for 5th grade to come around so that I could go the senior library where you were allowed to choose your own books, had 3 membership cards (on which your signature was necessary, I loved signing since I never got an opportunity to!), and were allowed to borrow 3 books for a week! Of course, as a book worm child I was over the moon. I started out with Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, then branched out to Meg Cabot and Sophie Kinsella. Then I found booktube, and it changed my entire reading world. I started reading Cassandra Clare, and what not. Along the way, I decided to start blogging! And here I am, with you currently reading my words. 

Advice:

When you're in such a massive community and you see all these people doing all these things, it's hard to not be influenced and feel like you have to do what everyone is doing. Don't feel that way. You own your blog, you own you, and nobody should be able to change that. You aren't blogging to get people to love you, but you're blogging to let people in on your thoughts, to share the love of books. So if you love something but aren't going to show it, there is no use of starting a blog. Everyone is unique, they say, but if you aren't ready to accept it, no one will. Stand out amongst the crowd, not blend in. 

People I nominate: 
      
Sania @ grapefruitbooks
Chioma @ bluebooksandbutterflies.         
Laura @ blueeyebooks
Vlora @ reviewsandcake

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Genre: YA/ Middle Grade Contemporary 
Pages: 315
Type: Standalone 
Rating: 5/5 
Synopsis: You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Review:

I had seen the book around the book world. Occasionally, people would talk about it. But I really didn't know it was about a kid with a facial abnormality. I don't really know what age group to put this book under. But I guess I'm going to go with Middle Grade. The book is told in a lot of people's perspectives. August's sister, her boyfriend, August's friends and August himself. I didn't like that in the beginning. But slowly I found out that I wanted to know what other people thought. And in the end, I loved the different perspectives. 

The book really got to me. I was very invested in it. It taught me so, so much. I had made a little fun of some kids. I've never been proud of it, but after reading this book, I felt so awful I broke down and started crying. It wasn't big things. Just small ones, like trying to get out of the person's way. Not talking. Ignoring. That sort of thing. I couldn't imagine what it would feel like to be shunned and know that you're being made fun of. 😭😓😔😞😢 It must be terrible. 

The book was so simple. Yet. It was very heart-breaking. Seeing this 10 year old kid going through things that no 10 year old should go through. Scratch that, not even an adult should go through it. August had a lot than what met the eye. He was funny and interesting! And anyone could see that if they became friends with him. At one point in the story, my heart smashed into pieces. He had just come home from school. And when he rushed to his room and his mom came after him, he asked his mom, "Mom, why am I so ugly?" I couldn't bear it! Even now, as I type, tears are springing into my eyes and I'm getting chills all across my body. 

Everything seems so real. And I know that this boy got his happy ending, but a lot of kids like him out there don't. They don't get their chance at living a normal life. Even if they get accepted here, they'll never get accepted there. It sucks! 

Anyway, since this is a book review... The book without doubt is one of my favorite books of all time. The story was beautiful and everything was woven together beautifully. There was loads of character development not just from Auggie as his school year progresses, but even from his friends and sister. 

If you want to read something important, something that will leave you heart broken in the best way possible, then PICK THIS BOOK UP. In fact, you should read it even if you don't want something of that sort. This book means a lot to me, and I hope that it will to you too. 

Sunday, August 2, 2015

I Mustache You Some Questions Tag

I don't remember the last time I did a tag. Today, we are going to rectify that. I was tagged by my awesome friend Theepika. Go and follow her! 

1. 4 jobs you would like to have
Never had a job. So I'm going to give you 2 jobs I want right now, and 2 jobs when I grow up. 
- Bookshop person
- Library person
- English Prof
- Publisher 

2. 4 movies I have watched more than once
Don't really watch a lot of movies. 
- Little Mermaid
- Jurassic Park (all of them!)
- P.K. ( Hindi movie)
- Matilda

3. 4 books I would recommend 
- Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
- Sold by Patrica McCormen
- Wander by R.J. Palacio
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

4. 4 places I have visited
- Melbourne, Australia
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Sydney, Australia 
- Muscat, Oman

5. 4 things I don't eat
- Fish
- Kidneys
- Brain
- Bitter Gourd

6. 4 of my favorite foods
- KFC chicken 
- Fried Cauliflower 
- Lady Fingers
- Papa Johns Pizza 

7. 4 TV shows I watch
- The Originals 
- The 100
- The Vampire Diaries 
- Reporters (Indian Soap)

8. 4 things I'm looking forward to this year
- Reading
- November
- Baby sister's skills
- More reading

9. 4 people I tag
I don't really have anyone specific to tag. So if you want to do it, go ahead, and do it. Say that I, Aisha, tagged you. And send me a link if you do it. So that I know that you did.