Review: Wonder Woman Warbringer

Rate: 

5/5

Goodreads Description:

Daughter of immortals.

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.

Pre Review: 

When Wonder Woman hit theaters, I became OBSESSED! Wonder Woman grew a special place in my heart and 5 days later, I adopted 2 cats and named one of them Diana Prince. When I heard one of my favorite authors would be doing a book on Wonder Woman, or rather a whole series based on these DC legends would be done by some of the top best selling authors, I was so excited.

Needless to say, it was soon after I got my hands on this book at San Diego Comic Con, that I entered a massive reading slump from which I still haven't recovered. Here I am, trying to revive myself and I find myself currently with the book in my lap, excited to actually open the pages and actually get to it. I have been reading some comics so I have a bit of a more solid taste of the original Wonder Woman, fingers crossed I love this as much.

Review to come.

Review: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien

Rate:

4/5

Goodreads Description:

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkeness bind them

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, The Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit.

In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose.

Review:

I knew as I read the book that having seen the movies first was a mistake, but there isnt anything that I can do about that can I?

With that being said, I liked the movies better xD 

I know, sue me. J. R. R. Tolkien still managed to make a fantastic world, its unmatched, I didnt hate the books, I dont think anyone can really hate the books. There are things that are different, which is to be expected in any adaptation, but I did find some parts of the book and I was like okay when is this gonna happen? Did this happen at that time? I thought this was later? Shit like that you know?

I'm always so surprised when I find out when this book was published, it was ahead of its time, even today its just something that doesn't fail to impress. Its a book for the generations. 

Recommend it?

Its a must.

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Rate:

3.5/5

Goodreads Description:

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Review:

After everyone screaming their love over this series at the four winds I have finally caved in and read it annnndd... Im not so impressed.

There is so much going on in this book that it sure does make an impact and to be honest it can be realistic in those aspects because hey, life isnt sweet. I dont want to spoil which is why I avoid going into details. The writting it good, which keeps the reader entertained, the story line it self for the most part is cliche but of course, Sabaa made it her bitch and made it her own. I feel like the main part that annoyed me from this book was actually the love part of it. I dont always ship main characters, for me, they have to be done right, in a way that im envious. But this one just kind of didn't do it. I guess its because the characters are supposed to be so freaking beautiful and I dont relate to that. But hey, its refreshing that the main character doesnt think herself as basic XD that she has some self confidence.

I feel like the reason that I didnt love this bok is my own fault, for reading so many books, one after the other that offer the same plot line and in the end, the same ending. 

Recommend it?

MMMMM I do, the book isnt bad but it wasn't worth the hype for me personally.

Review: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

Let luck find you.

Alice doesn’t believe in luck—at least, not the good kind. But she does believe in love, and for some time now, she’s been pining for her best friend, Teddy. On his eighteenth birthday—just when it seems they might be on the brink of something—she buys him a lottery ticket on a lark. To their astonishment, he wins $140 million, and in an instant, everything changes. 

At first, it seems like a dream come true, especially since the two of them are no strangers to misfortune. As a kid, Alice won the worst kind of lottery possible when her parents died just over a year apart from each other. And Teddy’s father abandoned his family not long after that, leaving them to grapple with his gambling debts. Through it all, Teddy and Alice have leaned on each other. But now, as they negotiate the ripple effects of Teddy’s newfound wealth, a gulf opens between them. And soon, the money starts to feel like more of a curse than a windfall. 

As they try to find their way back to each other, Alice learns more about herself than she ever could have imagined…and about the unexpected ways in which luck and love sometimes intersect.

Review: 

I have heard so many times about the disaster stories of people that win the lottery and their life goes down hill when it gets to their heads or how people treat them when they find out. Here we have an 18 year old kid winning the lottery. What a freaking dream! I would go all out and buy all the books, a house and probably do a lot worse than Teddy, which in its way, is what created the problem for everyone. This is my first book by Jennifer Smith in a really long time and to be honest, I actually liked it well enough. 

The problem to me was that whenever there would be any real problems, they would kinda go away almost as soon as they came in my opinion. Sure, it made for a quick read, but maybe, just maybe if they extended on those problems, it wouldve made for a deeper connection between the characters and the readers. 

Recommend it?

Mmmm yeah, it was still a nice read.

Topic Tuesday: Book Slump

Episode 25

Book Slump

Hi my name is Valeria and I... I am in a book slump.

I haven't wanted to admit it but I am and I apologize for all the hurt that my slump may have caused to my friends and family

Totally kidding

Book slumps are nothing to be afraid of and while I might be a hypocrite for saying this, they are nothing to worry about either.

Sure your TBR will only get bigger and your unread pile of books will continue to grow as you refuse to admit you simply aren't reading book yet you still buy them. It happens.

Slumps are one of those things that more often than not you simply can't pin point why it started unless you are like me. 

You burned yourself out after reading so freaking much. Up until June, I had read over 100 books and when I reached September, I was just dead to the world of books, sure I still read 2 books which could be 2 more books than other people but I have never read only 2 books in the past 4 years! Like that is just... unheard of for me since I started to avidly read. 

It's a shame because I have so many books that I have been wanting to read and even have on my shelves, some of these books were such anticipated releases for me that it is even more taxing to know that my heart just isn't in it.

For October I didn't read a single book! I started 1 book before I set it down, it is just going by like 5 pages a day. I am so ashamed. But as I said, there is nothing you should be ashamed of. In my opinion, it is healthy to take a break once in a while and to be honest, I feel like I simply forced myself to read so much and that is what burned me out. My goal for goodreads was high and once I achieved it I wanted to call it quits. So from now on I promise to myself to read whenever I wish to do so and books I want to read, not that I feel forced that I should read because everyone is talking about it...

But that is my personal resolution.

For now, I have decided to go ahead and take my break, I deserve it, I have read so much since I started this blog that I even have 170 drafted reviews, I could literally quit reading for good and still have enough reviews to last me 2 years.... Yeah... That much, and that is just my drafts, not even consider all that I have already posted! So from now on, I will take my sweet time reading books and you know what, I will set a goodreads goal of 12 books a year, one a month!

I am a little done with the fact that I feel like I need to reach a huge amount of books to feel accomplished, so this year is prob the last year I will say omg I read so many books!

I have no idea how to crawl out of my book slump but I still aim to continue to go about my daily life and try not to dwell on it too much. I mean, I have so much to do now a days anyways, I have 2 cats (well 4 counting the outside cats), I have started to deface books and attempt to sell them on etsy (valesbookshelf) and even if I don't I am defacing my own books, I have been writing these past few months and I have well over 40 thousand words for which I am incredibly proud of, and well.. I am a full time student so... 

Whether you are reaching your goal or not, simply keep in mind that it is understandable if you are not reaching your goal, no one is judging you at all, it is normal to have things get in the way and even if they aren't, it doesn't matter. Books aren't a race, they are meant to be enjoyed at whichever pace a reader prefers, that's why they are so epic, it's not like a phone in which the battery runs out, or netflix which you have to pay each month or the movies which end in 2 hours, if you want to take a year reading a single book. YOU CAN! Books are nothing but options and there is no wrong choice.

Review: New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson

Rate:

3/5

Goodreads Description:

It is 2140. 

The waters rose, submerging New York City. 

But the residents adapted and it remained the bustling, vibrant metropolis it had always been. Though changed forever.

Every street became a canal. Every skyscraper an island.

Through the eyes of the varied inhabitants of one building, Kim Stanley Robinson shows us how one of our great cities will change with the rising tides.

And how we too will change.

Review: 

The imagery of a large portion of the city underwater is a good one that at first maintained me very entertained. And that is it for this review, the imagery was great, I literally have nothing else to say about the plot. 

Just kidding, I have very little to say to be honest, out of all the days that this book took me to get through and all that jazz the plot was incredibly boring. I was fascinated by the whole idea of new work underwater in a highly futuristic work but the plot was just ... eh. The characters themselves just failed to impress me, as clear as it was that they were actually made to impress readers but maybe that was what just didn't do it for me. All these characters are loaded with a good background but in the end their background was better than the story being told in the present time. Whats the point of being in a futuristic timeline when all you want to hear about is the past.

Recommend it?

Maybe wait for the movie.