Weekly Drama Round Up

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

Hey guys! So I’m really not sure what I’m going to be calling this, but I figured I would share some of the dramas (and varietys) I’ve watched this past week and discuss a little bit about them. If this is something that you like I will try to keep up with it!

Suspicious Partner

This show focuses on a girl (Bong Hee) going through law school to become an attorney and ends up being falsely accused of murder. She is prosecuted by our male lead who’s main goal in life is to be a ruthless prosecutor, but when he finds evidence that leads him to believe she is innocent, he ends up revoking the indictment. Flash forward a few years Bon Hee is now a not so successful public defender who is still looking for someone who was a witness to the real murder, causing the murderer to begin targeting her.

I’ve just finished episode 19 of 40 and I’m really invested in the show. The romance between the two main leads is such a slow burn it’s killing me, but their moments are so precious together, I cannot wait for something to happen. I also like the story of the murderer and trying to see what is going on with that mystery and what will happen next. So far, this is a highly recommended drama from me!

The 100 season 3

The 100 in Korea is a bit different than The 100 that we are used to over here in the states. This show focuses on a music group and gives them 100 hours to prepare a completely idol made concert. This season is following the boy group Imfact. As of this morning I will be seeing these boys in August and getting to meet them, so I decided I needed to do some research and watch up on them. I am absolutely falling in love with this group and going to die when I get to sit in from of Jeup and LeeSang (The boys on each end)

Fall In Love With Me

Honestly, Taylor and I both watched the first episode of this together, and I cannot even fully begin to tell you what is supposed to be going on. I know this follows an advertising mogul who decides to take a break from the business and goes undercover to help out a smaller advertising firm. Like I said, we only watched the first episode and talk about CHEESEY. We weren’t really pulled in so we went back to our old faithful Love O2O and rewatched a few of those episodes instead. If you’ve watching this, and it gets better or worse, please let me know. Because I honestly am curious to know if I should drop this or not, since I’ve never dropped a drama before!

Top Five Wednesday – Summer Reads

July 10, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

Summer officially began June 21st and man oh man, is it hot here in Indiana. What is better in the summer than a cool room and a good book? While I have a huge TBR, here are five books I want to get to before fall comes up in September. I took this prompt from Top Five Wednesday and tweaked it a little!

5. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This is a book that is EVERYWHERE right now! It is getting so much love and so much attention. I think this has already been optioned for either a movie or a television adaptation and this was in the works before the book was even released! I want to see what the hype is about and if the hype is worth it or if it falls short.

4. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir

So, this book is the third in a quartet. When Reaper came out, I just HAD to have it but I am still yet to read it after getting it shortly after it was released a little over a year ago. Since I devoured An Ember in the Ashes and A Torch Against the Night, I am ready to dive back into this world and have my heart broken.

3. Legendary by Stephanie Garber

About two years ago, I was walking through a grocery store listening to Caraval, the first book in this trilogy. I was nearing the end so when I realized what was going on in the novel, I had to stop in the middle of the cereal isle just to finish the audiobook. I think there were tears but at this point, all I remember is dying to get my hands on Legendary. I finally got the book in my hands thanks to a dear friend but have I read it yet? You guess it. Nope. So, by the end of the summer, I actually hope to complete Legendary and the final book in the trilogy, Finale.

2. Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard

Last year I was listening to the audiobook of Truthwitch on my way to work (it was an hour and a half drive) and was just blown away by the story. In February of this year, I was training for my new job and while doing so, I was listening to Windwitch. When Bloodwitch was announced I instantly preordered it because I had to have my hands on the next installment of this series. I honestly cannot wait to get to this book and I am hoping it will be very soon.

Finally, the number one book I want to read before summer ends is. . .

Siren’s Fury by Mary Weber

This. Book. It is the second in a trilogy and after reading the first, Storm Siren, it was instantly one of my favorites and it made Mary Weber one of my favorite authors of all time. I started this last year but I have yet to make much more progress so, by the end of the summer, this trilogy will be completed.

What are some of the books you want to finish before the end of the summer season? Let me know in the comments below!

These Witches Don’t Burn Review

July 4, 2019July 10, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling Publication Date: May 28, 2019 Publisher: Razorbill Genre|Subject: Young Adult, Fantasy, LGBT, Pages: 336 Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Hannah’s a witch, but not the kind you’re thinking of. She’s the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she’s ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly by Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans. But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah’s concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah’s sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica. While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she’s going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem’s witches become deadlier by the day.

So, this was a last minute, buying on a whim kind of book. I did not expect to get to it as soon as I did. I thought “oh, I’ll get to this around Halloween” which is when I try to save a lot of my witchier books. The themes of paranormal books, especially those that are witch centered, always feel better to read in October. Anyways, I listened to this book on audio and holy cow was it amazing.

Isabel is a debut author so the attachment she managed to cause between the characters and I is amazing. It normally takes a while for a character and I to click, if we even do, but Isabel managed to do just that within the first few pages of These Witches Don’t Burn. Also, while I do not pick up much on the atmosphere of books, this one made me feel like I was in the middle of it all, watching these scenes unfold. I held my breath with these characters, I gasped with them.

Hannah is a character who is dealing with some PTSD of an incident in New York and she is also recovering from a breakup from her best friend and girlfriend, Veronica. The relationship between these two made me roll my eyes, not because of the cliche of it but because Veronica annoyed the crap out of me but I still adored her.

Another thing that this book touched on besides lesbian witches is the addition of bisexual characters as well as a transexual character! I had a feeling going into the book that the main character was lesbian but the addition of the bisexual representation and then the transexual character was a very welcome surprise.

Eliza and Her Monsters Review

July 4, 2019July 4, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

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Publication Date: May 30, 2017
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Genre|Subject: Young Adult/Contemporary/Mental health
Pages: 385
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

In the real world, Eliza Mirk is shy, weird, and friendless. Online, she’s LadyConstellation, the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. Eliza can’t imagine enjoying the real world as much as she loves the online one, and she has no desire to try.

Then Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea’s biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school. Wallace thinks Eliza is just another fan, and as he draws her out of her shell, she begins to wonder if a life offline might be worthwhile.

But when Eliza’s secret is accidentally shared with the world, everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

Holy hell. This. BOOK. Eliza and Her Monsters is the first book I have read by Francesca Zappia and I am so sad that it has taken me this long to get to it. The easiest 5 Stars I have given this year. But that was expected.

Something about having your own little corner of the internet to be yourself, let your creativity and personality be free makes my heart so happy. When I was in high school, I would have loved for my own corner like Eliza created for herself. Books about fandoms always have a soft spot in my heart.

Eliza deals with social anxiety and that was something I knew going into the book. While I was not looking for a book that had a main character who suffers from a similar form of anxiety as I do, it was refreshing to see myself in Eliza. I was a lot like Eliza when I was in high school so it was a little validating to see that through this book, a lot of people are coming and saying they had similar experiences.

One thing that I did not see mentioned in some of the trigger warnings is PTSD. While I do not want to give too much about this aspect, I did want to bring it up because I have not seen it talked about in some of the reviews I looked at before I picked the book up. I was told by my lovely co-owner Chelsea about the character and their PTSD.

Chelsea’s 2019 Mid Year Freak Out Tag

July 3, 2019July 2, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

Ok, so after talking to Taylor about her tag, I decided that it’s probably a good idea for me to take some time to freak out over how much I have left to read to hit my goal. I’m well over 60+ books behind since I set such an ambitious goal this year and then promptly read nothing for pretty much the first 4 months of the year. So here I go, to freak out over what I have read, and what I have yet to read for the year!

1. Best book read so far in 2019

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I was beyond blessed to be able to read Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer through an e-arc that I received from Netgalley. Once I have a second to get my thoughts together on this book I will have a review for you guys, but it was seriously such an amazing book. I already knew that I enjoyed her writing, but this solidified it for me 100%!

2. Best Sequel You’ve read so far

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Between the two sequels that I read this year, I have to say Archenemies is definitely the better of the two (the other being Wildcard by Marie Lu) I honestly cannot wait for Super Nova to come out so I can see how this all ends, but then at the same time I am super not ready for it to come out because I don’t want this story to come to an end!!!

3. New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

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Literally the entire reason that I ended up rereading The Cruel Prince was so that I could pick this book up and know what was going on, because I pretty much forgot at least 2/3 of everything that happened in that book when I read it last year, and yet here I am, still haven’t read The Wicked King yet.

4. Most anticipated release of the second half of the year

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GUYS my all time favorite author is coming out with another book this year. Like I am so freaking stoked for this you have NO IDEA. I literally cried when I met Francesca last year just to be able to tell her how much her writing meant to me, and now we’re getting something else from her. I really cannot wait to see how this story is, like can it be October already???

5. Biggest Disappointment

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I feel kind of bad admitting this, but after how much I loved Holding Up The Universe, I kind of expected to get a whole lot more out of this book than I did. While it was at least an entertaining read, I just couldn’t feel connection to any of it and it made if extremely boring for me. The ending even like just barely made me feel any emotion, so I’d have to say this is our winner.

6. Biggest Surprise

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After just enjoying the first two books in this series, I did not expect to fall so madly in love with this one. The other two stories were done nicely but something about this one really grabbed me and spoke to me on a different level than the other two did. Highly recommend for certain.

7. Favorite New Author

I know this sounds kid of bad, but honestly I haven’t found a new favorite author. The ones I knew I loved continued to amaze me while new ones kind of underwhelmed.

8. Newest Fictional Crush

I’ve basically stuck with either Mental health rep books or rereads, so I don’t think I have a new Fictional Crush either….wahhhhh

9. New Favorite Character

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I think I’d have to say, out of all the character development I’ve seen in new books that I’ve been reading, Golden Jennings from Four Three Two One probably has been one of my favorite ones to watch and to see her grow and overcome her past traumas.

10. A Book That Made You Cry

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I know this book is based on a seriously scary and real issue, so just reading it and seeing everything that happened, and then the ending, OH THE ENDING, I just remember that I was finishing it up and I was shedding tears because I was so moved by it.

11. A Book That Made You Happy

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I did a reread of Made You Up by Francesca Zappia, so of course from what I talked about above, obviously I seriously adore this book and love to reread it from time to time so it was for sure one that made me the most happy so far this year.

12. What is the most beautiful book you have bought this year

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I just picked this book up this weekend because it was on sale at Target, but seriously the underneath of the dust jacket is beyond beautiful, and I already knew that I had enjoyed her prior novel, so I’m excited to pick this up and see what I think of it.

13. What do you need to read before the end of the year

Honestly, any sequel that I mentioned above, or the new Francesca Zappia book, or even any of the new Kasie West that we are supposed to be getting this year. There are just so many things, we’d literally be here for days while I talked about them all.

Taylor’s 2019 Mid-Year Freak Out Tag

July 3, 2019July 2, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

This tag is all over the place right now because it is the prime time to start freaking out about what books you still need to read before the end of the year. I don’t know about you but I am about 26 books behind on my Goodreads goal so I am freaking out a little bit! Anyways, the point of this tag is to talk about what you have read so far and to assess what you are excited to read for the last few months of the year. There are 13 questions, so let’s get right to it!

Question 1
Best book you have read so far in 2019.

Easily, out of the 27 books I have read this year, The Bride Test by Helen Hoang is my favorite. There is just something about her writing that draws me to her works and I will always recommend her to those asking for romance suggestions.

Question 2
Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2019.

This. Freaking. Book. I cannot even begin to explain what this sequel has done to me without giving everything away. The Wicked King by Holly Black is that kind of book that when I finished this book early in the year and instantly knew I needed the third and final book of the trilogy. If you have not read The Cruel Prince and then The Wicked King, you need to do yourself a favor and do so. These are easily two of the best fae based books I have read in a long time.

Question 3
New release you haven’t read yet, but want to.

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo is the first in a new Grishaverse duology following Nikolai. I received this a couple days after it was released in January and the fact that I have yet to read this hurts me. The Grishaverse is one of my favorite book based universe so I am DYING to get to this book and I will get to it before the end of the year.

Question 4
Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst is one of the two of my most anticipated books for the second half of the year. This is the sequel to Of Fire and Stars which was one of my Top Five books from 2018. This book releases on August 13.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black is the third and final book in The Folk of the Air trilogy. I mentioned The Wicked King earlier in this tag and to reiterate, I needed this finale the second I closed the book on the end of The Wicked King. This book is released (the day after my birthday) November 19th.

Question 5
Biggest disappointment.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer is a novella in the Lunar Chronicles. While novella’s are not necessary to read, this one though, I was told I needed to read it before I go on with the series. I wanted this novella to make me pity and feel something for Levana besides hatred. I wasn’t even half way through the novella and I despised her and her attitude. This was such a let down because I really wanted to like this novella but I struggled not to DNF it before getting halfway.

Another book that was a disappointment, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. So, this book was a disappointment because I was so confused as to why everyone loves it so much! I think it is mostly my fault for thinking it was going to be this wonderful classic when really, I did not get the hype around it.

Question 6
Biggest surprise.

Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart is easily the biggest surprise during the first half of the year. One of my most trusted friends did not enjoy it and another of my friends DNF’d it. I expected it to be tolerable but it turned out to be fantastic! I listened to the audiobook in the span of like a day. It’s a fast pace book and really enjoyable. I look forward to getting my hand son the sequel soon!

Question 7
Favorite new author (debut or new to you).

Isabel Sterling is a new to me author and according to my research, she is also a debut author so her book These Witches Don’t Burn seems to be her first. I finished this book between the late hours of June and the early hours of July. It was not a book I intended to read so soon but am I glad I did!

Question 8
Newest fictional crush.

Jack Lim from Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo. While Jack starts out as a deceptive jerk, he comes to realize his feelings for Lucky mean much more to him than getting a coveted position at a tabloid company in Hong Kong. I think his devotion to giving Lucky a day away from her K-Pop Idol status, even if it is for a story, was adorable. She wanted a day away and Jack was he perfect guide for that.

Question 9
Your new favorite character.

Asha Grant is the older cousin of Katy Grant who we know from Illuminae and from Gemina. Well, we meet Asha in Obsidio and she quickly became one of my new favorite characters in the series and one of my favorite female characters of all time.

Question 10
A book that made you cry.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown is the first book to have made me cry this year. Now that I think of it, it is the only book to have made me cry this year. It wasn’t until the end of the book that the tears spilled over. I listened to this on audio book so towards the very end when the book was closing and the music was coming on, I cried. The ending of this book was beautiful and I cried out of happiness for the main character.

Question 11
A book that made you happy.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia made me so happy. This is one of the first books where social anxiety was actually done well and made me see myself in the character. It is easy for me to relate to any character with social anxiety but the level that Eliza felt made me feel not so alone because I have seen many people identify with her for this very reason. The book was amazing as well so it was an added bonus that this ended up being a Five Star book.

Question 12
What is the most beautiful book you’ve bought so far this year (or received)?

I mean, look at this cover! A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer is a retelling where the main character has cerebral palsy and that is something I have never read about in a YA book before so I am hoping the inside of this book is as stunning as the outside.

Question 13
What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I had to scroll through my TBR on Goodreads to find something that grabbed me enough to make me feel like I needed to read it before the end of the year. A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir is the one that grabbed my heart and squeezed. I am honestly surprised that I am yet to have picked it up considering how much I love the previous two books in the series. So, by the end of the year, I will have read this book and cried with everyone else.

And that is the end of my Mid Year Freak Out tag! I am curious what book you feel like you have to read by the end of the year! Let me know in the comments. Maybe it is one I still need to read as well!

Taylor’s June 2019 Wrap-Up!

July 2, 2019July 10, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ Leave a comment

June is over . . . Like Chelsea has said, it’s hard to believe the year is over half over at this point. After finally coming out of a reading slump, June was the month I got back into reading and ended the month reading 10 books! I am going to start with the lowest rated books and move to the highest rated.

10. Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too by Jomny Sun ★ ★ ★

9. The Gilded Wolves by Roshni Chokshi ★ ★ ★

8. The Diviners by Libba Bray ★ ★ ★ ☆

7. Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake ★ ★ ★ ★

6. Somewhere Only We Know by Maureen Goo ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

4. Obsidio by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufmann ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

3. Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

2. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Chelsea’s June Wrap Up

July 2, 2019July 1, 2019 ~ A Very Bookish Girl ~ Leave a comment

Hello everyone! How in the world is the year half over already? I really cannot believe it. So the fact that yet another month is over, it’s that time to talk abut wrap ups. I read a total of 17 things in the month of June, which is amazing since this year I’ve been super behind on my reading. I cannot wait to see how I do with the rest of the year!

Say I Love You Vol 1 – ★★★★✩
Say I Love You Vol 2 – ★★★✩✩
Say I Love You Vol 3 – ★★★★✩
Say I Love You Vol 4 – ★★★★✩
Say I Love You Vol 5 – ★★★★✩

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black *reread – ★★★★★
The Hate List by Jennifer Brown – ★★★★★
This is Kind of An Epic Love Story by Kheryn Callender – ★★★✩✩
Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich – ★★★✩✩
Again But Better by Christine Riccio – ★★★✩✩

All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven – ★★★✩✩
Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus – ★★★★★
Holding Up The Universe by Jennifer Niven – ★★★★★
Stupid Love Comedy vol 1 – ★★★★✩
Check Please vol 1 – ★★★★✩

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks – ★★✩✩✩
Call It What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer – ★★★★★

Taylor’s July 2019 TBR

July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 ~ Taylor ~ 4 Comments

It is the start of another month! Where is all the time going? I swear just yesterday it was the end of April and now we’re going into July. Anyways, with the beginning of a new month, that bring a new TBR! First up, I will list the books I plan on reading for the Random Dance Play-athon!

Random Dance Play-athon TBR
1. Utopia by Ateez – Read a book set in a place you dream of visiting