Book Review 45. The School for Good and Evil

Book: The School for Good and Evil
Series: The School for Good and Evil (#1)
Author: Soman Chainani
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Pages: 488
Published: May 14th, 2013

Synopsis: This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.-
But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

“Only once you destroy who you think you are can you embrace who you truly are” 

Next Up On Base 3. December 2016

Haven't done this in a while, but I have 3 books I feel I really want to finish this December, so here they are!

(Also, update on my annual reading challenge: I set out to read 52 books, and I am not doing very well on that one, let me tell you...)

Book Review 44. In Cold Blood

Book: In Cold Blood
Author: Truman Capote
Genre: True Crime
Pages: 343
Published: January, 1966

Synopsis: On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no apparent motive for the crime, and there were almost no clues.
As Truman Capote reconstructs the murder and the investigation, he generates both mesmerizing suspense and astonishing empathy. In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of American violence.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

“I thought that Mr. Clutter was a very nice gentleman. I thought so right up to the moment that I cut his throat.” 

Book Review 43. Winter

Book: Winter
Series: The Lunar Chronicles (#4)
Author: Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Pages: 832
Published: November 10th, 2015

Synopsis: Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won't approve of her feelings for her childhood friend--the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter is"n't as weak as Levana believes her to be and she's been undermining her stepmother's wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that's been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Broken isn't the same as unfixable."

Book Review 42. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Book: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Series: Harry Potter (#8)
Author: J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne
Genre: Fantasy Play
Pages: 327
Published: July 31st, 2016

Synopsis: It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.
While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

“Those we love never truly leave us, Harry. There are things that death cannot touch.” 

Screen Review 2. Kubo and the Two Strings

Movie: Kubo and the Two Strings
Director: Travis Knight
Runtime: 1h 41m
Release Date: August 19th, 2016
Stars:  Charlize Theron, Art Parkinson, Matthew McConaughey
Rated: PG

Synopsis: A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

"If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see no matter how unusual it may seem. If you look away, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish."

Screen Review 1. Fight Club

Movie: Fight Club
Director: David Fincher
Run Time: 2h 19m
Release Date: October 15th, 1999
Stars:  Brad Pitt, Edward Norton, Meat Loaf
Rated: R

Synopsis: An insomniac office worker, looking for a way to change his life, crosses paths with a devil-may-care soap maker, forming an underground fight club that evolves into something much, much more.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

"The things you own end up owning you."

Character Choruses 1. Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Hey! I make playlists for my favorite characters all the time, so I thought a good way to keep this blog alive is to post some of them on here! 

My first playlist is for the character Natasha Romanoff, also known as Black Widow, from the Marvel Universe. This playlist is titled "Love is for children, I owe him a debt."

The playlist can be found here, on 8tracks! You don't even need to make an account to enjoy!

That's All Folks 3. Shape-shifters and Competitive Eating

Inspired by the blog The Daily Prophecy, That's All Folks is a new series of posts where I'll give short reviews on books I want to review but don't have enough content to write a full review for.

Tag 4. Intimidating TBR Tag

This tag is for all the books on my TBR that have been sitting there unread for a specific reason. All the books on this list are books that I own physical copies of.

      

Book Review 41. Lost at Sea

Book: Lost at Sea
Author: Bryan Lee O'Malley
Genre: Young Adult Graphic Novel
Pages: 160
Published: December 22nd, 2003

Synopsis: Raleigh doesn't have a soul. A cat stole it -- or at least that's what she tells people -- or at least that's what she would tell people if she told people anything. But that would mean talking to people, and the mere thought of social interaction is terrifying. How did such a shy teenage girl end up in a car with three of her hooligan classmates on a cross-country road trip? Being forced to interact with kids her own age is a new and alarming proposition for Raleigh, but maybe it's just what she needs -- or maybe it can help her find what she needs -- or maybe it can help her to realize that what she needs has been with her all along.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

“Out here where the world begins and ends, it’s like nothing ever stops happening.” 

Book Review 40. The Hidden Oracle

Book: The Hidden Oracle
Series: The Trials of Apollo (#1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Pages: 384
Published: May 3rd, 2016

Summary: How do you punish an immortal?
By making him human.
After angering his father Zeus, the god Apollo is cast down from Olympus. Weak and disorientated, he lands in New York City as a regular teenage boy. Now, without his godly powers, the four-thousand-year-old deity must learn to survive in the modern world until he can somehow find a way to regain Zeus's favour.
But Apollo has many enemies - gods, monsters and mortals who would love to see the former Olympian permanently destroyed. Apollo needs help, and he can think of only one place to go . . . an enclave of modern demigods known as Camp Half-Blood.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

"Things can turn out differently, Apollo. That's the nice thing about being human. We only have one life, but we can choose what kind of story it's going to be."

Tag 3. Books and Songs

I've had this in drafts for over a year, so I'll do the intro quick! Each book gets one song that reminds me of it. Here are the first five books I thought of!

1. Call it What You Want by Foster the People

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

"If it don't conform / To what you were born into / Then you run the other way. "

Book Review 39. Panic

Book: Panic
Author: Lauren Oliver
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Pages: 408
Published: April 10th, 2016

Synopsis: Panic began as so many things do in Carp, a dead-end town of 12,000 people in the middle of nowhere: because it was summer, and there was nothing else to do.
Heather never thought she would compete in Panic, a legendary game played by graduating seniors, where the stakes are high and the payoff is even higher. She’d never thought of herself as fearless, the kind of person who would fight to stand out. But when she finds something, and someone, to fight for, she will discover that she is braver than she ever thought.
Dodge has never been afraid of Panic. His secret will fuel him, and get him all the way through the game, he’s sure of it. But what he doesn't know is that he’s not the only one with a secret. Everyone has something to play for.
For Heather and Dodge, the game will bring new alliances, unexpected revelations, and the possibility of first love for each of them—and the knowledge that sometimes the very things we fear are those we need the most.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

“She thought all you needed to do - all any of them needed - was to get out. But maybe you carried your demons with you everywhere, the way you carried your shadow.” 

Book Review 38. Illuminae

Book: Illuminae
Series: The Illuminae Files (#1)
Author: Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Pages: 599
Published: October 20th, 2015

This ebook was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do.
This afternoon, her planet was invaded.
The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than an ice-covered speck at the edge of the universe. Too bad nobody thought to warn the people living on it. With enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra—who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to fight their way onto an evacuating fleet, with an enemy warship in hot pursuit.
But their problems are just getting started. A deadly plague has broken out and is mutating, with terrifying results; the fleet's AI, which should be protecting them, may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a tangled web of data to find the truth, it's clear only one person can help her bring it all to light: the ex-boyfriend she swore she'd never speak to again.
Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents—including emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more—Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping, high-octane trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

“Miracles are statistical improbabilities. And fate is an illusion humanity uses to comfort itself in the dark. There are no absolutes in life, save death.” 

Tag 2. Hamilton Book Tag

I am so happy that this tag exists. I LOVE the musical Hamilton (haven't seen it because getting tickets is impossible, but I can sing the whole thing straight through). I highly recommend that people listen to the soundtrack, especially big book fans. If you love to read, you'll love the detailed narrative and historically accurate emotional turmoil.

But anyway, here are the books that most remind me of each song/prompt. I wrote this really fast, and just went with the first thing I thought of.

1. The Room Where it Happens (What is a book world that you would put yourself into?)

Obviously I have to go with the wizarding world of Harry Potter here, as long as I can be guaranteed that I get a spot in Ravenclaw. I mean, I know so much about the world that I might as well live there already.

Wishlist Wednesday. Me Before You

Hosted by Pen to Paper

Book Review 37. The Inn Between

Book: The Inn Between
Author: Marina Cohen
Genre: Middle Grade Horror
Pages: 208
Published: March 2nd, 2016

This ebook was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Synopsis: The Shining meets "Hotel California" in this supremely creepy middle grade novel about the bizarre things that happen to two girls stranded at a desert inn.
Eleven-year-old Quinn has had some bad experiences lately. She was caught cheating in school, and then one day, her little sister Emma disappeared while walking home from school. She never returned
When Quinn's best friend Kara has to move away, she goes on one last trip with Kara and her family. They stop over at the first hotel they see, a Victorian inn that instantly gives Quinn the creeps, and she begins to notice strange things happening around them. When Kara's parents and then brother disappear without a trace, the girls are stranded in a hotel full of strange guests, hallways that twist back in on themselves, and a particularly nasty surprise lurking beneath the floorboards. Will the girls be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Kara's family before it's too late?

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

"Welcome to Inn Between. We've been expecting you."

Next Up On Base 2. February TBR

We're one-twelfth of the way through 2016, and I've managed not to already fall behind on my annual reading challenge! Last month I read 4 books, which isn't too shabby, and I hope to do just as well in February.

Anyway, in nor real order, here are the 5 books that are on the top of my TBR for February!

2015 Reading Year in Review

This year was a pretty good reading year. Not a great one, but still pretty good. All in all, I read a grand total of 55 books, not quite reaching my goal of 65 and not counting picture books.