#TheReadingQuest Sign-Up

Friday, August 11, 2017

IZZY AND I ARE SO FREAKING EXCITED FOR THIS READING CHALLENGE, YOU HAVE NO IDEA. Well, maybe the all caps says something. But when Aentee tweeted about this idea about a month ago, I waited impatiently for her to release more details and NOW THE QUEST WILL SOON BEGIN. This challenge is going to be epic, and I cannot imagine how much time and effort Aentee put into creating this amazing reading challenge. Also, CW's artwork is BEAUTIFUL. If you want to find out more and sign up for yourself, head over to Aentee's sign-up post for all the details here.

I'm hoping to complete several side quests and (if I'm being ambitious) more than one character path since we essentially have a whole month to complete the challenge, but I'm planning to go with the mage route first. Here's my tentative TBR for the mage path and a few of the side quests.

The Main Quest:
first book in a series: Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao
a book set in a different world: 27 Hours by Tristina Wright
a book based on mythology: The Epic Crush of Genie Lo by F.C. Yee
a book that contains magic: Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore
a book with a one word title: Want by Cindy Pon

The Side Quests:
multiplayer: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh
grind: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
time warp: The Girl with the Red Balloon by Katherine Locke
open world: Shadow and Bone or Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo (depending on when I complete this side quest during the month)
respawn: Prodigy by Marie Lu (I'll admit I didn't finish it the first time around, but I'm positive it wasn't because I disliked it... I promise)
expansion: A Dawn Most Wicked by Susan Dennard or Happy Again by Jennifer E. Smith
mini-game: Say I Love You, vol. 7 by Kanae Hazuki
animal companion: An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson
potions: (to be determined)
I’m hoping that I’ll read a lot more books during this readathon rather than graphic novels, but I’ve thrown in a few to help complete some of the challenges.  I’m planning to go with the rogue route first and then complete another character afterwards.  I’m also really excited to integrate a couple of books from marginalized authors into my TBR, which I’ve starred.  I don’t have a definitive book for every side quest on my TBR - I’m in between a few options for some of them and I don’t have one for open world, which I’m hoping to find along the way:

A book with a one word title: Shutter by Courtney Alameda
A book published by a small press: Vanilla by Billy Merrell*
A book with <500 Goodreads reviews: Ten Dead Comedians by Fred Van Lente
A book cover with a partially obscured face: Trouble is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly
A banned book: The Sandman Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman

Potions: Streaming, Sharing, Stealing: Big Data and the Future of Entertainment, Michael D. Smith and Rahul Telang or My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Multiplayer: Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh*
Grind: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
Time warp: Warcross by Marie Lu*
Mini-game: Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Brick by Brick by Gerard Way or Monstress Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu*
Respawn: Radiance by Catherynne Valente
Animal companion: Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin
Expansion: No Good Deed by Goldy Moldavsky or Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Waiting on Wednesday (78)

Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu
Series: DC Icons #2
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Superheroes
Page Length: 272 pages
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: January 2, 2018

About Batman: Nightwalker (via Goodreads):

Before he was Batman, he was Bruce Wayne. A reckless boy willing to break the rules for a girl who may be his worst enemy. The Nightwalkers are terrorizing Gotham City, and Bruce Wayne is next on their list. One by one, the city's elites are being executed as their mansions' security systems turn against them, trapping them like prey. Meanwhile, Bruce is turning eighteen and about to inherit his family's fortune, not to mention the keys to Wayne Enterprises and all the tech gadgetry his heart could ever desire. But after a run-in with the police, he's forced to do community service at Arkham Asylum, the infamous prison that holds the city's most brutal criminals. Madeleine Wallace is a brilliant killer . . . and Bruce's only hope. In Arkham, Bruce meets Madeleine, a brilliant girl with ties to the Nightwalkers. What is she hiding? And why will she speak only to Bruce? Madeleine is the mystery Bruce must unravel. But is he getting her to divulge her secrets, or is he feeding her the information she needs to bring Gotham City to its knees? Bruce will walk the dark line between trust and betrayal as the Nightwalkers circle closer.
I figured for my first WoW I'd highlight a book I've been obsessing about forever and can you blame me?!?!  I AM BEYOND EXCITED



BookTube-A-Thon Wrap Up

Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Hey guys!  During the last week of July, Alexandra and I both decided to tackle the BookTube-A-Thon!  This is a readathon that I’ve participated in for a few years now, and after dragging Alexandra with me I thought we’d talk about our prospective experiences.

The BookTube-A-Thon is hosted once a year by Ariel Bissett, and took place on July 24-July 30.  It’s the largest readathon on Youtube and overall a really fun way to read more during the summer and explore your TBRs and bookshelves.  So without further ado, let’s get started!
So the Biannual Bibliothon took place during the same time, and I tried to be ambitious and complete both readathons. I even had a pool of books to choose from to give my week some variety. But between my summer classes and the two readathons and a bunch of other events I had that week I basically did not complete any of the Biannual Bibliothon challenges :(




when you just wanna read but math is no fun
and e v e r y t h i n g distracts you
And because of said classes, at the end my BookTube-A-Thon basically turned into a 24-Hour readathon.  Thankfully, most of my books overlapped challenges but for the sake of seeing everything clearly I matched only 1 or 2 books to a challenge. I think I was definitely successful this time than my previous attempts, but...well you’ll see why.

1. book with a person on the cover:
- The Perks of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
2. hyped book
- One-Punch Man Vol. 1
3. finish a book in one day
- Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life (Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1) by Bryan Lee O’Malley
4. finish a book completely outdoors
- Lost at Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley
5. read a book about a very different character from you
- William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back (William Shakespeare’s Star Wars #5) by Ian Doescher
- Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2) by Bryan Lee O’Malley
6. read a book you bought because of the cover
- 48% of Starflight by Melissa Landers (It was pretty much half so I consider that a win. But now I'm glad I'm taking a little longer because it's really good!)
7. read seven books
- N/A

Yeah I know a bunch of them were graphic novels, and actually both Scott Pilgrims and Perks were rereads.  I was trying to complete the book-to-movie adaptation challenge for the Biannual Bibliothon, and wanted to redeem my 12-year-old self and watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. But that didn't happen.

However Perks somehow ends up fitting that one hard challenge every year for the summer readathons, so it’s become almost a tradition to read it every year.  And honestly, I kinda like it. It’s an incredibly touching, moving, and I love rereading it and learning even more little lessons than I had the previous time.


Challenges completed: 5.5/7

While Izzy was calm and collected throughout the
week, this was probably me in the background
panicking about what to read.
So I had been contemplating participating for a while and hadn’t initially planned on doing it, but I last minute changed my mind and decided to participate in BookTubeAThon with Izzy (which is why I didn’t post anything here about it).

Anyway, it happened and I didn’t do terribly? Normally I’m not so good with these things but I did alright all things considered, especially because I was away (and had to rely mostly on ebooks which usually take me forever to read and are usually not my priority TBR) and I didn’t have much time to read during the week. ANYWAY ENOUGH RAMBLING. Let’s go see which challenges I completed, shall we?

1. book with a person on the cover:
- A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
- The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
2. hyped book: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
3. finish a book in one day
- A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
- Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
4. finish a book completely outdoors: N/A
5. read a book about a very different character from you: Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
6. read a book you bought because of the cover: A Reaper of Stone by Mark Gelineau and Joe King
7. read seven books: N/A

Okay, so truth be told, I only read 3 books (as you could probably tell). To be honest, it was more like 2 because A Reaper of Stone was the length of a novella. Don't look at me like that. I tried my best. Okay, fine. I could have tried harder and I am disappointed in myself too. Especially because I didn't even try to squeeze a few more novellas or graphic novels or anything in last minute (and I totally could have because I was back home for the final three days of the readathon...) But hey, I still completed more than half of the challenges!

Challenges completed: 5/7

A to Z Bookish Intro Tag

Monday, August 7, 2017
Hi friends! I figured to introduce myself a bit more, I’d do a tag! Alexandra sent me a few book tags to look at and the A to Z book tag over on The Perpetual Page Turner was one of my favorites.


Author you’ve read the most books from:
James Patterson.  I’ve read 17 of his books :O Funny enough, this is where my bookish story kinda begins.  Although I had gotten into reading through Ridley Pearson’s Kingdom Keepers, everyone in my school LOVED the Maximum Ride series in 6th grade - including me.  I absolutely adored them, and I was motivated to read the rest of his YA series (Witch and Wizard, Daniel X at the time).  And then the series was a dumpster fire.  But that motivated me to write my scathing review of Fang on Goodreads.  And thus, a book nerd was born.
I know Stalking Jack the Ripper is part of James Patterson’s new brand, and Alexandra absolutely LOVES it, so I’ve been really meaning to give it a try!


Best Sequel Ever:
The Rose Society by Marie Lu.  She and Kendare Blake are my absolute favorite authors, but I’ve been a fan of Marie’s ever since Legend.  I even have one of the earliest hardcover versions of it, and I’m v proud :) My other childhood friend used to make it a habit of buying her new books for my birthday (she got me Prodigy, Champion, and The Young Elites), so I kinda treasure those too :)


Currently Reading:
Bonfire by Krysten Ritter.  This book is the pride and joy of my BookCon experience.  I am a HUGE fan of Marvel, and Jessica Jones is one of my favorite TV shows, and while I haven’t finished Don’t Trust the B, it’s an awesome show too so I’m hoping to finish it soon.  So, as implied earlier I really wanted to walk out of the Javits Center with this book.
I also cosplayed as Jessica Jones for her panel and her signing (miraculously I made it to both), and Krysten also signed my Funko POP of her :D She is actually the sweetest person (she is like Baby Groot - too good, too pure) so if you haven’t watched any of her two biggest shows I highly recommend that you get on that.


Drink of Choice While Reading:
Mostly water.  I snack more.  I have a really bad sweet tooth and so when I’m reading it’s usually with candy next to me.


E-reader or Physical Book?
PHYSICAL BOOKS ALL THE WAY.  I had one of the very first e-readers and it wasn’t the best experience (mostly because the tech seemed so behind, and especially now).  I remember reading Michael Scott’s The Necromancer on my Kindle to try it out - it took me 6 months to get through 50%, and then I bought the hardcover and finished the rest in 5 days.  I have some eBooks on my iPhone - I have the first three Lunar Chronicles books - but I’ve never opened them.  I have them in case I’m bored.
My family and I love playing White Elephant during Christmas time, and I actually got a Kindle Fire.  It eventually got taken from me :( but I think if I had gotten it I would have tried it out a little more.


Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated In High School:
I definitely would have had a crush and wanted to date Jamie Watson from A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro, especially since he’s a nice jock :> But I also feel like I realistically would have ended up with Graham Posner from The Geek’s Guide to Unrequited Love by Sarvenaz Tash and I think I’d be happy either way.


Glad You Gave This Book A Chance:
You Deserve a Drink by Mamrie Hart.  I had never heard about Mamrie Hart before buying this book and hadn’t read a lot of celebrity memoirs, but a year later I devoured it on a cruise ship.  It’s hilarious, a great beach read, and a ton of fun.  When I finished it, I just wanted to start over.  In fact, I could drop everything and read it right now.


Hidden Gem Book:
The Vampire Stalker by Allison van Diepen was one of my first favorite books, and I had loved it even more when I was younger because the main character was a fangirl, like I was :D I love good fangirl stories and am always on the hunt for new ones.


Important Moment in your Reading Life:
In her lessons, my high school English teacher often emphasized looking for deeper meanings into the text, analyzing the syntax, symbolism, themes, imagery, and every element of the book possible.  Of course, we’d done this in class with classic literature but it was only when I read The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey was I able to apply all that I’d learned with her into a book outside of the classroom.  In fact, I was applying so much of what I learned into analyzing The 5th Wave in my mind that I bombed a quiz that she gave us on Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart that week.  When I was reading The 5th Wave, I discovered even more joy in reading than I already had, and showed me the power of books and how much they can make a change.


Just Finished:
The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich


Kinds of Books You Won’t Read:
I'm open to anything, but if I have a lot of work on my hands and little free time, I'll tend to put off epic or high fantasy books or novels with complex worlds.  I want to really focus and pay attention to everything, and I'm worried details will get lost in the time in between.


Longest Book You’ve Read:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at a hefty 784 pages.


Major book hangover because of:
Reading Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake because OH MY GOD NO I’M NOT OVER IT


Number of Bookcases You Own:
Right now I’m taking summer classes, so I have one bankers box of books.  But in my room I have three - one tall one, one that serves as a bench, and the bottom half of a cabinet where the shelf collapsed because of all the books I had on it :O I ended up giving a lot of them to Alexandra, but I also have a lot of books from when I was younger in my basement.


One Book You Have Read Multiple Times:
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is my go-to readathon book. I just love this story, and the movie is flawless.


Preferred Place To Read:
In my bed or on a couch.


Quote that inspires you/gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:
"You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.”
- Elena Galathynius, Throne Of Glass, Sarah J. Maas


Reading Regret:
...only getting halfway through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and then giving up and watching the movie :(
THERE IS SO MUCH REGRET.  I remember wanting to finish all the Harry Potter books before watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with my family in Manila on opening night, and I COULDN’T DO IT.  I remember being really confused with parts of Half-Blood Prince because I never finished it too, which was the worst part.


Series You Started And Need To Finish(all books are out in series):
The 5th Wave series.


Three of your All-Time Favorite Books:
Kill The Boy Band by Goldy Moldavsky, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia


Unapologetic Fangirl For:
Marvel has always had a huge impact on my life.  X-Men: First Class was what got me into movies.  However, Captain America: The First Avenger was the movie that made me commit to the MCU brand (my favorite is Doctor Strange though).  I actually teach a class on the MCU, which I never thought I would get to do but am so so happy about.  And now I've just embraced this weird, crazy, totally-time-inconsistent fandom with open arms.
Fall Out Boy helped to pull me out of a really bad identity crisis a few years ago, and I can't even imagine what my life was like before them.  Not only am i just so incredibly thankful but even now they still release amazing hits while still being themselves at their core, even if it's hard to see. I've been to two of their concerts and hopefully maybe a third one?


Very Excited For This Release More Than All The Others:
Marie Lu's Batman novel HAS MORE INFO NOW AND IT SOUNDS AMAZING.  Also, how badass of a name is Batman: Nightwalker?? It's perfect.


Worst Bookish Habit:
I don't take great care of my books, and I don't mind it.  A book could be waterlogged or riddled with notes and I couldn't care less, unless there's completely ripped pages.  I think that it gives each copy character and history, making them more precious.


X Marks The Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book:
Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery by Fred Van Lente


Your latest book purchase:
Atomic Blonde: The Coldest City by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart


ZZZ-snatcher book (last book that kept you up WAY late):
A LOT of The Mortal Instruments novels when I was younger.



Coblogger Announcement, Take Two

Friday, August 4, 2017
Hi everyone! Recently I realized (yet again) that I haven't been able to keep up with blogging as much, so I needed more backup. Fortunately, I was finally able to convince someone who's been popping over on the blog a bit to officially join me. I've known her for many, many years now, and I'm extremely lucky to call her my friend, and now my coblogger! So with that being said, I'd like to officially welcome Izzy to the blog!



Introducing Izzy


Hi friends!!!! :D

My name is Izzy, and I’m so glad Alexandra asked me to coblog with her on this great blog!!!  I’ve known this wonderful human since the 5th grade, and we’ve fangirled about almost everything to each other.  Throughout the years we’ve known each other, there are moments where I’m like “OMG ALEXANDRA KRYSTEN RITTER IS COMING TO BOOKCON I CAN’T HANDLE THIS” and she’s been like “what” and then there are moments when she’s like “KERRI MANISCALCO IS COMING TO BOOKCON THIS IS NOT A DRILL” and I’m like “what”


I don’t have a blog, but I’m an avid fan of movies, TV, and most importantly reading.  So this will definitely be an adventure for me :)



Waiting on Wednesday (77)

Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.


The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Series: The Belles #1
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Page Length: 512 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: February 20, 2018



About The Belles (via Goodreads):

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

Warcross (ARC Review)

Tuesday, August 1, 2017
Warcross by Marie Lu
Series: Warcross #1
Genre: Young Adult/Science Fiction
Format: ARC (won at BookCon)
Page Length: 416 pages
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 12, 2017


About Warcross (via Goodreads):

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu—when a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths.

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. Needing to make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.
Warcross was an action-packed and exhilarating start for a new series from Marie Lu. As one of my favorite authors, I had high expectations for Marie's writing and this book, and overall, it did not disappoint. While it took a chapter or two for me to get into the story, Marie Lu quickly had me hooked from there on out, and I devoured it in a single afternoon/evening.

Marie Lu is a master character craftswoman. Her characters, per usual, were superb. They were all extremely fleshed out and real, with deep (and often traumatic) backstories that really helped me understand the characters' personalities, actions, and thoughts. Lu definitely knows how to make a reader sympathize with her characters, especially the morally gray ones. (She is THE BEST at writing morally gray characters, I swear.) Marie Lu's astounding ability with her characters is definitely my favorite of her skills, across all her books. It all seems so effortless.

While the story did have its unique elements and as a whole was fresh, exciting, and addicting, it also had it's trope-y moments. Which is fine. It worked. But Warcross definitely felt a bit like a weird mesh of Super Smash Brothers, Big Hero 6, and Wreck-It Ralph, with a touch of Sword Art Online thrown in. As I said before, Marie Lu still made the story work though, and it was super fun to read. I know it sounds weird. How can it be trope-y while also being unique? I DON'T KNOW, OKAY? IT JUST WORKS.

To be fair, I didn't really compare Warcross to those movies, anime, and game the whole time, except for when I was trying to visualize the world of Warcross. Oh and except for the minor similarities that helped me to figure out what I think were supposed to be twists and major reveals before they were revealed. Either that, or the twists just weren't as polished as I had hoped. I think it may be a combination of both, because there were definitely bits of foreshadowing that were just a bit too obvious for me *shrugs* I still greatly enjoyed the novel, but it was definitely on the predictable side. So the somewhat thriller-like components DID NOT work for me.

The story was definitely fast-paced and had the perfect balance between world-building, action, romance, character development, and all the elements crucial to a good book. Although there was that flaw for me, I definitely enjoyed reading it overall, and highly recommend it for all fans of Marie Lu.

My rating: 3.8 stars