Waiting on Wednesday Wk 14

Welcome to Post 3 of my scheduled post series! :)

This meme is hosted by the fabulous Jill over at Breaking the Spine!

:)

My pick:


Summary:
Seraphina took the literary world by storm with 8 starred reviews and numerous “Best of” lists. At last, her eagerly awaited sequel has arrived—and with it comes an epic battle between humans and dragons.

The kingdom of Goredd: a world where humans and dragons share life with an uneasy balance, and those few who are both human and dragon must hide the truth. Seraphina is one of these, part girl, part dragon, who is reluctantly drawn into the politics of her world. When war breaks out between the dragons and humans, she must travel the lands to find those like herself—for she has an inexplicable connection to all of them, and together they will be able to fight the dragons in powerful, magical ways. 

As Seraphina gathers this motley crew, she is pursued by humans who want to stop her. But the most terrifying is another half dragon, who can creep into people’s minds and take them over. Until now, Seraphina has kept her mind safe from intruders, but that also means she’s held back her own gift. It is time to make a choice: Cling to the safety of her old life, or embrace a powerful new destiny?

FINALLY! There's a gif that I've been saving just for books like these...

... well not quite 84 years, BUT STILL. TWO YEARS???!?! AND EACH TIME I CHECKED THE GOODREADS PAGE THE DATE WAS FURTHER AND FURTHER AWAY???!
WHYYYY?!! D:

Even if the release time is still a year away, at least now, we have a set date (hopefully) and a pretty cover!! PLEASE DON'T GET DELAYED ANYMORE! D:

This book releases on March 10th, 2015. 
:)
What are you guys waiting on this week? 

Addison Blakely: Confessions of a PK

*Welcome to Post 2 from a series of scheduled posts I've set up for this week. :)*


Author: Betsy St. Amant (random tidbit, but her last name is spelled like the Latin verb for love! That's so cute! :) )

Release Date:  January 1st, 2012

Publisher:  Barbour Books

Genre(s): YA Christian Contemporary

Pages: 368

*Standalone*

~Spoiler Free~

Summary (Goodreads):

Sixteen-year-old Addison Blakely has tireless played the role of PK—preacher’s kid—her entire life. But after Wes Keegan revs his motorcycle into town and into her heart, Addison begins to wonder how much of her faith is her own and how much has been handed to her. She isn’t so sure she wants to be the good girl anymore. Join Addison Blakely as she attempts to separate love from lust, facts from faith, and keep her head above water in her murky, fishbowl existence.

Review:

** So, I’ve had this review for a while actually, but I sort of lost it under all the other reviews and random ramblings in my master word doc (if I lost this word doc, I’d be so screwed >.< Eek!).  I found it again when I was scrolling through to see if there was anything I hadn't posted before to post for the scheduled post series. (So many posts LOL)   I also found other ramblings about books that’d I’d never posted before either, but this one was actually complete, so I’ve decided to just make it a part of this series. :) Maybe some day I’ll post all the other ramblings-with serious revisions of course. ;) Enjoy!**

 The thing that caught my eye about this book was the PK (pastor’s kid).  I know that stereotypes of Pks: either they’re holier-than-thou or rebellious punk rock stars.   Apparently, there’s no in-between, and I’ve never really read a book that had an in-between character.  Until, of course, I met this book.

Addison isn’t exactly a punk rock star (she wipes noses of the unfortunate) or holier-than-thou (her wit’s almost at the Percy Jackson level).  She’s just a regular girl trying to find God in a time where feelings rule hearts and friendships are broken and made in a blink of an eye.   She’s a refreshing character, and I absolutely loved getting to know her.  Addison isn’t perfect; she’s real, and she’s just like everyone else else.  I really like how the author broke that stereotype of a PK (and Christians) with Addison.  

So, time to get down to the real meat: the lessons in the story.

Before I say anything else, I want to shout this:

THIS BOOK IS NOT PREACHY.

I REPEAT: THIS BOOK IS NOT PREACHY.

I’VE READ PREACHY; THIS BOOK IS NOT PREACHY!!

But it is YA Christian, and so it will have Christian morals and lessons. The theme/subject that I loved the most was the subject on navigating relationships in a Christian way. Not just bf/gf relationships but also relationships with friends and families.  Being a Christian doesn't mean being a doormat, but it also doesn't mean that you should be rude.  Finding that balance is often tough (how can I be kind, but not be a push-over?), but one of the sub-emphasises (???) of this book was doing everything out of love and not out of duty (which I think is the way to finding that balance- but finding that love can be tough sometimes).  Another subject this book focuses a lot on is really making that decision for yourself to give your life to Christ; no one is born being a Christian, and I love the journey that Addison took to understand that. This something I feel a lot of teens these days don’t really seem to get (I didn't get it either until much later), that just going to church and doing good stuff doesn’t make you a Christian.  There’s so much more to being a Christian than church and doing good stuff; it’s about relationship with God, and Addison explores that topic as well.  She learns and she grows, and the reader follows her, learning and growing as well. 

Now the guys of this book… The love triangle in this novel between Addison, Luke (the quintessential good boy), and Wes (the residential bad boy) is an… interesting one. I didn’t really like it, but it wasn’t too bad.  My main iffy was that Luke was a bit of flat character (he was just really good), while Wes was deep and complex, so it automatically made me biased towards him.   It’s also interesting in that Addison knows what everyone expects of her -to fall for Luke- but instead she goes against her PK image of wiping noses and falls for Wes, the bad boy who has numerous issues. But she does go back and forth between what she feels she has to choose and what she wants to choose, and I like the ending (which does tie in with the love triangle) a lot because it ends with something beginning instead of ending.  At the risk of spoilers, I shall just leave this vague statement here and hope when you read the book it makes sense lol. ;)

Marta, a foreign exchange student from Germany, is Addison’s wise mentor, and one of my favorite characters in this book.  She guides Addison through her journey of discovering her identity in Christ and helps her grow spiritually.  She also teaches Addison that though her earthly father may fail, Her Heavenly Father is perfect.   With her blunt way of speaking, she’s honest and passionate about what she believes in and is an awesome friend to Addison. 

This book is heart driven and absolutely sweet and lovely. The characters really carry the book, and I love the ending. I thank God that this is a stand alone because it’s perfect that way. :)

Thanks for reading!   :)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

What speed do you read?

Hi everyone!
Hope you all are having a fabulous week full of glitter and books! :)

Welcome to Post 1 from a series of scheduled posts I've set up for this week.  I've never done this before, and hopefully blogger doesn't glitch on me and not post on time!  :)

So anyways, for today, I wanted to share this really cool site I found on Staples. (link: http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/ )

It  measures the speed at which you read and compares it to the national average.  I thought that was pretty cool in itself, but there's more!! They also tell you that if you maintain that reading speed, you could read certain books (classics mostly) in this much time.  Another thing they tell you is how many books you could read on an ereader (kindle, nook, etc) before recharging (super handy!!). :)

You can also retake the quiz with different passages! It's so cool! :)

I seriously encourage everyone to try it out!! Also, if you don't mind, I would love to hear about your results in the comment section below. :) (I read 759 (!!) words per minute, which made me 204% (?!?) faster than the national average.  I honestly think this is a fluke because my passage was from Alice in Wonderland, and even though I've only read half of that book, the passage was from the half that I read before LOL.)

Have fun with it! :D

Source: Staples eReader Department

Best wishes, 

Kyendwarrior :)

Brief hiatus

Hi everyone!
Hope you all are having a wonderful week!:)

I know I've been MIA for most of this week, and I would like to apologize for that.  Unfortunately, this sudden (but hopefully brief!) hiatus is probably going to continue onto next week.   There's just been a lot of stuff going on, so I won't be able to be on as much.  I'll try to set up some scheduled posts, but that'll also depend.

Thank you so much for understanding!:)

God bless,
Kyendwarrior

Soul Twister Blog Tour: Q&A with Robin Jones + Giveaway!

Welcome to my stop on the Soul Twister (A Touched Girl #3) by Robyn Jones Blog Tour!

Hi guys!! Hope everyone is having a fabulous week. ;) I'm super excited to be a part of the Soul Twister Tour! Soul Twister is the third book in the Touched Girl series, and you can find more information about it below. :)

Soul Twister (A Touched Girl Novel #3) by Robyn Jones
Published: Expected Publication - 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Goodreads Summary:

Months into recovering from the bloody events that took place in Soul Bender, Anna Pierce is ready to get back out there and fulfill her self-crafted destiny. Sadly, no one in her life feels the same way. The emergence of buried memories and out-of-the-blue powers send her straight into regular sessions with the school counselor. If only she could talk about her overly protective vampire boyfriend or the real threat posed by former friends turned enemies or her new guide who makes her former guide look like a bowl of sunshine. Anna has a lot going on, but at least she's too busy to think about her first Christmas at Ella's.

Sounds pretty awesome, eh? I'm reading the first book right now, and I'm loving it so far! I'll have the review up later this week. ;) Now without further ado, I would like to introduce Ms. Robyn Jones! :)

Author Interview:

1. What inspired you to write your first book?
I started writing to keep from going completely silent and disappearing. As soon as my oldest was diagnosed with mild autism I knew the world would bend over backwards to help him as long as I didn’t get in the way. As he grew and thrived, I continued to blend into the background. My husband (at the time) being hard of hearing made it easier to go unheard. Then my youngest was born with a bum kidney. When he was 6 months old, I knew the doctor was going to tell me we had to take the kidney out. It felt like I was standing on a cliff shouting, but motherhood stole the sound of my grief. I had to do something that didn’t involve eating a bag of chips a day. So I made a rule. Read until I don’t want to put the book down, and then write. I wrote my first book (to be shelved forever) in three weeks. Then I wrote Soul Walker and I just kept reading and writing.

2. Who are your favorite authors?
Patricia Briggs, team Ilona Andrews, Craig Johnson, Richelle Mead, Rachel Caine, Sue Grafton, Kristen Ashley, Katie McGarry...the list goes on and on

3. What message would you like your readers to take away from your books?
I’m not much of a message girl. I would like to create an escape so the readers have a place to go. That is what writing the books creates for me.

4. What’s an interesting fact that most people don’t know about you?
A lot of Anna’s adventures in the books with her family are from personal experience: scuba diving, para-sailing, hiking, surfing, and getting lost in the airport in Japan.

5. Do you listen to music while writing? If so, what music?
Sometimes I need music to find the right headspace. I’ll go in search of music that fits the emotion in a scene. Anna listens to a wide variety from The Mamas and the Papas to Pink. I like that about her.

6. Have you ever experienced writer’s block? If so, how did you overcome it?
Oh, yes. After my divorce, I really thought I was done creating stories. I used have a live stream of ideas running in my head most of the time and then nothing. Not a single spark. I decided if I couldn’t write, I’d learn how to write. When I have writer’s block, I keep up the reading because I can’t live without a current read and I study. The stream is back and I feel crazy again. Good stuff.

7. Is there any place you would love to travel to?
Heck yeah! So many places, but my number one place has always been New Zealand and that was before Lord of the Rings. Now I really, really have to go!

8. What’s the best advice you gotten as a writer?
I’m not good at quoting, but the gist is, writers have to read. Stephen King says the same thing in more words and comes across as brilliant and know-it-all-ish, but it’s true. (Awesome advice!! :) )

Thank you so much to Ms. Robyn Jones for stopping by and for the interview! :D

---

For a limited time, the First 2 Touched Girl novels are on sale for $.99 at Amazon!

Purchase Links:     Soul Walker |    Soul Bender

---

About Robyn Jones:

I laugh when people fall down. It's a glitch in my programming, but even my mom has suffered this quirk. I have a BA in Studio Art from the University of Puget Sound. My boys make me laugh every day. I steal pens; I try real hard not to. I collect those free bookmarks at the checkout counter at libraries. I've had more stitches than anyone I know. I love stories; writing them, reading them, watching them. You can email me at robgirlbooks@gmail.com.


Blog / Twitter / Goodreads

Giveaway: 8 Winners!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much to Ms. Robyn Jones and JC's Book Haven  for allowing me to participate in this blog tour!! :)

Ruin and Rising

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Release Date:    June 17th, 2014

Publisher:  Henry Holt and Co.

Genre(s): YA Fantasy

Pages: 417

*3rd book of a trilogy*

~SO MANY UNCOVERED SPOILERS THAT IT'LL MAKE YOUR HEAD GO TWICE AROUND THE WORLD. (That doesn't even make sense but this book has left me utterly unable to think.) READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!!~

Summary (Goodreads):
The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Review:

*As I was reading through this review (if you could call it that ahaha xD ) again, I realized that this "review" was more for people who’ve already read the books. So once more: BEWARE OF MAJOR UNCOVERED SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON !!*

*After calming down a little bit more, I’ve revised my rating of 4.5 to 4.  Not a biggie, but just thinking about it, I found myself seriously not liking the Mal coming back to life thing. But everything else was FANTASTIC!* 

 *warning: This isn’t so much a review but just an outpouring of my thoughts.   Maybe in the not so distant future, I might come back and revise it to sound more like a review, but for now, here is a big old splatter of my thoughts.*

I don’t care how many times this joke’s been used: THIS BOOK HAS RUINED ME.OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG IT WAS SO AWESOME AND I HATE IT!!!! I HATE IT FOR ENDING, I HATE THE ENDING, I HATE THE FEELS, I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!! >.<

I put off writing this review for a day (or five) because I couldn’t form a coherent thought for hours after.  It’s been a while since a book has devastated me so, and I JUST. COULDN’T. FUNCTION.  IT WAS SO GOOD. 

What was so good about it? THE CHARACTERS. The plot was awesome too, but it was the characters, every single one of them, that carried this book.  

I shall name that one name that’s on everyone’s mind: Aleksander!!!  I was actually rooting for him, despite how evil he was.  Yes I know every action he's done is beyond atrocities (is there a word that describes something even worse than atrocities??), but I was hoping he would be redeemed-like how Luke (Percy Jackson) redeemed himself.  Even until the last point, I was like Baghra, hoping against hope that he would eventually redeem himself. But alas, that was not so. (Well, I guess you could argue that it was an indirect redemption; even though he didn’t mean for himself to die-unlike Luke- his death pretty much fixed everything D: ). BUT IT WAS STILL SO SAD WHEN HE DIED. I HONESTLY DIDN’T FEEL ANYTHING WHEN MAL DIED (just because I had a feeling that he would come back alive-more on that later), BUT THE DARKLING. *SOB*

Even though Aleksander was evil, he’s one of the best written characters I’ve ever come across.  Like ever.  His character development was AH-MAZING.  He was evil, but he was so human! How could such an evil person be so human?? He was so complex and multi-dimensional, and his character had so much depth to it.   (I was sobbing when Alina said his name one more time.  And the way he died was just… was just… UGH. It was so ironic? I don’t know if that’s the right word, but it was just so perfect (odd word, but I’m having word block right now) the way he was killed, that he basically died by a weapon made from his own kind-and yet still plain/ordinary- laced with his own powers.) I can’t say the same thing for Mal, however.  Mal wasn't exactly flat, but there wasn’t much development to him.  I’m usually a big sucker for those love stories where they grow up together and eventually fall in love, but here, I just didn’t click with him.  Maybe I have a thing for bad boys (Morpheus~), but I just couldn’t feel it for Mal.  He wasn’t exactly flat… but I felt he wasn’t really in the series, to be honest.   I think a lot of it had to do with how we get to see Alina and the Darkling build their twisted relationship, while with Mal and Alina, it was sort of implied how close they were, and we were pretty much just given their previous history, so there was less development with their relationship.  I actually felt Alina had more chemistry with Nikolai than Mal (and the Darkling Aleksander (*SOB*) than either of the two-thank God there wasn’t another guy in this one ;) )because she built up her relationship with him also.  However, I didn’t really hate this love square because a) no insta-love :D, and b) though it wasn’t the best written, it wasn’t bad or annoying.  It didn’t really follow the typical “I love him, but I love him too, whining, pining, some more whining, going back and forth, insta-love” formula.  There were so many parts to this love square, and the relationship Alina had with each guy was so different (one toxic longing, one true love, one friendship), that it was kind of hard to actually call this a love square.  Love was hinted with each of them, but one was more of a “like” and the other more of a lust and a wanting because of loneliness, rather than real love. 

The twists and turns of this book were so good!!! I didn’t expect Mal to be the last amplifier (I mean I suspected he was Grisha, but not this!!).  AND THE THING WITH THE AMPLIFIERS. THE REASON WHY MOROZOVA MADE THE AMPLIFIERS WAS SO SAD. One thing I didn’t like though was Mal coming back to life (I sound like I’m a cruel person, but I’m not! I promise!).  It was just… it made sense why he came back, and the reasoning behind it was actually pretty good, but UGH.  It’s not that I like characters dying (just some cases ;) ), but it had more to do with how cliché that was that he would come back alive.  I just knew he was going to- and he did, and it was so predictable, and I hated that. 

But overall, this book was so epic!! I loved it!! Even if I did have a few complaints, it was really, really good.  This book just pulled me in.  There are a couple of books where I’m reading the series in real-time.  A year passes (or in the case of some books- I’m looking at you SERAPHINA!- 2 years!!) and that feeling for that book sort of fades for me.  It’s not all books, and it fades only a little bit, but a lot happens in a year, and you fall in love with other books, and even though that next book is still on your mind, it just sort of dulls.  Sometimes, when I read the next book,  it takes me a while to get back into it or I never get back into it as much as I did before ( *cough* Forever Song *cough* Allegiant *cough*).  However with this book, I was just sucked in right from the start, and I was squealing the whole way through!!

If you’ve survived that whole mess of a rollercoaster, I would love to hear your thoughts on the book and the series below. :)

Thank you so much for reading!:) 

Rating: 4 out of 5

My Faire Lady

Author: Laura Wettersten

Release Date:   June 3rd, 2014

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers 

Genre(s): YA Contemporary 

Pages: 352

*Standalone*

~SPOILER FREE~

Summary (Goodreads): 

Rowena Duncan is a thoroughly modern girl with big plans for her summer—until she catches her boyfriend making out with another girl. Heartbroken, she applies to an out-of-town job posting and finds herself somewhere she never expected: the Renaissance Faire.

As a face-painter doubling as a serving wench, Ro is thrown headfirst into a vibrant community of artists and performers. She feels like a fish out of water until Will, a quick-witted whip cracker, takes her under his wing. Then there’s Christian, a blue-eyed stunt jouster who makes Ro weak in the knees. Soon, it’s not just her gown that’s tripping her up.

Trading in the internet and electricity for stars and campfires was supposed to make life simpler, but Ro is finding that love is the ultimate complication. Can she let the past make way for her future?

Review:

Overall, I thought this book was okay. It was cute and fluffy. ;)

I was actually going to give this book a solid rate on the lower side (instead of a halfy) because of a) the love triangle, b) flat love interests, and c) the insta-love with Christian and the whole "he's the hottest guy I've ever seen" spiel (this seriously made me roll my eyes :p).   But there were redeeming parts to this book, and I couldn’t overlook that in favor of my burning hatred of insta-love and flat characters. ;)

I really loved one of the themes in this book on following your heart and passions, instead of trying to mold into something your parents want you to be.  This was one of the redeeming parts of the book.  However, at the same time, I wish that that theme had been more emphasized than Ro constantly chasing Christian.  I mean, yes, at the end she learns a valuable lesson, but still, I felt the book was wasting a lot of time with the plot with Christian because a) Will was like RIGHT there in all his mustached glory (it’s fake xD) and b) I think the book, even with the fluff, would have been a lot more meaningful if it had been focused on just that theme. 

Character-wise, I hated Christian and semi-hated Will, liked Ro, liked Suze, and loved Ramon. 

Christian and Will had one thing in common: their characters were both flatter than a pancake smashed by an ironing board.  They had absolutely no depth to them and were really one-sided. Take Christian, for example. He was an arrogant, rude player.  The fact that he was supposedly the “hottest guy in the world” didn't really help his case. I hated the insta-love, and I hated that Ro pursued him because of his looks.  But that was all there was to him.  He was a jerk because he was a jerk, and he was nothing else.  There was no depth to him or any motivations or reasons. He was a very simple character. I rarely notice that certain characters are set up just to be hated by the readers (because I'm blinded by my hate for them LOL), but here it was SO obvious.  The same thing goes for Will. I started to like him because he was really sweet. But  that was all there was to him- a really sweet, but flat guy.  Both these characters had no depth, no development, nothing- except for that one, single role they were created to play.   So, even though Will was a good guy- and that's why I said semi-hated because I didn't hate his goodness- I didn't really like him because he was so flat as a character. 

 Ro was an okay character; she wasn’t really memorable, and she was a bit shallow in the beginning.  I, however, loved reading about how much she loved art because those parts were the most real and solid things in this fluffy book. (Not that I didn’t enjoy the fluff. :)) Her passion for it shone through, and there’s nothing I love more than someone’s genuine passion. :) Suze, her best friend at the fair, was bustling with life, and I thought it was really cute the way she looked out for Ro.  As for Ramon, he was one of those gruff on the outside, but sweet on the inside character- which I am a total sucker for. ;) He gave her great advice-and made cute little trolls aww- and he was honestly my favorite character.  I just wish he was more prominent in the book, but I guess the background characters who just sneak themselves into your heart are the best types of characters. ;)

Plot-wise, there wasn’t really a solid action/resolution plot (unless you count the thing with Christian).  The book for the most part described Ro’s experience as a face painter at the fair.   I hesitate to label this as heart-driven because it is in some aspects (Ro’s own reflections between art or not), but at the same time, it was too fluffy to be deeply heart-driven, and the focus of the book went back and forth between on Ro chasing Christian and the theme of pursuing your passions.

Final thoughts? A cute book that’s good for a one time quick read, irritatingly flat love interests, and a great theme of following your heart. 

Thanks for reading! :)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 

Giveaway winners!:)

Hi everyone! :)
First off I want to give a GINORMOUS thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and all of my followers!!:D


This was for you guys, and I had a ton of fun reading everyone's responses on all the posts. :)  I hope to do another giveaway sometime  in the near future. :D



Next, the winners! I know the widget announced the winners, but I want to make an official post complete with gifs. ;D

So without further ado...
Drumroll please!
....

Petra @ Petras Bokblogg 
and
Zareena @ Books and Books



Yay!! :) Congrats to both the winners! :D


Thanks again for participating everyone! :) *hugs!*
 
Happy readings!:)

Best wishes,
Kyendwarrior

Feature and Follow #9

Hi everyone! This weekly meme is hosted by the awesome Alison at Alison Can Read and the wonderful Parajunkee! :)

This week's question:

                         If you had a time machine, where would you go?

Ooo! Fun question :).  My answer to this question is always changing (each time I read a new historical fiction or time traveling novel lol), but for now, I would love to go back to the 90s :).  I'm not really a true 90s kid ( I was born in the late 90s ;) ), but I actually really love the 90s  clothing style xD.  They're pretty funky, but I think that style is cute. :D  Also, I love a lot of the Korean music from then (HOT! DBSK's my forever bias though ;) ), so I think it would be awesome to have a chance to see them in concert. :)

Thanks for stopping by, and if you have a chance, please check out my 
giveaway for all my followers! :) 

Thank you so much!! 

These Broken Stars

Author: Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Release Date:  December 10th, 2013

Publisher:  Disney Hyperion  

Genre(s): YA Science Fiction

Pages: 374

*1st book in a series *

~SPOILER FREE~

Summary:

 It's a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone. 

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help. 

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

--

A timeless love story, THESE BROKEN STARS sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

Review:

Absolutely dazzling ( pun intended! :) ).  

I’ve never fallen in love with a book that has 2 points of views (first person), but I think I’m in love.  *.*

The best thing about this book? The characters. (It merits a bold ;))   Yes, I love the plot and how it ties into everything, but it’s the characters that carry this entire book.  They are absolutely wonderful. It isn’t just their beautiful chemistry, but it’s also their growth and their personality.  The character development in this book is AWESOME.  I love how they slowly grew to like each other (no insta-love!!), and not only that, but because of each other, and just being around one another, they slowly change. It’s so sweet! <3 I also really like their personalities-esp. Lilac’s.  It’s inevitable that she’s a bit spoiled (I thought those parts were pretty funny- especially when seen through Tarver’s eyes xD), but at the same time she’s very strong and has this resilient quality to her. It’s pretty clear in the beginning of the novel that she has a strong backbone, but the thing that stood out to me is her dignity.  Her strength isn’t raw or rough, but it’s very dignified.  Tarver’s strength, on the hand, is everything Lilac’s is not: it’s raw, it’s rough, and it’s coarse, but there is also hidden gentleness that is a part of his strength.   They, of course, clash, but as the book goes on, it’s so clear that they are just made for each other.  What Tarver lacks, Lilac makes up for it, and what Lilac lacks, Tarver makes up for it- and I think those are the best relationships.  It’s the reason why they have such great chemistry.   ;)

This book is a love story, and despite there being a physical plot, this book is very much heart-driven (relying more on the characters and their relationship(s) than the actual plot).  I find it interesting how the plot (with the whispers) is sort of a side thing-and at the same time, it’s not because the plot is what brings them together. The plot isn’t buried by the romance, but it isn’t exactly balanced out with the romance either.  Actually, I think this is one of the only exceptions where I’d be fine if the romance and the relationship between Lilac and Tarver buried the plot- to be honest I really wanted that! My main reason is that this book is suppose to be about the romance, and the plot is mostly there, I think, to explain to us about the planet and the crash.  I want to know about the crash/planet too, that’s true, but I really, REALLY want Tarver and Lilac to not be rescued and stay on the planet and make a cute life for themselves (D:).

The writing is GORGEOUS! It's very smooth and uniquely each characters'. The two-point of view style works beautifully! Often times, in two person points of view, the voices merge together, and it’s hard to tell who is who; however I never had that problem here.  There is only one time where the voices merge together at the very, very end- but I thought that was so nicely done! It was like they were reading that last part aloud together, and it gave me chills. I also LOVE the descriptions of the planet.  The world-building in this book is phenomenal, and gosh, I was so swept up into it! I felt like I was there traveling through the jungles and plains, and what a wonderful feeling that was ;).  

Final thoughts? The cover is dazzling, the characters are dazzling, the writing is dazzling- this whole book is dazzling! :D Honestly one of the best books I’ve read all year ;) Thanks for reading!:)

Rating: 4 out of 5

262 Followers + Giveaway!!!!

Hi everyone!!!

I've reached 262 FOLLOWERS!! (OMG)

I want to say a HUGE thank you to all my followers and everyone who takes the time to read this blog. I never dreamed I'd get this far, and I am so grateful for each and every one of you.  I love reading everyone's comments and responding to 'em! :) I've also met so many fabulous people who are passionate about books, and I've been loving every moment I've spent blogging! :) So thank you so much for all your support and comments!  *hugs*

I know 262 is an odd number to celebrate, but my thank you is way overdue >.<  Sorry about that! ( I didn't know people celebrated at every 100s... I was waiting until I had enough money for a giveaway. Now I do!! :D )  So for my awesome followers, I have a giveaway for you guys!!!

Giveaway time!

Rules:
- There will be two winners! :)

- Must be a follower via Bloglovin or GFC ;) (After all, this is for you guys!! :D)

- Open to everyone 13 years old and up. For my international followers, only if Book Depository ships to you for free. (sorry :( ) Here's a list 

- Ends 7/14/14

Ready for the books? Each winner will get to choose ONE of the following: (Click on the cover to go the Goodreads page :) )

Enter below!:)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much and good luck! :D

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone!! :) 

(Pic credit)

Best wishes, 

Kyendwarrior :)

Feature and Follow #8

This hop is hosted by the awesome Parajunkee and the wonderful Alison from Alison Can Read!

:)

This week's question:

What are some of your favorite picture books – either current ones or ones from your childhood?

My picks:

This counts right?? It has pictures ;) 

I still have this! :) 

 

I remember trying to create my own Roxaboxen in my backyard. Those summers were the best days... ;)

This was so sweet!

And last but not least...

All my Korean picture books!  I have a few sets of books with colorful pictures like the one above, and I couldn't choose my favorite. :D

(The one above is the Korean version of Cinderella :) ).

Looking through this list makes me so nostalgic! I think I wanna go back and read all of them again ahaha (my mile long TBR list can wait ;) ).  

So what are your picks?:)

Thank you so much for stopping by!