The Talking Bookworm

W.W.W. Wednesday’s (July 10)

July 10, 2013July 10, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

W.W.W. Wednesday’s is hosted by Should Be Reading. To play along all you have to do is answer three simple questions: What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish? What do you think you’ll read next?

1. What are you currently reading?

I’ve been putting off finishing this book for obvious reasons.

2. What did you recently finish?

This book doesn’t come out until July 30th. It was a really good book and kept me on my toes. Can’t wait for the second book!

3. What do you think you’ll read next?

I’m in a romance mood after reading Prep School Confidential which was full of drama and twists. I’m in the mood for something more light. Maybe I’ll put off Pandemonium for a little while longer… and read this instead.

What are you reading this week?

Special Review, YA Mystery

ARC Book Review: Prep School Confidential (PSC #1) by Kara Taylor

July 9, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

I was provided with a ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Prep School Confidential (PSC #1)

Author: Kara Taylor

Expected Publication: July 30th, 2013

Publishing House: St. Martin’s Griffin

Goodreads Summary:

Anne Dowling practically runs her exclusive academy on New York’s Upper East Side—that is, until she accidentally burns part of it down and gets sent to a prestigious boarding school outside of Boston. Determined to make it back to New York, Anne couldn’t care less about making friends at the preppy Wheatley School. That is, until her roommate Isabella’s body is found in the woods behind the school.

When everyone else is oddly silent, Anne becomes determined to uncover the truth no matter how many rules she has to break to do it. With the help of Isabella’s twin brother Anthony, and a cute classmate named Brent, Anne discovers that Isabella wasn’t quite the innocent nerdy girl she pretended to be. But someone will do anything to stop Anne’s snooping in this fast-paced, unputdownable read—even if it means framing her for Isabella’s murder.

Review:

Amazing!

This book blew my expectations out of the water! When I was halfway through the book, I googled the author and noticed that this is her debut novel. Yes, her debut novel. I couldn’t believe it because the book is so well written and the plot is so good that I am left speechless.

Prep School Confidential is a page turner. The twists that are thrown at you leave you breathless as if you have been running a 5k marathon. The character development, the mystery, the writing, I loved everything in this book.

Since I am posting this review three weeks before the book comes out all I can say is that if you like mystery, if you like boarding school stories, or if you want a good murder story, this is the book for you.

I think even readers that are a fan of fantasy/paranormal/dystopian books will greatly enjoy this book.

Yes, its that amazing.

Rating: 5/5

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Best/Worst Movie Adaptations

July 8, 2013 anjieeeb

Thank you The Broke and The Bookish for this wonderful Tuesday Meme

This week’s topic is Top Ten Best/Worst Movie Adaptations. Since there aren’t too many book to movie adaptations that we have both read and seen, we decided to do it a little differently. We’re splitting up the list to movies we’ve both seen and then to movies we’ve individually seen.

Movies in Common:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Veronica– Best: Many fans were upset about how THG turned out. I myself am not one of those. While I was sad how Gale was portrayed and the shaky camera was a bit annoying at times, I liked the adaptation we got. I don’t think we could have gotten something better.

Anjie- Best: This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Now I know it wasn’t exactly like the book, but it was still great! I especially loved the first scene at the cornucopia, very suspenseful, and I really liked the effects and graphics.

2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Veronica– Best: I am very happy with The Host. I thought the voice over was a good move on the director’s part or else she would have just looked like a crazy person talking to themselves.

Anjie- Best: I absolutely love this film and that’s based on a lot of factors. I loved the actors (Hello, Max Irons), the scenery, effects, music, and score. I met the actors and I think that also boosted it up. I know that they cut off a lot, including characters, but I came into the theater expecting that so it didn’t bother me as much.

3. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Veronica– Worst: This was a bad adaptation of the movie. Catherine, the director, made very cheesy decisions. I appreciated the film when I watched it because at the time it came out I liked the series a lot and was a Rob Patz fan, but now… I see how lackluster it really is.

Anjie- Worst: Not too sure if this is popular or unpopular opinion but yes, I hated the movie. I loved the books and I guess that expectation fell short once I saw the casting of Edward & Bella. I still decided to give them a chance, but I couldn’t anymore after I saw the acting. It was very awkward and just, not the best.

4. A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

Veronica– Best: I read A Walk to Remember after I saw the movie, which is why I see the movie and the book as two separate things. I like to think of them as a set, companions if you will. The book is a little more… dull than the movie. Whoever wrote the script for the movie did a wonderful job at making it really good. I love the book and movie equally though. Each gives you something else to add on to this wonderful story.

Anjie- Best: Okay, the novel and the movie have similarities, but how Landon & Jamie came to be partnered up was completely different. Even so, I enjoyed the movie a lot more than the book. It was actually hard for me to pass the first chapter.

Veronica’s List:

5. Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke

Best: Love Come Softly is a book I wasn’t able to finish because honestly, it bored me. I really wanted to love it, but I couldn’t. The movie though was FANTASTIC. I believe this is where Katherine Heigl first made her debut in the movie world. Her character in this movie is very different from any other she has ever played and its one of the reasons why I love this movie so much. I love the characters, the charm, everything. (I own the complete love comes softly series in DVD. Yup. I’m a fan.)

6. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Best: I know my answer is not the popular answer when it comes to this film but I think that it is the best film that could have been made for this book. How the book is written would be hard to transfer on to the screen because it has 4 main characters, 4 different stories. I love the actors they picked and the movie. Yes, a lot was cut out of it but nonetheless I still love it.

7. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Worst: First of, if The Princess Diaries were just a movie with no book behind it, I would love it, but since this is all about the book to adaptation business, I dislike it. The grandma is supposed to be evil, Michael isn’t supposed to be how they portrayed him to be, Lily, Mia’s best friend is also different from the one in the books, the only one that stayed the same is Mia. Oh and Josh but let’s not talk about that boy. The series has 10 books and there are only 2 movies. The second movie is just an excuse. It can’t even be counted as a part of the book to movie adaptation to me.

Anjie’s List:

8. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Worst: I think that anyone who read and loved this book would be disappointed at the director’s change. They eliminated the main antagonist and a couple of other characters important to the series. They also changed a lot of scenes. It seemed as if the screenwriters hadn’t read the book or something.

9. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Best: Not exactly the best adaptation out there but it’s one of the better ones. They packed in most of the important scenes and I think that it essentially touched bases with the novel.

10. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Worst: Honestly, it wasn’t as bad as The Lightning Thief but it wasn’t good either. They removed some characters and they changed the ending! I understand removing characters, they weren’t as important to the story but to change the ending is like changing Picoult’s writing.

Reviews, ya romance

Short Book Review: Suite Dreams by Rachel Hawthorne

July 8, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Hello, mate!
(Practicing my Australian.* How am I doing?)

I’m so glad the timing worked out for this couch exchange. I’ll be crashing on yours by the time you get to mine.** If you run into any problems, just find Alyssa. She’ll help you out with whatever you need.***

Your couch-swapping mate,
Rick

*That’s cute. Go have fun in Australia and leave ME—your girlfriend for an entire semester—to waste away on campus, alone.

**Um, think again. Your couch is already taken.

***Great. Now I’ve got to find a place for the (unbelievably hot, it turns out) Aussie to crash. But there’s only one couch available: the one in my dorm room. . .

Review:

This book was so fluffy and cute that it made me want to move to Vermont and find this couch swapping business so I can have a Aussie stay at my couch too… Just Kidding! [Kind of… 😉 ]

Suite Dreams is the ORIGINAL NEW ADULT genre. Why do I say that? Because it has older characters that are in college. That seems to be the formula of a lot of New Adult books nowadays. I prefer books like Suite Dreams than the New Adult Books that are hitting the bookshelf’s today.

Suite Dreams is wholesome PG rated romance which I love. It’s cute, it’s well written, it may be a little far-fetched at times, but who said I wanted reality when I’m reading a book. Especially a fluffy romance.

I recommend this book to someone who wants a fun short read or anyone trying to get out of a reading slump. It will lift your spirits and make everything look dandy.

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

July 1, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Thank you The Broke and The Bookish for this wonderful Tuesday meme.

This week’s topic is Top Ten Most Intimidating Books! Anjie and I will be splitting the list again for the sake of consistency. And here we go!

Veronica’s List:

1. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

I received this book as a gift back in March (I think), and I still haven’t read it. Most of my bookish friends have loved it and I fear I might not like it. The size of the book is also intimidating me.

2. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I bought this book because the movie is coming out soon. Almost everyone I know hates this book except one person (That person would be Anjie. Haha). I took a leap of faith buying this book and now I’m scared it will disappoint me. Verdict: It is sitting on my book shelf… lonely.

3. The One by Kiera Cass

‘The One’ hasn’t been released yet I am very intimidated by it. Being the last book in the trilogy, I want so many things to be resolved and I want so many things to happen, it is ridiculous. Not everything will get resolved and what does get resolved might not even be how I want it to. I am wearily anticipating this book, hoping it will not shred my feels into oblivion.

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I’ve read very few classics in my life. This classic has been sitting on my shelf, waiting for me to read it. I loved Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte and I’m hoping I’ll love her sister’s written work as well. The size of the book and the difficult language in the novel has had me turning a blind eye when I see it sitting on my book shelf.

5. Legend by Marie Lu

I’m halfway through this book and I can’t take it. I don’t know if I can keep going. Nope. Nu uh. Not happening any time soon.

Anjie’s List:

6. Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Many who have read ‘Unravel Me’ have told me that they’ve changed their loyalties towards a certain character and I really don’t want that to happen.

7. The Kill Order James by Dashner

I liked the Maze Runner trilogy and I’m uncertain about prequels and if it will ruin my feelings for the Maze Runner.

8. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

This sounds like a suspenseful thriller filled with ghosts and everything I’m afraid of reading. Enough said.

9. The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

I read the first book in the series and I wasn’t impressed with it. I feel like if I read this, my opinion won’t change and I’m going have to drop the series.

10. The Host by Stephenie Mayer

I honestly put off reading this book because of Twilight. I loved Twilight in the beginning and a book separate from the themes within twilight sort of scared me. (Veronica: Anjie’s opinion of this book changed after she read it. Max Irons <3)

Random

Day 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 & 30 of the 30 Day Book Challenge

June 30, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Day 25: Favorite book you read in school

My freshman year of high school, I read To Kill a Mockingbird (by Harper Lee) and I absolutely loved it. I read ahead. I was obsessed with court cases and law at that stage of my life (I wanted to be a lawyer). This story is also about so much more than law and the judicial system. It teaches us a lesson; don’t judge someone by what others say about them. Rumors can be a 180 of the truth a lot of the time.

Day 26: A book that changed your opinion on something

Second Chance Summer (by Morgan Matson) changed my opinion on giving the past a second chance. By that I mean that if we have a second chance to make things right, we should do it. I was a firm believer of never touching the past, but in order to forgive and move on, sometimes we have to revisit the past.

Day 27: The most surprising plot twist/or ending

The ending of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green left me shocked and a mess. I never saw it coming. At all.

Day 28: Favorite Title

‘Forever’ is an overused word in a lot of YA love relationships. Forever is something we have come to expect in a lot of YA novels when it comes to the resolved love relationship. The book title, The Truth About Forever (by Sarah Dessen), brings to our attention that there is more to forever than we might think.

Day 29: A book everyone hated but you liked

Let It Snow by John Green/Maureen Johnson/Lauren Myracle

My love for this book is deep. Why? I don’t think I even understand. Actually, I do. I love that we have three authors interpreting a town in three different ways and characters are all seen differently yet somehow it all flows together and we end up with one cohesive book. I love it!

Day 30: Favorite Book

The book of Ruth from the Bible. The story in the book of Ruth is about redemption that transcends nationalities and unites everyone in God. It also has a love story. I always imagine how Boaz looked and just add thoughts of what he might have thought when he first saw Ruth. I would also love Noemi to be my mother in law. Such a sweet lady.

This concludes the 30 Day Book Challenge. Guys, its been fun! I really loved doing this (even though I know that I wasn’t exactly very consistent). I’ll try to do a different challenge soon or participate in a new feature soon!

Happy Reading!

Reviews, YA Paranormal

Book Review: Let The Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger

June 29, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Goodreads Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Vane Weston has no idea how he survived the category five tornado that killed his parents. And he has no idea if the beautiful, dark-haired girl who’s swept through his dreams every night since the storm is real. But he hopes she is.

Seventeen-year-old Audra is a sylph, an air elemental. She walks on the wind, can translate its alluring songs, and can even coax it into a weapon with a simple string of commands. She’s also a guardian—Vane’s guardian—and has sworn an oath to protect Vane at all costs. Even if it means sacrificing her own life.

When a hasty mistake reveals their location to the enemy who murdered both of their families, Audra’s forced to help Vane remember who he is. He has a power to claim—the secret language of the West Wind, which only he can understand. But unlocking his heritage will also unlock the memory Audra needs him to forget. And their greatest danger is not the warriors coming to destroy them—but the forbidden romance that’s grown between them.

What I liked:

First of all, I loved that this book had alternating POV’s. It gave the book a well-rounded feel as we saw the story through the lens of the two main characters. The changing POV’s had a nice rhythm to them, never feeling choppy or as if something was out of place.

Second, I loved both of the main characters. We were able to get to know each of them very well, and each had a distinct voice. When I was reading Vane’s point of view, I felt like I was reading a real guy’s point of view. I applaud Shannon for this accomplishment.

Third, I loved the plot and story. It is not like anything I’ve read in the YA Fantasy/Adventure genre. I also loved that a love triangle did not exist. The love aspect of the story is closer to real life than all those darn love triangles that have become a signature of most YA books.

What I disliked:

The beginning was a little slow. I felt like the ‘spark’ that was presented in the first part of the book wasn’t that much of a spark. It felt too hyped. I wish I could have seen a little more interaction with them (Vane and Audra) in the “real” world and not in their own little bubble.

Overall:

I really loved this book and I want more. The cliffhanger at the end was not as bad as most cliffhangers in a lot of books nowadays, but it still gave me that sense of anticipation and want for the next book. The plot and the twists that were in this book were done really well. I could keep writing about how awesome I think this book is, but I want to keep this short. Bottom line, Let The Sky Fall has become one of my favorite books of 2013.

Rating: 5/5

Rating System:

1/5: I hate it.

2/5: It had some redeeming qualities but overall, not a good book.

3/5: I like it /A fun read.

4/5: I really like it, but something is missing.

5/5: I love it! It’s as close to perfection as it can get!

Book Spotlight

Book Spotlight #4: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

June 27, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Written by: Anjieeeb

Angelfire is a trilogy that is overshadowed by many other angel/nephilim YA trilogies, but it is just as good, and I would even say better than most. Angelfire kept me on my toes the entire time I was reading it, and the twists in the plot kept me up at night. This trilogy is a must read for fantasy and angel aficionados.

Book Title: Angelfire

Author: Courtney Allison Moutlon

Originally Published: 2011

Goodreads Summary:

First there are nightmares.
Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.
When Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday, on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie’s power, and she knows that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness. Only Will holds the key to Ellie’s memories, whole lifetimes of them, and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a dream.

Now she must hunt.
Ellie has power that no one can match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

Special Review, YA Paranormal

ARC/Special Review: Severed Stone (Souls of the Stone #0.5) by Kelly Walker

June 25, 2013June 15, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)

I want to thank Net Galley and Kelly Walker for giving me an ARC of the Severed Stone. I greatly appreciate your generosity. I was given this ARC in mind that I would give a honest review of the book.

Goodreads Summary:

Their story should have been a fairytale, but someone is playing a dangerous game that can only end in heartbreak.

When Ciorstan awakes alone in a field, far from home and more than a little confused, it won’t be the strangest thing to happen that day. Ignoring both her intuition and a mysterious but handsome stranger’s warning, she allows a dashing prince to take her home to his palace. Agreeing to marry the prince was her second mistake. Her next one will rip an entire kingdom apart. Sometimes, true love can be a tragedy with devastating consequences.

SEVERED STONE is a prequel novella, 155 pages in length and can be read at any point during the Souls of the Stones series. (But because it is designed to answer questions posed in Cornerstone and Second Stone, it may be more gratifying after reading those titles first.)

Review:

I want to start of by saying that I have not read Cornerstone or Second Stone. I decided it would be safe to read this novella since it is a prequel, and can be read at any point while reading the series. I do feel as if I was missing something as I was reading it though. I believe I was expecting more on the lines of The Infernal Devices since that is also a prequel, but I do have to keep in mind that TID is a trilogy.

The writing in the Severed Stone was good, but I wasn’t blown away. I felt like everything happened really quickly. The first third of the book I was enjoying, but then once Fidwen got involved, it was all just chaos. It was one thing after another and I was left with so many things in my head at once. I like where the story went but, I just feel like it could have been executed a little bit better. I am being very nit-picky at the moment just FYI. The chaos I felt within the novella could have been solved by adding a few more pages about the brothers and the queen and less about her in the gowns and the rainbow of girls that were to help Ciorstan out with her transition into the royal life.

Overall, it wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t a great one either. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. Some parts were cute and Cirostan’s creepy mother added to the haunting feel of the novella, which I loved. I think this book would have worked better as a novel than a novella.

Rating: 3.5/5

Tuesday Meme

Top Ten Books We’ve Read So Far In 2013

June 24, 2013 Veronica Porras (TTB)

Thank you The Broke and The Bookish for this wonderful Tuesday Feature.

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday is: Top Ten Books I’ve Read So Far In 2013! Today is the first post Anjie will be participating in so we will be splitting this post into my Top 5 and her Top 5. Here we go!

Veronica’s:

1. The Unearthly Trilogy by Cynthia Hand:

Apart from The Infernal Devices, I hadn’t been enjoying any fantasy or paranormal series as of late but the Unearthly Trilogy made me remember why I loved reading Fantasy when I was younger. The plot twists, the characters, the world, and the roller coaster ride that are the books are something you need in your life. Trust me.

2. The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler

I am a fan of Sarah Ockler and her new book did not disappoint, but made my love for her books intensify. This book envelopes family, romance, and tragedy all in one. It will break your heart in a good way.

3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I don’t know what I could say to make you want to read this book. I will let the book speak for itself. Go buy it and then, we’ll talk.

4. Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

Who knew I could relate to a girl who is the captain of the football team, but I did. I loved this book in so many ways. This book was real, not in a tragic sense as we see in a lot of recent YA books, but in a sense how in life ,we don’t always get what we expect and sometimes, it is exactly what we need.

5. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Kat Bishop is one of my favorite female characters of all time. This book brought out a whole new side to Kat and Hale. Any book by Ally Carter is like chocolate to me. Pure unadulterated chocolate.

Anjie’s:

6. The Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Favorite book and favorite trilogy of all time. I thought it ended perfectly, it did smother me in feels but I was happy and it was truly beautiful and tragic at the same time.

7.The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead

The Indigo Spell (Bloodline #3) by Richelle Mead — The Indigo Spell (Bloodlines #3) by Richelle Mead

One word, SYDRIAN. It was beautiful and a cliffhanger in the end to keep you on your toes until the next book.

8.Boundless (Unearthly #3) by Cynthia Hand

This trilogy is one of my favorites and this last book was so intense and had so many twists, I thought my head was going to explode.

9. Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton

Great ending to a great trilogy. The actions of the main character, Ellie, really helped make this a favorite.

10. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

First book in the trilogy and it really surprised me. It’s a twist in the usual Greek mythology that will make you love Hades. It was an easy and entertaining read.

What are some of your Top Books of 2013?