Not-So-Brief Hiatus

Hey!

So I know I’ve been away for a while (aka 2-3 months) and that was because I was in a blogging slump. Juggling everything became a bit stressful and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep going…but my time away from my blog has made me realize that I love blogging (in some form or the other) and with all the good books I’ve been reading lately, I need someplace to fangirl!

BUT despite how much I love you guys and this blog.. I want to start over. To be honest, I’ve published quite a few posts on this blog, that looking back, aren’t that great quality. I want to start publishing more quality posts and reviews but I felt like it would be a lot easier to start over with a new blog instead of deleting a bunch of blog posts and re-designing this blog.

My new blog is called Addicted to YA and it would be great if you could go check it out…It’s a little more colorful than this one but still the design isn’t that unique or anything because I don’t have mad tech skills.

I just wanted to thank you guys for supporting this blog…and hopefully you’ll follow me over on my new blog?

Thanks again,

Rachana

Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge

So I know its already March now but I finally ended up joining the Goodreads Reading Challenge! I came up with the ambitious goal of reading 500 books this year and I’m not really sure whether I’ll be changing that goal….

I feel like reading is less fun when its constrained by things like genre or number and that’s why I don’t plan on reading a certain number of books each week to reach my goal. (I’m actually just going to use the reading challenge to measure the amount of books I read this year!) Anyway, I thought this might be a fun way to track the books I read and I’ve never tried the Goodreads Reading Challenge before.

So that’s really all for this week….I’ve been feeling sick for the last few days so I’m going to be taking a break from blogging and writing and just focusing on getting better (and finishing my homework).

Book Review: All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Goodreads Blurb: 

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him.

Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death.

When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them. But as Violet’s world grows, Finch’s begins to shrink.

This is an intense, gripping novel perfect for fans of Jay Asher, Rainbow Rowell, John Green, Gayle Forman, and Jenny Downham from a talented new voice in YA, Jennifer Niven.

Book Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads Blurb:

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Mini-Book Review: See Me by Wendy Higgins

Goodreads Blurb:

While most seventeen-year-old American girls would refuse to let their parents marry them off to a stranger, Robyn Mason dreams of the mysterious McKale in Ireland, wondering how he’ll look and imagining his cute Irish accent. Prearranged bindings are common for magical families like her own, however when she travels to the whimsical Emerald Isle she discovers there’s more to her betrothal and McKale’s clan than she was led to believe.

What starts as an obligatory pairing between Robyn and McKale morphs over time into something they both need. But one giant obstacle stands in the way of their budding romance: a seductive and deadly Fae princess accustomed to getting what she wants—and what she wants is McKale as her plaything. Love, desire, and jealousies collide as Robyn’s family and McKale’s clan must work together to outsmart the powerful Faeries and preserve the only hope left for their people.

My Review: I didn’t expect to enjoy this story quite so much and I was expecting something a bit more cliche. Unexpectedly, this story was fresh and  interesting. I immediately liked Robyn for her “trying to make the best of things” personality. Even without knowing her betrothed she was determined to make the best out of their pre-determined relationship. McKale, on the other hand, was to his credit, a “nice guy” but didn’t treat her as she deserved.. at-least not in the starting! Whether her story would have a “happy ending” or not, Robyn remained surprisingly optimistic and resilient throughout. She fought for the man she loved and did her best to protect her family in the process. It was fun reading about a modern girl’s reactions to the old-fashioned lifestyle of McKale’s clan and watching as she slowly adjusted to her new surroundings.

My Rating: 4.25 stars

Would I recommend it? Yes if you’re looking for a light, quick read

Book Review: The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

Goodreads Blurb:

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Book Review: Seeker by Arwen Elys Dayton

Title: Seeker

Author: Arwen Elys Dayton

Publication Date: February 10th 2015

Rating: 2 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

Quin Kincaid has been put through years of brutal training for what she thinks is the noble purpose of becoming a revered ‘Seeker’.
Only when it’s too late does she discover she will be using her new-found knowledge and training to become an assassin. Quin’s new role will take her around the globe, from a remote estate in Scotland to a bustling, futuristic Hong Kong where the past she thought she had escaped will finally catch up with her.

Note: This book is an eARC provided by Random House Children’s via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Review: All Fall Down by Ally Carter

Title: All Fall Down

Author: Ally Carter

Publication Date: February 5th 2015

Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads Blurb: 

This exciting new series from NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Ally Carter focuses on Grace, who can best be described as a daredevil, an Army brat, and a rebel. She is also the only granddaughter of perhaps the most powerful ambassador in the world, and Grace has spent every summer of her childhood running across the roofs of Embassy Row.

Now, at age sixteen, she’s come back to stay–in order to solve the mystery of her mother’s death. In the process, she uncovers an international conspiracy of unsettling proportions, and must choose her friends and watch her foes carefully if she and the world are to be saved.

Note: This book is an eARC provided by Hachette Children’s Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Lit Talks: What I Look For In Blogs

Lit Talks is a series of  discussion posts where I discuss anything that has caught my eye. I aim to take a new angle on old and new topics alike. 

We all have those blogs which we keep returning to for one reason or the other. Today, I’m going to use this post to talk about what I look for in blogs.

Mini-Book Review: Doon by Lorie Langdon and Carey Corp (Doon #1)

Goodreads Blurb: 

DOON…

Veronica doesn’t think she’s going crazy. But why can’t anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months.

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans.

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna’s great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica’s daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they’ve longed for…or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.