Tag Archives: The girl with all the gifts

Summer Lovin’ Book Tag

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Alright, I felt like taking a break from doing some book reviews. I found this fun book tag on Jessiethereader’s Vlog. It is a simple tag in which you pick a book that best fit each of the categories. Here is the video that inspired my participation.

  1. Start of Summer: Pick a book with an attention-grabbing first line.

The book that I am picking for this tag is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I really enjoyed the first line of the book which was “Once upon a time, an angel and a demon fell in love. It did not end well.” I loved the fairytale element of that line as well as the twist of darkness within the first two sentences of the book.

2. Too hot to go out: Pick a book for a day in.

I have two books that I would love to pick for this category. Both of these books are fun, beautiful, and a bit inspiring. The first book is Fish in a Tree by Lynda Muyllay Hunt, is about a young girl struggling in school due to the fact that no one has caught her dyslexia. The second book is I Killed the Mokingbird by Paula Acampora is about three friends trying to bring To Kill a Mockingbird back into the spotlight.

3. Summer road trip: Pick a book you’d take with you on the road.

I generally take all my books out with me whenever I leave the house. I love to read at every spare second I have. However, I have also seen an interesting take on this category in which many of the booktubers have picked books that focus on a road trip theme. So the books I have chosen that kind of have that road trip vibe are The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey and The Wizard, The Witch, and the Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papasematriou. Both of these books take you on some pretty interesting destinations.

4. Ice tea goodness: Pick a book with a cold setting

I just realized that I have not read a lot of books that take place in a cold environment. In fact, going through all the books that I have read this year, I have a total of two. However the book that I will be putting in this category is Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee. This book not only takes place during the holidays, but the setting is which it is a place that has never experience warm weather.

5. Nasty sunburn: A book you really disliked (so far) this year.

I do not know what to say about this book. I can tell you I had higher expectations and was sorely disappointed when they were not met. The book that is in this category is The DUFF by Kody Keplinger.

6. Sizzling Summer reads: Recommend one of your favorite books (this year)

This book I am recommending to all of you right now. I know it is a little childish, but I absolutely love!. The book for the sizzling summer reads category is The Unwatneds by Lisa McMann. I love the world and the dichotomy of the two worlds. I also enjoy the magic system.

That is my Summer Lovin’ Booktag. If you want to participate, please do so. It is a lot of fun and I cannot wait to see what books you will place in each of the categories. I do hope that you weeks is going great. See you next time and happy reading!

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!

The Character Book Tag

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It is time for another tag post! This one, as you can tell by its title, is about the characters we have read and love(or hate). I saw it on Regan’s channel PurseProject and thought this would be fun. So let’s begin.

The Questions:
1. Who is the best kick-ass character?

Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass. She is an assassin as well as a girly girl, who owns who it. I love how proud she is of herself, as well as being both physically and mentally strong. She is not afraid to ask questions and prefers doing what is right.
2. Which character do you most dislike?

Oh…. Where do I begin? I somehow have a list of characters that I dislike, and amazingly they are all pretty high up there on the dislike list. Let me just list some of those characters for you.

a)Professor Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Not only do I hate this character, but this is a shared hatred with millions of other people both real and fictional. You know it is big when you have characters help another hated and despised character do harm onto this one.

b)Dr. Caldwell from The Girl With All The Gifts.  I said it before, and I will say it again, I don’t see how this person could be the world’s most smartest mind with all the stupid choices she has made throughout the book.

c) Daisy Crispin from Perfectly Dateless. She is the main character of this book, and the main reason why I gave this book such a low rating. She started off with so much potential and strength and lost it all in the end.

d) The King of Adarlan (Don’t Know his name) from Throne of Glass. Let us just call him the king that must die. He is so desperate for power that he is willing to kill off his own subjects and children to gain more power. In addition, this guy makes rules and purposely breaks his own rules. What kind of a leader is he?
3. If you could date any fictional character who would it be and why?

James “Jem” Carstairs from The Clockwork Angel. Jem is very sweet and gentle and was welcoming to Theresa.
4. If you could change a character in any way what would it be?

Aaron Tyler from Trouble. The one thing that I would love to change would be his courage to tell his best friend what really happened that afternoon when everything went down. I would also love it if Aaron realizes that the situation was not his fault.
5. What character to you made all the wrong choices that didn’t add anything to the book?

Aouda from Around the World in 80 Days. The chick did nothing in the book for the exception of being rescued and saying yes to Mr. Fogg’s proposal. The most useless character in all of history.
6. Which character was the best villain whom you love to hate?

Lilith from the Circle Trilogy. If the lady wasn’t just plain evil, have a desire to suck my blood, or just place me as her lowly servant, I would label her as a kick-ass character. She is really good at planning, fighting, and standing up to what she believes in. In addition, she is really good at caring about others in her own way. It is a little sad that she seems a little psychotic.
7. A favorite side-kick character with the most heart?

Brynn from the 80AD series. I love this character! What makes him a great sidekick is the fact that he is not perfect. He is a thief, he tends to lie and cheat, but he is lovable and hilarious. His sense of humor and heart makes him a great pair with Pheniox.
8. What is your favorite fictional romantic relationship?

Jack and Hazel from The Darkest Part of the Forest. I loved the relationship that these two have, and how they bonded over time.
9. What character did you think was the strongest?

Liz Taylor from Just Like Elizabeth Taylor. This girl is not strong physically but has strength in courage. For her to admit a situation and just leave is huge. On top of that, she helps other as well as keeping her best friend safe. It took a lot of courage for her to change her environment.
10. Best protagonist?

Picking your favorite main character is like picking your favorite book. I do not have a favorite main character. However to pick one, I would choose Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Heroes of Olympus, and The Percy Jackson and Kane Chronicles Crossover. I love how smart she, and isn’t afraid of danger. She gets in there and tries to fix a problem.

I do hope that you have enjoyed this tag. This tag was a bit harder to do, but I enjoyed the challenge. See you next time and 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.

Dream a Little Dream with The Girl with All the Gifts Reviews

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Hello again. I am trying to catch up with my reviews and I hope that I can do them while waiting at the library. Today I will be doing two reviews. The first is Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Gier and the second is The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey.

21469090Dream a Little Dream, by Kerstin Gier, is about a girl name Liz who moves to England with her mom and sister and starts having these bizarre dreams about her future step brother and his friends. As time progress she becomes part of the gang to conquer an evil demon to protect her new friends.

I really did enjoy the book. I gave the book four out of five stars on Goodreads. I really did enjoy the characters, and thought most of them to be believable. I also enjoyed the mystery aspect of the book as you try to discover who Secrecy is as well as the mystery of the Demon.  In addition, I also loves the Sherlock Holmes Vibe that Liz has as she tries to piece together the puzzles to help her friends out. I also enjoyed the character development as well as the setting. Gier took her time in developing these two aspects of the story. Last but not least, I also enjoyed traveling between the real and the dream world, with the use of science and magic. Seeing the two worlds and what people want and dream up is really fun and creative. I really enjoy seeing how all the characters acted between the two worlds, as well as their reasoning of what is happening around them. Finally, I enjoyed the ending of the book. Not to give out spoilers, but Gier really set it up for a second book and made me want to grab that book. Though what got me more interested in the series, was the plot twist that she had at the end of the book.

However, there were a few things that I did not enjoy. One was the slow beginning. It took at least 100 pages for you to start to get into the story and feel any movement. A much as I enjoyed the development, I also felt like we spent too much time and wanted to get the story to move forward. Though once you do get past the initial dream, the book does pick up pace. Another point that I did not like was the mother. I do feel as though the mother is just there to help move the story along, but I also feel as though she is making choices that only have her interest, not her and her children’s. There were several times in which she acted as though her daughters should be perfectly okay with some of her decision after not talking to them all summer or giving them time to adjust.

In the end, I do recommend this book to everyone. I feel as though everyone would enjoy the characters and the travel between dream and real world. In addition, I also believe that everyone will enjoy the mystery and the thought process of our main character.

17235026The Girl With All the Gifts, by M.R. Carey, is about a mutant name Melanie who lives on a base as a science experiment. The book looks at her development as well as the development of five other people as they try to adjust life outside the base after the Junkers (Rebels) attack and has taken over the base.

I gave this book four out of five stars on Goodreads. I enjoyed this new apoplectic new world. The idea of what houses and cities would look like after years of no one living in them. I also enjoy the concept of a fungus destroying the planet and how it affected people. Seeing how it affected people and created a second generation in order for the fungus to survive. In addition, I also enjoyed seeing the different stages of the fungus and how it affected people. In addition to this new world, I also enjoyed seeing how Melanie and one of the younger characters (who would have no memory of the old world) respond to some of the artifacts that were lying around as they journeyed to a safer location. In addition, I did enjoy all but one of the character. I loved how Carey created his charters with depth and layers. They are not so easily placed in a box and are willing to grow and expand throughout their journey. These characters were not the same people at the end of the book as they were at the beginning. Finally, I did enjoy the different perspectives of the situation. Throughout the book, you got to be one of the five characters as you journey through London. I enjoyed getting to see these perspectives as well as their growth.

However, there were a few problems that I had with the book. The first major problem was with the doctor, Caldwell, that was trying to find a cure to the fungus. She is labeled as this intelligent scientist who has the potential to save the world. There was a little bit of a background story that went with this character and how she was not chosen for the first wave of scientist to save the world. However, Caldwell made several decisions in the book that almost killed her and her cohorts that made me question her IQ. She was to focus on the cure to care about safety. Another problem that I had with this book was the slow beginning. Carey does take his time to develop the characters in the beginning of the book. However, I felt as though we were in a lull waiting for something to happen for at least the first fourth of the book. The other problem that I had with the book was the ending. Sorry about not going into details, I just don’t want to spoil the book for you. I felt as though the book ended a little lonely for some of our main characters. Last but not least, the last issue I had with this book was the lack of world development in the beginning of the book. Even though you are in different perspectives throughout the book, the only time you get to learn what happened and the changes in the world is with Melanie. Finally, the last problem that I had with the book was the lack of answering the question of how the second generation of these mutants survive, let alone exist. Given the pretext of the original disease, it would make it hard for this child to exist, let alone survive. I do wish that Carey would have explained that in the book.

In the end, I would recommend this book to anyone who is into Science fiction. I believe that you would enjoy the characters, world, as well as the story. However, if you are new to the science fiction world, I would hold up until you are better acquainted with the genre. Carey does not hold back on the science or the world, and I feel as though you should at least get acquainted with science fiction first before reading this book.

See you soon and happy reading!

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.

July TBR 2015

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I have decided to keep my TBR a little short this time since we have Book-tube-a-thon later on this month. I am only putting books that I have not finished reading, as well as books that I need to finish a review or return back to the library.

1. The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R Carry
2. Trouble by Non Pratt
3. Dream a Little Dream by Kerstin Geiser
4. Numbers Game by Rebecca Rhodes
5. Compendium by Alia Lurai
6. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Vern
7. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

For this month TBR challenge, I pulled “To read a classic.” However, classic literature is a very vague term that has different meanings to each person. For me, it is a good popular book that will not lose its value over time. The difference between classic and modern classic is whether or not the author is dead. For this challenge, I decided to pick two books. One is label as a classic and one is considered as a modern classic. For this challenge, I have chosen Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Vern and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling.

I do hope that your summer is fun and exciting. Hope to see you next time. Happy reading!