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Get a Life: The Diaries of Vivienne Westwood
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Vivienne Westwood began Get A Life, her online diary, in 2010 with an impassioned post about Native...
Jessica - Where the Book Ends (15 KP) rated The Astonishing Color of After in Books
Jan 30, 2019
FEELS!!!!!!!! ALL THE FEELS!!!!!!!!!! The Astonishing Color of After brought to light feelings for me that I didn’t know I was feeling. I cried tears I didn’t know I needed to cry. This book resonated with me in ways I’ve never experience before while reading. This book rebroke my heart but it also healed it in ways I couldn’t heal myself.
Let me start at the beginning… Leigh’s mother commits suicide. Her mom’s name is Dorothy and goes by Dory for short. While my mom didn’t commit suicide, she did die unexpectedly in August of 2016. I know, I know you’re thinking what does this have to do with the book but just put your patient pants on. My mom’s name was Doria, and she went by Dory. While Leigh was lucky enough to be the one that didn’t find her mom, I wasn’t lucky enough to have the same luxury. I could relate to how Leigh was feeling on so many levels. So much so, it felt like the author had interviewed me and then written the book based on that interview. Leigh feels like she is to blame partly for her mother’s death. She feels like if she would have only done x better, if only she’d been in y place at z time she would have been able to save her mom. I know because I had these same thoughts and still do until this day. After reading this book and realizing there just wasn’t anything I could have done to change the outcome of what was destined to happen. But just because my mom isn’t physically here anymore doesn’t mean she’s gone forever. I still see her in myself every time I look in the mirror. She is always with me.
The magical realism aspect of this book brought the journey and the imagery to life for me. I could picture this big beautiful red bird soaring around Leigh. The more I read of this book the more I found myself looking to the sky to see what is out there for me, and then I realized that looking to the sky is something that I’ve done since the day my mom died. I find myself looking around at the clouds and the sky seeing if there is a trace of her looking down on me. Now my favorite time to look to the sky is at night and I imagine her as one of the stars looming overhead keeping an eye on me.
The characters in this book are so real. Leigh, her grandparents, her dad, and Axel. Though, I must admit I feel as though the story could have been just as good without Axel. Sometimes he just seemed to crowd the story and take away from what was happening. I think my most favorite character was Feng, and all the she represents. I absolutely loved this aspect of the book. I also loved Ghost Month as this was something I had never heard of before and it and it reminds me of one of my other favorite holidays El Dia de los Muertos. I loved learning about the Taiwanese culture.
The way the author wove this story together through her words brought the magic and the storytelling to life. Her writing style worked extremely well for the subject of this story and I can’t wait to see what she is going to write in the future. The only aspect of this story that just didn’t mesh for me was all the colors sprinkled throughout the story. Honestly though, that is such a minute detail that it’s barely worth mentioning.
As you can see this story hit me very close to home, and I am so incredibly grateful to the author for writing it. It rebroke my heart and then helped to heal that same broken heart.
Now, on to the important bits… Suicide… If you are ever in a position where you feel that you just absolutely can’t go on do me one solid. Pause. Pick up your phone, and text HELP to 741741. This is the number for the Crisis Text Line. You will be connected to one of their trained Crisis Counselors. I am a trained Crisis Counselor on the CTL and I can guarantee you that you are not alone in how you’re feeling. Ask for help, we’re here to listen, we’re trained to help you. You are not alone. Just remember 741741 and HELP. That’s all it takes and someone will be there for you.
Let me start at the beginning… Leigh’s mother commits suicide. Her mom’s name is Dorothy and goes by Dory for short. While my mom didn’t commit suicide, she did die unexpectedly in August of 2016. I know, I know you’re thinking what does this have to do with the book but just put your patient pants on. My mom’s name was Doria, and she went by Dory. While Leigh was lucky enough to be the one that didn’t find her mom, I wasn’t lucky enough to have the same luxury. I could relate to how Leigh was feeling on so many levels. So much so, it felt like the author had interviewed me and then written the book based on that interview. Leigh feels like she is to blame partly for her mother’s death. She feels like if she would have only done x better, if only she’d been in y place at z time she would have been able to save her mom. I know because I had these same thoughts and still do until this day. After reading this book and realizing there just wasn’t anything I could have done to change the outcome of what was destined to happen. But just because my mom isn’t physically here anymore doesn’t mean she’s gone forever. I still see her in myself every time I look in the mirror. She is always with me.
The magical realism aspect of this book brought the journey and the imagery to life for me. I could picture this big beautiful red bird soaring around Leigh. The more I read of this book the more I found myself looking to the sky to see what is out there for me, and then I realized that looking to the sky is something that I’ve done since the day my mom died. I find myself looking around at the clouds and the sky seeing if there is a trace of her looking down on me. Now my favorite time to look to the sky is at night and I imagine her as one of the stars looming overhead keeping an eye on me.
The characters in this book are so real. Leigh, her grandparents, her dad, and Axel. Though, I must admit I feel as though the story could have been just as good without Axel. Sometimes he just seemed to crowd the story and take away from what was happening. I think my most favorite character was Feng, and all the she represents. I absolutely loved this aspect of the book. I also loved Ghost Month as this was something I had never heard of before and it and it reminds me of one of my other favorite holidays El Dia de los Muertos. I loved learning about the Taiwanese culture.
The way the author wove this story together through her words brought the magic and the storytelling to life. Her writing style worked extremely well for the subject of this story and I can’t wait to see what she is going to write in the future. The only aspect of this story that just didn’t mesh for me was all the colors sprinkled throughout the story. Honestly though, that is such a minute detail that it’s barely worth mentioning.
As you can see this story hit me very close to home, and I am so incredibly grateful to the author for writing it. It rebroke my heart and then helped to heal that same broken heart.
Now, on to the important bits… Suicide… If you are ever in a position where you feel that you just absolutely can’t go on do me one solid. Pause. Pick up your phone, and text HELP to 741741. This is the number for the Crisis Text Line. You will be connected to one of their trained Crisis Counselors. I am a trained Crisis Counselor on the CTL and I can guarantee you that you are not alone in how you’re feeling. Ask for help, we’re here to listen, we’re trained to help you. You are not alone. Just remember 741741 and HELP. That’s all it takes and someone will be there for you.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Flame in the Mist in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.</i>
Famed for her highly rated <i>The Wrath & The Dawn</i>, Renée Ahdieh has created a new fantasy world full of original characters. Set in a land similar to the Middle Eastern countries we are familiar with, <i>Flame in the Mist</i> incorporates out-dated ideology, ancient lifestyle with a hint of supernatural, and, of course – it is a Young Adult novel after all – a dash of romance. With an eclectic mix of themes, it is a book without cessation of adventure.
The protagonist, Hattori Mariko, at the mere age of 17, is destined to marry the son of the Emperor’s favourite concubine, Prince Raidan. The book commences with the journey from her home, however, Mariko never makes it to the city. Ambushed and presumed dead, Mariko is alone in the dangerous forest, at risk of being discovered by the infamous Black Clan. Instead of waiting for rescue, Mariko, fed up of women being treated as inferior to men, decides she does not want to go home, nor does she want to marry the prince. Her only remaining option is to locate the Black Clan and discover who attempted to murder her. But for this to work, she needs to convince everyone she is a boy.
Whilst Mariko is worming her way into the clan, her twin brother is determined to track down and rescue his sister. Unbeknownst to him, Mariko is beginning to feel more affiliated with their enemies than with her own family. And so a dilemma arises. Does Mariko betray her new “friends” or be unfaithful to the brother she loves?
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> is not only about Mariko’s predicament; it also concerns an age-old feud between powerful families, involving the wrongful death of a disgraced Samurai. As the younger generation reach maturity, they determine to avenge the deaths of their fathers, and, without knowing, Mariko ends up in the centre of two warring parties.
It is a little difficult to get into the story initially; many characters are introduced, but their significance is not obvious for some time. To add to the confusion, vital persons are only formally presented at the end of the novel, which finishes on a cliffhanger. The similarity of the foreign sounding names also creates uncertainty.
Ahdieh cleverly includes a problematic situation that our own world has (almost) overcome. Mariko represents the female population, a gender that is believed to be inferior to their male counterparts. Controlled by fathers, husbands, and powerful leaders, women do not have the opportunity to make their own decisions about their lives. Although it is disconcerting that someone wishes to take Mariko’s life, the ambush provides her with the freedom and chance to prove women are as capable as men. Sadly, she has to pretend to be a boy in order to do this.
It was inevitable that there would be a love interest in <i>Flame in the Mist</i>, however, it is not as inspiring as readers may hope for. The attraction between Mariko and a member of the Black Clan almost comes out of nowhere. Not only was Mariko believed to be male for a wide stretch of the novel, the character in question was one of the more abusive.
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> being the first novel I have read by Renée Ahdieh, I have nothing with which to compare it or state why it is readers particularly admire her writing. The story was mediocre at best, with very little characters that garner respect. Having been published less than a month ago, there is already a lot of hype surrounding this book – either I am missing something vital, or readers are going to be disappointed.
Famed for her highly rated <i>The Wrath & The Dawn</i>, Renée Ahdieh has created a new fantasy world full of original characters. Set in a land similar to the Middle Eastern countries we are familiar with, <i>Flame in the Mist</i> incorporates out-dated ideology, ancient lifestyle with a hint of supernatural, and, of course – it is a Young Adult novel after all – a dash of romance. With an eclectic mix of themes, it is a book without cessation of adventure.
The protagonist, Hattori Mariko, at the mere age of 17, is destined to marry the son of the Emperor’s favourite concubine, Prince Raidan. The book commences with the journey from her home, however, Mariko never makes it to the city. Ambushed and presumed dead, Mariko is alone in the dangerous forest, at risk of being discovered by the infamous Black Clan. Instead of waiting for rescue, Mariko, fed up of women being treated as inferior to men, decides she does not want to go home, nor does she want to marry the prince. Her only remaining option is to locate the Black Clan and discover who attempted to murder her. But for this to work, she needs to convince everyone she is a boy.
Whilst Mariko is worming her way into the clan, her twin brother is determined to track down and rescue his sister. Unbeknownst to him, Mariko is beginning to feel more affiliated with their enemies than with her own family. And so a dilemma arises. Does Mariko betray her new “friends” or be unfaithful to the brother she loves?
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> is not only about Mariko’s predicament; it also concerns an age-old feud between powerful families, involving the wrongful death of a disgraced Samurai. As the younger generation reach maturity, they determine to avenge the deaths of their fathers, and, without knowing, Mariko ends up in the centre of two warring parties.
It is a little difficult to get into the story initially; many characters are introduced, but their significance is not obvious for some time. To add to the confusion, vital persons are only formally presented at the end of the novel, which finishes on a cliffhanger. The similarity of the foreign sounding names also creates uncertainty.
Ahdieh cleverly includes a problematic situation that our own world has (almost) overcome. Mariko represents the female population, a gender that is believed to be inferior to their male counterparts. Controlled by fathers, husbands, and powerful leaders, women do not have the opportunity to make their own decisions about their lives. Although it is disconcerting that someone wishes to take Mariko’s life, the ambush provides her with the freedom and chance to prove women are as capable as men. Sadly, she has to pretend to be a boy in order to do this.
It was inevitable that there would be a love interest in <i>Flame in the Mist</i>, however, it is not as inspiring as readers may hope for. The attraction between Mariko and a member of the Black Clan almost comes out of nowhere. Not only was Mariko believed to be male for a wide stretch of the novel, the character in question was one of the more abusive.
<i>Flame in the Mist</i> being the first novel I have read by Renée Ahdieh, I have nothing with which to compare it or state why it is readers particularly admire her writing. The story was mediocre at best, with very little characters that garner respect. Having been published less than a month ago, there is already a lot of hype surrounding this book – either I am missing something vital, or readers are going to be disappointed.
Christina Haynes (148 KP) rated Alpha Divided in Books
Jun 29, 2018
Alpha Divided
As the full moon mating ceremony approaches and the tribunal not long after. Tessa is starting to panic and her mate Dastien seems pretty unfased by it. Which is kind of making Tessa even more stressed out...
Tessa is worried about the witches and what they might say or even do at the tribunal. Which to be fair everyone is. On the day of the full moon ceremony Lucinda and some of her coven arrive and threaten war if they do not stop what they are doing. As things turn nasty Tessa agrees to stop the ceremony until after the tribunal.
After the tribunal happens Tessa is sent to the Coven to stay there for one month before returning to the pack. She doesn't want too, but she does in order to stop the war from looming.
Whilst living with the coven she soon learns what Lucinda is up too. How she runs this coven and what the witches there think. How absolutely crazy she is! Tessa does make some friends whilst there and they help her and the wolves when the fight starts. The vampires are back lead by the witches and things are about to turn bad. Tessa's powers have gone both her Bruja and Alpha powers, what will she do?
3☕ – NOT A BAD BOOK
Love, Christina ?
Tessa is worried about the witches and what they might say or even do at the tribunal. Which to be fair everyone is. On the day of the full moon ceremony Lucinda and some of her coven arrive and threaten war if they do not stop what they are doing. As things turn nasty Tessa agrees to stop the ceremony until after the tribunal.
After the tribunal happens Tessa is sent to the Coven to stay there for one month before returning to the pack. She doesn't want too, but she does in order to stop the war from looming.
Whilst living with the coven she soon learns what Lucinda is up too. How she runs this coven and what the witches there think. How absolutely crazy she is! Tessa does make some friends whilst there and they help her and the wolves when the fight starts. The vampires are back lead by the witches and things are about to turn bad. Tessa's powers have gone both her Bruja and Alpha powers, what will she do?
3☕ – NOT A BAD BOOK
Love, Christina ?
Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated The Faerie War (Creepy Hollow, #3) in Books
Jan 23, 2020
<b><i>I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.</i></b>
I find I actually enjoyed <i>The Faerie War</i> despite its differences to the first two books in the <i>Creepy Hollow</i> series. <b>The third and final book in Violet's story happens approximately a month after the events in <i><a title="The Faerie Prince" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-faerie-prince-by-rachel-morgan"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Faerie Prince</a></i>, telling it from both Ryn's and Violet's view.</b>
<i>The Faerie War</i> is... different, per say. Since Violet doesn't have her memories this time around, <b>Morgan seems to write in an entirely different way that I somehow find really weird.</b> Violet isn't the same as she is in the first two books her memories are obviously gone, but <b>I didn't find much of Violet's snarkiness, sass, and sarcasm</b> that I find when I look back to the first books in the series. There are hints of the old Violet, but other than that, <b>Morgan writes in a formal way that makes Violet seem quite distant, aloof, and empty.</b>
<b>Reading from Ryn's view was a little confusing at first.</b> It's completely different from Violet's as his side of the story goes way back when just before the faerie world flips upside down and everything goes straight to hell. <b>It took a while to actually figure out when his story started taking place</b> and how it all worked, but after putting the pieces together, <b>I actually enjoyed Ryn's side of the story.</b>
I was pretty disappointed when we went back to Violet's part, knowing that Violet was going to be just as distant and aloof as she was when we first meet her in the third book. To my delight, she does become a more sassier and has a bit more sarcasm when we meet her once more, which fortunately doesn't make her sound like an empty glass of milk.
<blockquote>Does that mean you agree with me? Youre not angry with me? You think my bony ankle makes a good pillow?</blockquote>
The ending to <i>The Faerie War</i> and Violet's story isn't exactly mind-blowing. <b>Violet's confrontation with Draven seemed to mainly consist of Draven threatening Violet</b> not exactly my cup of tea. <b>I still enjoyed the entire happily ever after aspect, but like with most endings these days... I'm just not feeling it.</b>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-faerie-war-by-rachel-morgan/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
I find I actually enjoyed <i>The Faerie War</i> despite its differences to the first two books in the <i>Creepy Hollow</i> series. <b>The third and final book in Violet's story happens approximately a month after the events in <i><a title="The Faerie Prince" href="http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-faerie-prince-by-rachel-morgan"; target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Faerie Prince</a></i>, telling it from both Ryn's and Violet's view.</b>
<i>The Faerie War</i> is... different, per say. Since Violet doesn't have her memories this time around, <b>Morgan seems to write in an entirely different way that I somehow find really weird.</b> Violet isn't the same as she is in the first two books her memories are obviously gone, but <b>I didn't find much of Violet's snarkiness, sass, and sarcasm</b> that I find when I look back to the first books in the series. There are hints of the old Violet, but other than that, <b>Morgan writes in a formal way that makes Violet seem quite distant, aloof, and empty.</b>
<b>Reading from Ryn's view was a little confusing at first.</b> It's completely different from Violet's as his side of the story goes way back when just before the faerie world flips upside down and everything goes straight to hell. <b>It took a while to actually figure out when his story started taking place</b> and how it all worked, but after putting the pieces together, <b>I actually enjoyed Ryn's side of the story.</b>
I was pretty disappointed when we went back to Violet's part, knowing that Violet was going to be just as distant and aloof as she was when we first meet her in the third book. To my delight, she does become a more sassier and has a bit more sarcasm when we meet her once more, which fortunately doesn't make her sound like an empty glass of milk.
<blockquote>Does that mean you agree with me? Youre not angry with me? You think my bony ankle makes a good pillow?</blockquote>
The ending to <i>The Faerie War</i> and Violet's story isn't exactly mind-blowing. <b>Violet's confrontation with Draven seemed to mainly consist of Draven threatening Violet</b> not exactly my cup of tea. <b>I still enjoyed the entire happily ever after aspect, but like with most endings these days... I'm just not feeling it.</b>
<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/review-the-faerie-war-by-rachel-morgan/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
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