Thursday, February 27, 2014

Life of A Blogger: Guilty Pleasures

Hey everybody! Today I'm introducing a brand new feature to the blog :) I came across this after reading Singing and Reading in the Rain's post on being an Introvert vs. Extrovert. This feature was created by Jessi from Novel Heartbeat and I thought I'd give it a go. These are posted every Thursday so sorry that I don't have a Quoting Thursday this month. >.< Anyway, if you haven't figured out from the title, the topic this week is *drumrollllll* GUILTY PLEASURES

Wow um...that's a hard topic to start on.  Hm...let me think about this. Okay, I think I've got this but they are in no particular order!

Reading on weekend mornings
Well reading in general, but I love sneaking a book into my room and waking up around 8ish but staying underneath the covers until 10 reading.

Listening to music
I don't think I need to explain, it's pretty self-explanatory.

Eating chocolate
I tried not putting this as the first one . You know that feeling when you eat a piece of chocolate that you're not supposed to eat? Yup, it feels so dangerous, but the chocolate tastes 10x as good but only eat one piece!

Staring out the car window
You know what I'm talking out? Just sitting in the back of the car with your music playing and taking in the scenery as they whiz by.

Writing in a journal
It's a simple and sometimes mundane thing to do, but in the future when you read back on previous entries, they are sure to make you wistful and smile.

Burning a candle
And just staring at, it's just so cool and I could probably do it for like an hour...and burn some hair...

So those are some of my guilty pleasures that I could think of off the top of my head. Oh, also another piece of exciting news!! We finally have our BLOG BUTTON up and running! Took a while because I'm technologically stupid, but I've figured it out! It's on the side so please pick it up if you would like! Here's just a blown up version of what it looks like :)

Forever Obsession Blog Button photo tumblr_m9e0z3ivFv1rrnekqo1_1280.jpg

So pretty~~~~ Anyway, that's it for this post! I'll see you guys in MARCH!! 

Foreverly Obsessed,
Riv






Sunday, February 23, 2014

Ashes to Ashes

ASIN: B0087H2KY2 
Pages: 28
Appearance:
14955004

Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Alice Grimm lives a dangerously enchanted life. Other than being distracted by a Dreamhunter called Loki Blackstar who has a heart of gold but acts like a jerk, she has a job to do. Being a descendant of the Brothers Grimm, she is one of few in the world who can locate the fairy tale characters and remind them of who they are. This time, Alice flies to Venice where an 800 hundred year old witch's skeleton surrounded with seventeen glass slippers was found by archeologists in the city that invented the art of glassblowing. When Alice and Loki follow the lead, they find one of the fairy tale characters she had been searching for. It's a famous girl character that you know by name, but never really knew what actually happened to her.


Hey guys! Welcome back to the blog! Super sorry that I haven't been all that consistent with my Grimm Diary Prequel reviews, but I've been picking up all sorts of books in between that it's hard to stay focused on the prequels. Anyway, excuses aside, let's get into this quick review!

This was freaking awesome! Like Snow White, Blood Red was pretty great and this was is right up there in the ranks. Cameron Jace is seriously talented and has such a wicked imagination. So jealous...Alice Grimm is a descendant of the original Brothers Grimm and her mission is to try to remind fairytale characters of who they are. In this story, if the title's not obvious enough, Alice goes to help Cinderella.

 One of the things that made this super cool was the discovery of the 800 year old witch's skeleton that was found. I have this strange fascination with "medieval" sorcery/witchcraft and there were just some really interesting facts that Jace put into his story. Whether they were true of not, they definitely added something special to the story. Another thing was the concept of Dreamhunters and Loki. Loki is arrogant, annoying, and cocky as hell, but throw him into the Dreamworld and he's a big baby. It's actually pretty hilarious and Alice is just like: Seriously, man up! 

The whole "quest" was to save Cinderella from the fate of her stepmother so Alice and Loki (well he wasn't much help) had to save Cinderella's mother from getting killed. Anyway, it was so action packed and really well written. Highly recommend it and I will definitely check out the actual novel: Cinderella Dressed in Ashes!
3.8 out of 5 stars

Foreverly Obsessed,
Riv



Thursday, February 20, 2014

The Gatekeeper's Sons

ISBN: 061568596X 
Pages: 384
Appearance:
15845605

Summary:
Fifteen-year-old Therese watches her parents die. While in a coma, she meets the twin sons of Hades—Hypnos, the god of sleep, and Thanatos, the god of death. She thinks she's manipulating a dream, not kissing the god of death and totally rocking his world. 
Than makes a deal with Hades and goes as a mortal to the Upperworld to try and win Therese's heart, but not all the gods are happy. Some give her gifts. Others try to kill her. 
The deal requires Therese to avenge the death of her parents. With the help of Than’s fierce and exotic sisters, the Furies, she finds herself in an arena face to face with the murderer, and only one will survive.


Hi everybody! Welcome back! Today I have the review of Eva Pohler's The Gatekeeper's Sons. This is a YA fictional romance with a ton of Greek mythology woven into it and super interesting. So let's get into it!

So at the beginning it is a bit confusing because a lot happens. Therese is reflecting on her mother's sort of dazed behavior recently and there are all these flashbacks and thoughts when all of a sudden, her mother is shot and they're run off the road into the river. Then there's a whole scene that you typically find in a car drowning scene, think of that robot movie with Will Smith (?) except no robot comes to save them. Therese is pulled out and while she meets Hypnos and Thanatos, the twin sons of Hades. Hypnos views her with a sort of fascination that she can control and manipulate her dreams to show her what she wants and Thanatos is head over heels because when they first meet, she hugs and kisses him, and tells him that he's beautiful. The only girl ever to do that because hey, he's the god of death. 

To pursue the girl he has fallen head over heels for, Than asks his dad aka Hades for permission to take on human form and try to win Therese's heart. He disguises himself as a visiting Southerner and takes a job at Therese's best friend's horse farm. When they first meet it is instant fireworks as it always is with people who are just meant to be. Reading about how Than learned how to use modern day technology, ate sugar and chocolate for the first time, swam in a river, was so fun and interesting. I seriously need to appreciate everything a lot better and I have a new look towards chocolate. ;) Winning over Therese isn't that hard because she is pretty much head over heels as well, for lack of a better term.

Of course, a romance can't be complete without some problems right? Therese's parents were killed or at least intentionally shot at because her mother was part of a program that was developing something explosive and potentially dangerous. Some bad guys wanted the info and they were stopping at nothing to get it. The head of this operation is pretty much planning World War III and surprise surprise, he's support by Ares, the god of war himself. This causes a rift between the Olympians as Than and his kickass awesome Fury sisters are trying to destroy the head guy to avenge Therese. To settle things, Therese and head guy (is it obvious that I forgot his name?) have to battle each other to the death. If Therese wins, she becomes the goddess of death and Than's wife and they live happily ever after. If head guy wins, she returns home mortal and he goes on destroying the world.

Their battle is super action packed and intense and you'll definitely enjoy. Well, I hope you do because it was pretty great. Everything all spirals down to the end and things happen. I was proud of Therese for her decision, but I freaking hate Hades for his cold and cruel shoulder that he gives her after the battle. Can I spoil it? Yes, head man dies, but it is not by Therese's hand. This is also controversial because the gods swore to not interfere. To settle this...this interference, things have to happen and it's not the beautiful happy ending I wanted. How can it be? There are like a bunch of other books in the series.

Last thing to mention, I loved the detailed writing and creation of the different gods and goddesses personalities. It was awesome, epic, and awesome. :) I would definitely recommend this book because it's got a great mythology twist to it and it's really really awesome. Third time I've used that word in this paragraph. ;)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Foreverly Obsessed,
Riv

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Pure Illusion

ASIN: B00E8OX9E8
Pages: 429
Appearance:
17854212
Summary:
Sex. Lies. Pain. Mystery.
Flooded by a wave of thick misery because of her brother’s sudden death, Isabel Waters turns to drastic measures to end her ever-present suffering. She is unprepared when Hunter Knight, her long-term tormentor and former best friend, intervenes and saves her. Hunter has been absent from her life for a while now. The reason is unknown to Isabel.
But surly he has an ulterior motive of his own?
Isabel is focused on one task: complete and utter self-destruction. But that changes when she receives an anonymous message from Tyler’s, laptop. Isabel soon learns that there is a murderer concealed within the small southern town of Cherry Creek, North Carolina.
Old flames and old tormentors re-strike as Isabel begins to disentangle the vast web of mystery. Can a less than amateur detective with a disturbing history and distracted mind put the missing pieces together and identify the individual or individuals responsible? Or is the web of deceit spun too intricately to ever be unraveled?
WARNING: contains vulgar language, lascivious behavior, and crude sex. This novel is intended for mature audiences 18+
Hey everybody! Welcome back to the blog! Today, I have a review of Pure Illusions by Michelle Watson. Um...I'm just going to say outright, please make sure you're over 18 for this because it can get pretty darn disturbing. With that said, let's get into the review!

Okay, I should have listened to the warning, but I was so intrigued by the summary. I have a weak spot for emotional stories and I thought hey it can't be that bad right? Well, I was wrong...really really wrong. There's a lot of language to the point where you just cringe every time the f bomb is dropped. The language I guess is there to enhance the story, but it really went over the top. The crude scenes also have you shuddering and wincing every single time. I don't think I went through one paragraph of that story without making a weird face. I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, but the author was just so visual with her words it was slightly disturbing.

Isabel Water is extremely emotional and unstable. Her dad committed suicide, her mother committed suicide, and her brother jumped off Suicide Bridge (but he was pushed). She is 100% done with life. Throughout the book she doesn't alternate much between a depressed suicidal girl and extremely hormonal one. I honestly did not understand her for most of the book. I wanted to feel bad for her, but I just couldn't. She is a very complex character and is so emotionally weak that to connect with her feels emotionally draining.

Hunter Knight is well, really crude, vulgar, and confusing. He's super bipolar and can be Mr. Gentleman one minute and abusive monster the next. From the summary I thought he was going to be save Isabel from her dark and bottomless pit of despair but I think he only ended up pushing her deeper. He's got some series baggage and should really consider getting some help for his anger management. Needless to say, he thoroughly creeped me out.

Max (forgot his last name) can probably be one of the characters that I actually like. He was horrible to Isabel in high school but as an adult he has 10x more humanity in him than Hunter. When Isabel is being hormonal, he pushes her away so she doesn't hurt herself and do something she regrets. When she gets in trouble, he's there to help. I was so annoyed when Isabel ran back to Hunter every single freaking time because Max actually showed her compassion and kindness without the crazy mood swings. 

So in conclusion, this book carries some deep emotional baggage and I wouldn't recommend it to people under the age of 25, not even 18. It's not a badly written book it's just so heavy and stressful to read that by the end, I was so sick and done. There are some memorable quotes that really stick with you, but other than that...not much. Lesson learned, don't pick up books with a mature warning...

People never truly know you until you die, that's when your soul is really free of limitation and heavy confines that living cause.

Remember within this world of reverie, trust your two eyes and heartbeat.

If you look close enough, you can see it cracking. If you listen intently, you can hear it breaking. If you touch it, you'll get cut. There are so many pieces, too many sharp pieces.

Blinded first by the beauty that killed her. Invisible. 

You're wings. They're broken. You need to fix them so you can fly again. (Derrick)

Pain is a greedy and vengeful thing. It doesn't care who it burns. The inferno you have within you will char people; some might not be able to endure the blaze.

Princesses always need a knight to look after her, even if she's stronger than he will ever be.

The best part of special is that you don't have to fit in. Just be you. I'm sure everyone will come flocking then. 

2.5 out of 5 stars

Foreverly Obsessed,
Riv 



Monday, February 17, 2014

Music Monday: She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer

Hey, we haven't done a Music Monday in a while, so here it is!
I've been obsessing over this song for over a week and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys. This is She Looks So Perfect by 5 Seconds of Summer. If you recall, I did a Music Monday on their other song, Wherever You Are.
When I first heard it I was like, are they ever going to say anything but "hey"? But then Luke's perfect voice came in and I haven't stopped listening to this song since then.
One of my favorite parts is:
They say we're too young now to amount to anything else
but look around, we worked too damn hard to give it up now
I know this song is about a girl, but to me, these lines are about their careers. Am I crazy or what? Luke's only 17, Calum and Michael are 18, and Ashton is 19. All four of them are really young and they've had so much success already. They definitely worked hard to get their album ready for their fans (we're still waiting....). They started by doing covers on Youtube and had the chance to tour with One Direction! I can't wait for their tour, please come to America!!
Or we can relate this back to a girl... I guess... People say that we're too young right now to understand what love is and that relationships in high school aren't serious. Well, most of them aren't... but some of them are!
Another part I like is:
If I showed up with a plane ticket
and a shiny diamond ring with your name on it
would you wanna run away too? cuz all I really want is you
Yes, Calum!! Do you really need to ask? Even if you didn't have a plane ticket or a diamond ring, I'd still run away with you!! I just think this part is really cute...

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed my Music Monday, sorry it was a short one. I procrastinated too much this long weekend and now I'm rushing to finish my homework. Leave a comment below if you have any thoughts on this song.

~Claudz

Sunday, February 16, 2014

GUEST REVIEW: Revival by Jena Leigh


Review by Vanessa from Book Butterfly Reviews:
http://bookbutterflyreviews.blogspot.ca

Title: Revival
Author: Jena Leigh
Series: The Variant Series
Genre: YA, paranormal, slight romance
Source: Kindle Edition
Pages: 275 pages
Rating: 4

Available at:

Blurb: (via Goodreads)
Possessing the uncanny ability to fry a television set from twenty paces can really wreck a girl’s social life.
If you’re looking for proof, just ask sixteen-year-old Alexandra Parker. After catching her boyfriend in the arms of the prettiest girl in school, she made the journey from social elite to social pariah in a haze of electricity and exploding electronics. But finding herself at the bottom of Bay View High’s social hierarchy was nothing compared to the shock of discovering who—and what—she really is.
After being zapped out of a burning bookstore by the mysterious Declan—a hero nearly as handsome as he is infuriating—Alex finds herself under the protection of the powerful Grayson family. It’s through them that she learns the truth: that the world she’s always known is nothing like it appears to be... and that she has far more in common with them than she might want to believe.
Now, on the run from a fire-wielding hit man and a secretive government organization, Alex must navigate a strange and treacherous new world filled with superhuman mutants known as Variants. As she begins to unravel the many secrets of her family’s past, she uncovers the real reason for her parents’ death twelve years earlier—and finds out that the threat to her family, and to everyone she cares about, is still dangerously real.

My Review:
I had previously read Revival and Reviewed Revival, but in light of the sequel coming out, I wanted to reread the first book to refresh my memory and I found that my opinion of the book has changed since I had originally read it back in 2012.

My main problem with the story remained the same. The story lacked on the realistic side. Some of the actions the main character did seemed to be unlikely in the real world. When her world is turned upside down and sideways, she almost immediately accepts her new circumstances with little emotional protest. There was one particular scene (WARNING! SPOILER!) where the main character, Alex, calls her aunt to tell her she is alright and just confessed the complete truth as to what has happened that day. I just can’t see that actually happening. I doubt someone would just confess about all the paranormal things that have been going on to someone they obviously love and respect for two reasons. 1) I wouldn’t want to drag them into potential danger and 2) I wouldn’t want them to think I was crazy. How was she to know that her aunt was actually paranormal as well? It was all a little to convenient for me. (END SPOILER) Plus, all of the main characters were freakishly good looking, I mean… come one. Not everyone is that attractive.

I also found the end extremely unrealistic, which was surprising because the more unrealistic aspects happened at the beginning before the characters started to develop more. (WARNING, ANOTHER SPOILER!) I found it extremely unlikely that the Agency would be so willing to let Alex just leave. Or rather, the way they let her leave. Alex throws a minor temper tantrum and BAM, ‘sure, no problem, you can go.’ I would have thought they would have put up a little more of a fight. It was just a little to anticlimactic (END SPOILER)

Now, if we ignore the more unrealistic aspect of the story, I found the writing itself to be quite pleasing. The plot had various minor conflicts and subplots along the way that are seemingly going to shape the rest of the series. The plots were intricate, interesting, and well thought out. The actual style of the writing was sophisticated and engaging as well. It was easy to read and it flowed very nicely. I found it immensely hard to stop reading to go to class.

In addition, the characters themselves developed very nicely throughout the novel. Although the time frame seemed a little short, you watch the characters grow as people. Alex and Declan in particular showed phenomenal growth as the novel went on. I would have liked to see more of what was going on with Nate and the secrets he knows, as well as learn how Cassie is dealing with everything. The development of those two characters started off nicely, but seemed to be forgotten as the plot started to thicken. Hopefully, we see more of them in the second installment of the Variant series, Resistance that is now out to buy.

Lastly, I want to point out that I LOVED the denouement (epilogue). It was a fantastic way to end the book and it didn’t leave the author anxious with an obvious cliffhanger. While some questions were obviously not answered and this fact alludes to a sequel, the leaves kind of settle at the end and it gives the characters a second to breathe after the fast pace of events that had just unfolded. This is the main reason I am giving this book a 4 star rating instead of a 3.5 star one.

Overall, I liked it. I didn’t absolutely love it, but it was a good introduction to the series. I am really excited to see what Resistance has to offer me and if some of my questions from book 1 will be answered.

If you liked this review and would like to read more like it, don't forget to check out Vanessa's blog, Book Butterfly Reviews here: 
http://bookbutterflyreviews.blogspot.ca


Saturday, February 15, 2014

Februrary Book Haul!

Hello lovelies! Today, I bring to you a library haul! I have reserved quite a couple of books and they had come! Honestly, I still have a ton of e-books that I have to read (and I should probably stop downloading them), but it's okay, one can never had too many books right? ;) Anyway, let's get right into it!

13628178
I heard of this book from one of my favorite book bloggers: Evie Seo from Bookish and there were a lot of comments about how great it was. I was so happy when the library had it so I can try it out!!
10637301
I am a bit wary that this is a verse book and the last verse book I read didn't end well, but the story sounds super cute so I'm willing to give it a go!
10429005
This book was part of my January list on Goodreads and I recently found a website that is selling a "Scratch and Dent" copy for pretty cheap so I'm really excited to read it and maybe if I like it buy it! Whoo~
6735897
This was also part of my Jan. list and I think it's so cool that this story is derived from Longfellow's famous poem "Evangeline."

Breaking up the post behind I kinda, just kinda got a bit too many books...maybe...


Friday, February 14, 2014

Nocturne

ISBN: 1593156286
Pages: 264
Appearance:
8660582
Summary:
When Nicole Whitcomb's car runs off a Colorado mountain road during a blinding snowstorm, she is saved from death by a handsome, fascinating, and enigmatic stranger.Snowbound with him for days in his beautiful home high in the Rockies, she finds herself powerfully attracted to him. But there are things about him that mystify her, filling her with apprehension.
Who is Michael Tyler? Why does he live alone in such a secluded spot and guard his private life so carefully? What secret--or secrets--is he hiding?
Nicole has secrets of her own and a past she is running from--but Michael understands her better than anyone she has ever known. Soon, she is falling as deeply in love with him as he is with her--a profoundly meaningful experience that is destined to change their lives forever.
As the sexual tension between them builds, however, the clues mount up. When Nicole learns her host's terrifying secret, there is nowhere for her to run but into the blizzard raging outside, and Michael may be the only one who can save her life.

Hi everybody! Welcome back! Today I have a review of "a haunting story of forbidden love," perfect for Valentine's Day don't you think? First off, I want to clarify that yes this is a vampire romance and NO it is not Twilight because this beauty is 100000X better. Okay, now that we've cleared that up, we can get into the good stuff.

Nicole is driving away from a bad break up and is heading to start life in a brand new place. Along the way, her car runs off a mountain road because it's always smart to drive in the mountains while there is a blizzard outside right? Anyway, she would have eventually froze to death if it weren't for Michael. When they first meet, it's instant sparks and fireworks. Nicole is hesitant to respond to the attraction she feels towards Michael and he is damn adamant about keeping her at arm's distance. This sets up the whole "forbidden romance" feel of the story.

Michael is close to perfect. He wars between the vampire side of him and the remaining human part. He has feelings for Nicole, but is afraid that he'll hurt her or worse, turn her into a monster as well. After spending his first century or so as a ruthless killing machine, he's isolated himself to the mountains of Colorado and spends his days writing amazing novels and living out his life. When Nicole enters, he finally understands the meaning of love and omgawds it just gave me so many feels. 

I absolutely loved the classical literature references throughout the story. Michael is a vampire, no surprise there. He's also a couple centuries old, hardly a shocker. What made his story different from others was that there were classical lit references. Michael has an original copy of Dickens, he's met the famous Scottish poet Robert Burns, and there are so many other cool references. It just adds a lot dimension so to speak to the story.

Another I loved was the relationship between Michael and his horses. Let me remind you (again) he's a vampire and they're predators. Horses are well, horses. To give himself some form of company, Michael has worked to develop a connection between him and the horses so that trust him and his vampy abilities. It's literally like they have this telepathic connection between them and it's so cool! I loved the scenes were Michael, Pockets (one of his horses), and Nicole were together, it was so peaceful and perfect.

Last but not least, the ending. Holy macaroni! The ending is beautiful but absolutely torturous. I am trying so hard not to spoil it but seriously, the ending kills. I am not joking. To prove my point, I was sobbing uncontrollably and even the author's note didn't make me feel better. There has to be a sequel, even if it's a short novella because the ending just leaves you hanging there. 

So that's my review for Nocturne, I hope you guys like it. Please go check it out because this book is perfect, it's beautiful, and it's amazing. Highly highly recommend it! Oh and before I sign off: Happy Valentine's Day loves~ ♥


4.5 out of 5 stars

Foreverly Obsessed,
Riv


Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Sojourner

ISBN: 1448681251
Pages: 240
Appearance:
6885954
Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Moon has been dreaming of her murder her entire life, and in those dreams, a dark presence is there, watching. When she returns home to Hauser’s Landing, the very place her father disappeared, she comes in contact with a gorgeous boy named Lev Walker, and it’s not long before she’s falling in love. But there’s something wrong with Lev. When she realizes he’s the eerie watcher in her dreams, she’ll have to discover the truth. Is he a guardian angel or a sojourner, an angel of death who has come to collect her soul?

Hey guys! Today I've got a review of a super sweet and cute story that really takes the quote "Soul mates always find each other" (Goddess of Light) to the max. Anyway, let's get into it!

Elizabeth Moon is a halfie, half white and half Native American. Her parents died when she was really young and she's being raised by their best friend, Jimmy. Due to unknown circumstances, they have now moved back to her parents hometown and she meets a boy. Now a lot of people have made the connection of this book to Twilight and I can see why they think that, but in my point of view, this is a lot better. Yes, it does have a new girl and mysterious guy that meet and fall in love almost instantly, but there's a whole new dilemma than just vampires. 

Racism. Yeah, didn't quite see that coming did you? Like I said before, Lizzie is half Native American which puts her in "different" category in a 99% white town. On her first day, her locker was hacked into and the hacker left a message which I don't remember but was somewhere along the lines of: Boo you're native. To put it nicely. What scares her and Jimmy the most is that before her father's disappearance, he also received these messages. Racism has been pretty popular in American culture literally forever and while everyone is all about equality between blacks and whites, sometimes we forget that Native Americans were targeted just as much as the Africans. The way that Maria Rachel Hooley reminds us of that fact is just amazing and completely unexpected.

Now we come to Lev. He's been popping up in Lizzie's dreams for a while and they're not pleasant dreams because she ends up dying every single time so you can imagine the shock when she sees him in her high school. He's pretty freaked as well because he was cursed by the boss of angels to love but never truly love? Let me explain. He's a sojourner, if someone dies, he takes them to heaven, hell, wherever. He is not exactly Mr. Lovable so to teach him the importance of love, he was assigned Lizzie's soul and every time they met, something would happen (in addition to falling in love) and she would die. So that's a little spoiler of why he's Mr. Reclusive, but I had to mention it.

Moving on with the romance, Lev knows that after they meet, it's only a matter of time before Lizzie dies. After experiencing the pain of losing her for a couple generations, he's willing to sacrifice his own life to save hers. Remember the threats I told you about? Those freak the heck out of him because that could contribute to death. The ending, the stalker/killer/bad guy was totally unexpected and out of the blue. I agree with some readers that I wish we could have seen a bit more from his perspective which might be because I read way too many serial killer novels, but other than the threats and little attack, there isn't a lot of character in the killer. When they do come face to face, you do learn of the reason behind everything, but I still think the killer lacked character.

The ending was a bit predictable which is a first considering I'm very naive when it comes to the truth, the ending, etc. But, that didn't mean it was any less heartbreaking and difficult to handle. That might have just given away what happened, but in my defense I didn't out-rightly state it. :)

Other than that, I really liked this book and I would recommend it. I got this on Kobo for free and I checked and B&N + Amazon are free as well so check it out and let me know you think!!

3.5 out of 5 stars

Foreverly Obsessed,
Riv



Sunday, February 9, 2014

Small Damages

Title: Small Damages by Beth Kephart
ISBN:978-0-399-25748-3
Pages: 293
Appearance:
Summary:
     It's senior year, and the future should right within reach.  But for Kenzie--bright, ambitious, and in love with Yale-bound Kevin--the future has been rearranged.  She's pregnant, and she's determined not to end her pregnancy.  Her mother and Kevin refuse to understand.  Sent off to an old cortijo in Spain, Kenzie must find a way to endure until her baby is safe in an adoptive couple's hands.  What will she make of the stubborn old cook who plagues Kenzie with demands?  How will she ever understand the mysterious young man Esteban--his way with horses, and birds, and his way of watching her?  And what can the eccentric Gypsies teach Kenzie about love?  There are choices to make.  there are questions about home.
     Small Damages is Spain alive.  It is hearts broken and healed.  It is heat and color and soul.
     Hello everyone out there in the big wide world of the internet!  My school has just finished midterms. Yay, so much fun those midterms :D Yeah...not really...So I've been reading, cuz you know that's the perfect way to relax and I have finished this book. Yay! So this is a pretty sad story at the beginning, Kenzie is kicked out of her home because she has fallen pregnant and refuses to get rid of the baby.  Her boyfriend, future Yale undergraduate *gasp*, and her mother refuse to accept this decision of hers to allow the baby to live.  Her widowed mother knows of people living in Spain who are willing to take care of her until the baby is adopted by a couple living there.  She feels so confused why she was willing to give up everything for her baby, to leave her family, her home to keep her child. 
     My favorite character is actually not the main character, Kenzie, but the old cook Estela that works at the cortijo who is responsible for teaching Kenzie how to cook each day.  However, as they grow closer and realize how similar they really are to each other despite a language barrier...all the while cooking food.  The lessons she learns while with Estela teaches Kenzie that there are no second chances to redo something that happens.  Estela knew before even Kenzie knew, why Kenzie wanted to keep the baby.
     Throughout the novel, Kenzie experiences flashbacks, to her old friends, her boyfriend.  They're important in revealing The entire story is written in a very lyrically; you can see the subtle connections the author is trying to convey to the audience through simple hints like two birds singing in a tree, an orange orchard, etc.  It really makes you think about the choices you make everyday.  
3.5 out of 5 stars
Sparkly Hearts,
Jen