Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley [Book Review]

Title: Magonia
Author: Maria Dahvana Headley
ISBN: 0062320521
Source: From Publisher via Edelweiss for honest review.
Release Date: April 28th 2015

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air. 
Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live. 
So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.
Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia. 
Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

This book started off absolutely fantastic. I read it immediately after finishing The Sin Eater's Daughter, which I adored, so I felt I was on a surreal amazing book streak!

Up until around thirty percent in I remained obsessed. I was flipping my virtual pages with the fervor of a T-Rex hunting prey. I did slowly begin to lose interest as things took a rather odd turn, which I need to explain a bit.

I am a fantasy junky, so I'm all for some fantasy/sci-fi elements mixed in with my contemporaries, but this book took the genre bending to an entirely different level. The first half reads like a completely separate novel, and in many ways the second half doesn't quite fit. In my mind there is a "before" and a "after" which feels strange to me. I don't think this is necessarily bad, but it did take some serious adjustments on my part to get into the feel of "Magonia."

I loved Aza's time in Earth, and I adored the attention to detail placed into the small things - like the reason for her name, and her and Jason's relationship. Jason and Aza were as perfect as it gets, and I was all in. I was in that relationship for the long haul, and it was by far my favorite aspect of the novel.

The sci-fi aspect was also enjoyable, but it was slightly confusing at times. Half-way through the novel we get an onslaught of new characters and it feels like an entirely new beginning (because it is) so it takes a bit to get used to. I don't think I was as indebted after the introduction of Magonia as I was prior to the introduction of that world, partly because I was a Jason fan girl and I just wanted that life back. That being said though, the fantasy/sci-fi aspect was completely original and I never lost interest.

This book involves fantasy elements I have never read about before - like bird people who fight pirates. And sharks in the sky. In this world you sing to get things done... and it was different. Not bad different, but it was so different that it stood out. I actually almost forgot I was reading a sci-fi until I got to that section, because I was super indebted to Earth Aza. We were in it for the long haul.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Magonia, but if I had to explain to you why I enjoyed it I would have a hard time. It is one of those books that are so different it takes you a minute... and I'm still reassessing how I feel.

It was kept open for a possible sequel (yay!) and I have to say, I would be very happy to find myself in Aza's world again.

Overall: I really enjoyed Magonia and would recommend it to any fantasy/Sci-Fi lover. If you love Science Fiction I think this book would be of particular interest to you -- after all, how often do you read of birds flying airships in the sky?

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella [Book Review]

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: Dell
Publication Date: November 4, 2003
ISBN: 0440241413 

MEET BECKY BLOOMWOOD, AN IRRESISTIBLE HEROINE WITH A BIG HEART, BIG DREAMS --- AND JUST ONE LITTLE WEAKNESS ...
Becky Bloomwood has what most twenty-five-year-olds only dream of: a flat in London's trendiest neighborhood, a troupe of glamorous socialite friends, and a closet brimming with the season's must-haves. The only trouble is, she can't actually afford it --- not any of it. Her job writing atSuccessful Saving magazine not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. Still, how can she resist that perfect pair of shoes? Or the divine silk blouse in the window of that ultra-trendy boutique? But lately Becky's been chased by dismal letters from Visa and the Endwich Bank --- letters with large red sums she can't bear to read --- and they're getting ever harder to ignore. She tries cutting back; she even tries making moremoney. But none of her efforts succeeds. Her only consolation is to buy herself something ... just a little something ...
Finally, a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life --- and the lives of those around her --- forever. 

This is an older book that I have seen around forever. I  saw the movie once and liked it for what it was, a fun somewhat silly book about a girl who loved to shop. I don't really enjoy shopping for clothes, it's not my thing but BOOKS. Those are my thing, and I could relate due to this form of retail therapy.

I picked this up for fifty cents not too long ago, and found myself wanting something fun... and this book is definitely fun. You begin by meeting Becky Bloomwood, a girl who has a real need for retail therapy to an extreme while being a financial journalist. The irony among ironies. She spends $300 on a scarf. A SCARF. The cheap girl in me cried when this happened, but seeing the over the top lifestyle this woman lives is a true disconnect from the reality we are all probably used to. In this way, this book was a true joy to read.

I sped through the pages with enjoyment, partly because I needed to know what other ridiculous thing Becky was going to do. At times I wanted to walk into the pages and just take her credit card from her and cut it up. The things she chooses to do at times seem so obvious against what is right and good for her it almost drove me crazy. Ultimately though, it was an enjoyable, fun and light read for a weekend.

This is a good New Adult book (before New Adult was a thing) that expresses a woman's life as she struggles to find who she is (and how much money she has.) Becky is a woman in her first real job after college who is wistful and longs for great things... and is a financial journalist. She is unhappy with where she is and spending seems to fill up a void that makes her the person she actually wants to become... if only on the outside.

For any recent college grad, or anyone who has ever questioned what they want to be, this book is worth the read. The book strays very far from the movie in all respects, so coming to it with an open mind is very, very possible.

This is a quick, fun read that will have you laughing out loud... and at times make you long to pull Becky Bloomwood away from all her ridiculous endeavors.

The Weekly Write [1]

This is a brand new thing that I will be doing every Monday, since I have recently decided to take my writing seriously I need to keep track of it somehow. :)

For one day a week I will consider myself a writer, and I will share with you whatever I have discovered on the writerly journey so far.

This week was extremely hectic because I was out of town for Thanksgiving and I had a ton of school work to do, of course this didn't stop this editing craziness...

This is the crazy that has been my life this past week. I have been editing the partial draft like crazy, which means that I have just been going through and adding description because apparently my first draft brain hates description.

I found gems like this while going through and the question was raised, what was I thinking?

As I was editing, I made the mistake of going back through and reading my edits which resulted in me editing my edits. :(

I haven't finished the first 100 pages yet, and this week is known as Hell week at my college so it may be another hectic week, but I know that editing is a completely different game than writing.

I actually find it interesting how my vision is the same, and what I wrote and what I wanted to write in edits matched perfectly. Because of the break and the editing I have done so far, I really think I know exactly where I'm going.

I actually had a brain blast the other day where I realized something about the plot that was obvious, but I'd just never noticed it before. I'm excited to get back. My goal is to have it all done by January 1st and to have critique partners reading it the 2nd. :)

The Pursuit of Happiness by: Tara Altebrando

The Pursuit of Happiness

by: Tara Altebrando

From Amazon:

Dressing up as an eighteenth century farm girl is not how Betsy Odell imagined spending the summer before her senior year of high school, but her history professor father insists she take a job at Morrisville Historic Village. To make matters worse, Liza Murphy, only the biggest freak from school -- piercings, tattoos, bleached hair -- works as a farm girl too. As far as Betsy can tell, her summer will be miserable and any chance of ever being popular is doomed.
When tragedy strikes Betsy close to home, her boyfriend and 'friends' are nowhere to be found, and her job becomes a welcome escape from the real world. James, a Morrisville employee from the next town over, is probably the greatest -- not to mention cutest -- guy Betsy has ever met, and Liza is surprisingly normal and fun. Caught between two worlds -- old and new -- Betsy is soon struggling with two versions of herself. Combining backdrops of historic Morrisville with the normal teenage world of beach parties, learning to drive, and broken hearts, Tara Altebrando writes a hilarious and fun novel of one girl's search for love and happiness?and the unlikely places she finds them.

From Me:

Okay - let me just say it. I am a history junkie. Everything history related immediately enthralls me, and this book was no exception.

I read it because it's about a girl with my dream job. For years I have longed to actually go and work at say, Mount Vernon (this place is actually doable considering my great-grandmother lives on a portion of the land.)

This has always been a dream - call me a loser, at least I'm an honest one.

So I read it because of this reason, but I was not dissapointed at all.

It's about a girl named Betsy who's mother has recently died. It's about her struggle for normalcy afterward, from getting rid of her no good boyfriend to accepting other people for who they are, and not who they seem to be.

She learns so much about herself in this book its crazy. We literaly watch her transform from sad and timid, to strong and accepting.

Seeing this process is what I mainly adore about this book - actually feeling part of her transformation, and seeing who she becomes was just great and had me smiling when I put it down. She learns to put her pain into outlets - like art. Which is exactly what she does.

And then there's James. James James James. He is a really great character, not only does he love history, and help Betsy along the way, but he likes to carve cute things out of wood :]

He's one of my favorite leading "Men."

This book gets a 10 because it's great. I would recommend it to anyone.

*Review by Christina

Waiting on Wednesday [1]

Along for the Ride

by Sarah Dessen

It’s been so long since Auden slept at night. Ever since her parents’ divorce—or since the fighting started. Now she has the chance to spend a carefree summer with her dad and his new family in the charming beach town where they live.
A job in a clothes boutique introduces Auden to the world of girls: their talk, their friendship, their crushes. She missed out on all that, too busy being the perfect daughter to her demanding mother. Then she meets Eli, an intriguing loner and a fellow insomniac who becomes her guide to the nocturnal world of the town. Together they embark on parallel quests: for Auden, to experience the carefree teenage life she’s been denied; for Eli, to come to terms with the guilt he feels for the death of a friend.
In her signature pitch-perfect style, Sarah Dessen explores the hearts of two lonely people learning to connect.

Honestly though - who doesn't want this book? Now I will say that Sarah Dessen is my favorite author and this book...just fits me perfectly.

It's funny how that has happened with her last books. With Lock and Key I was transitioning, and moving (away from my mom as a matter of fact) as I read it, and now...I have officially been diagnosed with Insomnia due to stress from my parents divorce.

Amazing huh? When I read the description I freaked out. I just love it when I can relate :]

But anyway. It just looks so good, and this may be my favorite of her covers - which is saying something because they're all cute!

Here's hoping I can make it till June!

By Christina :]

The Last Summer (of You and Me) by Ann Brashares

The Last Summer (of You and Me)

by: Ann Brashares

From Amazon:

Riley and Alice, two sisters now in their twenties, and as fiercely different as they are loyal, have spent every summer at their parents’ modest beach house on New York’s Fire Island. Each year, they return to the house and community they have known since they were children—and to Paul, the boy next door. But this summer marks a season of change: budding love and sexual interest, an illness, and a deep secret force all three to confront the increasing complexities of their lives and friendships.

From Me:

This book was incredible in so many different ways...I don't know even where to begin. Yes call me a loser. This was the first book I ever read by Ann Brashares...and remains to be the only one. Why? I couldn't really tell you. I have high expectations for the Sisterhood...but I just haven't read it.

This was Ann's very first novel written specifically for adults, but that doesn't mean you have to be an adult to enjoy it.

The entire novel (just about) takes place on this small island right outside of New York called Fire Island (yes this island actually exists...and it is a new goal in my life to one day live there.)

We have Alice, Riley and Paul who have all three spent almost every summer there since they were children, they grew up together and seemed to never be seperated during these summers. But Paul for some reason has been absent to the island over the past three summers, but he comes back, and that's where the story begins.

From the beginning there's a tension between Alice and Paul. Why? We don't really find out at the beginning, but we have Alice and Riley, two sisters who are so different - but yet also the same. During this transition stage we learn alot, particularly about their families, Paul's being pretty much non-existent while Alice and Riley's being constantly there.

It's a very gradual change from friend to more then that with Alice and Paul, but yet we expect it. When it finally comes full circle it's like we alway's knew, like it was the most natural thing in the world. They care about eachother so deeply, it's like it was a mutual feeling since childhood that was just then recognized.

But then tradgedy strikes.

This book is one so full of love, friendship, and even loss. It's beautiful in everyway, lyrical even. Reading it is like visiting an old friend and it is one of my favorite books.

It had me laughing, smiling, crying, and finally never wishing for it to end. I wanted to stay on Fire Island forever, but alas. That's just what amazing Fiction does sometimes.

It's a 10. For sure.

ALSO-

On a different note - please submit any and all questions you may have for Suzanne Selfors, or Cheryl Rennee Herbsman please let me know. I will be sure to ask them in the upcoming interview. Just leave an e-mail or a comment and I'll be sure and add it to the list :]

Thanks guys.

Oh and Favoriters...are my favorite! haha. <3

Review by Christina! :]

Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson (1 of many blogs today :] )

Alright so I'm anticipating my first books to come in the mail...I'm super excited about exactly what will be in my mailbox, as I'm not entirely sure but look forward to that.

Also Cheryl Renee Herbsman (author of the upcoming "Breathing" which looks absolutely amazing!) And Suzanne Selfors (author of Saving Juliet, Fortunes Magic Farm, To Catch a Mermaide, and the upcoming Coffeehouse Angel, which may be in my mailbox soon...) have both agreed to do an interview with me in the upcoming months.

Having that said. If there anything you want them to be asked, just e-mail me or leave a comment with the question and it will be added to my list :]

Thank you!

Scribbler of Dreams
by: Mary E. Pearson

From Amazon:

It's the Crutchfields v. the Malones in this lush Romeo and Juliet story about two related California families that have hated each other for generations, even though (or perhaps because) they own adjacent tracks of ocean-view land. Like the rest of her family, 17-year-old Kait Malone blames the Crutchfields for everything, particularly now that her father's in jail for killing Robert Crutchfield in what the Malones claim was an accident. Money is short, because the Malones refuse to sell any of their land, so Kait and her sister must transfer to the public high school under assumed names. And then the unthinkable happens: Kait falls head over heels in love with a beautiful boy named Bram--who turns out to be a Crutchfield. As their romance deepens, Kait's lies about her identity grow ever more complicated. She clings to her conviction that the Crutchfields are monsters--except for Bram--although this belief grows harder and harder to sustain as she meets his family. When Bram's mother loans her the crumbling journals of one of the two sisters who began the feud, Kait finds the truth is a source of compassion. Yet she still postpones her revelation to Bram, as tension builds and the situation finally escalates out of her control. But all ends well, and teen romantics will heave a satisfied sigh at the happily-ever-after ending. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to the Hardcover edition

Review:

Romeo and Juliet anybody? For those of you who are like me and love all things related to this classic tale of tragic love, The Scribbler of Dreams is for you.

This story is based around this one thing - the two familys, the Crutchfields and the Malones hate eachother. Thats how things have been - and that's how they will remain to be, or at least that's how it seems until Kait Malone, and Bram Crutchfield meet.

It's an unlikely pair Kait's father being in jail for murdering Bram's father and the simple fact that their family's are sworn enemies....so what does Kait do? She keeps those details a secret. What Bram doesn't know wont hurt him right? No.

But when Kait falls in love with Bram, and he falls in love with her, she see's no way around it. If she tells who she really is, he'll hate her, and that is something she is NOT willing to let happen.
This book takes you on a whirlwind of emotion. While I read it I was constantly fighting the urge to skip to the end, just to see and reassure myself it did have a happy ending - but I'm so glad I didn't.

The fight for the end was worth it, for every twist and turn that went against this couple it was worth it - but saying anything more would be giving it away.

This book is a Deffinate 10!

This book is available at all major book sellers I think (Books-A-Million, Barnes and Noble, etc)
And of course Amazon.com :]

Review by Christina :]

Georgette Heyer!

Okay so I just finished The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer...and it was AMAZING!

I'll have more information, and a review tomorow, but woah.

She's like Jane Austen with a huge sense of humor...it was wonderful and I had to voice it

Thanks guys.

I'll actually probably have a couple posts tomorow.

The Convenient Marriage
The Last Summer (of You and Me)
and perhaps
The Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

but we'll see. I may try to space out the updates more. Who knows.

Thanks!

By Christina! :]

Bloom by: Elizabeth Scott

Alright guys so here's another post today! geez I'm on a roll. haha. Please leave a comment if you have anything you'd like to say or add to this. And also if you were a follower you would make my day :]

Bloom
by: Elizabeth Scott

In a style reminiscent of the work of Sarah Dessen and Deb Caletti, Scott tells the story of Lauren, a not-so-popular high school junior who is dating the secretly celibate most popular boy in school. Without warning, Evan, the loner son of her distant father's former live-in girlfriend, returns to town and stirs up confusing emotions for Lauren, who once believed that a popular boyfriend was all she needed to secure happiness. Soon, she invents extra band-practice time as an excuse to avoid her boyfriend, her super-stressed best friend, and her empty house, and spends more time with the decidedly not celibate Evan. While the setup is fairly standard fare for YA romances, Lauren's inner conflict over her affair with Evan, and the various lies surrounding it, rings true, and the novel has enough drama to keep readers interested.—Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This book surpassed all of my expectations. I opened it and then it seemed like only two minutes later I was closing it up again - not because it's short but because I was so enthralled with the story, so caught up in the stories reality that I couldn't think of anything else.
We have Lauren who makes okay grades, and is the all american girl plus she has a heart throb for a boyfriend, but she's not happy. So in walks Evan Kirkland who she hasn't seen since she was a child, who's mother actually dated her father and from the moment he steps back into her life nothing is the same.

Suddenly the only true happiness she finds is with him, but what about her loyal boyfriend? What happens when he starts wanting a future that she can't give, Who does she choose?

This book as I said went above and beyond all I expected. I never wanted it to end...but then it did. It dealt with things I didnt expect and took the story to a completely different level then most Young Adult books tend to. This isn't the kiddy version of a love story where everything is perfect - and that doesn't mean there's anything "bad" in the book but it takes the relationship to another level, and makes it real. They both have flaws...but it adds to the appeal.

But I must say this book doesn't have many flaws and its a grade A book with a grade A story. Anyone who loves love stories must read this remarkable story.
This book is available at al major booksellers and Amazon.com :]

*Reviewed by CHRISTINA :]

Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen. :P

Keeping The Moon
by : Sarah Dessen

This book is one of Sarah Dessen's best, and that is saying something. Sarah Dessen is a very popular writer for Teen's and this one deals with subjects that are no less pressing, or

entertaining then her other's.

Keeping The Moon is the story of Colie, who has a image problem.
She is the daughter of a recent Exercise enthusiast (seriously...she's famous) and is struggling to switch her lifestyle, from that of an overweight girl living with her ecentric overweight mother, to the new thin Colie who's mother is famous for her weight loss.

So what happens? Her mother goes on a tour and she must go live with her Aunt Mira who is just as ecentric as her mom, but is someone totally different as well. She doesn't care what other's think of her and doesn't let rumors bother her.

So Colie gets a job working at the last Chance Cafe where she gets to know Norman, the artist/cook/her aunt's tenant. She comes into herself here, learning how to truly become herself and to live her life without worry of other's oppions.

This book by Sarah Dessen is special. I don't know why but this one was special to me. The story of Colie and her struggle with self-esteem helped me with my own struggle with this very issue.
This is something most teenagers deal with and I couldn't think of any book that sums it up better. 10.

This book can be found at Books-A-Million, Borders, Barnes and Noble, pretty much any book store you can think of, and of course...Amazon.com :]

Reviewed by CHRISTINA :]