tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114035642024-03-13T13:28:22.677-04:00Musings of a YA ReaderA Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.comBlogger571125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-90215239696763884132018-04-18T00:00:00.000-04:002018-04-18T01:08:40.671-04:00Mini Reviews: Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist and American Panda by Gloria Chau <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To those of you still following this blog, hello! I finally managed to post something after months of no activity! </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU0s4oTgSSLh9HgdKtRbGqrmtYU7CxBrJ0N1BUIWF_9jVaBvaXu3r1vYAI4Ccu-ddixKZTULVkGUir3xzCDTFZWiaoJ7qmVyb-LsxjkLrNQncZnr4mz6GNoumsLltKXeBHf-OlA/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLU0s4oTgSSLh9HgdKtRbGqrmtYU7CxBrJ0N1BUIWF_9jVaBvaXu3r1vYAI4Ccu-ddixKZTULVkGUir3xzCDTFZWiaoJ7qmVyb-LsxjkLrNQncZnr4mz6GNoumsLltKXeBHf-OlA/s200/untitled4.png" width="132" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText13962097580208581965">Ten years ago, a
horrifying disease began spreading across the West Texas desert.
Infected people - shakes - attacked the living and created havoc and
destruction. No one has ever survived the infection. Daisy Wilcox, known
as Willie, has been protecting her siblings within the relatively safe
walls of Glory, Texas. When Willie’s good-for-nothing father steals a
fortune from one of the most dangerous shake-hunters in town, she finds
herself on the hook for his debt. With two hunters, including the gruff
and handsome Ben, to accompany her, she sets out across the desert in
search of her father. But the desert is not kind to travelers, and not
everyone will pass through alive.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText13962097580208581965"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText13962097580208581965"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span></span></span><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>During a time when I’m struggling to find the
motivation to read and blog, Emma Berquist’s standalone novel Devils
Unto Dust managed to somehow hold my attention thanks to its short chapters. I
also thought the harsh desert setting was great since it featured all kinds of perils
(e.g. shakes, hunters, sandstorms, etc.), and liked the tough heroine of the
book because she would do anything for her family and refused to be cowed by
the hunters around her.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Devils Unto Dust was released on April 10, 2018 by Greenwillow
Books.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToliiHdMfT2K6hgvArcy-Ji4n7q4SHSE6gEFQZe4AhfZ78GvNi9_yP7w0hw8nzpm_fss_0kcAOoGYrllinE7MnumBwIJqVWB5XxccD33rzktXpwjLTxEGPFjrwhEvvGjqHRwn3Q/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgToliiHdMfT2K6hgvArcy-Ji4n7q4SHSE6gEFQZe4AhfZ78GvNi9_yP7w0hw8nzpm_fss_0kcAOoGYrllinE7MnumBwIJqVWB5XxccD33rzktXpwjLTxEGPFjrwhEvvGjqHRwn3Q/s200/untitled5.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><b>From Back Cover: </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText4905784061777332593">At seventeen, Mei should
be in high school, but skipping fourth grade was part of her parents'
master plan. Now a freshman at MIT, she is on track to fulfill the rest
of this predetermined future: become a doctor, marry a preapproved
Taiwanese Ivy Leaguer, produce a litter of babies. With
everything her parents have sacrificed to make her cushy life a reality,
Mei can't bring herself to tell them the truth - that she (1) hates
germs, (2) falls asleep in biology lectures, and (3) has a crush on her
classmate Darren Takahashi, who is decidedly <i>not</i> Taiwanese. But
when Mei reconnects with her brother, Xing, who is estranged from the
family for dating the wrong woman, Mei starts to wonder if all the
secrets are truly worth it. Can she find a way to be herself, whoever
that is, before her web of lies unravels?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText4905784061777332593"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText4905784061777332593"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>American Panda by Gloria Chau was a book that
seemed to have a lot of hype as a diverse read. I, however, found that it featured
quite a few stereotypes and wished that it was less predictable. For example, Mei’s
parents are extremely overprotective and believe medicine to be the only
acceptable profession for their children. While American Panda wasn’t a bad
read per se, nothing about it really stood out for me and I’ve already
forgotten large parts of it. I do remember not being a fan of the insta-love
romance though.</span></span></span></span><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US">American Panda was released by Simon Pulse in February 2018.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText15213938407807625908"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster Canada) for free.</span></span> </span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></span></span></span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-56551873069448481112017-10-30T00:00:00.000-04:002017-10-30T00:00:07.888-04:00Mini Reviews: Now is Everything by Amy Giles and The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJcGM24JPn9gQFJ_mpZMuxz9aiLlZQrUZVxzgJL_TuHSpRizMqfR6DfzhuwRKkwyAaGqobQb9CekxioMpU6Ldc7p4dD7UdMoetDqWM7vDy48BbwuErpqDr2FCzb9O9olt8xUSOQ/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJcGM24JPn9gQFJ_mpZMuxz9aiLlZQrUZVxzgJL_TuHSpRizMqfR6DfzhuwRKkwyAaGqobQb9CekxioMpU6Ldc7p4dD7UdMoetDqWM7vDy48BbwuErpqDr2FCzb9O9olt8xUSOQ/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText18165354691662353582">The McCauleys look perfect on the outside. But nothing is ever as it seems, and this family is hiding a dark secret. Hadley
McCauley will do anything to keep her sister safe from their father.
But when Hadley’s forbidden relationship with Charlie Simmons deepens,
the violence at home escalates, culminating in an explosive accident
that will leave everyone changed. When Hadley attempts to take
her own life at the hospital post-accident, her friends, doctors,
family, and the investigator on the case want to know why. Only Hadley
knows what really happened that day, and she’s not talking.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText18165354691662353582"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Now is Everything by Amy Giles was a
fast-paced, engaging read. Alternating between the present where Hadley is the
sole survivor of a plane crash and flashbacks that show Hadley’s life in the
months leading up to the crash, Giles had me wondering if the plane crash
was really accidental. While the plot was interesting, I found the romance
somewhat unbelievable. I can never buy into the premise that a player suddenly
becomes faithful to one girl because “she’s different from all the other girls
before her!” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now is Everything will be released on November 7, 2017 by HarperTeen!</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0y3mA3fXoixAmtytJ9u02Fd6oFfTz7-7encyt73WUQS-gb2f9BWxAmapsKfeZSYvUPWjQHKt23Dnt5mGvFxkQfhsuMobDHAtBzZnwXhv9SmQFjk1h5gBjSsLK5iEFGi5tDZs4A/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk0y3mA3fXoixAmtytJ9u02Fd6oFfTz7-7encyt73WUQS-gb2f9BWxAmapsKfeZSYvUPWjQHKt23Dnt5mGvFxkQfhsuMobDHAtBzZnwXhv9SmQFjk1h5gBjSsLK5iEFGi5tDZs4A/s200/untitled5.png" width="135" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText4958778679497488067">Wil Heidle, the only
daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in
the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for
her father - whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war - Wil
wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if
only her father would give her the chance. Until one night Wil is
attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people
into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified - but as she tests its limits,
she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it
leads to tragedy, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her
and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure. But
finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed
prince who has his own ideas for what to do with her power. With a
world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil
find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will
she betray her past and her family forever?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText4958778679497488067"><b>My Rating: </b>2 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Lauren DeStefano’s The Glass Spare was a
book I was really looking forward to reading because it features a princess who
turns people into gemstones when in a state of adrenalin. For some reason
however, the beginning of the book failed to captivate me, despite Wil killing someone she
loved and being banished by her father from her kingdom. When Loom was then
introduced as a character, I knew The Glass Spare was a lost cause because Loom
pretty much fell for Wil after meeting her, without knowing anything about her.
The final strike against this book was a cliffhanger ending that left me
feeling bored and gave me no reason to continue on with this series. </span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Glass Spare was released by
Balzer + Bray on October 24, 2017. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-81214759647284964582017-10-16T00:00:00.000-04:002017-10-16T00:00:30.749-04:00Review: Kat and Meg Conquer the World by Anna Priemaza<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Helloooo ... anybody still here? With teaching, tutoring and taking a course, I feel like there's barely any time to read, let alone blog; and as a result, I've kind of neglected this space in the past month or so. I'm hoping to slowly get back into the swing of things, but I make no promises. I did recently read Anna Priemaza's Kat and Meg Conquer the World however, so here's my review of it.<b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXo37WraWKvs_X0Bq2_QtyfRt_hcyD9UOBOd6dFYetekLrxa2eB-diBf1NqujNAAz8yjSDd-LoUJnOaH2EYXFc-ShCB-PyvtPO7XHp0y_b1g-VSPXmz6K2oJV_H0xdsUu9QyBaA/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXo37WraWKvs_X0Bq2_QtyfRt_hcyD9UOBOd6dFYetekLrxa2eB-diBf1NqujNAAz8yjSDd-LoUJnOaH2EYXFc-ShCB-PyvtPO7XHp0y_b1g-VSPXmz6K2oJV_H0xdsUu9QyBaA/s200/untitled4.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText8711449366031118258">Kat and Meg couldn’t be
more different. Kat’s anxiety makes it hard for her to talk to people.
Meg hates being alone, but her ADHD keeps pushing people away. But when
the two girls are thrown together for a year-long science project, they
discover they do have one thing in common: They’re both obsessed with
the same online gaming star and his hilarious videos. It might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship - if they don’t kill each other first.<b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8711449366031118258"><b>My Rating: </b>Somewhere between 4 and 4.5 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>You know how sometimes you read a book with
no expectations and it completely surprises you? Well, Kat and Meg Conquer the
World by Anna Priemaza was that book for me. I read it simply because the
author was a Canadian, without caring much for the cover or skimming the
synopsis like I usually do.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Since Kat and Meg Conquer the World chronicles Meg and Kat’s daily
lives, it’s important that you connect with the characters … and Priemaza does
a fantastic job of making you care about them. Even rarer, this is a YA book that focuses on a
realistic, positive female friendship. I loved how Meg encouraged Kat to deal
with her anxiety and how Kat helped Meg become more focused. What I couldn’t
relate to as much unfortunately was how obsessed the two girls were over a
gamer on YouTube. I know many gamers are very popular on YouTube – Pewdiepie is
just one example – but I just don’t get why. Thankfully, Kat and Meg Conquer the
World is written well enough that it will appeal to readers even if they don’t
love online gaming and fictional YouTube gamers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kat and Meg Conquer the World will be released on November 7,
2017 by HarperTeen.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>Staring at that background too long gives me a headache!</span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaoty2AwR0BpnezXZDAQomIvz5fqIW7unuaQrC5AIKDC3M2nlzSlT0bNxd3txpliicH7BGEX2sxOcQxZxlviD18xVPXSwElYA0J2PvaR7AQVpcKPgdyPs_2j3UYl8qyKLAAYXdQ/s1600/Canadian+Read+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidaoty2AwR0BpnezXZDAQomIvz5fqIW7unuaQrC5AIKDC3M2nlzSlT0bNxd3txpliicH7BGEX2sxOcQxZxlviD18xVPXSwElYA0J2PvaR7AQVpcKPgdyPs_2j3UYl8qyKLAAYXdQ/s1600/Canadian+Read+copy.png" /></a></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-78742128007034086732017-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:002017-09-18T00:00:08.719-04:00Mini Reviews: How to Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat and These Things I've Done by Rebecca Phillips<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvr35c0VE7MIybU5_dk3SjL6VYigXjgjHXnY48QlQWEg9KrPhuT3Ivm2PQ_FNRc33KBCbgfyKGTCiYMUdHdqZT8hT2nMTe2rl-zvNNOZIchf3h_zC-4Xk8zwrsghr-4hzhoEqjg/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRvr35c0VE7MIybU5_dk3SjL6VYigXjgjHXnY48QlQWEg9KrPhuT3Ivm2PQ_FNRc33KBCbgfyKGTCiYMUdHdqZT8hT2nMTe2rl-zvNNOZIchf3h_zC-4Xk8zwrsghr-4hzhoEqjg/s200/untitled5.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText5579770728738282849"><b>From Goodreads: </b>Vicky Decker has
perfected the art of hiding in plain sight, quietly navigating the halls
of her high school undetected except by her best (and only) friend,
Jenna. But when Jenna moves away, Vicky’s isolation becomes unbearable. So
she decides to invent a social life by Photoshopping herself into other
people’s pictures, posting them on Instagram under the screen name
Vicurious. Instantly, she begins to get followers, so she adds herself
to more photos from all over the world with all types of people. And as
Vicurious’s online followers multiply, Vicky realizes she can make a
whole life for herself without ever leaving her bedroom. But the more
followers she finds online, the clearer it becomes that there are a lot
of people out there who feel like her - #alone and #ignored in real life. To
help them, and herself, Vicky must find the courage to face her fear of
being “seen,” because only then can she stop living vicariously and
truly bring the magic of Vicurious to life.<b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText5579770728738282849"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>If you prefer plot-driven novels, Sharon
Huss Roat’s How to Disappear is probably not the book for you since it involves
Vicki just spending a lot of time online – either Photoshopping herself into
different backgrounds, posting her pictures on Instagram and seeing what kind
of feedback she gets, or checking out other people’s Instagram
feeds. Yet even though nothing major happens over the course of How to
Disappear, I didn’t think it was a bad read because it serves as a reminder of how
powerful social media can be in connecting people. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">How to Disappear was released in August 2017 by HarperTeen.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6ouXgED4aIwGYoJ3vhMd2mKXFjBR90LV1oRq0J1ombQRisSiwgq1MH0L3r2gjMpsF2UbofDV-C29FJVAKNiKwNtSu1x6GTS43I443Nh24HFGYHYayIl22A8eDTOqWS8xdTGMOw/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6ouXgED4aIwGYoJ3vhMd2mKXFjBR90LV1oRq0J1ombQRisSiwgq1MH0L3r2gjMpsF2UbofDV-C29FJVAKNiKwNtSu1x6GTS43I443Nh24HFGYHYayIl22A8eDTOqWS8xdTGMOw/s200/untitled4.png" width="130" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><b>From Goodreads: </b></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText8750979109618161212">Before: Dara and
Aubrey have been inseparable since they became best friends in sixth
grade. However, as they begin their sophomore year of high school,
cracks in their friendship begin to form, testing the bond they always
thought was unbreakable. After: It's been fifteen months since
the accident that killed Aubrey, and not a day goes by that Dara isn't
racked with guilt over her role in her best friend's death. Dara thought
nothing could be worse than confronting the memories of Aubrey that
relentlessly haunt her, but she soon realizes it isn't half as difficult
as seeing Ethan, Aubrey's brother, every day. Not just because he's a
walking reminder of what she did, but because the more her feelings for
him change, the more she knows she's betraying her best friend one final
time.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274"><span id="freeText1990559364096116278"><span lang="EN-US"><b>My Rating: </b>2.5 hearts</span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Alternating chapters between Dara’s
sophomore and senior years, These Things I’ve Done by Rebecca Phillips shows
the difference in Dara’s attitude and personality before and after Aubrey’s death.
When reading a novel chronicling someone’s life after the death of a loved one,
I need to connect with the characters; and unfortunately, Dara was someone I
struggled to connect with because she keeps trying not to move on, despite
knowing that Aubrey’s death was accidental. I also thought some of the secondary characters could
have been better fleshed out. For example, there was no reason for Travis to
think of Dara as a murderer and yet he does, even though Aubrey’s brother,
Ethan, quickly befriends Dara again, making it clear he holds no ill will towards her.
If you’re looking for a book where grief is a major theme, I’d recommend reading Cynthia Hand’s <a href="http://ayareader.blogspot.ca/2015/02/review-last-time-we-say-goodbye-by.html">The Last Time We Say Goodbye</a> or Emery Lord’s <a href="http://ayareader.blogspot.ca/2015/03/review-start-of-me-and-you-by-emery-lord.html">The Start of Me and You</a> instead.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">These Things I’ve Done was released by HarperTeen in August 2017.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText8988778624694821274">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-52471188818168813822017-09-07T00:00:00.000-04:002017-09-07T01:16:04.103-04:00Review: Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett (and Giveaway)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zYXj4lj5JiNo9Pe-oy5AVkCr10o8EYtVKatJ4eaSRAT6XHcyJzJuWcddReBbt68NDRSWT0blzt9OohOmJr7MNfvDXdYhplQV1tFHb2SdW3FM6xQH0N3yXzn3q1GOctnQPGHuUQ/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4zYXj4lj5JiNo9Pe-oy5AVkCr10o8EYtVKatJ4eaSRAT6XHcyJzJuWcddReBbt68NDRSWT0blzt9OohOmJr7MNfvDXdYhplQV1tFHb2SdW3FM6xQH0N3yXzn3q1GOctnQPGHuUQ/s200/untitled5.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText11602620086810225810">Kamzin has always
dreamed of becoming one of the Emperor’s royal explorers, the elite
climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying
on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only
someone would give her a chance. But everything changes when the
mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known,
arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin - not her older sister
Lusha, as everyone had expected - for his next expedition. This is
Kamzin’s chance to prove herself - even though River’s mission to retrieve
a rare talisman for the emperor means climbing Raksha, the tallest and
deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then Lusha sets off on her own mission
to Raksha with a rival explorer who is determined to best River, and
Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister
from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit. The
challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected - or
prepared for - with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at
every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the
truth of their mission and of her companions - while surviving the
deadliest climb she has ever faced.</span></span><span id="freeText11602620086810225810" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText11602620086810225810" style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett
was a fun read that started and ended strongly but lagged a little in the
middle. By far the best aspect of this novel though was its worldbuilding since
the setting seems to be inspired by the Himalayas. While reading Even the Darkest
Stars, I really felt how perilous it must be to climb to the summit of a
mountain like Mount Raksha, the book’s equivalent of Mount Everest. Add in
fantastical elements like witches and ghosts and I fully expected at least one
person to die! (Sadly, there were some animal deaths as well in Even the Darkest Stars
that were completely unnecessary.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The cast of characters was decent, if somewhat forgettable; and I liked
that the romance remained in the background and that a love triangle didn’t
develop, considering Kamzin became infatuated with River Shara quite early on
and was joined on her journey to Mount Raksha by her best friend and ex, Tem.
With all the plot twists towards the end of the book, I’m looking forward to reading
a stronger sequel!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Even the Darkest Stars was released on September 5, 2017 by
Balzer + Bray.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>It’s so, so pretty!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher for free via The Fantastic Flying Book Club.</span></span></span></span><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></span></span></span></span><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Even the Darkest Stars can be bought from: [<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Even-Darkest-Stars-Heather-Fawcett/dp/0062463381/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504495791&sr=8-1&keywords=even+the+darkest+stars">Amazon</a>] [<a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/even-the-darkest-stars-heather-fawcett/1125315003?type=eBook">Barnes and Noble</a>] [<a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Even-the-Darkest-Stars/9780062463388">Book Depository</a>]</span></span></b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If
you're interested in getting a necklace and signed book plate for Even the Darkest Stars and live in the US, you can enter to win by filling out the form </span></span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US">below.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You can follow the rest of the tour by clicking on <a href="http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.ca/2017/08/tour-schedule-even-darkest-stars-by.html">this link</a>.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Also, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">v</span>isit <a href="https://www.heatherfawcettbooks.com/"><span id="goog_343095861"></span>Heather Fawcett's website</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_343095845"></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_343095846"></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_343095862"></span> to find out mor<span style="font-family: inherit;">e about her</span></span></span></span> and follow <span style="font-family: inherit;">her</span> on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/heathermfawcett"><span style="font-family: inherit;">@heathermfawcett</span></a>. </span></span></span></span><br />
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A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-13548559952561080462017-08-29T00:00:00.000-04:002017-08-29T00:00:01.386-04:00Mini Reviews: Protected by Claire Zorn and Karma Khullar's Mustache by Kristi Wientge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgSU0zGgiQMhy_l2HavDgx9QWCIWwNP5iyAfNyZGCujoNLS06efUuCRe0Hdwrf8M6VsI9cIkYyAAyiN-5wJkuOtuXQm9b6vmJRBhwUtD8UjHLV0kPWPsO2BrUflh917r1FfV-VA/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIgSU0zGgiQMhy_l2HavDgx9QWCIWwNP5iyAfNyZGCujoNLS06efUuCRe0Hdwrf8M6VsI9cIkYyAAyiN-5wJkuOtuXQm9b6vmJRBhwUtD8UjHLV0kPWPsO2BrUflh917r1FfV-VA/s200/untitled6.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText4457176356807384749"><b>From Goodreads:</b> Hannah's world is in
pieces and she doesn't need the school counsellor to tell her she has
deep-seated psychological issues. With a seriously depressed mum, an
injured dad and a dead sister, who wouldn't have problems? Hannah
should feel terrible but for the first time in ages, she feels a
glimmer of hope and isn't afraid anymore. Is it because the elusive Josh
is taking an interest in her? Or does it run deeper than that? In
a family torn apart by grief and guilt, one girl's struggle to come to
terms with years of torment shows just how long old wounds can take to
heal.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText4457176356807384749"><b>My Rating: </b>2 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Claire Zorn's Protected was a book that I
failed to connect with for several reasons. Firstly, there was too much going
on, what with Hannah being bullied before Katie’s death and now watching her family
fall apart since her dad was the one driving the car when Katie was killed.
Unsure of whether her husband is to blame for her daughter’s death, Hannah’s
mom has spiralled into depression while Hannah’s dad can
no longer walk without crutches and may go to prison depending on Hannah’s
testimony during a court hearing. Secondly, Protected randomly veers between the
present and the past throughout the book, which was very confusing particularly
at the beginning of the novel when I didn’t know this. I’d be reading a section
thinking it was happening to Hannah in the present and then realize it was a
flashback because Katie was alive in the scene. Finally and most importantly, it
was hard for me to care that Katie was dead because she was an awful sister to
Hannah.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Protected will be released on October 3, 2017 by Sourcebooks
Fire.<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Sourcebooks) for free via NetGalley.</span></span> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">..................................................................................................</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span id="freeText4761333535999784996"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6DPok0T4sf-44VpzrgA5lV-MCL5gUj5QX6q86YHGT5bmx1TZ2b94zb71Xw6_9neaWc3fRwfnJYM3ltVxkpoT5CDgPqnKt5dpCktqUzFOS1aor-5EOa_1dQhRDe5GQ4pjG9W2Pw/s1600/untitled8.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="286" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6DPok0T4sf-44VpzrgA5lV-MCL5gUj5QX6q86YHGT5bmx1TZ2b94zb71Xw6_9neaWc3fRwfnJYM3ltVxkpoT5CDgPqnKt5dpCktqUzFOS1aor-5EOa_1dQhRDe5GQ4pjG9W2Pw/s200/untitled8.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Back Cover: </b><span id="freeText15213938407807625908">Karma Khullar is entering middle school and is super nervous. Not just because it
seems like her best friend has found a newer, blonder best friend, or
the fact that her home life is shaken up by the death of her dadima, or that her dad is the new stay-at-home parent, leading her mom to
spend most of her time at work. But because she’s realized that she has
seventeen hairs that have formed a mustache on her upper lip. With
everyone preoccupied, Karma has no one to turn to, and must figure
out what to make of her terrifyingly hairy surprise.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText15213938407807625908"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span><b><span> </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span>Thoughts on the Novel: </span></b></span><span id="freeText15213938407807625908"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Wh</span>en reading MG, I prefer my novels to have
crossover appeal. Sadly, I found that Karma Khullar’s Mustache by Kristi
Wientge did not go into as much depth on themes like bullying, changing
friendships, etc. as it could have, and that problems were resolved too easily
and simply. For example, although Karma is made fun of for having a mustache, Karma
Khullar’s Mustache ends with Karma just rolling her eyes at the fact that she’ll
continue to be called ‘Stache until her peers get tired of teasing her. It
would have been much better had Karma stood up for herself and told off her
peers to convey the message that bullying should never just be accepted. That
being said, Karma Khullar’s Mustache may resonate more with younger readers
closer to Karma’s age, and the incorporation of Sikh culture should appeal to those
seeking more diverse reads.<span> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15213938407807625908"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Karma Khullar’s Mustache was released by Simon and
Schuster on August 15, 2017.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText15213938407807625908"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster Canada) for free.</span></span> </span></span></span> </span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-83306991527250824102017-08-21T00:00:00.000-04:002017-08-21T00:00:01.948-04:00Mini Reviews: Wesley James Ruined My Life by Jennifer Honeybourn and Our Broken Pieces by Sarah White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNRR8Hf7gNYIRgS9CgShrIhMThF6RmsCkgSNExrmk67VUrl4igvrlR92dYShbukrkHINg8Vjgm_6OMakhiLoFliHZoHU3uhSBZIGsvHeAjghtV-2iut0dii7H7q0k1NWIX53Z1g/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtNRR8Hf7gNYIRgS9CgShrIhMThF6RmsCkgSNExrmk67VUrl4igvrlR92dYShbukrkHINg8Vjgm_6OMakhiLoFliHZoHU3uhSBZIGsvHeAjghtV-2iut0dii7H7q0k1NWIX53Z1g/s200/untitled5.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText9467797442535965628">Sixteen-year-old Quinn
Hardwick’s having a rough summer. Her beloved grandmother has been put
into a home, her dad’s gambling addiction has flared back up and now her
worst enemy is back in town: Wesley James, former childhood
friend - until he ruined her life, that is. So when Wesley is hired
to work with her at Tudor Tymes, a medieval England themed restaurant,
the last thing Quinn’s going to do is forgive and forget. She’s
determined to remove him from her life and even the score all at once - by
getting him fired. But getting rid of Wesley isn’t as easy as
she’d hoped. When Quinn finds herself falling for him, she has to decide
what she wants more: to get even, or to just get over it.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText9467797442535965628"><b>My Rating: </b>2.5 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>With a far-fetched premise – five years
after her parents’ divorce, sixteen-year-old Quinn still believes Wesley James
is responsible for her parents breaking up – and a rather rushed transformation
of feelings from hate-to-love, it’s no surprise that Jennifer Honeybourn’s
Wesley James Ruined My Life failed to captivate me overall. However, I did
enjoy reading the parts involving Tudor Tymes, the restaurant Quinn works at,
because the concept of the restaurant was so well-developed and unique. If
something like Tudor Tymes actually existed, I know I’d be interested in
popping into it to take a peek. (The food unfortunately, as described by Quinn,
didn’t sound very appetizing, lol.)</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wesley James Ruined My Life was released by Swoon Reads in </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">July 2017.
</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogPl7siGBdfDuJbSvCQWkeg1Z2Kr-HmzV5VvpuaNXNg5brXSyEXtoGHQKKqduqpxlTFhZc3mnBmb2eeVM_SZZp9T-yXwtHb97_9Mlpij6plpO7Iyy8fyuxNTSZIC7M5H38gWo4g/s1600/Canadian+Read+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogPl7siGBdfDuJbSvCQWkeg1Z2Kr-HmzV5VvpuaNXNg5brXSyEXtoGHQKKqduqpxlTFhZc3mnBmb2eeVM_SZZp9T-yXwtHb97_9Mlpij6plpO7Iyy8fyuxNTSZIC7M5H38gWo4g/s1600/Canadian+Read+copy.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWRjLd2bBDk-UeBwoxv0EDs18qO45YL9-DK4cgj_IUW-m2k5eYIjHYpUYvrCftCkLJ5p681njhm-q69k3D95aGTndiaVTuatPaS7HGLLBO8_0sEPw647-cmkh7DEZodDOlpaBoQ/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVWRjLd2bBDk-UeBwoxv0EDs18qO45YL9-DK4cgj_IUW-m2k5eYIjHYpUYvrCftCkLJ5p681njhm-q69k3D95aGTndiaVTuatPaS7HGLLBO8_0sEPw647-cmkh7DEZodDOlpaBoQ/s200/untitled4.png" width="132" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>From Goodreads: </b>T</span><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText2186788510896486385">he only thing worse than
having your boyfriend dump you is having him dump you for your best
friend. For Everly Morgan the betrayal came out of nowhere. One moment
she had what seemed like the perfect high school relationship, and the
next, she wanted to avoid the two most important people in her life.
Every time she sees them kiss in the hallways her heart breaks a little
more. The last thing on Everly’s mind is getting into another
relationship, but when she meets Gabe in her therapist’s waiting room
she can’t deny their immediate connection. Somehow he seems to
understand Everly in a way that no one else in her life does, and maybe
it’s because Gabe also has experience grappling with issues outside of
his control. Just because they share so many of the same interests and
there is an undeniable spark between them doesn’t mean Everly wants
anything more than friendship. After all, when you only barely survived
your last breakup, is it really worth risking your heart again?</span> <b> </b></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>My Rating: </b>1 heart</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Our Broken Pieces by Sarah White was a book
that annoyed me to no ends! Perhaps I’m too old for books like this now, but
every time Everly considered how different her senior year was turning out to
be due to Brady’s betrayal, I just wanted to be like, “Move on, already!” In my
opinion, if somebody cheats on you, they don’t deserve you so why waste your
time thinking about what could have been? It also drove me crazy that Everly
seemed to be more upset by losing Brady than the loss of her friendship with
Elle. Lastly, sometimes the interactions between Gabe (who occasionally didn<span class="readable">’t sound like a guy but a female thinking about what the perfect
guy would say) </span>and Everly were
so cheesy that they made me cringe.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Our Broken Pieces was released on August 8, 2017 by HarperTeen. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span>n exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">*Just an aside, the sex in Our Broken Pieces is surprisingly
descriptive for a YA novel.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-40143301578783803262017-08-14T00:00:00.000-04:002017-08-14T00:00:19.756-04:00Review: I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maurene Goo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZT-W6sr6Uy6kVrlfXf2YcN5mo9vFqLTYvYwJZWD4aD9R_dLpvM0o1CQng3SUhvcmKidr6x0oEwT32xw9jr9s8xhOuL8iXxpMlNSgvvB1HaYivKBA8rA3DIjLZb804VNFz9KN0yA/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZT-W6sr6Uy6kVrlfXf2YcN5mo9vFqLTYvYwJZWD4aD9R_dLpvM0o1CQng3SUhvcmKidr6x0oEwT32xw9jr9s8xhOuL8iXxpMlNSgvvB1HaYivKBA8rA3DIjLZb804VNFz9KN0yA/s200/untitled5.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText18258316148584784241">Desi Lee believes
anything is possible if you have a plan. That’s how she became student
body president. Varsity soccer star. And it’s how she’ll get into
Stanford. But - she’s never had a boyfriend. In fact, she’s a disaster in
romance, a clumsy, stammering humiliation magnet whose botched attempts
at flirting have become legendary with her friends. So when the hottest
human specimen to have ever lived walks into her life one day, Desi
decides to tackle her flirting failures with the same zest she’s applied
to everything else in her life. She finds guidance in the Korean dramas
her father has been obsessively watching for years - where the hapless
heroine always seems to end up in the arms of her true love by episode
ten. It’s a simple formula, and Desi is a quick study. Armed with her “K
Drama Steps to True Love,” Desi goes after the moody, elusive artist
Luca Drakos - and boat rescues, love triangles, and staged car crashes
ensue. But when the fun and games turn to true feels, Desi finds out
that <i>real</i> love is about way more than just drama.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText18258316148584784241"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>While I’m sure many people will be
interested to read Maurene Goo’s <span class="readable">I Believe in a
Thing Called Love because the synopsis mentions K-dramas, I’ve never watched
one. Instead, this book appealed to me because I liked that the cover
had an Asian model and that it appeared to have the potential to make me
laugh.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I Believe in a
Thing Called Love does start off quite hilariously with poor, sick Desi
coughing phlegm onto her crush’s shirt and then having her sweatpants fall off in
front of the new student, Luca. However, I started sympathizing with Desi less and
less over the course of the novel as she began to act more like a psycho, lying
and injuring others in order to simply get a boyfriend. For example, Desi was willing
to cause a car crash just so that Luca would realize how real their love was! I
understand that in no way is I Believe in a Thing Called Love supposed to be
realistic, but if a guy did what Desi did, I’d be running far, far away! So, I wasn’t
completely thrilled by the ending, which basically rewards Desi for being a nut
job. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I Believe in a Thing Called Love was released in May 2017 by
Farrar, Straus and Giroux.<b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>What’s happening with the splashes of pink on the model's skirt?! They’re
so oddly placed …</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Macmillan) for free via NetGalley.</span> </span></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"></span>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-22159420633843734412017-08-07T00:00:00.000-04:002017-08-08T13:43:39.156-04:00Review: Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobePq77caIqjmoXG_8qEeR4IFWfH7kshRn98Nys7U5UhL01ibd0D7HeaRx7f5jyQCDGbIU0fo7ac6hkqi-fqmSl9Hn-ZT3oKB0WIzlq8GytLU8Ek1olbFfSaZJW7XqKGxNjN8MA/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="314" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobePq77caIqjmoXG_8qEeR4IFWfH7kshRn98Nys7U5UhL01ibd0D7HeaRx7f5jyQCDGbIU0fo7ac6hkqi-fqmSl9Hn-ZT3oKB0WIzlq8GytLU8Ek1olbFfSaZJW7XqKGxNjN8MA/s200/untitled5.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText12804144157068872694">Deep within the palace
of the Mede emperor, in an alcove off the main room of his master’s
apartments, Kamet minds his master’s business and his own. Carefully
keeping the accounts, and his own counsel, Kamet has accumulated a few
possessions, a little money stored in the household’s cashbox, and a
significant amount of personal power. As a slave, his fate is tied to
his master’s. If Nahuseresh’s fortunes improve, so will Kamet’s, and
Nahuseresh has been working diligently to promote <i>his</i> fortunes since the debacle in Attolia. A
soldier in the shadows offers escape, but Kamet won’t sacrifice his
ambition for a meager and unreliable freedom; not until a whispered
warning of poison and murder destroys all of his carefully laid plans.
When Kamet flees for his life, he leaves behind everything - his past, his
identity, his meticulously crafted defenses - and finds himself woefully
unprepared for the journey that lies ahead. Pursued across
rivers, wastelands, salt plains, snowcapped mountains, and storm-tossed
seas, Kamet is dead set on regaining control of his future and
protecting himself at any cost. Friendships - new and
long-forgotten - beckon, lethal enemies circle, secrets accumulate, and
the fragile hopes of the little kingdoms of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis
hang in the balance.</span></span><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner was
a book that I had been waiting for for years – the previous book in <a href="http://ayareader.blogspot.ca/search/label/The%20Queen%27s%20Thief%20series">The Queen’s Thief</a> series, <a href="http://ayareader.blogspot.ca/2014/10/review-conspiracy-of-kings-by-megan.html">A Conspiracy of Kings</a>, was released in 2010 – so when it came
out, I put aside all the books I was reading to see what Eugenides was up to
now. To my disappointment, there wasn’t much of Eugenides in Thick as Thieves.
Instead, Thick as Thieves’ main character is Kamet, a Mede slave whose master, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;">Nahuseresh,
is the Mede ambassador to Attolia.
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Though I liked Thick as Thieves because Turner continues to build her world and expand on little details from the other
books in the series, I didn’t enjoy it as much as her previous novels. Kamet doesn’t
hold a candle to<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Eugenides as a
protagonist; and with two books now where Eugenides hasn’t been the main
character, I’m really missing his perspective. In addition, the political
machinations that made me fall in love with The Queen’s Thief series were more
subtle in Thick as Thieves because the focus was on Kamet’s flight of safety
from the Mede empire to Attolia, a country that he considers “more backward
than anywhere [he] has ever known” (4% on my Kindle). Finally, while I loved
the little stories about the gods of Eddis in The Thief for example, I wasn’t
as enamoured by the story of the friendship between<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>Immakuk and Ennikar (which seems to be inspired by the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu from the Epic of Gilgamesh) and ended up skimming those parts.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Thick as Thieves was released by Greenwillow Books in May 2017.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Comments
About the Cover: </b>I miss the style of the old covers!</span></span></span>
<span id="freeText12804144157068872694">
</span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-43848506337691588242017-07-31T00:00:00.000-04:002017-07-31T00:00:10.241-04:00Review: When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwpcfCHDF0NdpLxSQove30esz-SHY48ZwPuG8d49nUxHPYOuhvolfZ8If7Xk2jCMFYI9RGUXPNZ_Bcjq8Vl9MISbMHToZ3HE7-R5tCXMKbflIfPsp7fR29tt7JtMNVz_XuItTNA/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiwpcfCHDF0NdpLxSQove30esz-SHY48ZwPuG8d49nUxHPYOuhvolfZ8If7Xk2jCMFYI9RGUXPNZ_Bcjq8Vl9MISbMHToZ3HE7-R5tCXMKbflIfPsp7fR29tt7JtMNVz_XuItTNA/s200/untitled5.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>From Back Cover: </b><span id="freeText16766467183780887686">Dimple Shah has it all
figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a
break from her family - and from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her
finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect
her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a
husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer
program for aspiring web developers ... right? Rishi Patel is a
hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife
will be attending the same summer program as him - wherein he’ll have to
woo her - he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most
people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of
tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than
himself. The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the
wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s
lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer
program, they figured, Why not? Dimple and Rishi may think they
have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard
to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.</span><span id="freeText16766467183780887686"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText16766467183780887686"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>I’m back … and one of the books I read
during my blogging break was Sandhya Menon’s When Dimple Met Rishi. I
originally had no intention of reading this book because I generally avoid straight-up
romances; but with people seeming to love it on Twitter and the fact
that the protagonist is Desi, I figured I’d give it a try. Having read
When Dimple Met Rishi now, I have mixed feelings about it.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the one hand, I loved how I could relate to Dimple so much. Guys,
the pressure to find a good husband is <i>real</i>,<i>
</i>and the conversations Dimple has with her mom regarding marriage are
definitely similar to ones that I’ve had with older female family members. I
also loved how Menon blended Indian culture into the experience of a teen
growing up in America. For example, Hindi is integrated seamlessly in
conversations between Dimple or Rishi and their parents.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">On the other hand, I wasn’t crazy about the romance, and was kind of
disappointed that the coding aspect of the plot was overshadowed
by it. I also found Dimple to be very self-righteous at times and
didn’t like how quickly she judged others. For example, Dimple describes
Isabelle as “the blond girl who wore a perpetual sneer as if she were too good
for all of this” (p. 54) even before getting to know her.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Despite its flaws however, I’d recommend giving When Dimple Met Rishi a
chance if only because of how authentic Dimple and Rishi’s voices felt as South
Asian-American teens. When Dimple Met Rishi was released by Simon Pulse in May 2017.</span><b> </b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">It makes the book seem like it’s a cute, cheesy
contemporary. <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span></span></span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-73789672996139187982017-06-12T01:09:00.000-04:002017-06-12T01:09:08.099-04:00Blogging Break<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey, everybody! I've been so busy with work for the past several weeks - first marking and now writing report cards - that I've had little time to blog (or read for that matter). I expect to continue to be busy until the end of the month as I also need to plan and pack for a trip to Western Canada in July, where I'm hoping to meet <a href="http://recoveringpotteraddict.blogspot.ca/">Aylee</a> and <a href="http://atapestryofwords.blogspot.ca/">Danya</a> as well. All this is just a preview to say that I'll be taking a blogging break until about mid-July at least. See you all when I come back :)</span></span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-21816186315859441822017-05-15T00:00:00.000-04:002017-05-15T00:00:22.219-04:00Review: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_qjJj9FZuhj7DJslHGSzCTjhR0HhNJh0jQH6p0fLLngC-F3K-vRYd5oxmTy1qaW0xIiRrs0ZOL-8YzYnQlyjUThutLdf8waN3xbCegs2OcDxS1uKezSlCpF-_HN5YJ5mJWfZKQ/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN_qjJj9FZuhj7DJslHGSzCTjhR0HhNJh0jQH6p0fLLngC-F3K-vRYd5oxmTy1qaW0xIiRrs0ZOL-8YzYnQlyjUThutLdf8waN3xbCegs2OcDxS1uKezSlCpF-_HN5YJ5mJWfZKQ/s200/untitled5.png" width="132" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText16968380270141796351">The dream chooses the
dreamer, not the other way around <span style="font-family: inherit;">- and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and
junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since
he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of
Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world
in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the
person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors,
and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever. What
happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of
the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of <i>god</i>? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving? The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the
blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her
before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she
seem so real?</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText16968380270141796351"><b>My Rating: </b>4.5 hearts</span></span></span><b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Having read a few books that I rated as
3-stars or lower in a row, I decided to turn to a novel that I knew wouldn’t
disappoint, Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer. I was hooked right from the
prologue, as a girl falls from the sky in the city of Weep and is impaled by a
point on an iron gate. I love spectacularly violent deaths!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We then go back in time to be introduced to Lazlo Strange, a librarian
who has dreamed of visiting the mysterious city of Weep his entire life. Penniless
and unable to do so because as a foreigner he would be executed on sight, Lazlo
continues to work as a librarian … until Weep’s warriors come to Zosma, seeking
outsiders that can help them with a mission. There’s a shadow over Weep, and
Lazlo will need to uncover the city's secrets if he wants to help its residents.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As always, Taylor’s writing is gorgeous, and the worldbuilding is
fantastic. The characters were also fabulously written, with Taylor making me care
about her secondary characters as much as I cared about Lazlo.
Really, the only flaws of Strange the Dreamer were that the star-crossed romance
was insta-love and that Taylor ended the book with such a twist that I
can’t believe I’ll have to wait at least a year to read the sequel, The Muse of
Nightmares.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Strange the Dreamer was released in <span style="font-family: inherit;">March 2017 by Little, Brown
Books for Young Readers.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>It’s quite plain looking and doesn’t really do the inside of the book
justice.</span></span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-9476452952453473332017-05-08T00:00:00.000-04:002017-05-08T00:12:29.861-04:00Review: The Traitor's Kiss by Erin Beaty<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N0i639jD7Exj8mi3kqbdVwA2wYuK0_Y8CvVNHgM8pTA30xFRrzPpNMhx4BebOPw9SJ3fOAwJR9YCgTM0ekMOfkX6gOhHmIV8Yq3Bhaj6-BBfyArUiDhhFjZul-XiTjbPN_zGzA/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5N0i639jD7Exj8mi3kqbdVwA2wYuK0_Y8CvVNHgM8pTA30xFRrzPpNMhx4BebOPw9SJ3fOAwJR9YCgTM0ekMOfkX6gOhHmIV8Yq3Bhaj6-BBfyArUiDhhFjZul-XiTjbPN_zGzA/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>From Back Cover: </b><span id="freeText3213907357637592424">With a sharp tongue and
an unruly temper, Sage Fowler is not what they’d call a lady - which is
perfectly fine with her. Deemed unfit for marriage, Sage is apprenticed
to a matchmaker and tasked with wrangling other young ladies to be
married off for political alliances. She spies on the girls - and on the
soldiers escorting them. As the girls' military escort senses a
political uprising, Sage is recruited by a handsome soldier to
infiltrate the enemy ranks. The more she discovers as a spy, the less
certain she becomes about whom to trust - and Sage becomes caught in a
dangerous balancing act that will determine the fate of her kingdom.</span><span id="freeText3213907357637592424"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span id="freeText3213907357637592424"><b>My Rating: </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 hearts</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>The Traitor’s Kiss by Erin Beaty was a book
I was really excited to read because I love fantasy, especially if it contains
political intrigue and spying. So, I was thrilled when I got my hands on an ARC
of </span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Traitor’s Kiss</span>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">The story’s beginning reminded me of Mulan – and perhaps that’s why it
was initially pitched as a Mulan retelling but has now been changed to “Jane
Austen with an espionage twist” (which is more accurate) – with Sage, an orphan
living with her uncle’s family, not wanting to be married but getting dressed
up, going to a matchmaker, screwing up, and then getting told that she’s unfit
to be married. After that, the plot diverges, with Sage apologizing to the
matchmaker so as to not affect the marriage prospects of her younger cousins
and being hired on as the matchmaker’s apprentice.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Although I enjoyed The Traitor’s Kiss<b> </b>overall, I had two major issues with it. First, there’s a lot of girl-on-girl<b> </b>hate in the book. Throughout the
novel, Sage makes fun of the girls that are being matched for caring about
beauty, and considers herself as better than them. Meanwhile, these girls are
written as clichéd characters – they served no purpose other than to be dumb,
catty, and only interested in money and marriage. I wish Beaty could have portrayed some of these girls as having both
beauty and brains rather than succumbing to the stereotype that girls that care
about their looks lack intelligence.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Secondly, there was a lack of worldbuilding in The Traitor’s Kiss. All
I literally remember about the world is that there are two countries at war and
the Kimisar have invaded<b> </b><span class="readable">Demora</span> because
they’re experiencing a famine. There was no map; and the <span class="readable">Kimisar </span>are
simply described as being darker and having tattoos, indicating that Beaty relied
on the use of another trope – that of the dark-skinned aggressor.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText3213907357637592424" style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Traitor’s Kiss will be released by Imprint tomorrow!<b> </b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span id="freeText3213907357637592424"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>All I need to see is a sword on the cover to automatically
put the book on my wishlist!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> <span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText3213907357637592424"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free. </span></span></span></span> </span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-49335120925921560822017-05-01T00:00:00.001-04:002017-05-01T00:00:19.500-04:00Review: The Gauntlet by Karuna Riazi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzz62AxDaPXaH8maVivbrWGA8bJFhTlnuQE9M1143lpQY3ja2EjwzJ6OEiG5_4zXYsgmCQKb9DR2hayNNH3py1tr8TZ23l2j4oAK0WDTRGXMbvVrropxHNlDZZKNoQmoL5dm3kw/s1600/untitled5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivzz62AxDaPXaH8maVivbrWGA8bJFhTlnuQE9M1143lpQY3ja2EjwzJ6OEiG5_4zXYsgmCQKb9DR2hayNNH3py1tr8TZ23l2j4oAK0WDTRGXMbvVrropxHNlDZZKNoQmoL5dm3kw/s200/untitled5.png" width="132" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Back Cover: </b>It doesn't look dangerous, exactly. When twelve-year-old Farah first lays eyes on the old-fashioned board game, she thinks it looks .. elegant. It is made of wood, etched with exquisite images - a palace with domes and turrets, latticework windows that cast eerie shadows, a large spider - and at the very center of its cover, in broad letters, is written THE GAUNTLET OF BLOOD AND SAND. The Gauntlet is more than a game, though. It is the most ancient, the most dangerous kind of magic. It holds worlds inside worlds. And it takes players as prisoners.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts<b><span> </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b><span>Thoughts on the Novel: </span></b><span>With the launch of Salaam Reads – an imprint
of Simon and Schuster focused on bringing Muslim voices into publishing – and an
author known for being passionate about diversity, Karuna Riazi’s The Gauntlet
was a novel that I know many people were excited about. After reading The Gauntlet, I find that my thoughts on it are quite scattered, and so the best way for me to write a cohesive review
was to create a pros and cons list.</span></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span>Pros:</span></u></span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>As a South Asian, I was really looking forward to having a
protagonist whose upbringing reflected mine to some degree. More importantly,
as a Muslim who wears a hijab, it was amazing to <i>finally</i> read a novel with a hijabi protagonist. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I loved the premise of being sucked into fantasy city within a board
game, especially one that has clearly been inspired by Middle Eastern architecture.</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span></span><u><span>Cons: </span>
</u></span></span><ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The plot felt very rushed, with Farah and her friends having to quickly
complete challenges and run all over the city of Paheli to try and find Ahmad, </span></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>her little brother</span></span></span>. </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I had to laugh when I found out who the Architect was. <span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">I have no clue why
authors make the evil mastermind controlling everything so young. How am I
supposed to find this believable at all?! <span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Farah’s friends could have been more developed. They didn’t have much
personality and felt like sidekicks
rather than actual friends. <span> </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I didn’t like that Ahmad’s behaviour was solely attributed to ADHD.
While children with ADHD may have trouble controlling their impulses and act
out, the way Ahmad behaves is more due to his environment – he appears to be spoiled
and used to getting his way – than because of ADHD.</span><span></span><span> </span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The Gauntlet was released in </span>March 2017<span> by Salaam Reads</span>.<b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>I love that there’s someone wearing a hijab on the cover,
but it’s hard to see this because Farah is so small in comparison to everything
around her. I wish Farah was drawn just a little bit bigger. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span>In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Simon and Schuster Canada) for free</span>.</span></span></span> <br />
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-2314645064572247712017-04-24T00:00:00.000-04:002017-04-24T00:00:15.759-04:00Review: Heartless by Marissa Meyer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuzGLen2IlqAyNzQQeJUygDzjy_EbuV_YoaScbn3-8CRX-G0Tjyhjqn34MMx1vN4xmvUccf8i38krsrahDnpTyulB0JONoQ2hWrbx2ESMgipzzvXYDKoWuQHpeim79kHtib9Z0g/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmuzGLen2IlqAyNzQQeJUygDzjy_EbuV_YoaScbn3-8CRX-G0Tjyhjqn34MMx1vN4xmvUccf8i38krsrahDnpTyulB0JONoQ2hWrbx2ESMgipzzvXYDKoWuQHpeim79kHtib9Z0g/s200/untitled6.png" width="127" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText12292082652612318396">Catherine may be one of
the most desired girls in Wonderland and a favorite of the unmarried
King, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, she wants to
open a shop and create delectable pastries. But for her mother, such a
goal is unthinkable for a woman who could be a queen. At a royal
ball where Cath is expected to receive the King’s marriage proposal, she
meets handsome and mysterious Jest. For the first time, she feels the
pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the King and
infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into a secret courtship. Cath is determined to choose her own destiny. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText12292082652612318396"><b>My Rating: </b>Somewhere between 3 and 3.5 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Having loved Marissa Meyer’s <a href="http://ayareader.blogspot.ca/search/label/The%20Lunar%20Chronicles">The Lunar Chronicles</a>,<b> </b>I finally decided to get
around to reading Heartless, which gives a backstory for the Queen of Hearts.
Now, I’ve never read Lewis Carroll’s<b> </b>Alice
in Wonderland, but I grew up watching Disney’s version and always
found Wonderland very bizarre. Meyer stays true to that feel by
incorporating talking animals and featuring prominent characters like the Mad
Hatter,<b> </b>the Cheshire Cat, and the
Caterpillar.<b></b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Unlike her previous heroines though, Meyer’s Catherine is a dreamer
rather than a doer, which is probably why I didn’t really like her. Cath
wishes to have a bakery – the descriptions of the desserts in Heartless will
have you salivating! – but isn’t truly willing to go against her parents’
desires, and so just ends up moaning about not wanting to be married and
deluding herself into thinking that she’ll become the finest baker in Hearts someday.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another aspect of the story that I wasn't fond of was the insta-love romance. I found it very hard to believe that Cath and Jest loved each other after only a short amount
of time spent together. As a result, although it was no surprise, I found it ridiculous
that the explanation given for why the Queen of Hearts is so unfeeling is because Cath <span style="color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">couldn’t get over Jest’s death and therefore gave away her heart.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Heartless was released November 2016 by Feiwel & Friends.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>The black and red design, centred by a crown, is perfect
for a story about the Queen of Hearts.</span></span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-14535173782781963182017-04-13T00:00:00.000-04:002017-04-13T00:00:10.590-04:00Mini Reviews: Literally by Lucy Keating and The Freemason's Daughter by Shelley Sacker<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_O2L9X01N8ba_4NolwYbdMC2zKJl3hKyRK7bzALQ3ZeWBZ4UliXsSaPumz8UEU8dWPZ8TKHlkg1k1TriRa3A9FpZutIhRf7daWcaotSan5gD45eQSnHd_7BQSlyLddU3K2BYBhg/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_O2L9X01N8ba_4NolwYbdMC2zKJl3hKyRK7bzALQ3ZeWBZ4UliXsSaPumz8UEU8dWPZ8TKHlkg1k1TriRa3A9FpZutIhRf7daWcaotSan5gD45eQSnHd_7BQSlyLddU3K2BYBhg/s200/untitled4.png" width="127" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText10564654775265223373">Annabelle’s life has
always been Perfect with a capital P. Then bestselling young adult
author Lucy Keating announces that she’s writing a new novel - and
Annabelle is the heroine. It turns out, Annabelle is a character that Lucy Keating created. And Lucy has a plan for her. But
Annabelle doesn’t want to live a life where everything she does is
already plotted out. Will she find a way to write her own story - or will
Lucy Keating have the last word? </span></span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText10564654775265223373"><b>My Rating: </b>2 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Literally by Lucy Keating had the potential
to be really interesting. Instead, it turned out to be a rather unoriginal
contemporary with a love triangle where there was no doubt about who the
protagonist would choose. The idea of Keating incorporating herself
into the story was very meta, but I quickly got tired of Annabelle referencing
the author Keating’s books, movies, and writing style. I think I would have
liked Literally much more had Annabelle realized that she was a fictional
character later in the story or Will been written to be less perfect. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Literally was released on April 11, 2017 by HarperTeen.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span>n exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span> </span>
<span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">..................................................................................................<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGRWWIl4XQEqbdZJGUxH8JqQqy7FERqx9xAtJSaYNi8vPWqonWxxsfYcnHu2CBXJ10hmqK7rQbKKsauCmZtpphoejfM69Orhs4YlgjMpJxw1at-3lU1MrlOvIidzuhSrDaJCU1w/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpGRWWIl4XQEqbdZJGUxH8JqQqy7FERqx9xAtJSaYNi8vPWqonWxxsfYcnHu2CBXJ10hmqK7rQbKKsauCmZtpphoejfM69Orhs4YlgjMpJxw1at-3lU1MrlOvIidzuhSrDaJCU1w/s200/untitled6.png" width="129" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b></span></span></span></span><span id="freeText6425365283545888247">Saying good-bye to
Scotland is the hardest thing that Jenna MacDuff has had to do - until she
meets Lord Pembroke. Jenna’s small clan has risked their lives
traveling the countryside as masons, secretly drumming up support and
arms for the exiled King James Stuart to retake the British throne. But
their next job brings them into enemy territory: England. Jenna’s
father repeatedly warns her to trust no one, but when the Duke of
Keswick hires the clan to build a garrison on his estate, it seems she
cannot hide her capable mind from the duke’s inquisitive son, Lord Alex
Pembroke - nor mask her growing attraction to him. But there’s a covert
plan behind the building of the garrison, and soon Jenna must struggle
not only to keep her newfound friendship with Alex from her father, but
also to keep her father’s treason from Alex. Will Jenna decide
to keep her family’s mutinous secrets and assist her clan’s cause, or
protect the life of the young noble she’s falling for?</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText16034577004600080967"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText16034577004600080967"><b>My Rating: </b>2.5 hearts</span></span></span><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>I love historical fiction, especially if
the setting is in Europe; so Shelley Sacker’s The Freemason’s Daughter was a
book that I had to request. Unfortunately, most of the characters could have
been better developed, and I <span style="font-family: inherit;">thought</span> Jenna was s<span style="font-family: inherit;">illy </span>for trusting Alex so easily
with her and her clan’s secrets. The plot also took a very long time to get
going, which meant both the romance and the ending felt quite rushed.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Freemason’s Daughter was released by HarperTeen on
April 11, 2017. </span></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span>n exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-27264735813917043382017-04-04T00:00:00.000-04:002017-04-04T00:00:18.776-04:00Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_uIqMSUlXkmcb0ZaFF-XQCBbonish0RdqaN55gw2UmH_DDWpMBXrlrNN8H0MSXxemOmBm6xZbpW0Ww7WlcG_t2xUGZ-7T-t0CoUjtegS06AvTD0eWloSDeH1fttDh8uBeGRXEg/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_uIqMSUlXkmcb0ZaFF-XQCBbonish0RdqaN55gw2UmH_DDWpMBXrlrNN8H0MSXxemOmBm6xZbpW0Ww7WlcG_t2xUGZ-7T-t0CoUjtegS06AvTD0eWloSDeH1fttDh8uBeGRXEg/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText5920329172396868502"><b>From Goodreads: </b>Our world belongs to the
Equals - aristocrats with magical gifts - and all commoners must serve
them for ten years. But behind the gates of England's grandest estate
lies a power that could break the world. Abi
is a servant to England's most powerful family, but her spirit is free.
So when she falls for one of the noble-born sons, Abi faces a terrible
choice. Uncovering the family's secrets might win her liberty, but will
her heart pay the price? Abi's
brother, Luke, is enslaved in a brutal factory town. Far from his
family and cruelly oppressed, he makes friends whose ideals could cost
him everything. Now Luke has discovered there may be a power even
greater than magic: revolution. [There]
is a shadow in the glittering world of the Equals, with mysterious
powers no one else understands. But will he liberate - or destroy?</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText5920329172396868502"><b>My Rating: </b>2.5 hearts</span><b><span> </span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span>Thoughts on the Novel: </span></b><span>Gilded Cage by Vic James was the 2017 debut
I was probably most excited about reading. The prologue did nothing to decrease
my excitement either – with a slave trying to escape with her
baby off an estate and then getting shot by her master (who also happens to be
the baby’s father).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>The premise is supposed to be simple: In an alternate Britain, the
aristocrats are now people with Skill – known as Equals – and all those that
lack Skill have to serve them for ten years as slaves before they can become
full citizens. When you choose to serve is up to you, but you can’t own
property, travel abroad or have certain jobs until you've completed your
slavedays. Despite this, Luke and Abi’s parents appear to have their own house
and jobs. Considering you’re pretty much allowed to do everything you want then
without fulfilling your slavedays (e.g. go to university, marry, have kids, own
assets, etc.), I’m not sure why everybody wouldn’t wait until they’re about to
die before doing their slavedays.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Besides the confusing worldbuilding, there were quite a few POVs as
well. This is something I normally avoid because I find that characters’ voices often blend together … and this was the case in Gilded Cage. It
also didn’t help that the storyline kept jumping back and forth between Millmoor,
a slavetown, and Kyneston, the estate of the founding family.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Finally, I never connected with the characters. Luke was basically a
pawn, and I just wanted to slap Abi because for someone who was supposedly
smart, she developed an instant crush on Jenner, whose family essentially owned
her and her family. Moreover, Abi continued to lust after Jenner even after finding out that he witnessed her memories being tampered with and didn't tell her what happened!</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>A disappointing read, Gilded Cage was released by Del
Ray Books in </span>February 2017.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>To me, the cover makes it seem like the story is set in
the Victorian era, even though it isn’t. </span></span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-21369742092384246582017-03-20T00:00:00.000-04:002017-03-20T00:00:15.998-04:00Mini Reviews: You Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando and Poison's Kiss by Breeana Shields<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaYOxERLXAklpoY1NQiAaZxjII1vQjVncnf1tPU7_n567mhl1Gm8DpeYPOeYOYkZc9ZDCR0zbzyB3a4g4LtsU_Als_HwclZANbYgTccwFUrO_TeAohxPk88h9U4oB71EwpMR-4Q/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaYOxERLXAklpoY1NQiAaZxjII1vQjVncnf1tPU7_n567mhl1Gm8DpeYPOeYOYkZc9ZDCR0zbzyB3a4g4LtsU_Als_HwclZANbYgTccwFUrO_TeAohxPk88h9U4oB71EwpMR-4Q/s200/untitled4.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText14213991097602961705"><i>Fighter. Faker. Student. Spy.</i> Seventeen-year-old
Reagan Elizabeth Hillis is used to changing identities overnight, lying
to every friend she’s ever had, and pushing away anyone who gets too
close. Trained in mortal combat and weaponry her entire life, Reagan is
expected to follow in her parents’ footsteps and join the ranks of the
most powerful top-secret agency in the world, the Black Angels. Falling
in love with the boy next door was never part of the plan. Now Reagan
must decide: Will she use her incredible talents and lead the dangerous
life she was born into, or throw it all away to follow her heart and
embrace the normal life she’s always wanted? And does she even have a
choice?</span><span id="freeText14213991097602961705"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText14213991097602961705"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>An entertaining read while it lasted, You
Don’t Know My Name by Kristen Orlando begins with Reagan being tired of
constantly having to be undercover and feeling indecisive about her future –
should she follow her parents’ footsteps and join a covert government
organization or go to college and ultimately have a normal life? One of the
reasons Reagan wants to be a regular girl of course is because there’s a boy … who
coincidentally wants to go into the military and therefore knows how to shoot
and not be a liability on a mission. Considering that Reagan is a teenager,
it’s not surprising then that there are many plot holes in You Don’t Know My
Name; but I chose to overlook those in favour of the action and suspense.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Y</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ou Don’t Know My Name was released in </span>January 2017 by Swoon
Reads. </span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">..................................................................................................<b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcdQxSDIEwuWtM_PC27z4C0FvIrmfGmj311cyXVtkNryvCwLnghYMjvWdMlj_eS30Xd_hj43rRfkH5zn1Q6cfT1ij6Xuo8KQhWhu19-7pERgzUGOdjAsWKzsuG-ML_sapdqfcZQ/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcdQxSDIEwuWtM_PC27z4C0FvIrmfGmj311cyXVtkNryvCwLnghYMjvWdMlj_eS30Xd_hj43rRfkH5zn1Q6cfT1ij6Xuo8KQhWhu19-7pERgzUGOdjAsWKzsuG-ML_sapdqfcZQ/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b></span></span><span id="freeText12222135070045731044">Marinda has kissed
dozens of boys. They all die afterward. It's a miserable life, but being
a visha kanya, a poison maiden, is what she was created to do. Marinda
serves the Raja by dispatching his enemies with only her lips as a
weapon. Until now, the men she was ordered to kiss have been
strangers, enemies of the kingdom. Then she receives orders to kiss
Deven, a boy she knows too well to be convinced he needs to die. She
begins to question who she<span style="font-family: inherit;">'</span>s really working for. And that is a thread
that, once pulled, will unravel more than she can afford to lose.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Rating: </b>1.5 hearts</span></span></span><b> </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b><span style="font-weight: normal;">With a synopsis promising an assassin – an
instant addition to my <span style="font-family: inherit;">want-to<span style="font-family: inherit;">-read l<span style="font-family: inherit;">ist</span></span></span> – capable of killing with a kiss as well as
elements of Indian folklore, I was really excited to read Poison’s Kiss by
Breeana Shields. It’s too bad then that the aforementioned assassin turned out
to feel guilty about killing so many boys! It’s <span style="font-family: inherit;">very </span>annoying when I think
I’ll be reading about a deadly assassin and instead end up reading about a
person drowning in remorse! On top of that, Marinda was so naïve and ignorant,
believing everything told to her and never bothering to ask questions! As if
that wasn’t bad enough, making everything worse was the fact that there was an
insta-love romance. Seriously, like after two conversations with Deven,
Marinda was willing to risk her life <span style="font-family: inherit;">for</span> Deven! </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">A book that definitely didn’t live up to its
potential, Poison’s Kiss was released by Random House Books for Young Readers in January 2017. </span></b></span> </span></span>
<span id="freeText14213991097602961705">
</span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-7958473072784096542017-03-15T00:00:00.000-04:002017-03-15T00:00:00.153-04:00Review: Caraval by Stephanie Gerber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJfgfZV0OsGovsjAly62_vVNwm6OxtMwuCqZxnk4hkYeruEPN_l6uAnC-ctMD5YCgDfOpa7vUENKX74ivb3aSD-UQAkkfjC1KQWCURxd2iXP4UwiGkqL5MgyIF6xNsZ7BmGwyVg/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJfgfZV0OsGovsjAly62_vVNwm6OxtMwuCqZxnk4hkYeruEPN_l6uAnC-ctMD5YCgDfOpa7vUENKX74ivb3aSD-UQAkkfjC1KQWCURxd2iXP4UwiGkqL5MgyIF6xNsZ7BmGwyVg/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText17285806261438750081">Scarlett has never left
the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with
their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a
marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the
far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the
show, are over. But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of
invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella
whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is
kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that
this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first
is the winner. Scarlett has been told that everything that
happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she
nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic
with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not,
she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a
dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister
disappears forever.</span><span id="freeText17285806261438750081"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText17285806261438750081"><b>My Rating: </b>2.5 hearts</span></span></span><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Normally, when I see a lot of buzz for a
book, I try to avoid reading it until the hype dies down so that I’m not as
influenced by others’ feedback. As a result, I didn’t bother reading Stephanie
Garber’s Caraval until recently.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The setting in Caraval <span style="font-family: inherit;">wa</span>s mysterious and enchanting, making it hard to
figure out what<span style="font-family: inherit;"> wa</span>s real and what<span style="font-family: inherit;"> was</span> imaginary. Furthermore, the writing in
Caraval <span style="font-family: inherit;">wa</span>s very flowery, enhancing the magical, dreamlike vibe of the book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where Garber lost me as a reader though was with the lack of
character development. <span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only did the </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">secon<span style="font-family: inherit;">dary </span></span>characters fe<span style="font-family: inherit;">el</span> like actors
at times<span style="font-family: inherit;"> - I <span style="font-family: inherit;">no<span style="font-family: inherit;">w understand why</span></span> -</span> but I struggled to like Scarlett. She constantly talked about loving Tella, but it wasn’t
evident how much her sister meant to her until the end when everything was
revealed at once in a poorly executed dramatic moment. Instead,
for the majority of the book, Scarlett seemed more fixated on lusting after<b> </b>two different boys.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Caraval was released by Flatiron Books in <span style="font-family: inherit;">January 2017.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>I love the colours used and how nicely they contrast
against the background.</span></span></span></div>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-73053334867024415802017-03-06T00:00:00.000-05:002017-03-06T00:00:09.041-05:00Mini Reviews: Speed of Life by Carol Weston and Wait for Me by Caroline Leech<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefLGnI6EG_jFQ-f3ok_p9D58b25cIeeU1lEP3moBPyYtVYF_EpoD0U0TdnyyE7SYOeQqZeTmfhv9CQdA6qez4mzJpNi5G8R2Jn4rCIDzIW8ZqozxAsT4qOUXyEIIssWfzAWIcdA/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjefLGnI6EG_jFQ-f3ok_p9D58b25cIeeU1lEP3moBPyYtVYF_EpoD0U0TdnyyE7SYOeQqZeTmfhv9CQdA6qez4mzJpNi5G8R2Jn4rCIDzIW8ZqozxAsT4qOUXyEIIssWfzAWIcdA/s200/untitled4.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText16712029391289526524">Sofia wonders if 14
might be the worst possible age to lose your mom. Talking with her dad
about puberty and s-e-x is super-awkward (even though he is a
gynecologist). And when she wants to talk about her mom, her friends
don't know what to say and her dad gets sad. When Sofia
discovers Dear Kate, an advice columnist from Fifteen magazine, she’s
grateful to have someone to confide in about everything from crushes to
mourning - someone who is completely, wonderfully anonymous. It feels
ideal - until Sofia’s dad introduces her to his new girlfriend, Katherine
Baird, a.k.a., Dear Kate ...</span></span><span id="freeText16712029391289526524" style="font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText16712029391289526524" style="font-size: small;"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"> </span></b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Thoughts on the Novel: </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">Speed of Life by Carol Weston chronicles
the life of Sofia over the course of a year, several months after her mom’s
sudden death from an aneurysm. As time passes and her life changes in
unexpected ways, Sofia slowly grows and learns that life can go on even after a
loved one dies. Weston’s background as an advice columnist is clearly evident
in the voice of Dear Kate, and I also liked how realistic the book felt. At the
same time, many parts of Speed of Life felt very juvenile, making it a book I
would have enjoyed a lot more had I been much, much younger. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;">A <span style="font-family: inherit;">novel</span> that would be a good read for its target audience of middle
graders, Speed of Life will be released on </span><span style="font-size: small;">April 4, 2017 by Sourcebooks
Jabberwocky.<span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"> </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Sourcebooks) for free via NetGalley.</span></span><span lang="EN-US"></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">..................................................................................................<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span id="freeText4761333535999784996"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoKScyF0cc2FgXO5rUY1ZXSj4_XMdV8epjN9z3VzaIAztMmEE_XPfvmAvXFAYtkiRAH-ZQwLFTD3PUIOjinCxB6OngTjtCsMZ0tSmYTAuaidcmR95Zu6bnLBXsLu3SW7vcTZvZw/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxoKScyF0cc2FgXO5rUY1ZXSj4_XMdV8epjN9z3VzaIAztMmEE_XPfvmAvXFAYtkiRAH-ZQwLFTD3PUIOjinCxB6OngTjtCsMZ0tSmYTAuaidcmR95Zu6bnLBXsLu3SW7vcTZvZw/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText4761333535999784996"><b>From Goodreads: </b>It’s 1945, and Lorna
Anderson’s life on her father’s farm in Scotland consists of endless
chores and rationing, knitting Red Cross scarves, and praying for an
Allied victory. So when Paul Vogel, a German prisoner of war, is
assigned as the new farmhand, Lorna is appalled. How can she possibly
work alongside the enemy when her own brothers are risking their lives
for their country? But as Lorna reluctantly spends time with
Paul, she feels herself changing. The more she learns about him - from his
time in the war to his life back home in Germany - the more she sees the
boy behind the soldier. Soon Lorna is battling her own warring heart.
Loving Paul could mean losing her family and the life she’s always
known. With tensions rising all around them, Lorna must decide <span style="font-family: inherit;">how much
she’s willing to sacrifice before the end of the war determines their
fate.</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span></span><b> </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Caroline Leech’s Wait for Me was a book
that piqued my interest because it’s set during WWII. Although I rarely read
straight-up romance novels, I ended up really liking Wait for Me because the
progression in Lorna’s feelings for Paul felt very natural, and I liked that
she had to learn to look beyond Paul’s physical appearance to fall in love with
him. The setting of the book also felt very authentic. In fact, there’s even a
note at the end of the book about <span style="font-family: inherit;">how</span> German POWs did work on
Scottish farms and that many ended up falling in love with local girls.<b> </b>The one thing that this book could
have done without was an unnecessary potential rape scene. Overall, however,
Wait for Me was a solid YA debut. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Wait for Me was released by HarperTeen in January 2017.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span></span>
A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-76263490813826963282017-02-21T00:00:00.000-05:002017-02-21T00:08:51.644-05:00Review: Metaltown by Kristen Simmons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pzFYfRaHr-GDs_tzRk_H7mudIzTJu8f9M02fNQ8SPtnw0jJdMroqe6QAK8RCjWinORaSa8YW2InwkEgogMfQXwsMXrI4TnM_R6gmSuAebO9Aysu7mJGgeDxDX-Mm5KjRLe8blw/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pzFYfRaHr-GDs_tzRk_H7mudIzTJu8f9M02fNQ8SPtnw0jJdMroqe6QAK8RCjWinORaSa8YW2InwkEgogMfQXwsMXrI4TnM_R6gmSuAebO9Aysu7mJGgeDxDX-Mm5KjRLe8blw/s200/untitled6.png" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText18234139036610841692">The rules of Metaltown
are simple: Work hard, keep your head down, and watch your back. You
look out for number one, and no one knows that better than Ty. She’s
been surviving on the factory line as long as she can remember. But now
Ty has Colin. She’s no longer alone; it’s the two of them against the
world. That’s something even a town this brutal can’t take away from
her. Until it does. Lena’s future depends on her family’s
factory, a beast that demands a ruthless master, and Lena is prepared to
be as ruthless as it takes if it means finally proving herself to her
father. But when a chance encounter with Colin, a dreamer despite his
circumstances, exposes Lena to the consequences of her actions, she’ll
risk everything to do what’s right. In Lena, Ty sees an heiress
with a chip on her shoulder. Colin sees something more. In a world of
disease and war, tragedy and betrayal, allies and enemies, all three of
them must learn that challenging what they thought was true can change
all the rules.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText18234139036610841692"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Metaltown by Kristen Simmons was a book I
was attracted to due to the steampunkish vibe I got from the cover. I also
loved the premise, but the worldbuilding could definitely have been expanded
upon. The gist is clear – a world that depends on child labour, contains a
scarcity of food and clean water, and is suffering from a war – but there’s a
serious lack of other details, making the setting in Metaltown hard to imagine
visually.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">More attention was given to the romance instead, which thankfully never
turned into a love triangle since Ty’s feelings for Colin were never
reciprocated. As for the characters, I wasn’t completely thrilled with either
Colin or Lena because Colin seemed to ditch Ty once he met Lena and I felt like
Lena only fell for Colin because he was the first guy to be nice to her. Ty was
the most interesting out of the three so it was maddening to see how things
ended for her after there was so much buildup with her<span style="font-family: inherit;"> importance</span>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Metaltown was released in September 2016 by Tor Teen.<b> </b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Comments
About the Cover: </b>Even though the cover seems to give off a steampunk vibe, the
book itself is more of a dystopian novel. </span></span></div>
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</span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-2189047356254998662017-02-13T01:30:00.000-05:002017-02-13T01:30:03.027-05:00Mini Reviews: The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold and Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Apologies for the extended break! I haven't done much reading over the past month as I got really busy at work and then ruined my Kindle by accidentally dropping it in water - putting it in a bag of rice sadly didn't work - so I had to buy a new one and wait for it to ship. Anyways, on to my reviews!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cqYthsc4NWPQG-W4kF-XjC52Yv0XrdwPsh-2L9jsf469_iS5oyGVZpK8XQ9-EHt7-Qu8PufOdGgqwT61H6CY4LpWZJJy6OKPcblbMY5FEaJmCWpmrP_r9073uNmnAIcRB2zh2Q/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4cqYthsc4NWPQG-W4kF-XjC52Yv0XrdwPsh-2L9jsf469_iS5oyGVZpK8XQ9-EHt7-Qu8PufOdGgqwT61H6CY4LpWZJJy6OKPcblbMY5FEaJmCWpmrP_r9073uNmnAIcRB2zh2Q/s200/untitled6.png" width="151" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText10481019378248285816">Rudger is Amanda’s best friend. He doesn't exist, but nobody's perfect. Only
Amanda can see her imaginary friend – until the sinister Mr Bunting
arrives at Amanda's door. Mr Bunting hunts imaginaries. Rumour says that
he eats them. And he's sniffed out Rudger. Soon Rudger is alone, and
running for his imaginary life. But can a boy who isn’t there survive
without a friend to dream him up?</span><span id="freeText10481019378248285816"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText10481019378248285816"><b>My Rating: </b>3.5 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold is a
delightfully creepy read that explores what it is like to be an imaginary
friend. I loved the illustrations and the fact that the library was a safe
haven for imaginaries waiting to pick a child as a friend. I also really liked
that Amanda’s mom was so supportive of her <span style="font-family: inherit;">daughter's</span> imagination and <span style="font-family: inherit;">did things like setting <span style="font-family: inherit;">out an extra plate with food for Rudger</span></span>.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">A book that would be great for discussing friendship and imagination,
The Imaginary was released in October 2014 by Bloomsbury Children's.<span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span>n exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Raincoast Books) for free.</span> </span>
<span lang="EN-US"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">..................................................................................................<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRf8HKPuJ2ZOtP6x2AxcfLcQwKOSpL_mA9IRQBWLsz-SEmDYr-D3pTYeP8XuflNYOnqUnS0bSuo3HKfV2ccPN4UGVz9JezHlG0KyPjZzFZABBp4a315YJLgMuGtfTvHFj9ci-DQ/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXRf8HKPuJ2ZOtP6x2AxcfLcQwKOSpL_mA9IRQBWLsz-SEmDYr-D3pTYeP8XuflNYOnqUnS0bSuo3HKfV2ccPN4UGVz9JezHlG0KyPjZzFZABBp4a315YJLgMuGtfTvHFj9ci-DQ/s200/untitled4.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText16034577004600080967">Sent on a mission to
retrieve an ancient hidden map - the key to a legendary treasure
trove - seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows
herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect
opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the
ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and
the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive
first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her
sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.</span><span id="freeText16034577004600080967"><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span id="freeText16034577004600080967"><b>My Rating: </b>2.5 hearts</span></span></span><b> </b><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Since I love stories featuring pirates and
they have not become a trend in YA yet, Tricia Levenseller’s Daughter of the
Pirate King was one of my most anticipated debuts of this year. Unfortunately, I
didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, mainly because the romance played
such a prominent role but felt very forced. Alosa also came across as extremely
cocky – she reminds me of Captain Jack Sparrow, though not as likeable – and while
some people might have no problems with that, I just kept wondering why her
character had to be so annoyingly exaggerated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Daughter of the Pirate King will be released on February 28,
2017 by Feiwel & Friends.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I</span>n exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (Macmillan) for free via NetGalley.</span> </span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-23772536210189898862017-01-16T00:00:00.001-05:002017-01-16T00:00:11.262-05:00Review: Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO6SZYum846X3ss5DOypHWZAVG4VwQAkEI_XlEqsGDMnScB-fJpNz2kA0Wztbq4I3HvrK5REGIzbU4FoTqZ1Z-9FrDmrv8EjqsSOdn6MqHrp59bSPZEB53Qbzy3FwXEeL6HcE_A/s1600/untitled4.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNO6SZYum846X3ss5DOypHWZAVG4VwQAkEI_XlEqsGDMnScB-fJpNz2kA0Wztbq4I3HvrK5REGIzbU4FoTqZ1Z-9FrDmrv8EjqsSOdn6MqHrp59bSPZEB53Qbzy3FwXEeL6HcE_A/s200/untitled4.png" width="131" /></a>From Goodreads: </b><span id="freeText7800087421281516474">Things
Finley Hart Doesn't Want To Talk About: 1) Her parents, who are having
problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.) 2) Being sent to her
grandparents’ house for the summer. 3) Never having met said
grandparents. 4) Her blue days - when life feels overwhelming, and it’s
hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.) Finley’s
only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages
of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her
grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is <i>real</i> - and holds
more mysteries than she'd ever imagined, including a family of pirates
that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange
old wizard living in a house made of bones. With the help of her
cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and
uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening
sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the
Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.</span><span id="freeText7800087421281516474"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText7800087421281516474"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Having enjoyed Claire Legrand’s previous
novels for the most part, I decided to give Some Kind of Happiness a try without
reading its synopsis. Therefore, I wasn’t<span style="font-family: inherit;"> expecting </span>this MG novel to be so heavy, with a
main character battling anxiety and depression but unable to put her feelings
into words. To cope with her feelings, which worsen as her parents’ marriage
falls apart and she meets her perfect, estranged extended family, Finley
creates and writes about an imaginary world that the reader reads about as
well.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To be honest, I’m not sure who I’d recommend Some Kind of Happiness to.
The book felt quite long – the plot dragged in the middle – and there are much
better novels that revolve around family or mental health. Moreover, the
metaphor of the Everwood to describe Finley’s problems in real life may be lost
on younger readers.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Some Kind of Happiness was released in May 2016 by Simon &
Schuster Books for Young Readers.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Comments About the Cover: </b>The dark colours mat<span style="font-family: inherit;">ch the book<span style="font-family: inherit;">'s mood well, and <span style="font-family: inherit;">the solitary person gives off a sense of loneliness, which is how Finley often feels. </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span>A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-86777696513677212017-01-09T00:00:00.000-05:002017-01-09T00:00:34.185-05:00Mini Reviews: The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti and The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIfVLelHlQv52ViYJesAC5jvll4hkl-Nb-tKPXqYFky57lEYct-8NxIMA8tCZcflJSIB5U34E2AqJHbSQWNOLdZ6RYD1SmIlYf9upuYJ55CXM5qiLjeovZEvtOAZwr_XXwsIVXQ/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIfVLelHlQv52ViYJesAC5jvll4hkl-Nb-tKPXqYFky57lEYct-8NxIMA8tCZcflJSIB5U34E2AqJHbSQWNOLdZ6RYD1SmIlYf9upuYJ55CXM5qiLjeovZEvtOAZwr_XXwsIVXQ/s200/untitled4.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b></span></span></span><span id="freeText15926387351198921560">A teenage misfit named
Hawthorn Creely inserts herself in the investigation of missing person
Lizzie Lovett, who disappeared mysteriously while camping with her
boyfriend. Hawthorn doesn't mean to interfere, but she has a pretty
crazy theory about what happened to Lizzie. In order to prove it, she
decides to immerse herself in Lizzie's life. That includes taking her
job ... and her boyfriend. It's a huge risk - but it's just what Hawthorn
needs to find her own place in the world.</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText7800087421281516474"><b> </b></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText7800087421281516474"><b>My Rating: </b>1 heart</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>Chelsea Sedoti’s The Hundred Lies of Lizzie
Lovett was a book that I decided to read because I was in the mood for a good mystery.
It’s too bad then that this book fell far below my expectations. I found the protagonist,
Hawthorn, to be really judgemental and seriously weird. Furthermore, the
secondary characters lacked depth and the plotline was boring as it revolved
around Hawthorn investigating the disappearance of twenty-one year old Lizzie
Lovett, a girl who goes missing while on a camping trip with her boyfriend. Obsessed
with Lizzie, Hawthorn finally concludes that she turned into a werewolf. Like,
WTF?! I thought Hawthorn was kidding, but the high school senior legitimately
believe<span style="font-family: inherit;">d</span> in her ridiculous theory! On top of that, she then hooks up with Lizzie’s
twenty-five year old boyfriend, who I thought was really sleazy (since he kept
hooking up with girls in high school). </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
was released on January 3, 2017 by Sourcebooks Fire.</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616"> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sourcebooks</span>) for free via <span style="font-family: inherit;">NetGalley</span>.</span></span> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">..................................................................................................</span><b> </b></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdpn0-h2Aw_x730nwYK0FlT4UtQ9JIG4iXeUxWVFDSo9xNJm4gVnbGdxbrP0yvLdV2cmEy-s44taTpqAnC-AkBNCs1-o5HNhGaQj62FDkcU8rO0m-7qi9Su9m8G5vmVo-zib8KQ/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPdpn0-h2Aw_x730nwYK0FlT4UtQ9JIG4iXeUxWVFDSo9xNJm4gVnbGdxbrP0yvLdV2cmEy-s44taTpqAnC-AkBNCs1-o5HNhGaQj62FDkcU8rO0m-7qi9Su9m8G5vmVo-zib8KQ/s200/untitled6.png" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>From Goodreads: </b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText12728607308147785218">Sometimes love is right
under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet,
sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of
weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking - all while remaining
incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would
render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa
doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She
dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports
practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally
gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick
woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim
quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you
can make.</span><span id="freeText12728607308147785218"><b> </b></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText12728607308147785218"><b>My Rating: </b>3 hearts</span></span></span></span><b> </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novel: </b>The Secret of a Heart Note by Stacey Lee
had several things going for it. For example, it had an interesting premise
since its main character and her mom are able to smell scents that regular
humans can’t detect, and then use this information to create elixirs (for free)
to help love blossom. Lee also did a phenomenal job of describing various
scents (e.g. that of emotions, different flowers, etc.) and the beauty of Mim’s
family garden. Unfortunately, I didn’t like The Secret of a Heart Note as much as
I thought I would because I didn’t buy the romance in it and got annoyed by Mim
making one stupid mistake after another.<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Secret of a Heart Note was released by Katherine Tegen Books in December 2016.<span id="freeText5925938327479314616"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span id="freeText5925938327479314616">In exchange for an honest review, this book was received from the publisher (HarperCollins) for free via Edelweiss.</span></span> </span></span></span></div>
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A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11403564.post-29579864570624259172017-01-02T00:00:00.000-05:002017-01-02T00:48:26.059-05:00Reviews: A Good Trade and When the Rain Comes by Alma Fullerton<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Thoughts on the Novels: </b>When I was contacted by Pajama Press asking if I’d
like to review any of their books, I looked through their catalogue carefully.
Despite never reviewing picture books, two of Alma Fullerton’s books caught my
eye because I figured that I could use them at work and because I
like picture books that feature life in <span style="font-family: inherit;">o</span>ther countries.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrWJKgqWhaZmByZaKnkFqq41_OFHUSye_2PrPsoXLsNKkQKdvL3NTWdzU0fDTyYlnKAgQKIB6AtV_Fr1XSK9kfD_oDm39mj10EaLh_4HMko3s8gjtq2ojXEMf24bTOICBMx2qmA/s1600/untitled4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrWJKgqWhaZmByZaKnkFqq41_OFHUSye_2PrPsoXLsNKkQKdvL3NTWdzU0fDTyYlnKAgQKIB6AtV_Fr1XSK9kfD_oDm39mj10EaLh_4HMko3s8gjtq2ojXEMf24bTOICBMx2qmA/s200/untitled4.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText18396447862177640055"><u>Set up of P</u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>lot:</u> <span style="font-family: inherit;">In a <span style="font-family: inherit;">small village in Uganda, Kato ha<span style="font-family: inherit;">s to wake up early each morning <span style="font-family: inherit;">and walk barefoot a long distance <span style="font-family: inherit;">so that he can</span> get water from the village well. <span style="font-family: inherit;">This day<span style="font-family: inherit;">, when he comes back home, there is an aid worker's truck in th<span style="font-family: inherit;">e village square, waiting to give so<span style="font-family: inherit;">mething special<span style="font-family: inherit;"> - a new pair of shoes - to all the chil<span style="font-family: inherit;">dr<span style="font-family: inherit;">en<span style="font-family: inherit;">. In exchange, Ka<span style="font-family: inherit;">to<span style="font-family: inherit;"> gives the aid worker<span style="font-family: inherit;"> a</span></span><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span> single, whit<span style="font-family: inherit;">e </span>poppy<span style="font-family: inherit;">.</span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText18396447862177640055"> </span></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">A Good Trade’s title is somewhat misleading as it implies that there’s
a real trade between two people. However, in <span style="font-family: inherit;">rea</span>lity, Kato gives an aid worker a poppy to thank her for giving
him a pair of shoes. Overall, I liked A Good Trade<span style="font-family: inherit;">,</span> and believe that it can be
used to launch a discussion about gratitude and what it’s like to live in a
third world country.</span> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuvq_0z6j6ZAuwR6FsWIFlQJHvw64z5BokcnAGUOYvO4vO1SGgSfbz3GK7zuDda0H70TIE_rBeuYfder80cTnMQjM7A5uFCIWxvVodDTPTtNz3tsk-vNlHzSmU4kzwDP6Y_kvXg/s1600/untitled6.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuvq_0z6j6ZAuwR6FsWIFlQJHvw64z5BokcnAGUOYvO4vO1SGgSfbz3GK7zuDda0H70TIE_rBeuYfder80cTnMQjM7A5uFCIWxvVodDTPTtNz3tsk-vNlHzSmU4kzwDP6Y_kvXg/s200/untitled6.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText18396447862177640055"><u>Set up of P</u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>lot:</u></span></span></span></span></span><b> </b></span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText11949530028763725565">In a Sri<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Lankan vil<span style="font-family: inherit;">lage, Malini wak<span style="font-family: inherit;">es up nervous and excited about learning how to plan<span style="font-family: inherit;">t rice seedlings<span style="font-family: inherit;">, which will provide food and income for her <span style="font-family: inherit;">community. When she is asked<span style="font-family: inherit;"> to watch an ox carrying the seedlings <span style="font-family: inherit;">so the driver can ta<span style="font-family: inherit;">ke a break<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">, </span>a sudden monsoon<span style="font-family: inherit;"> separates Malini and <span style="font-family: inherit;">the ox from the driver and her family. Malini must <span style="font-family: inherit;">now find the <span style="font-family: inherit;">courage to</span></span> t<span style="font-family: inherit;">ry <span style="font-family: inherit;">and</span> save the ox and <span style="font-family: inherit;">the cart car<span style="font-family: inherit;">rying the precious<span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="font-family: inherit;">rice s</span>e<span style="font-family: inherit;">edling<span style="font-family: inherit;">s.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">I liked When the Rain Comes even more. The illustrations and text in
this book work really well together to highlight Malini’s feelings and show the
importance of rice to her village and the dangers of a monsoon. The back of the
book tells a little bit more about Sri Lanka and how reliant the country’s
population is on rice.<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">In exchange for an honest review, both A Good Trade and When the Rain Comes were received from the publisher (Pajama Press) for free.</span> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRxH5dVTRdbPM8Z4vQ7FuUmXgurspf_Ij2wtAeeIBroskNlNOccRXfGl1yDJT5h0cuBFDaWrkaS_vHi7dh6cfnkScg4GLRLgQdNiZaZhTVqGdy1WsBL2ust4shcV6PnwdDlw_gQ/s1600/Canadian+Read+copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRxH5dVTRdbPM8Z4vQ7FuUmXgurspf_Ij2wtAeeIBroskNlNOccRXfGl1yDJT5h0cuBFDaWrkaS_vHi7dh6cfnkScg4GLRLgQdNiZaZhTVqGdy1WsBL2ust4shcV6PnwdDlw_gQ/s1600/Canadian+Read+copy.png" /></a> </div>
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A Canadian Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07127164685941412250noreply@blogger.com2