Random Ramblings (21): Getting Right on Track

Hey guys! Some of you might have noticed how sporadic is my presence here on the blog. I've been in and out and mostly just posting prescheduled reviews. It's even hard to keep up with my Owl Posts and Waiting on Wednesday memes. I think the same could be said with my Twitter activities, although when I'm there, I'm really there. If you know what I mean. ;)

I am very much happy to announced that my schedule has cleared up for much of the foreseeable future. The requirements had let up and we graduating seniors will be in for chill times. Oh I didn't jinx it, did I?

Anyways, for those of you guys who want to know what I have been doing this past few months, it was the THESIS. Me and my thesis-mates we're neck-deep in our thesis revisions and just last Thursday, we had our thesis defense. We got a merittisimus guys. The highest grade. I think I have the right to brag a little because I almost lost my marbles before that fateful day. That was like the highlight of my week until I watched The Perks of Being A Wallflower which is superbly adapted and all kinds of amazing. A must-watch!

Image from crushable.com

PERCY JACKSON and HERMIONE GRANGER FTW!

Also, I have been catching up on my TV series just so I could be in sync with the onslaught of the latest new episodes this Fall. I've been heavily reading as well and there's a building pile of books I have yet to review.

I am also using Feedcat now. For those of you who haven't heard about the Feedburner issue, all I can understand is it's not going to be as reliable as before. However as long as its working, I'm not going to remove it but the Feedcat is here to stay. So for those of you awesome bookstrucks who want to follow that way, I'm gonna send you virtual cookies and hugs. The Feedcat is on the sidebar BTW. 

Photo by evi_vintage on Flickr

Pick your cupcake. Thank you for being awesome!

That's it guys. I am very sorry for this quite lengthy post. I guess I missed writing one! See ya guys around! 

Much love,
Sarah

"Waiting On" Wednesday (10): The Darkest Minds

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

Book: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Publication Date: December 18, 2012

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby has spent nearly half her life desperately trying to hide the fact that she’s outwitted the camp’s sorting system—that she isn’t powerless, or safe. She’s one of the dangerous ones… and everyone knows what happens to them.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of teens who escaped their own camp, pursued along the way by terrifying bounty hunters. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close to him. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Before the end, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living. - Goodreads

I am pretty sure I will be in for a ride when I get the chance to read this. It looks like it's full of adventure with a dash of romance, perhaps? Ruby sure has a tough life ahead of her and I am definitely excited to know more and learn the details. ;)

What are you waiting on?

Leave your link down below so I can check yours out.

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Read (August 19 - 26, 2012)

Book: Crewel (Crewel World #1) by Gennifer Albin

Publication Date: October 4, 2012

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Number of Pages: 360

Genre/s: Young Adult, Dystopia

Source: ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley

Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back. - (source)

It was Under the Never Sky all over again.

In all honesty, I was so much looking forward to reading Crewel. I read so many favorable reviews about it and the premise really got my attention that not shortly thereafter I began pining for it. I was expecting a lot of squealing with the likes of "OMG" / "HOLY SHIDOODLES" / "FRAKING FANTASTIC" / "SQUEEEEE!" / "BESTBOOKEVUH!" / "AMAZINGBALLS". But unfortunately, I didn't get what I was expecting.

Sometimes when you read a book and no matter how insanely unlikeable it is when you take into consideration your reading standards, you will still like it or even love it. But there are also times when a book that you should supposed to like or love just fails to capture you. That "thing" that will make or break a book could be a single element or the entirety of the book but when that "thing" is  present, everything will surely work out. 

Just like what happened with Under the Never Sky, I can't seem to pinpoint just when did Crewel start to lose me. It started really well. It was unputdownable, I immediately fell in love with the protagonist, Adelice, I felt a connection with her family, the concept was interesting and the pacing was just right.

However, when it did start to take off, I really had trouble keeping much of the enthusiasm I had when it started. Probably because I didn't think it would turn out the way it did. What am I talking about? Well, Adelice's perpective of the Spinster's coventry was it's not as glamorous as they painted it out to be. I second that. The moment Adelice started living the life of Spinster, I just lost her. 

The bad guys were unbelievably weak. I don't believe she would get away with so much if they weren't so pathetic. Also, I don't care at all with the love triangle. For me, it was unnecessary and it did nothing to help gripped me with the story.

It was highly technical, too. While the concept is intriguing and interesting, I had problems grasping how the weaving and time works. I had a hard time feeling the story because I wasn't able to understand how it works in the first place. In some books, I could get passed that but in Crewel, it seems like I keep being jolted out of its world because I have to stop and think about what I read at times.

However, Albin's delivery of the story is highly commendable. She had in mind a fantastic story and if not for her writing, I would've have liked it much less. Although, I had problems understanding the concept of weaving itself, I love that she didn't bombard the readers with details regarding the world she created in just one blow. She did it piece by piece and I appreciated it. I especially love that it wasn't until the last chapters of the book, that we knew what year the setting was in.

Crewel had a lot of potential. I wouldn't go far as to say it didn't live up to it because in a way it did stand up to its premise. And despite my reservations and quite lukewarm feelings with Crewel, I'm still looking forward to its sequel.

3 1/2 Cupids

A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review.

The Unfailing Light Blog Tour Kick Off: Review + Giveaway

Read (September 23, 2012)

Book: The Unfailing Light (The Katerina Trilogy #2) by Robin Bridges

Publishing Date: October 9, 2012

Publisher: Delacorte BFYR

Number of Pages: 320

Genre/s: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical Fiction

Lush and opulent, romantic and sinister, "The Unfailing Light, " Volume II in The Katerina Trilogy, reimagines the lives of Russia's aristocracy in a fabulously intoxicating and page-turning fantasy.

Having had no choice but to use her power has a necromancer to save Russia from dark forces, Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, now wants to forget that she ever used her special powers. She's about to set off to pursue her lifelong dream of attending medical school when she discovers that Russia's arch nemesis--who she thought she'd destroyed--is still alive. So on imperial orders, Katerina remains at her old finishing school. She'll be safe there, because the empress has cast a potent spell to protect it against the vampires and revenants who are bent on toppling the tsar and using Katerina for their own gains. But to Katerina's horror, the spell unleashes a vengeful ghost within the school, a ghost more dangerous than any creature trying to get in. - (source)

“I believe you can create the life you want, Katiya. You are strong enough to make all of your dreams come true.” - taken from an uncorrected ARC 

I've always admired Katerina. She is strong-willed and compassionate. Her dream of becoming a doctor to help and heal others is all the more inspiring because it's very uncommon in her time and for someone of nobility. Other girls her age think of nothing but balls, gowns and only ambitions to marry someone rich and powerful. But Katerina also has a dark gift and despite her efforts not to be involved with the continuously rising dispute in the St. Petersburg's royal courts, she always finds herself dragged in the middle of it all. Everybody just wants to use her. Amidst all of this, Katerina struggles to remain untouched by darkness and this just made her truly endearing. 

One of the many positive qualities of The Unfailing Light is its ability to enthrall its readers with its atmosphere. Imperial Russia is depicted as regal and majestic but it is also sinister and foreboding and boasts quite a number of paranormal creatures that would scare the living wit out of an unknowing, oblivious ordinary person. It's still hard to keep track of the lineages and who's who but the mystery that was sustain all throughout the book just made The Unfailing Light such a thrilling read.

Katerina's time back in Smolny Institute was definitely one of my favorite parts. I kept trying to guess what's really happening, who to trust, who's behind it all as Katerina attempts to appease the uncontrollable, vehement presence to protect her friends.

We also get to see more of Katerina's power. It's getting stronger and with it Katerina seems to be evolving, too. She's still the same stubborn yet kindhearted girl but she's growing to become someone formidable. Her relationship with George progresses as well. Their secret meetings and stolen kisses were surprisingly enough to make me giddy and lighthearted.

In The Gathering Storm, Bridges introduced us to Imperial Russia in all its glory but we quickly learned that behind all the glamour and curtsies, power struggles exist. In this second installment, the conspiracy and deceit was as palpable as ever. But like in the first book, the ending left me a little frustrated and somewhat disgruntled. Bridges really has a knack to end her books in a way that will left her readers wanting more. 

Overall, The Unfailing Light is a strong, compelling read. Full of intrigue and magic, The Unfailing Light is as enchanting as its predecessor.

Cupid's Verdict:

4 Cupids

A copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley
in exchange for an honest review.

***

I am very honored to be kicking off this blog tour and I'm offering a copy to one lucky reader courtesy of the wonderful people from Random House Kids. This giveaway is open to US only. Sorry international peeps! To enter, just fill out the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By day, Robin Bridges is a mild-mannered writer of fantasy and paranormal fiction for young adults. By night, she is a pediatric nurse. Robin lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband, one soon-to-be teenager, and two slobbery mastiffs. She likes playing video games and watching Jane Austen movies. (If only there was a Jane Austen video game!) The Katerina Trilogy began with the The Gathering Storm and continues with The Unfailing Light.

You can find Robin Bridges here: Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

***

Here are the rest of the stops. Don't forget to drop by! ;)

~September 25th: Casey’s Crew

~September 26th: Much Ado About Books

~September 26th: The Streetlight Reader

~September 27th: Infinite Reads

~September 28th: The Hiding Spot

~September 29th: Girls *Heart* Books

~October 1st: Mom Reads My Books

~October 2nd: Magical Urban Fantasy Reads

~October 2nd: The Book Review Club

~October 3rd: The Book Review Club

~October 4th: Kimba Caffeinated

~October 4th: My Life is a Notebook

~October 5th: My Life is a Notebook

~October 6th: Candace’s Book Blog

~October 7th: Reader Girls

~October 8th: Bookish

~October 8th: Peace, Love, Books

~October 9th: YA Bibliophile

~October 9th: Reader Girls

~October 10th: Wastepaper Prose

~October 10th: Imaginary Reads

~October 11th: Imaginary Reads

~October 12th: Well Read Wife

~October 15th: Libby Blog

~October 16th: Cracking the Cover

~October 17th: A Bookish Libraria

~October 18th: A Novel Review

~October 19th: In the Best Worlds

~October 20th: Tripping Over Books

Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Read from August 28, 2012
to September 18. 2012

Book: Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff

Publication Date: September 18, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Number of Pages: 336

Genre/s: Young Adult, Steampunk

A DYING LAND 

The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever. 

AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST

The hunters of Shima’s imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger—a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-tiger. But any fool knows the beasts have been extinct for more than a century, and the price of failing the Shōgun is death.

A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL

Yukiko is a child of the Fox clan, possessed of a talent that if discovered, would see her executed by the Lotus Guild. Accompanying her father on the Shōgun’s hunt, she finds herself stranded: a young woman alone in Shima’s last wilderness, with only a furious, crippled thunder tiger for company. Even though she can hear his thoughts, even though she saved his life, all she knows for certain is he’d rather see her dead than help her. 

But together, the pair will form an indomitable friendship, and rise to challenge the might of an empire. - From Goodreads 

Let me take a moment to wipe my tears. 

Stormdancer has all the merits, the grace, the freaking epicness. I AM IN AWE. I AM STUNNED. I AM AMAZED. My jaw is somewhere in the floor of my dormitory struggling to close itself and to recover from the awesomeness of it all. There are no words to express how much Stormdancer touched me. There are no words. No words.

Oh come on guys. Do I really need to spell it all out why Stormdancer rock so hard, it made the ant hills tremble in fear for their existence. It made thunderstorms cool. It made you anticipate for an arashitora. It made you want to have a Kenning. This book is so good, I have to stop for a while, wide eyed and slack jawed, look at my surroundings and remind myself that I'm not Yukiko. It's a shame really because I want my own Buruu. I want my own arashitora!

I swear to you, I was grinning, smirking, giggling all by myself in class with my professor in the middle of her lecture about peritoneal dialysis and epidural anesthesia. Nothing else mattered at those times. NOTHING ELSE. I was thoroughly sucked in and I could care less with anyone. Anything is nothing compared to this. SHALL I CONVINCE YOU MORE? Because I can, I could go on and on about how freakingtastic Stormdancer is.

Honestly, I was well-prepared for anything. Those early reviews of those lucky reviewers about Kristoff's writing being so...overwhelming. Indeed it is, in a good way. I loved it.  Every word is chosen carefully to add more conviction, to provide more weight in a situation. I appreciated how he string words together, how the words become lifelike, how it showcased his creativity, how it become an art, a written painting. Everything was so vividly described and characterized, even the slightest details were beautifully crafted. Kristoff's writing made my senses alive. 

For those of you who might've problem with that kind of writing, do not give up. The last thing you would ever want to do is give up. I swear it will grow on you and you will love it. If not, then something's really wrong with you. Nah, I'm just kidding. Or am I? But seriously, you wouldn't meet Buruu. The glorious arashitora whom everybody loves right now. Just do it for Buruu. ALL HAIL BURUU!

Yukiko, the bearer of the kick-ass sash and the winner of the badass trophy. You just have to hand it to her. She's fierce yet compassionate. She's just a young girl task to start a revolution, to change everything, to inspire people to see through the haze of corruption, the heat of oppression, to save what there's left to be save. She was an enigma to behold.

The romance. Oh how I giggled. Buruu can be such a tease sometimes. I think it effectively added another side to Yukiko. There was also Yukiko's relationship with her father. She hated him for all the thing she thought she lost because of him. Only to find out that he gave it all up just for her. In his father he learned forgiveness and sacrifice. Her father once said to her, "One day you will see that we must sometimes sacrifice for the sake of something greater". And her father do held to this until the very end.

Kristoff's Stormdancer is my first steampunk. It reminded me why I love reading in the first place. It's because I want to feel so much, I'm going to be so close to exploding. It's because I want to be mindblown and I want to be transported into a completely different world that only amazingness awaits me.  GAWD. JAY KRISTOFF remember this, if I see you someday I will...cry. YOU ARE JUST...My heart just bursts with admiration for you.

It's been a long time since I fell madly in love with a book, I'd sell my right kidney just to..I don't know..spread the love? It's packed-full of adventure with solid characters and important and relevant themes. It was about everlasting bond and friendship, unconditional love, sacrifice and reconciliation, and family. It was incredibly outstanding, marvelously superb and everything in between. It was love.

If I had a love jar, I would certainly be broke by now. But yeah, I still want my own Buruu. Dibs.

Cupid's Verdict:

5 Cupids

An advance copy was provided by the publisher at no cost via Netgalley.