Tag Archives: Amulet

2016 Book Recommendations

Posted in Book Tags, Experiences, Goodreads by

I would like to thank Iamabloggertoo for making a comment in my about my page asking for some book recommendations. I have about 20 books that I would love to recommend in four different categories.

Series – Because one is just not enough. 

  1. 80 AD Series by Aiki Flinthart – I absolutely love this series. When I got it, I got it for free on Barnes and Nobel as an ebook for free. The Whole Series. That was way back in 2013, I and it is still free today! Amazon also has the series (5), but you have to pay 99 cents for the last few books in the series. This series is about two present day teenagers who gets transported back in time (80 AD) through a video game to save the universe through different quests. The series is super fun and the characters are amazing!
  2. The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen – What is better than a quest to save two worlds? How about a quest with some of your favorite classic authors such as J.R.R. Tolkien and Jules Vern?
  3. The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann – This book is a little bit complicated to summarize. However, the book does have an amazing magic system that I complete love. This books looks at a society where creativity is rejected and being creative will place you as an unwanted (automatic death). However, we follow some young Unwanteds as they discover that they will not die but are given a chance to live and to learn magic through their art. 
  4. Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan – I personally love the Blood of Olympus over the Percy Jackson series, however it would benefit you to read the Percy Jackson Series before the Blood of Olympus. Both series takes you on amazing journey of the demigods who help save the world using Greek and Roman mythology.

Young Adult Stand Alones – Sometimes you just need to visit a world once as an adult.

  1. I am Princess X by Cherie Priest – This book is part story part graphic novel. However, I heard it through audible so I cannot tell you anything about the graphic picture, but I can tell you that this story is amazing. It is about two best friends finding each other after a horrific event occurred.
  2. Finding Audrey by Sphie Kinsella – This is about a 14 year old’s over coming her anxiety.
  3. Aramda and Ready Player One by Ernest Cline – It is interesting since both books received interesting ratings. I myself prefer Armada over Ready Player One, but both are good books to read. If you are a fan of the 80 these two books are for you to geek out on. Armada looks at a young hero saving the world through video games while Ready Player One is about a young man who goes through different challenges to receive an inheritance.
  4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell – This was an amazing book, and part of it was the Harry Potter reference through Simon Snow. The book is about Cath a freshman in college learning about life and growing up.
  5. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – Another book that deals with anxiety and depression as well as the growth in friendship and growing up through the mind of a freshman boy.
  6. The Help by Kathryn Stockett -Looking at the life of one young woman through the 1950’s and dealing with racism as she writes a book inspired by her favorite person.
  7. I Killed the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora – If you are a fan of To Kill A Mockingbird, than you will love this book. If not, I have heard that this book is so-so. This book looks at three teenagers as they try to bring back the hype on an old classic that they will have to read for school.

Middle Grade Stand Alones –  Don’t discredit this genre. Sometimes you just need to visit a world once as a kid.

  1. Fish in A Tree by Lynda Mullay Hunt – This is a cute book about an 11 year old girl with Dyslexia trying to get by in school.
  2. Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper – This books looks at a 10 year old with Cerebral Palsy and trying to get by in school.
  3. Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine – This books take a look at a 10 year old girl with autism having to deal with loss and finding closure after the tragic death of her brother. I will have to put a trigger warning on this book since the brother died from a school shooting.
  4. Ungifted by Gordon Korman – This hilarious book looks at Max a 13 year old boy who seems to be gifted in getting into trouble. When he accidentally destroyed the school’s gym with a stick and a bronze statue he realize that he is in a lot of trouble with the district, but they somehow lost him when they shipped him to a school filled with gifted geniuses.
  5. The Angel Tree by Daphine Bendis-Grab – This books looks at friendship and community when four kids work together to solve the mystery of who is behind their town’s greatest tradition.
  6. Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass – I actually recommended this book to my sister’s elementary school librarian, and she sadly had to turn the book down because it was not in hardback. UGH! Though I am recommending this book now. This book focuses on three middle schoolers as they grow and learn from one another while waiting for a solar eclipse. This book is amazing and I know that I am not doing it any justice, so please just pick up this book and read it!

Graphic Novels – A fast quick read with pictures, what is better than that?

  1. In Real Life by Cory Doctorow – This book is amazing as it looks behind the art of video games and the economic industry of gaming, through both the high school girl who plays the game and the young boy in China working in the industry. Both lives are changed with the two meet.
  2. Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi- Looks at a family who gets transported into an alternative reality and how they not only try to survive the new land but also save both their new reality as well as their old one.
  3. The Woods by James Tynion IV – This is an interesting series about a whole entire high school being transported onto another planet into a distant galaxy.
  4. Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley – This graphic novel looks into the life of an aspiring chef who wants to own her own restaurant. When she is given the chance to change her life through some magic wishing mushrooms, she learns of the consequences that life offers.

I do hope that this list is helpful in being able to pick out some great reads for the new year. See you next time. Happy reading!

Bookish Academy Awards 2015!

Posted in Book Tags, Experiences, Goodreads, Wrap-ups by

Last year I did a tag awarding all the good books that I have read. You may check out the previous post here.  It was so much fun, I thought that a great way to look back and the multitudes of books that I have read, I will be doing the same thing. This time I am only focusing on books that I have read during the year 2015. There are 15 categories and the bonus challenge of not using the same book twice. So let us begin.

  1. Best Actor (Best Male Protagonist): I am giving this award to Mathew from Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern. Mathew was a great lead, who always tries to do his best. I loved seeing how he grew and tries to over come his OCD.
  2. Best Actress (Best Female Protagonist): This award is going to Celena Sardothien from Throne Of Glass by Sarah J. Mass. I enjoyed seeing her strength and playing out all the different odd for her advantage. Even with all the negativity, Celena is still positive and holds onto light and good that is still in her world.
  3. Best Cinematography (Best Plot Twist): This is going to Daughter Of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. If I even gave you an inkling of what the plot twist is I would be spoiling the book. Trust me. It is good and gets you hooked onto the rest of the series.
  4. Best Costume Design (Best Book Cover): I have two books for this category. The first is The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgordoff. The cover was so beautiful that it alone made me want to read the book. However, the story itself, as well as the artwork inside was not what I expected. Let’s just say that I regretted that I judged this book by its cover. The second book that is getting this award is Soundless by Richelle Mead. The book was good. I gave it three out of five stars. he cover is amazing and give it this epic feel.
  5. Best Supporting Actress (Best Female Sidekick): I am giving this award to Keisha from Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullay Hunt. She is a very supporting friend who helps our character grow.
  6. Best Supporting Actor (Best Male Sidekick): I have to give this award to Jack the talking sword from Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan. I love Jack. He is so funny, but at the same time is supportive to Magnus and guides him through his battles. Personally Jack is the inspiration for the desire of wanting a flying, talking sword. I don’t know how I am going to us it, but I want one.
  7. Best Original Screenplay (Most Unique Plot/World): If you have been reading my blog for the past year, especially since July, I believe that you have already guessed which book earned this award. This world was amazing and my favorite part of it was its unique magic system of art being magic. It almost replaced my desire for going to Hogwarts, since its magic system is something that I could work with. The book that has won this award is The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann.
  8. Best Adapted Screenplay (Best Book-to-Movie Adaptation): I have only watch one book to film adaptation this year, in which I have read the book. So the automatic award goes to Mocking Jay Part 2.
  9. Best Animated Feature (A book that would work well in animated format): I am giving this award to a graphic novel. I know that most people would feel like it is already done in animated format and most of the work would be done, but I still feel like there is so much potential in this series that I would love to see in either on the big screen or on television/computer. It is the story line that is intriguing and I feel that it would be great to the switch. I would love for the artwork to stay consistent between the two formats. In the end, I do believe that the switch would work well. The series that I have chosen for this award is The Amulet by Kazu Kbuishi.
  10. Best Director (A writer you discovered for the first time): This book has become my new obsession since I finished reading it as an audiobook. I have never heard of this author until I saw this book on audible. Trust me this book is amazing. Part of me wished that I actually read the book and not listen to it. The author that is receiving this award is Cherie Priest with her book I am Princess X.
  11. Best Visual Effects (Best Action in a Book): I do not know if I gave this book an award last year, but I did reread it in 2015. I am giving this book the award for its epic battle scene. I not giving the award for just its bloods and guts during the battle, but for the symbolism that happens throughout the battle. The book that won this award is The Valley of Silence (The Circle Trilogy #3) by Nora Roberts.
  12. Best Musical Score (Best Music in a book-to-movie adaptation): I will admit that the musical score in Mocking Jay Part 2 is amazing however, not amazing enough to give it another award. I am giving this award to a book that is completely inspired by an 80’s soundtrack. Let’s just say that I am a little upset that I could not download the soundtrack as an album anywhere, but I could recreate it (let’s be real, that takes up to much time and effort). Armada by Ernest Cline, won this award for some pretty awesome music that goes not only great with video games but with the book as well. I was listening to 80’s music for a few months, which was annoying my sisters.
  13. Best Short Film(Best Novella or Short Book): Rick Riordan wins again. Are we at all surprised by that? No? Good. I am giving this award to his Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicle crossover novella series. They were fun and adventurous. Long enough to get the story and enjoy it, but short enough that you still want more.
  14. Best Picture (Best Stand-Alone): I am giving this particular book this award because I was not only obsess with this book but upset that it was a stand a lone. I am still wanting more. That, in and of itself is a good reason to give this award to The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black.
  15. Best Documentary (Best Historical Fiction or Non-Fiction): Again, I am putting up another reread. However I realize that I lacked a lot of historical fiction and non fiction books. This particular book is a shoe in for this award. Not only was the writing amazing, but the story itself is beautiful and its meaning amazing. The winner of the Best Documentary goes to To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

That is it everyone. That is the Bookish Academy Awards for 2015. I do hope that your new year is going great and that you are having a lot of fun with friends and family. I hope to see you later.

Happy reading!

12 Days of Christmas Book Tag

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12 days of christmas book tag artworkOkay. I know that I should be getting some book reviews done, but I saw this book tag and I had to do it. I want to thank Xingsings for posting this.

 

ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE.

The partridge stood alone in the pear tree. What is your favourite stand alone?

What is with people needing to know your favorite book, let alone stand alones? I do not have one favorite. I have many! For now, I will have to say I am Princess X by Cherie Priest. There are so many things that I love about this book, one is the created online graphic novel. Because I read the book as an audio, I was not able to see the drawing for the graphic novel. I can tell you that the dual story line is wonderful and they align beautifully. It gave the book a magical realism feel to it.

ON THE SECOND DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: TWO TURTLE DOVES.

Love is in the air! Who is your one true pairing?

I do not have an OTP (One True Pair). I am too busy enjoying the adventure to be thinking about who should go with who.

ON THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: THREE FRENCH HENS.

In the spirit of threes, what is the best trilogy you have read?

I have not finished reading the trilogy, and I will get to that, but for now, the best trilogy that I have read is The Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. The book is very poetically written, and it is wonderful to read and listen to.

ON THE FOURTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: FOUR CALLING BIRDS.

Since series usually consist of four or more books, what is your favourite series?

Aside from Harry Potter, I would have to say the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series by James A. Owen. If you have not read the book, you need to. It is a great experience. I am finishing up the last book right now.

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: FIVE GOLDEN RINGS.

One ring to rule them all! Who is your Favorite Villain/Antagonist?

This one is a bit hard. I feel like if I tell you the true villain/antagonist in this series, I would give out spoilers. However, I do really love who is driving the plot force in this series. The series that I have chosen is the Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi.

ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: SIX GEESE A-LAYING.

Creation is a beautiful thing. What is your favourite world/world-building?

Shocking news everyone we can move on from Harry Potter. There is a new world that I would love to be a part of. I would love to be in the world of Artime (The Unwanteds by Lisa McMcann), preferably not in a time of war (Can we make preferences?). I love their magic system and would love to go there just to study magic.

ON THE SEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMING.

Who needs seven swans when all it takes is one good animal sidekick? Who’s your favourite animal sidekick?

I have three favorite sidekicks and only one of them is an animal. They all share in their humor and quirkiness that I love and adore. These sidekicks are Jack the talking sword from Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan, Tummeler the talking badger from Here there be Dragons by James A. Owen and Bryan from 80 A.D series by Aiki Flinthart.

ON THE EIGHTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: EIGHT MAIDS A MILKING.

Milk is so 18th century. Which book or series takes beverages/food to a whole new level? 

Surprisingly I will not be putting Harry Potter here. I am not really into their foods, candy or otherwise. It never seemed that good to try. However, with that stated, there is one book that does take food to a whole new level. Again, I will not be having any of its food, but you cannot beat Wishing Mushrooms from Seconds by Bryan Lee O’Malley and Nathan Fairbairn. Just write your wish on a piece of paper and eat a mushroom, how hard can that be?

ON THE NINTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: NINE LADIES DANCING.

Dancing is just one skill of a Lady! Who is your favourite kickass female lead?

So I have two leading kickass femals that I believe fit this role. The first one is Hazel from The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black. I love how Hazel defies standards and is able to succeed in protecting her people. The other leading lady is May from I am Princess X by Cherie Priest. We really do not get a lot of May action in the beginning of the book. However, I choose for her to be a kickass female lead because she does faces her fear and her kidnapper to finally escape from her horrors.

ON THE TENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: TEN LORDS A LEAPING.

How about your favourite leading lad?

With all the books that I have read this year, I can truely say that the only leading male that I have enjoyed was Alex Stowe. I love how humble and forgiving. He is an amazing leader and magician for only being 14. Of course you see the stress getting to him, but his love for his friends and family makes him easily relateable and loveable.

ON THE ELEVENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS, MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: ELEVEN PIPES PIPING.

What is your favourite book or bookish thing with musical influence? (It can be about music, reference music a lot etc.)

There are two books that I feel like that will fit with this category. The first one is This Song Will Save You Life by Leila Sales. This book focus on a girl self development through music.  The other book that I have read that fits this category is Armada by Ernest Cline. I just love how music inspires and helps our main character focus. I also love the 80’s mix that he has created. I do wish that I could buy the music mix, or be able to download all of the songs as a book companion.

ON THE TWELFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME: 12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING.

Drum roll please…what is your favourite read of this year?

I have had so many books that I have enjoyed reading this year. However, I am going to go with the first book that I loved and actually shared with people who I personally interact with, beyond the land of the internet. That book is I Killed the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora.  This book has an amazing synopsis, on the hardback books. It made the book interesting and mysterious, which was good because the book did not disappoint.

I TAG* – 

I will tag anyone who wants to do this post. I know that the holiday season can be a bit busy and it should be spent with family and friends. So enjoy your holiday season and I will see you next time. Happy reading and happy holidays from Super Bookworm.

2015 Reading Challenge

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I originally found this challenge on Facebook and few months ago and decided that I wanted to participate in it. It is a year-long challenge that would force me to read books out of my comfort level. I thought it would be really cool and fun. Recently I found the original Goodreads group that set up the challenge and all the mini challenges to read throughout the year. I found out that there are a lot more challenges that what was posted on Facebook. With this new list, I have taken all the books that I have read this year and placed them in each category. I have doubled up on books because a lot of challenges allow you to do that. My goal for the rest of the year is to make updates on this challenge periodically.

  1. a book with more than 500 pages
  • The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
  1. a romance
  2. a book that became a movie
  • Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
  1. a book published this year
  • The Crown of Ptolemy by Rick Riordan
  1. a book with a number in the title
  1. a book written by someone under 30
  2. a book with nonhuman characters
  • Rat Queens Vol. 1 & 2
  1. a funny book
  • The Crown of Ptolemy by Rick Riordan
  1. a book by a female author
  • Adventures of Funeral Crashing #1 by Milda Harris
  • Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
  • Magic Tree House Series by Mary Pope Osborne
  • How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O’Connor
  1. a mystery or thriller
  1. a book with a one-word title
  1. a book of short stories
  1. a book set in a different country
  1. a nonfiction book
  2. a popular author’s first book
  1. a book from your favorite author that you haven’t read yet
  2. a book a friend recommended
  3. a Pulitzer-prize winning book
  4. a book based on a true story
  5. a book at the bottom of your to-read list
  • Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
  1. a book your mom loves
  2. a book that scares you
  3. a book more than 100 years old
  1. a book based entirely on its cover
  1. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t
  2. a memoir
  3. a book you can finish in a day
  • Ms. Marvel Vol. 1
  • Ms. Marvel Vol. 2
  • Rat Queens Vol. 1
  • Rat Queens Vol. 2
  • Smile
  • Anya’s Ghost
  1. a book with antonyms in the title
  2. a book set somewhere you’ve always wanted to visit
  1. a book that came out the year you were born
  2. a book with bad reviews
  3. a trilogy (the first)
  1. a trilogy (the second)
  1. a trilogy (the third)
  1. a book from your childhood
  1. a book with a love triangle
  1. a book set in the future
  1. a book set in high school
  1. a book with a color in the title
  1. a book that made/makes you cry
  2. a book with magic
  1. a graphic novel
  1. a book by an author you’ve never read before
  • Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
  1. a book you own but have never read
  2. a book that takes place in your hometown
  3. a book that was originally written in another language
  1. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday)
  2. a book written by an author with your same initials
  3. a play
  4. a banned book
  5. a book based on OR turned into a tv show
  6. 52. a book you started but never finished
So far that is what I have completed for the 2015 reading challenge. I am planning on giving you an update for this challenge either the end of August or the end of September. I am not doing the challenges in order like everyone else since I started so late. I do hope that you will enjoy seeing my progress. See you next time. Happy Reading!

Nintendo Book Tag

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I wanted to take a little break from reviews with a fun little book tag. Saw this book tag, from Katytastic, and I thought it would be tons of fun. I provided a link to the tag above. Enjoy reading.

QUESTIONS
1) NES (Nintendo Entertainment System): A classic you want to read

After my adventure with Jules Vern in Around the World in 80 Days, I am a bit Classic out. However, I do need to complete Treasure Island before the end of this week, so I do believe that can be counted. To be honest, I do have some classics that I want to read. The two classics that I have at the top of my list are not books but plays. I would like to read A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Macbeth by William Shakespeare.
2) SNES (Super Nintendo): A sequel you liked more than the 1st (can be a 2nd book in a series)

I generally label good sequels as the second book being better than the first. At least I have the expectation that the continuing books be better than the first. The first book is going to be a bit slow. You are learning about the world, the characters and about the main problem. The rest of the series you will not be focusing on such details.

Just to put some series in this section, I would say Eragon, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Heroes Of Olympus. These are a few of the series in which I know that the following books are better than the first.
3) Nintendo 64: A book that revolutionized the way you look at the world
4) Gamecube: A popular book that did not go over so well with you

I must admit that I did enjoy this book, however the reason why it is in this category is because I am still trying to see why it got the hype that it did. The book that won this category is Blankets by Craig Thompson.
5) Wii: A new favorite book

I do not believe in playing favorite with my books. I either like the book or I don’t. However, I must say that this year my new favorite book has been I Killed the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora.
6) Nintendo Power: Favorite graphic novel series or a series you want to start

So far, this has been the year of the graphic novels. I have been reading so many of them. I am glad that I tried something new this year. This was an easy pic. I have really loved the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi. I just love the artwork.
7) Super Mario: A character that you’d love to squish like a Goomba

I read this question and it took me three seconds to pick a character. It might be because the book is still fresh in my mind, but at the same time it was the easiest pick, even if the character gets to die. The character that I wanted to squish like a Goomba is Dr. Caldwell in The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey.  I don’t care how smart this woman is, she made some pretty stupid choices that almost resulted in some deaths. Again, I am left to question this person’s “brilliance.”
8) Zelda: A newer fantasy that you consider to be a modern classic

We all know that I was going to put this here. I am actually proud of myself for not having it in so many different categories. I do count Harry Potter as a modern classic. I not only feel like the story will be relevant throughout time, but its popularity and morals will last throughout time.

The other book that I do count as a modern classic is Eragon. Even though it is not as popular as Harry Potter, it still shares a lot of the traits that Harry Potter has, and it too will last throughout time.
9) Samus-Aran: Favorite sci-fi novel or one you want to read

A Sci-fi novel that I want to read is Ready Player One. I have heard so much about this book, that I just want to get a hold of it and read it.
10) Pokemon: Book editions that you want to collect

This is why I stick to the library. If I collect editions of the same book over just collecting stories, I would be in trouble financially. There are a couple of books that I do want to personally own in physical form. I do want to own Fangirl, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, Harry Potter (I don’t know what happened to the family copies), and The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica.  That is just a list of a few.
11) Donkey Kong: A book with original characters

I am picking Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn. I do love these characters and feel that they are different and unique. I am enjoying our young heroine and how she doesn’t fit into the mold of the typical super hero, male or female. On top of that, using the Grimm Fairy tales to tell the story and to save her family is a great and original twist.
12) Nintendo Fandom: Favorite Nintendo game(s) or game you really want

My favorite Nintendo game is Mario Cart. I have always loved Mario Cart and enjoyed playing Princess Peach since I was  seven. My favorite level was always the one with the snow and penguins because it was the one that I could beat my brother at the best. In addition, I did enjoy rainbow road for the colors and the view.

Disney Book Tag

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Found this fun book tag a while back. I wanted to do it then, but I somehow did not have the time. I do hope that you do enjoy this. It is a fun little tag with ten categories relating to Disney character/ themes. Happy reading!

  1. The Little Mermaid – a character who is out of their element, a “fish out of water”

In some ways, I feel as though every character that we read will always be “a fish out of water.” How else are we suppose to have a plot or any growth for the character?

However, I have chosen The Amulet series by Kibuishi Kazo for this first category. To me, Emily and her family not only go out of their world, but they also out of their element with politics, magic, and epic battles to bring peace throughout all the worlds.

  1. Cinderella – a character who goes through a major transformation

This category I had a hard time narrowing down. However, I have chosen two books to fit. The first one is Elise from This Song Will Save Your Life by Lella Sales and Melanie from The Girls With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey.

For me, Elise has grown a lot from the shy girl who would not confront her fears or people to a person sitting in the DJ booth controlling the situation and having the ability to read and confront people and her problems. On the other hand, Melanie was a mutant prodigy who never experience life outside her cell. The moment she left her cell she quickly learn how to survive and protect those that she loves.

  1. Snow White – a book with an eclectic cast of characters

I feel like I am cheating. The book that I chose for this category is The Crown of Ptolemy by Rick Riordan. I enjoy seeing both Percy, Annabeth, Carter and Sadie, and it was fun to see the mix of both Greek and Egyptian Mythology.

  1. Sleeping Beauty – a book that put you to sleep

The book that I have chosen for this category not only put me to sleep, but it also disappointed me. The book for the Sleeping Beauty category goes to The Diary of Darcy J. Rhone by Emily Griffen. I ended up giving the book two out of five stars on Goodreads and I found the main character shallow with a lack of growth.

  1. The Lion King – a character who had something traumatic happen to them in childhood

The book that I have chosen for this category is After Math by Denise Swank. Our main character Scarlett Goodwin had a very traumatic past who is overcoming all obstacles to make her life better.

  1. Beauty and the Beast – A beast of a book (a big book) that you were intimidated by, but found the story to be beautiful

Again, this is another category that I had a hard time. I actually have two books that I believe will fit in this category. Both of these books are not in here for their size, but they did intimidate me. I tend to stay away from books that make you cry. I don’t like to cry whether in public or in private because of a book. A book should be both fun and pleasurable and I never had associated crying with pleasure. Both of these books are a joy to read and I am glad that I have read them. These two books are The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

  1. Aladdin – a character who gets their wish granted, for better or worse

For this category, I have chosen both Jade and Phoenix from the 80 AD series by Aiki Flinthart. Both characters get what they wished for when they are transported into a video game. Both do discover it is not all fun and games and surprisingly also get their other wishes granted as well when they saved the worlds.

  1. Mulan – a character who pretends to be someone or something they are not

For this category, I have chosen Ally from Fish In A Tree by Lynda Hunt. In the beginning, Ally pretends to be the class clown and troublemaker to hide her secret from her family and teachers.

  1. Toy Story – a book with characters you wish would come to life

Almost all of the characters from James A. Owen Imaginarium Geographica Series. Who would not want to meet a bunch of famous authors throughout history, along with their most famous characters?

  1. Disney Descendants – your favorite villain or morally ambiguous character

The person I picked for this category is not a villain but is a bit morally ambiguous. The person that I picked is Kat from The Heist Society by Ally Carter. I would love to get to know Kat more and understand her thinking and skill sets.

Reviews on Amulets book 5&6

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I wanted to do another quick review before this weekend is over. I just finished the last two books in the Amulet Series, by Kazu Kibuishi, in a very short time. I cannot wait for the next three books to come out.

Amulet book five looks into the past and the history of the Amulets and some of the theories that existed around using its powers. While we are learning about the powers and history of the amulet, we also get into the past of both Max and Trellis. We also learned about the void as well as the possibility of time travel, and weather or not it is real and possible. Book six continues with what book five is focusing on and we get two storylines, one dealing with Emily and the other one dealing with her brother Navin. Emily’s story line is inline with the amulets while Navin is dealing with leadership and trying to help out a mission. I am not going to give much details about book six because I do not want to spoil the series.

I gave both books five out of five stars on Goodreads. Like the previous books that I have read, I have loved the artwork. The artwork is fantastic, and in some ways I will just show you below before I ruin it with words. Just look at the artwork. I also enjoyed both storylines very well. They were very well structured and captivating. It was hard to put down the book, and upsetting when I found out that I have to wait for the seventh’s book release sometime this year (if we are lucky). I also enjoyed some of the elements that he added in these stories, like the void, the history, dangers and consequences, and powerful choices that our characters will face and make. I am looking forward to seeing how all these elements play out.

There are only two issues that I have with the story. The first one is the size of the book. Not in thickness, but in length and width. I feel as though the story would benefit with a larger book. The artwork is amazing, and some of those panels you would personally love to have as posters on a wall. The second issue that I have is one of pros. This deals with all the elements that Kibuishi has in his series. I do love each element, and I would love to see how they will play out, but I am wondering if he is juggling to many elements. Kibuishi did say that he will have nine books in this series, and if each book is going to stay around 200 pages like his previous books, I am wondering if he can addressed all those elements he adress throughout the series. I know it has been done before, I am just wondering if 600 pages is going to cover all those loose ends.

In the end, I do recommend this series to everyone. It does start of slow, but the story gets better after the third book, and the artwork is fantastic. I know everyone will enjoy and love the artwork as much as I have. If you have the chance, marathon the books. The books flow better when you marathon them, and the book don’t take anymore than an hour and a half to read. They are great quick reads.

I do hope that you had a wonderful Easter/ Springtime, and spent some great quality time with family and friends. Happy Reading!

Check out this video to see a passage of book five.

March Wrap up and April TBR

Posted in challenges, TBR, Wrap-ups by

Alright, it is that time of the month where I recap the previous month and make some new goals for the new month. It is the March Wrap-up and April TBR post!

March was not that bad. I read a total of 6 book. To break that down, I have read 3 novels, 1 middle school grade book, 1 children’s chapter book, and 1 children’s book. I am almost done with the challenge. I am about ⅓ of the way finished with the movie. My computer was running low on battery and there was not an outlet that would be safe to plug into for my grandma.  I am planning on writing a review for the movie shortly.

Now for the TBR list for April. To start off, the challenge that I got for this month is to read a book with 500 or more pages. It was hard to find a book that length that I wanted to read, since many of the book that I wanted to read this month were around 300. The book that I am using for the challenge will be highlighted in amber.

  1. The Darkest Part of the Forest (330) by Holly Black
  2. The Water Travelers (252) by Daniel Waltz
  3. The Secret Life of Bees (336) by Sue Monk Kidd
  4. The Clockwork Angel (520) by Cassandra Clare
  5. Grift (300) by Jason Mosberg
  6. Amulet: Prince of Elves (287) by Kaza Kimbuishi
  7. Amulet : Escape From Lucien (220) by Kaza Kimbuishi

I do hope that your week is going great. Happy Autism Awareness Day. See you next time. Happy Reading!

Amulet Book 1-4 Review

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I do hope that your weekend was wonderful, and was full of adventures and good times with friends and family. I do have a little delight in presenting another review on a graphic novel. This one is the Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi. I have not been given the chance to finish this series, I am still waiting for the last two books to become available at the library.

The series is about a girl going to a a magical alternative realm with her family to help bring peace and balance throughout all the worlds. To do so, she must master the skill/magic of her amulet (stone) and defeat those who want to use the power of the amulets for bad.

There are a couple of things that I enjoyed about the series. The number one thing that I loved, was the artwork. The artwork is spectacular and amazing. There are some panels that I wish that I can just hang in my room as a poster. I enjoyed the color scheme and the details. All of these details made the artwork breath taking. The other thing that I enjoyed about this series is the layers of storytelling.  Even though it took some time to see all of these layers, it is amazing to see how the author has the past, present, and future intertwined at the same moment affecting each other.

However, there are some things that I did not enjoy about this book series. I must admit that the storyline fell flat in the beginning. It was not bad, but it was not thrilling as I thought it would/ should be. In the beginning, I felt as though we were missing something and I kept waiting for something amazing to come up. When something amazing did happened, it happened at the end of the book. Sadly, the only reason why I continued to book two, was because I wanted to know what happened to the mom and to see more of the artwork. However, as you go later on in the series, the story becomes interesting and you do start to invest in the story. The other problem that I had, was that I wished for the book to be bigger in size, not pages, but size of the page. As I have mentioned before, I loved the artwork and I felt that a larger book would have done the artwork better justice.

In the end I gave the first three book in the series four out of five stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed the books, but I did not love them. I did feel as though the story fell flat, but each book was an improvement to the previous one. In addition, the artwork was spectacular, and I spent minutes enjoying each panel. The fourth book, on the other hand, received five out of five stars on Goodreads. Not only was the artwork amazing, but so was the story. I was hooked and I couldn’t wait to share it with the work.

I also recommend the series to everyone. I believe that you will enjoy the artwork, as well as the story. Just remember that the story does take a while to not only build, but to start, This author does take the time to not only build his world, but his characters and it is worth the wait.

In addition to the review, I do want to share some of the panels with you. I want to share with you some of the beauty that I was trying to describe in my review. I know that there are not enough words to truly tell you how amazing these panels are, and these pictures do not do the book justice. However, I do hope that they will give you a bit of insight as to what I am talking about.

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