Update for November! ^-^

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

I know I haven't been posting a lot this month, and I sincerely apologize for that.  I've been super busy lately with school stuffles and Nanowrimo, so I haven't been able to read as many books lately.  > . <   Unfortunately, this will probably last until the end of December; but after that, hopefully, I'll be more free! :)

I have a little bit more time this week (Thanksgiving break!), so I'll try to squeeze in a review or two.  I'm still aiming for that "ten reviews" a month thing, so  HWAITING~! :)

Oh! Also, my Books Reviewed/Misc page is under semi-construction as I'm trying to switch over to the tags system.  It's slow going, but if you see random posts disappear or the post formatting looks off, it's my fault. LOL Please bear with me until the dust settles. ;) Thank you!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!:)

Best wishes,
Kyendwarrior :)

Waiting on Wednesday Wk 29

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the awesome Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

Plot blurb:
Reality, it turns out, is often not what you perceive it to be—sometimes, there really is someone out to get you. Made You Up tells the story of Alex, a high school senior unable to tell the difference between real life and delusion. This is a compelling and provoking literary debut that will appeal to fans of Wes Anderson, Silver Linings Playbook, and Liar.

Alex fights a daily battle to figure out the difference between reality and delusion. Armed with a take-no-prisoners attitude, her camera, a Magic 8-Ball, and her only ally (her little sister), Alex wages a war against her schizophrenia, determined to stay sane long enough to get into college. She’s pretty optimistic about her chances until classes begin, and she runs into Miles. Didn't she imagine him? Before she knows it, Alex is making friends, going to parties, falling in love, and experiencing all the usual rites of passage for teenagers. But Alex is used to being crazy. She’s not prepared for normal. 

Funny, provoking, and ultimately moving, this debut novel featuring the quintessential unreliable narrator will have readers turning the pages and trying to figure out what is real and what is made up.

THAT COVER IS SO FREAKING GORGEOUS!!! GAH!! *-*

This book sounds AWESOME. ;)  I can't wait until it comes out!

Release date: 

May 19th, 2015 

(BOOOO. D: WHY SO FAR AWAY?!??)

So what are you waiting on this week? ;)

Waiting on Wednesday Wk 28

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the awesome Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

Plot blurb:

Modern-day Toronto: A heavy leather-bound book written in an unrecognizable language is delivered to the Speckled Muse, the antique bookshop owned by Crystal and Becca Hatcher’s mother. When Becca opens it, she’s sent into a coma, leaving Crys behind to uncover a series of terrifying secrets. Ancient Mytica: A merciless goddess hunts for the elusive treasure that will make her ruler not only of Mytica, but of all the unseen worlds that lay beyond it. Modern-day Toronto: Rich and aimless Farrell Grayson finally has the chance to prove himself when the mysterious leader of a powerful secret society invites him into his fold. Ancient Mytica: Maddox Corso has always been different, but never remarkable. Everything changes the day he meets a pretty, unfamiliar girl from a faraway land, only to realize that he’s the only one who can see her. Fate has brought these young people together, but ancient magic threatens to rip them apart. 

THIS SOUNDS SO GOOD! Can't wait for it to come out. ;)

Released: June 23rd 2015

So what are you waiting on this week?

:)

The Girl in Between Tour: Review+Giveaway!

Hi guys!! Hope everyone is having a fabulous week. ;) I'm super excited to be a part of The Girl In Between Tour! This was an awesome book that I really enjoyed, and I hope you guys get a chance to read it as well! There's more information about it below. :)

Summary (Goodreads):

Bryn Reyes is a real life sleeping beauty. Afflicted with Klein-Levin Syndrome, she suffers episodes of prolonged sleep that steal weeks, and sometimes even months, from her life. But unlike most KLS patients, she doesn’t spend each episode in a catatonic state or wake up with no recollection of the time she’s missed. Instead, Bryn spends half her life in an alternate reality made up of her memories. For Bryn, the past is a place, until one day a boy she’s never met before washes up on the illusory beach of her dreams with no memory of who he is.

But the appearance of this strange boy isn’t the only thing that’s changed. Bryn’s symptoms are worsening, her body weakening as she’s plagued by hallucinations even while awake. Her only hope of finding a cure is to undergo experimental treatment created by a German specialist. But when Dr. Banz reveals that he knows more about her strange symptoms than he originally let on, Bryn learns that the boy in her head might actually be the key to understanding what’s happening to her, and worse, that if she doesn’t find out his identity before it’s too late, they both may not survive.


The first book is now free on Amazon, and the second book (The Boy In Her Dreams) is already out (here)! (Yay!!!)



Review:

 I think the best way to describe this book is this: if there's a book that you want to use as an example to prove to your friend that YA is not overrun with Twilight and Hunger Games, this would be it.  No insta-love, no Mary Sue, no predictable plot, no cardboard love interest, no love interestsssssss, and no frustrating main character. A great story with a solid plot and fantastic characters.

Bryn (btw, I just noticed, but her name's sorta kinda sounds like Briar Rose :D ) just carried this book on her shoulders.  The thing that stood out to me the most was her relationship with Drew.  Not because it was great (IT WAS ANYTHING BUT) but because of the way she handled it.  She knew he was toxic for her, and no matter how many "I'm sorry, baby"(s) he said, she NEVER took him back.   This is something I feel that a lot of the media and books subtly push, that it's okay to stay in a toxic relationship, that it's "hot"- but it's not.  Drew abused her with his words and actions, and Bryn was having none of that. You see her struggle with herself- two year bonds are not easily broken- but you also get to see how she breaks free. And that was pretty awesome.

But getting past that (Drew irks me, so that's the last time I'll mention him. -_-), Bryn's character was pretty fantastic as well (if you couldn't tell already ;) ).  She was tough, but she was also realistic about her life; there are so many different sides and parts to her that it's kind of hard to lay it all out here (so I guess you'll have to read the book? ;) ). To say it in short, the best way to describe her is to say that you will remember her. 

Now to the love interest: Roman!  ;)  While I did think that his voice was a bit similar to Bryn at the beginning (in fact, I got a little lost because I had thought it was still Bryn), their voices started to diverge as the story goes on.  I wasn't not sure if this was intentional, or if my brain was over analyzing things, but I thought it was sort of symbolic how as he slowly began to regain his memories, the two points of views started to become more and more clear. (And by the time he discovered his name, it was super clear who was who.)  That was pretty neat.;) I had one iffie with him, and it was the fact that he read her diaries.  Even though I guess it was sort of by accident (sorta kinda not really maybe?), I thought that was weird.  But other than that,  he was such an intense (in a good way!) character to get to know. We got know him in bits and pieces, I got the sense that there was a lot more to him than this first book revealed, and that we'll really get into the meat of his character in the second book.

 I LOVED LOVED LOVED that there was no insta-love in this book!! Instead, we saw them slowly get to know each other and fall in love.   And the plot? Intriguing! Even though the book sort of focused more on the relationships of Bryn and her life, more than the actual plot-plot, you still see it lurking there in the background. It kept me on my toes, and nothing was as it seemed.  I actually started to skim the book towards the end because I wanted to know what was going to happen faster (only to have it end on me AT THAT MOMENT. T-T ). I

My only other iffie besides the two-points of view similarity (which wasn't really a big iffie at all, since it all worked out at the end ;) ) and the diary thing,  was the ending.  ARGH!! I TOTALLY KNEW THAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!  I just wish it hadn't been that sudden. D:

Thanks for reading!! :)

Rating: 4 out of 5 

PS: You guys should all enter this awesome giveaway!! :D
  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you so much to the author for allowing me to take part in this blog tour!!:)

Waiting on Wednesday Wk 27

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the awesometastic Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

I love this cover! It's so whimsical. ;)

Plot blurb:
A debut fairy tale reimagining featuring a strong female character and a daring quest just right for fans of Shannon Hale, Jessica Day George, and Gail Carson Levine.

Saville hates sewing. How can she not when her father, the Tailor, loves his bolts of velvet and silk far more than he’s ever loved her? Yet, when he is struck ill shortly after they arrive in the city of Reggen, Saville must don boy’s clothes in the hopes of gaining a commission from the king to keep them fed.

The kingdom is soon on edge when stories spread of an army of giants led by a man who cannot be killed. But giants are just stories, and no man is immortal.

And then the giants do come to the city gates, two larger-than-life scouts whom Saville cunningly tricks into leaving. The Tailor of Reggen is the hero of the kingdom, the king promises his sister’s hand in marriage, and by the time Saville reaches the palace doors, it is widely known that the Tailor single-handedly killed the giants.

When her secret—that she’s a girl—is quickly discovered by Lord Galen Verras, the king’s cousin, Saville’s swept into the twists and turns of court politics. The deathless man is very real, and he will use his giant army to ensure he is given the throne freely or by force.

Now, only a tailor girl with courage and cunning can see beyond the tales to discover the truth and save the kingdom again.

Valiant is a rich reimaging of “The Brave Little Tailor,” artfully crafting a story of understanding, identity, and fighting to protect those you love most.



This story sounds absolutely wonderful! :)
I can't wait until it comes out! :)
(June 9th, 2015)

So what are you waiting on this week? ;)

Happy Veterans Day!

(source)

Thank you so much to all the brave men and women for their service. 

Best wishes,

Kyendwarrior :)

Waiting on Wednesday Wk 26

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by the fabulous Jill over at Breaking the Spine!:)

What I'm waiting on this week:

*I LOVE THIS COVER SO MUCH!!*

Plot Blurb:

Peyton, Sydney's charismatic older brother, has always been the star of the family, receiving the lion's share of their parents' attention and—lately—concern. When Peyton's increasingly reckless behavior culminates in an accident, a drunk driving conviction, and a jail sentence, Sydney is cast adrift, searching for her place in the family and the world. When everyone else is so worried about Peyton, is she the only one concerned about the victim of the accident?

Enter the Chathams, a warm, chaotic family who run a pizza parlor, play bluegrass on weekends, and pitch in to care for their mother, who has multiple sclerosis. Here Sydney experiences unquestioning acceptance. And here she meets Mac, gentle, watchful, and protective, who makes Sydney feel seen, really seen, for the first time.

The uber-popular Sarah Dessen explores her signature themes of family, self-discovery, and change in her twelfth novel, sure to delight her legions of fans.

Comes out: May 5th, 2014

ANOTHER BOOK BY SARAH DESSEN??! YES PLEASE!!!! :D 

So what are you guys waiting on this week?

;)

NANOWRIMO!

Hi everyone!! Nanowrimo has officially begun, and I'm so excited to participate again this year!!;)

It's the last year that I can use the Young Writers Program (which, really, isn't all that different from the regular one, but you get to set the word count- and it's more colorful ;) ), and so, I am determined to meet my word count goal this year.  I'm not sure what I'll set it as yet, but I'm going to start writing and see where it goes.:)

I totally encourage everyone to try it out! For those unfamiliar with NaNoWriMo, it's an event were for the entire month of November, you write a novel (National Novel Writing Month xD) of 50,000 words.  I find it's a great way to encourage me to actually write (lol), and if you do meet your word count, they bind it in a book for you (an actual, hardcopy book). Isn't that awesome?!

Here is the website for Young Writers Program.  I love writing buddies, so if you get a chance, stop by and say hi!:)

Good luck everyone!:D

Best wishes,
Kyendwarrior

PS: There's this nifty website called Write or Die that I love (well, a fearful type of love? LOL) to use whenever I need help getting out of a writer's block.   The title... pretty much explains that website. ;)