Review: Draw the Line by Laurent Linn

Draw the Line

Laurent Linn

Publication Date: May 17, 2016

Hardcover, 528 pages, Margaret K. McElderry Books

Genres: YA, Contemporary, LGBT

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Adrian Piper is used to blending into the background. He may be a talented artist, a sci-fi geek, and gay, but at his Texas high school those traits only bring him the worst kind of attention.

In fact, the only place he feels free to express himself is at his drawing table, crafting a secret world through his own Renaissance art-inspired superhero, Graphite.

But in real life, when a shocking hate crime flips his world upside-down, Adrian must decide what kind of person he wants to be. Maybe it’s time to not be so invisible after all—no matter how dangerous the risk.

My Review

I’ve been seriously craving some superhero YA books lately, so when I randomly saw Draw the Line in the store without having any clue of its existence before, I was all too ready to devour it. And, thankfully, the book proved to be a great addition to the superhero world.

Relatable characters were in abundance in this beautiful story of a boy trying to fight the bigotry in his town. Adrian is an adorable geeky guy with a penchant for getting into terrible situations. He’s also unrealistically clumsy which, while slightly less relatable, was entertaining. Adrian’s friends were also highly realistic. It was amazing to read the interactions Adrian had with Audrey and Trent. Adrian actually talked about his friends’ problems, not just his own. I honestly wish more pages were added to the story, just so there could be some more closure with the three amigos.

Besides having relatable characters, the plot was, while a bit predictable and cliché, very touching and motivating. Some of the “bad guys” were a little too bad in, as I said, a cliché way. Additionally, bystanders and friends alike, even adults, would never stand up in some of the terrible situations that happened. However, the idea that Doug’s father was the police chief or sheriff (can’t remember which), did make the situation crazily frightening. I couldn’t believe how awful some of the people in charge were treating victims just because the bully was a popular football player. I know it actually happens in real life, I just wish it wasn’t. That’s what made the plot realistic inside a mix of the predictable and cliché.

I know you’re probably asking if this book is so predictable and cliché and it follows the typical bullied-kid-contemporary book storyline, then why am I giving it 4.5 stars? Well, it’s not only the characters but the points that the book made about what a hero/superhero should do. One of the greatest lines in the book talked about how a superhero shouldn’t destroy, but instead create. I think that’s a fantastic motto that all heroes (of the Marvel/DC type or every-day ones) should use. It’s much better than killing people or even just beating them up to make yourself seem heroic. Despite this fantastic line, I do wish Graphite, Adrian’s alter-ego superhero that he draws, would have had more time in the book showing how he created versus destroyed.

All in all, this book is a testament to the idea that people have to step up when injustices are committed. I think Adrian manages to draw that point pretty well.

*Note: I was gifted a copy of this book. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

It's Ogle the Bookcases Time: Bookshelf #1

It’s time to share my new bookshelf arrangement with you guys. :)

As I mentioned earlier, I mostly do these bookshelf posts in order to remind myself of what my bookcases actually look like with all of my pretties on them.

I know what you’re thinking, “Why don’t you know what your own bookshelves look like? Can’t you just go look at them in another room or something?”

Nope. I can’t. I’m a college student, so I live in a small apartment in a city that’s roughly 2.5 hours away from my parents’ house where my book collection started. That’s where a majority of my books reside now because they’re heavy and cumbersome to move. I only keep a select few unread books with me. Thus, the need to look at the pretties every once and a while through poorly photographed images.

So, over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some images of my new bookcase arrangement. I still managed to have too many books for 4.5 cases and it took me multiple days to even arrange the books in a way I’m somewhat satisfied with, but what’s a book hoarder to do?

Oh, and sorry for any blurry pics. I didn’t take a lot of care with my photography this time.

***

This is the first case. It was originally what I called my third case and was in the position of the larger bookcase between my desk and bed, but I switched it so I could put a smaller bookcase in the corner near my closet. (You’ll see the smaller case later on.)
 

On the top shelf I have my Meg Cabot books. I still need a few more to complete my collection, but it’s coming along nicely. ;)

The shelf below the Meg Cabot one holds some sci-fi/dystopian series that I didn’t really know where else to put them.

The next shelf down is a mix of fantasy and some sci-fi reads.

This one is of the more popular vampire books I own. I was hoping I could fit these on my shelf with my Twilight books, but, alas, there just wasn’t enough space.

Next, I have a mix of paranormal and fantasy books. Once again, they’re really just books I didn’t know what to do with or ones that I had some room for, so I shoved them in.

This last shelf contains books I don’t really love, but I own for reasons. However, the Narnia and ASoIaF boxsets are just where they are because there was room.

***

Okay, so there’s the first shelf. I hope you enjoyed getting a peek at some of my shelves.

Do you have any pics of your bookshelves up? If so, link them below so I can check them out. I love looking at pretty book collections.

Review: The Rose & the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh

The Rose & the Dagger

Renee Ahdieh

(The Wrath & the Dawn #2)

Publication Date: April 26, 2016

Hardcover, 420 pages, G.P. Putnam

Genres: YA, Fantasy, Fairytale Retelling

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

The much anticipated sequel to the breathtaking The Wrath and the Dawn, lauded by Publishers Weekly as "a potent page-turner of intrigue and romance."

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

My Review

Besides Glass Sword, this was probably my most anticipated sequel of 2016. And boy, did it give me just as many feels as the first book! And I still can’t believe the duology is over.

This book starts off pretty close to where The Wrath and the Dawn left off, so I was immersed right back into the world I fell in love with. Some of the first few scenes were either from Khalid’s POV or about Khalid which made my heart very happy. Khalid is one of my favorite male characters. He’s so tortured and not really a good guy (but sometimes a good guy), and he just makes me all aflutter. I was actually kind of sad that Shazi didn’t have interactions with him for a good chunk of the first part of the novel. Poor Shazi, doesn’t get her Khalid. :(

Once again, though, Shazi is on the warpath, and I find her actions fantastic. She never hesitates to make a decision, whether it’s the right one or not. I really enjoy her fierce attitude. I also really enjoyed the similarities she had with her sister Irsa. Irsa was a great addition to this duology, and I’m so sad about some things that happened involving her and some spoilery events. Amazingly, I also liked Tariq. I did not like him in the first book (mostly because I was worried he’d steal Shazi from the fabulous Khalid), but he grew on me some, in spite of his dumbness at first.

Now, the plot of the book had a tad bit of a different tone and feel than The Wrath and the Dawn. In that book, there was a dark, romantic feel, but in this book, there’s a more action-y, adventure feel. Shazi was interacting with magical people and things, like the carpet, which had me constantly want to sing Aladdin songs.

Despite the different feel, The Rose and the Dagger was a beautiful continuation of the previous book. Its storyline was just flipped from dark and mysterious to enchanting and lyrical. While it wasn’t what I was expecting, I loved it all the same. Plus, that ending was absolutely pure magic. I love when authors put a gorgeous epilogue in their books. It really allows me to believe the characters are thriving somewhere out there.

All in all, I’m not sure how to go about explaining my enthusiasm for this beauty. It was beautiful, fantastic, lyrical, magical, and amazing. While I wish The Rose and the Dagger wasn’t the end to the series because I want more, that conclusion was phenomenal.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

Stacking the Shelves: The Trade + Gift Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

I didn’t buy a single book this week. Go me! Instead, I traded for some and ended up getting a graduation present. Yay!

Emblaze and Endless by Jessica Shirvington

Firewalker by Josephine Angelini

Draw the Line by Laurent Linn

And, I must say, I had never heard of Draw the Line before I saw it in Barnes & Noble, but when I read that description I was absolutely in love. I want to read it soooooo badly. It sounds right up my alley right now. I went into B&N with a plan to buy Ruined by Amy Tintera—or to have my older sister buy it for me as a graduation present—but once I saw this beauty, I couldn’t resist it.

As for the other three, I traded for them at my local used bookstore. And, can I just say, that was a very good day to stop in, because I’ve been wanting a copy of these for quite some time.

Okay, so here is where I kind of lied. I did end up spending some money on books. I traded with Vale over on Twitter, so I had to spend some moolah on shipping. She sent me the book pictured below for an ARC of Clockwork Angel that I had lying around.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

I still haven’t read this book yet. How sad. I don’t even own the other two either. I’m making it a point to buy them though. I’m simply waiting for a good time when they’re on Book Outlet. ;)

What books have you bought/received lately?

Dean Winchester Friday

Dean Winchester (or sometimes Jensen Ackles) Fridays make me a very happy fangirl. You'll see why when you look at the gif.

Dean Winchester and bedhead. Nothing could be better. Nothing.

My Thoughts on the Captain America: Civil War Movie

I watched Captain America: Civil War back when I went to the Fierce Reads St. Louis signing a few weeks ago, but I just now decided to write about it. #lazycollegestudent

Anywho, if you’ve been living under a rock in the bottom of the sea and haven’t yet seen the trailer for CW, here you go: 

Okay, now I’ve got to be brutally honest here. I haven’t really loved Marvel’s movies since Captain America: Winter Soldier. That was a really good movie. Avengers: Age of Ultron was, at first, blah because of certain relationships between characters who have no business being together (I mean, honestly! Black Widow and Hulk?! WTH!). Now, I’ve gone back and re-watched AoU, and I liked it a lot more. But don’t get me started on how terrible Iron Man 3 was. Ick.

Needless to say, I was hoping for better. And I got some better. Civil War is great. I enjoyed all of the characters (minus one I’ll get into later), and I thought the plot was a true testament to what’s going on in our society right now. Way to bring the comic book plot to the real world, Marvel.

Back to the characters though. Steve/Captain America was fantastic, as always, but I did have a problem with his character. It wasn’t that he was bad or anything; it was that he wasn’t in the movie as much as I feel the title Captain America: Civil War should warrant. Iron Man/Tony Stark hogged the screen time. And, while I may be in the miniscule minority in this one, I have grown to loathe Iron Man. Why? Because Marvel sticks him in practically every scene and allows for no real character development for the “side characters,” and instead puts funny Tony Stark in to save the day. Grr… But I could, for the most part, ignore Mr. Stuck-Up Stark.

As for the other characters, I really enjoyed Black Panther and Spider-Man. I didn’t know much about BP before, but I can’t wait to see him in his own movie. I did find it a little odd that BP got his own twist to the fight scene theme music that was jungle/African-based but no other character got his/her own music.

Peter and Ant-Man were hilarious, but as someone mentioned online somewhere, Ant-Man as a character was never introduced to the ex-Avengers. No one ever said his name out loud. Weird… But the female characters had me in so much love. I can’t wait for the Black Widow movie. She seriously deserves her own storyline.

As for the plot of the movie, it had me guessing the entire time, despite how much I thought was given away in the trailers. Yes, you know Team Iron Man is going to take on Team Captain America, but the logistics behind it are a lot more complicated than the trailers share.

All in all, this is a must-watch for any Marvel fan or even any kind-of Marvel fan, and I’m sure if you are a fan, you’ve already watched it. Civil War is funny, action-packed, and has some cool new and almost-new superheroes to add to the growing Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

The Beauty of Darkness

Mary E. Pearson

(The Remnant Chronicles #3)

Publication Date: August 2, 2016

Hardcover, 496 pages, Henry Holt and Co.

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

Lia and Rafe have escaped Venda and the path before them is winding and dangerous - what will happen now? This third and final book in The Remnant Chronicles is not to be missed.

Bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's combination of intrigue, suspense, romance and action make this a riveting page turner for teens.

My Thoughts

Yes! Yes! Yes! That is all.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Review: The Crown by Kiera Cass

The Crown

Kiera Cass

(The Selection #5)

Publication Date: May 3, 2016

Hardcover, 279 pages, HarperTeen

Genres: YA, Dystopian

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

My Review

So once again the America Singer gang is back to do… whatever it is the royalty in Illéa actually do. Which seems like a whole lot of nada. And, as most people can probably relate to, The Selection series was not my favorite and it had some major problems, but it was entertaining in its own way. The Heir and The Crown, though, have absolutely no value to the world Cass has built. Let me tell you why I think so.

First, let’s talk about the characters. Absolutely none of them seem real. The boys are two-dimensional, Eadlyn is two-dimensional, and her siblings are two-dimensional. It’s just absurd how fake they all were. While The Selection trilogy had some character development and seemingly realistic male and female characters, it seems like Cass put no effort whatsoever in creating characters for this duology that had their own thoughts and feelings. All of the boys constantly kissed Eadlyn’s butt and none of them were really that different from the next boy in line.

 I feel like my character rant could go on forever, so I’m just going to move on to the plot. My major issue with the plot does not revolve around Eadlyn stepping up to help her father, King Maxon, after everything that happened in The Heir. What does bother me is the fact that her father agreed to a certain spoilery arrangement, just because it would make his life easier. No real father would have done that to his child. No real king would have done that to an unprepared princess.

My second major issue plot-wise was who Eadlyn chose. This, like with the father-daughter dilemma, does not revolve around Eadlyn’s actual choice. It revolves around the fact that I was unemotionally invested in the boys that by the time I got halfway through the book, I realized I didn’t care who she chose. That should never happen in a good book. I should always care who the main character ends up with. Always.

Now, you might wonder why, if I claim to have this much ill-will towards this book, that I am giving it 2.5 stars instead of 1. Well, that’s a sort-of simple answer: the ending managed to redeem a few qualities. Eadlyn did manage to step up, and the way her family situation worked out did kind of fix itself into a way I was comfortable with. I still didn’t believe it could happen, but the way it was explained later on in the book felt a little more realistic. Also, a wee bit more character development happened towards the end, but it was nowhere near what I really wanted.

All in all, I’m sure, if you read and enjoyed the books in The Selection series, you’re probably going to read this one in order to finish the entire series. However, if you want to keep things where they left off in The One and are unsure about continuing, just don’t bother picking this book up. It won’t add very much to your overall experience, especially considering both books are ridiculously short and it seems like Cass had no investment in the story. It actually seems like the publisher pushed her to write the spin-off books more than Cass was actually willing to write them, and that’s just sad.

*Note: I purchased a copy of this book for myself. This in no way affected my opinion/review.

My Thoughts on the Beauty and the Beast Teaser Trailer

I had a different post in mind for today, but then I saw this beauty. If you haven’t yet seen the teaser trailer for Disney’s live-action Beauty and the Beast movie, now’s your chance.

I recently wrote my review for The Jungle Book live-action film, and you all know how amazed I was by that movie. I’m hoping Beauty and the Beast goes above and beyond that though. Emma Watson as Belle is simply perfection, and the effects and castle images are absolutely breathtaking in this teaser.

When the trailer started up with the soundtrack music from the cartoon, I immediately started feeling the childhood nostalgia. It seriously made me want to run and watch the older version. Unfortunately, I don’t have it with me. Darn.

I don’t have a whole lot to talk about because this trailer is so ridiculously short (evil teasers), but just know that I love it, and I must watch it. There is no other option.

What do you guys think of this new live-action adaptation?

Rearranging the Shelves

Okay, so I needed a quick post, and then I realized “Hey, you just rearranged your entire collection of books and bookshelves. You can share a snippet of that.” So, that’s what I’m going to do.

Here’s a sneak peek of the mess I made trying to do just that:

Over the following weeks, I’ll share some actual bookshelf pictures. These are mostly for myself, since I won’t remember what my shelves look like once I go back to college. With these updated pics, I can know for sure what my new shelf organization system looks like.

As I was rearranging though, I thought it was strange how it took me over three days to arrange my books on the shelves in a way I’m semi-satisfied with (I still need at least two more full-size bookshelves) while it used to only take me a few hours to completely take them off and redo them. I remember even being able to lay out every single one of my books on my bedroom floor. Now, I can barely do that with just one bookcase. I love owning 900-some books, but at the same time it can be a burden.

I own WAAAAY too many books now. This experience has made me very wary about what I'm going to do in the future when I have to move all of my books out of my parents' house. Oh well, I'll deal with that later…

Stacking the Shelves: The Rebel Edition

 "Stacking the Shelves" is a weekly haul meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. It allows book buyers to share their accumulation of books with the online book-loving community.

After last week’s humongous book haul, this one looks pretty teeny tiny. There’s just three books.

Rebel Belle, Miss Mayhem, and Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

I won these three books from Penguin Teen’s giveaway that was going on over at Once Upon a Twilight. Thanks Penguin and OUaT!

I already own the first two books in hardcover and both are signed, so I’m probably going to trade them in at my local used bookstore. However, I’ll definitely be keeping Lady Renegades.

What books have you bought/received lately?

Dean Winchester Friday

Dean Winchester (or sometimes Jensen Ackles) Fridays make me a very happy fangirl. You'll see why when you look at the gif.

Dean Winchester is rolling around acting like a dork. That’s why we love him.

My Thoughts on The Jungle Book Movie

I watched The Jungle Book live-action movie when it came out, and I just recently had enough time to share my thoughts on it. So, if some of my comments seem a little off, it may be because the material isn’t fresh in my brain.

I’ve posted the trailer below, just in case you, for some unfathomable reason, haven’t seen it yet.

Okay, so I was skeptical when the idea of creating a live-action The Jungle Book was mentioned. Why? Because I’m not a huge fan of The Jungle Book cartoon version. It was okay, but there are a lot of other Disney movies that I liked 100x more (*cough* The Lion King *cough*). However, once I saw the first trailer for this movie, I automatically knew I’d be watching it in theaters.

I had watched Disney’s live-action Cinderella, and while I enjoyed it, it wasn’t amazing or anything. When I watched The Jungle Book though, feelings of childhood nostalgia rose up in me. I had never even been that connected to Bagheera, Baloo, and Mowgli, but once I saw that first beautiful opening sequence, I was hooked.

Every scene had such vivid detail, yet apparently, pretty much everything besides Mowgli was CGI-made. That’s insane. The animals alone would have been exhausting to create, but to do the plants and tress too, ugh. Some people just have too much talent. As for the actor who played Mowgli, he was really, really good. I can’t believe how fantastic he was considering he was acting at nothing.

Now, there are probably people out there who are unsure of seeing a movie that is essentially a reproduction of the cartoon, however, it’s really not. While the general plotline is the same, there are completely different scenes and some new introductions to characters that were very minor in the cartoon version. Additionally, Mowgli’s wolf brothers are absolutely adorable in this film, and what happens to that wolf family was incredibly shocking. I couldn’t believe Disney did that!

Despite my raving, I did have a few minor qualms. I didn’t like the voices for a couple of characters, like Scarlett Johansson as Kaa, but most of the main characters’ voices were spot on. I also thought King Louie was just too big. I know there was an actual ape that got to be that large once upon a time, but Louie was simply too big for the time period he was in.

All in all, even if you simply thought the cartoon The Jungle Book was simply an okay movie, you need to go watch the live-action film. It’s so much better and more detailed, and the action scenes are incredible. I for one can’t wait to see what they do with the sequel.

Waiting on Wednesday: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, what's really got my pages in a twist is...

P.S. I Like You

Kasie West

Publication Date: July 26, 2016

Hardcover, 304 pages, Point

Genres: YA, Contemporary

Book Depository | Amazon | Goodreads

What if the person you were falling for was a total mystery?

While Lily is spacing out in Chemistry one day, she picks up her pencil and scribbles a line from one of her favorite songs on the desk. The next day, someone else has written back to her on the desk! Soon enough Lily and the mystery student are exchanging notes, and lyrics, and even sharing secrets. When Lily finds out that her anonymous pen pal is a guy, she's flustered -- and kind of feels like she's falling for him. She and her best friend set out to unravel the identity of the letter writer -- but when the truth is revealed, the guy is the LAST person Lily could have ever imagined it to be. Now that Lily knows the truth, can she untangle her feelings and gather the courage to listen to her heart?

From beloved author Kasie West (The Distance Between Us) comes an utterly charming story about mixed messages, missed connections, and the magic of good old-fashioned secret admirer notes.

My Thoughts

I don’t even have to read the description to know I’ll enjoy this one. I’ve only read one of Kasie West’s contemporary books, but it was good enough that I plan on reading all of her other ones.

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?