Beautiful Bloggers Award and One Lovely Blog Award

RULES:

• Link to the blogger who took the time to nominate you
• List seven random things about yourself
• Nominate seven wonderful, book-loving bloggers
• Notify the amazing people that you nominated them for the award

RULES:

• Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog
• List the rules and display the award
• Add 7 facts about yourself
• Nominate 15 bloggers (or how many you like) and let them know on their blogs!

Let me say a huge thank you to Megan at Books of Fascination for nominating me! Check out their blog, it is beautiful!

So some random facts about me (I'll do 10 like Megan because I don't have 15 bloggers to nominate):

1. My favourite classes were Chemistry and Drama in school
2. I have an identical twin
3. I like guys with beards (tastefully groomed). Fresh shaven doesn't appeal to me
4. One of my favourite Wii games is Super Smash Bros. I play as Ness
5. I play softball in center field
6. I wish I lived in a world without technology (or when technology wasn't the only thing to use to entertain yourself) which I why I love watching and reading historical or fantasy worlds
7. I am obsessed with monopoly. I own 6 monopolies: Disney Theme Park; Disney Villains; Avengers; Electronic Banking; Original; New Original featuring Cat mover
8. My favourite genre (movies, TV, books) is historical and fantasy. This is why my favourite shows are Game of Thrones, Penny Dreadful, and Mad Men
9. My favourite avenger is Captain America. I feel like we are most alike and I will always side with him, so for Captain America: Civil War I am on Capt's side!
10. I love to play chess. I could play for hours on end

My nominees are... (drum roll please...)

• Alex @ Book Chick
• Dana @ Dana Square
• Kay @ It's a Book Life
• Book Cupid @ Book Cupid

Amazing blogs! Seriously, check out their blogs! I love reading their posts and they are so aesthetically pleasing!

Let's Talk: The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski
Let's Talk contains spoilers

4 stars

Definition: The winner's curse is a phenomenon that may occur in common value auctions with incomplete information. In short, the winner's curse says that in such an auction, the winner will tend to overpay

Goodreads synopsis: 
Winning what you want may cost you everything you love... 

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. 

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. 

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. 

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

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I didn't expect to love this book was much as I did. I mean, the world just pulled me in and the romance was amazing. I mean, the romance wasn't in your face, but it was still enough that it kept me satisfied.
I loved this book. To be honest, when I first finished it I gave it 3 stars. But later on when I was thinking about the book and the next books to come in the series, I didn't understand why I gave it 3. I kept asking myself: What did I dislike about the book? Why is the rating low?
Because I kept thinking this: Wow, that fighting scene was awesome. The game in the book is cool. Kestrel is a good character. So is Arin.
So why such a low rating?
I couldn't think of good enough reasons for it to not be 5 stars. Because this book was good. I mean good.

Previous to this book I read a book that became a favourite. What are the chances I read two right after one another?

Anyways, as I said, the book was amazing and I'd recommend it to anyone. To avoid spoilers, do not read beyond.

And can I just say how rare it is for me to give a book perfect ratings.

Rating: 10/10
Parental Rating: 14+

SPOILERS BELOW

Let's start with the very beginning. A very strong hook in this story. It just grabbed me from the very first page. Kestrel buys Arin because he can sing. Kestrel loves playing the piano and she loves music in general. So she buys him. This was all actually a plan. The man (auctioneer) purposelessly said that Arin could sing because he knew that Kestrel would buy him.
Kestrel's father is a general and Arin's people want to fight back against her people.

So Kestrel hopes he will sing soon. But he never does. He works in the stables. Kestrel previously had a nanny who was Valorian (Arin's ancestry). She was very close with her and never saw her as a slave. Arin (in the duration of his slavery) thinks Kestrel is a stupid girl who is rich and thinks money can get her out of anything. But Kestrel is very intelligent and she knows what she is doing.

Side note: Arin does not speak Kestrel's language, only Valorian. Secretly, he does speak her language but he will not let people know. I was more and more attracted to him because of that.

One of my favourite parts was when Kestrel goes to Irex's party with Arin with her. It turns out Arin used to live there with his family before he was a slave. So he sneaks off and tries to steal a book. But Irex catches him and demands a battle. Kestrel says she will take his spot and defend him.
Arin is not happy.
Kestrel ends up fighting Irex and winning because of her intelligence and telling him that she will tell everyone his secret (a secret son) if he wins. So Kestrel wins.
My reaction:


Anyways, Arin ends up taking over when Kestrel father is at battle. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Kestrel is now a slave to Arin.
But of course, he doesn't really make her do anything. He knows what it is like to be a slave.
But Cheat wanted her too. He made her massage and clean his feet. And let me tell you, when Arin found out, he was mad.

Seeing Arin fight on the battlefield was awesome, too. I loved the alternating POV.

By the end, Kestrel ends up getting out with the help of her father and Arin sees her one last time when she tells him she is engaged. She has yellow glitter on her eyebrows which is a sign of being engaged. Arin is sad that she didn't feel what he did, but thinks it is for the best.

It wasn't a cliffhanger per say, but it was close. I didn't feel a strong desire to read the next immediately, but I still want to read it.

As a last note, I want to comment on how well the author was able to make us see both sides of the story. I was debating whose side to be on the entire book. I mean, of course I want the Valorians free, but not the way they intend to do it. Kestrel's side is also good, but has it's downsides, for examples slaves.

Rating: 10/10
Parental Rating: 14+

View all my reviews

Let's Talk: The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

The Retribution of Mara Dyer (Mara Dyer #3) by Michelle Hodkin
Let's Talk contains spoilers

4.5 stars

I saw this on pinterest and thought it was worth mentioning because it's hilarious.


Plus, Max Irons is hot.

Goodreads synopsis:
Mara Dyer wants to believe there's more to the lies she’s been told.
There is.

She doesn’t stop to think about where her quest for the truth might lead.
She should.

She never had to imagine how far she would go for vengeance.
She will now.

Loyalties are betrayed, guilt and innocence tangle, and fate and chance collide in this shocking conclusion to Mara Dyer’s story.

Retribution has arrived.

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I have been dreading writing this review for so long because it was the end of an amazing series. After the end of book 2 I didn't think anything could be as good.

But I was wrong.

And Noah! When he died in the end of book 2 I was shattered. But Mara refuses to believe he died. She is searching for him.
It starts off with her in the compound. She can only see herself in mirrors because they are all over her room.
And then it definitely kicks off in high gear. There isn't anything else I can say without spoiling the story line or what is going on.
But I can say that it was absolutely amazing.

Rating: 9.5/10
Parental Rating: 15+

SERIOUSLY, SPOILERS!!!

There was so many things I loved about this book! I like the realistic part of it.
I liked in the beginning when Mara kept talking to herself through her mirror images. But this is where a plot whole started. I don't understand how the mirror of Mara keeps talking to her but by the end of the book she stops seeing it.
But I also like how the end was sort of not complete. I feel like if it was, it wouldn't be an ending I liked.
I loved the part when Mara was on the go-train and she kept feeling like there was something in her stomach. When she cut it, I was disturbed.


I wasn't 100% sure what was going on.

I also loved the part when they rented the old motel. Seeing the teens use their powers was awesome! Jamie telling the women that they needed the room and her complying just like that. I liked that when they were there they were watching Pulp Fiction. One of my favourite movies, I love that it was in this book!


And the ending when Noah and Mara are finally reunited! This made me lose my mind. If I remember correctly, I was reading this on the bus. So I was trying so hard to contain my excitement at seeing Noah return.

I liked that the story wasn't all about the romance. Mara found her brother and he helped her with her problems, so they got to problem solve together.

Oh, and how about the fact that Dr. Kells has been testing on children and she tested on Jude and that is why he had powers. That blew my mind. When they watched all the tests.

Or how about in the beginning when Jude helped Mara escape. And she woke up in the middle of a room with blood all over and a watch (that belonged to Jude).

When Noah came back, he seemed to be on his father's side. This worried me so much. And seeing all the backstory about how Noah was truly born, and Mara's grandmother was there. Noah was truly born to be the killer of Mara.
People, let's talk about this.
Noah was born to kill Mara. KILL!!1
They also told Noah that he was only in love with Mara and attracted to her because she balances out his ability. He can heal, he is the side of light and good. Mara can kill, she in on the side of dark and evil. I thought this was cooler than anything ever.
I wish I learned more about the professor: Mara's grandfather.

Anyways, Noah kept trying to kill himself. These books are so good. He kept telling his father to release Mara or he dies.

Not to mention that Noah's password on his computer is: marashaw
MARA SHAW
MARA SHAW
Guys, it's Mara Shaw. As in, if she married him she'd be Mara Shaw.


I just about lost it.

And the ending when Mara and Noah finally got their happily ever after. I was so happy to finally get to see Noah's POV, even if it was for a little bit.

Just read it. Even if you think nothing is better than book 2.

Rating: 9.5/10 (only reason it's not full is because I liked book 2 better)
Parental Rating: 15+

Commet below and let me know what you thought!

Prepare Yourself for Outlander

Prepare yourself because the next Outlander episode is going to be intense.
I don't want to go spoiling anything, but it is going to be very emotional and intense.
I suggest bringing tissues and being prepared for the worst!
Only 2 episodes left!
Keeping this post short and sweet, but I'll be sure to write a follow-up soon!

Thanks for reading and comment below if you know what's going to happen or if you are excited for the new episode!

Let's Talk: Unbeautiful by Jessica Sorensen

Unbeautiful by Jessica Sorensen

Let's Talk contains spoilers

4 stars

Gorgeous cover!

Goodreads Synopsis:

Emery

You want to know my secrets? What lies beneath the pretty? The scars I can’t let anyone see? The scars tied to my secrets? 
On the outside I appear normal. Some might even say perfect. 
They say that I’m a pretty girl. They say I should be happy. They say that I have nothing to be angry about. That I’m popular. A cheerleader. That I’m perfect. 
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. 
But all they see is what’s on the outside. 
On the inside I’m raw, open, bleeding. Scars that can’t seem to heal the wounds. 
Carrying dark secrets about who I really am.
How afraid I am to tell the truth.
And it’s slowly killing me. 

Ryler

Tattoos. Piercing. Scars. The guy who can’t speak. 
Gothic freak. Mute. Punk. I’ve heard it all. 
They say that I’m probably dangerous. They say people should stay away from me. 
They say. They say. They say.
But who are they anyway? 
To decide what I am. 
They don’t know what’s hidden beneath the scars. Beneath the piercings and tattoos. 
The secrets I keep hidden beneath the silence.
Maybe if they knew, they wouldn’t fear me so much. 
Then again, maybe they’d fear me more.

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This book was so creepy! It was so different than what I normally get from Jessica Sorensen books.
The characters were likeable and it showed a side to the stories that are normally all about the romance.
This book had me shocked because for once, I had no idea what was going on. It starts with our female protagonist, Emery, tied to a bed thinking about how her community is special and that things are the way they are and there is no way around that. They are always perfect. As she says: Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. But she doesn't want perfect.

The first thing to pop into my head:

In this place, they teach them things that don't exactly add up to our actually society.

And in this town, Emery has a perfect boyfriend who on the outside, is perfect. Blonde hair, cute, a "gentlemen."

Then Emery gets to leave. She has been collecting money, and I honestly had no idea how that would go. Would her seriously overprotective parents let her go?

Then we get to see Ryler's POV. He is living with Violet and Luke. He is also mute, for those of you who didn't know.
So reading his POV was special because I finally got to see what was going on in that head of his.

Emery ends up moving into Ryler's building. When they meet, it wasn't like I knew exactly what was going to happen as I usually do in Jessica's books. This was different. It wasn't a little virgin girl running away from a biker dude who was smoking. She was jogging and came back to the building and saw him. She felt a spark. She knew that she was feeling something strong. He did, too, apparently, because he was looking her body up and down. They then continue to look at each other for a few minutes, until she left because he wasn't saying anything. But in this, some things happen that separate this from a normal Jessica book. First, we find out after that Emery is not a virgin. She slept with someone back home because he wanted to. Second, she says that Ryler made her feel more intense that her boyfriend did (this isn't so new).

She writes in a journal to release all her thoughts, and she felt eternally guilty for something she wrote in the journal. So she ripped it up and threw it out the window. Then she looked and saw a guy pick it up, and low and behold: it's Ryler.

We also figure out from Ryler's POV that he is working undercover with the police. He is trying to stop a mob guy from terrorizing the city. Ryler is doing this because he doesn't have any other choice. It's this or jail.

So then comes the party scene when they finally are introduced. This was awesome.
Ryler is outside smoking and Emery comes by to pick up the journal papers. He then is asking Violet to translate that his name is Ryler and it's nice to meet her. She already knows whats going on though because she knows how to do sign language!
This was awesome because now I am just rooting for them even more!

Next, they decide to play some poker and Emery has her first drink. But she doesn't go crazy and drunk. She only drinks 2, maybe 3 shots.
Anyways, during their game they talk by writing with their fingers on each others hands! This was cute and she lets us know that she used to do this with her brother. We don't know what's going on with him, though.

But we figure out quickly that this is not the case.

This book is definitely worth a read! It will mess with your mind and your emotions like crazy!

So this is the start to their relationship and this book was so different! It was dark, but not in the way that most of Jessica's books are.

Rating: 7/10
Parental Rating: 15+

Comment below and let me know if you agree!

Analyzing TURN Season 2 Poster

I was looking through my blog to make sure all the dates were set up properly for my TV shows, and I saw TURN. I realized that every time I see the poster I stop to see who is on what side. Well, I decided that I would look through that with you guys! Here is a close up of the poster:

On the left, we have the Americans. On the right, we have the British. Being as I never took an immense amount of time to see, I was surprised to see a few select people on either side.
On the LEFT we have:

• George Washington
• Ben Talmadge - looking hot pulling out a gun
• Caleb Brewster
• Anna Strong
• Benedict Arnold - with his back to the British but looking at them

On the RIGHT we have:

• Major John Andre
• Captain Simcoe - he seriously looks murderous
• Major Hewlett
• Mary Woodhull - looking very displeased
• Richard Woodhull
• Robert Rogers

I was surprised to see Mary on the British side, but after the season one finale, I have to say that I honestly couldn't care less. I couldn't believe that she destroyed the notebook! She is so worried about herself and keeping the man that she doesn't even seem to love!
I like all the characters resting on the left right now, except for Benedict Arnold. And not just because he becomes a traitor, but his character is just annoying.
I love Ben and can't wait to see more of him in the episode airing tonight.
On the right, I like John Andre. I don't know why, but his character is just likeable. I hate, with a passion, Captain Simcoe. Even his voice bothers me!
I don't mind Major Hewlett because he isn't killing people for no reason, he is just doing what he is told.

I thought that this idea for the new poster was perfect! It looks great and it shows where everyone stands at this point.

Remember, new episode airs tonight!

Well, this is all for now! Hope this helps for those of you struggling with the names or looking for a clear view of who is on which side!
Comment below and let me know what you thought of the separation of the sides for the poster! Let me know who your favourite character is!

May 2015 Book Releases

Super excited for so many exciting books being released! Here is my most anticipated books for May of 2015! If I missed something or didn't include a book that might be self-published, it's most likely because I didn't know about it just yet.

Here we go!!

Nowhere But Here by Katie McGarry
Obviously this is mentioned first! I am so excited for this book! I love the Pushing the Limits series! Plus, it is about a motorcycle club!! That is so exciting and hot! I am excited to see where this series goes... will it all be from one POV? Or other characters? 
Released on: May 26th 2015

The Heir by Kiera Cass
Released in 4 days!!! I am so excited! I will be buying this the moment I get the chance! I mean, this time it's about a girl with guys running?! And I'm a girl so I'll have so many there to chose from! I mean, she will. ;)
Released on: May 5th 2015

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Mass
I am very excited for this book. I have yet to read a Sarah J. Mass book, but I've heard they are epic! Plus, this is a beauty and the beast spin! I love fairytale spinoffs and I'm excited to see where this goes!
Released on: May 5th 2015

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Let me know in the comments what book you are most excited for this month!