Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (Spoilers!)

(This review contains spoilers! You have been warned.)

    Mare Barrow is of Red blood, stealing to help feed her family, and on the edge of military conscription. Her world is ruled by the Silvers, people with otherworldly abilities who lord their power over those who have none. When Mare bumps into a handsome stranger one night as she fights to escape the impending draft, she finds herself swept away into a world of Silver affairs – two princes, both enchanting in their own right, a ruthless king, and her own magic powers that shouldn’t be possible by any means.

Frozen (Melissa de la Cruz) review

This review originally appeared on Goodreads. 
Date Read: October 2014
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I picked this up on a whim while at work (say that five times fast, ha!) and I was not disappointed.

I couldn't pick just one cover... They're all so pretty!

Ryan Wesson is a runner, ex-military, picking up odd jobs so that he can feed his crew. Nat Kestal is a blackjack dealer with a secret, trying to ignore the voice in the back of her mind that tells her things she doesn't want to hear. When Nat finds a sudden need to find the mystical Blue -- the land where everything is green and nothing is polluted -- Wes is just the guy to get her there. What they don't count on, however, are turncoats, mystical maps, and falling in love.

I really enjoyed this book. It's yet another YA dystopia, but it's different in that Nat and Wes aren't trying to stage a total coup -- they just want out. I found myself tuning out at times, then getting confused with the action. I had to go back and reread portions because all of the sudden things were happening and I couldn't remember the build up! Overall, it's a good read, and I preordered the second book (Stolen, haven't read it yet!), so it's definitely worth your time!

Eleanor & Park Review

This review first appeared on Goodreads.

Date read: 8/21/14 - 9/3/14
Rating: 5 of 5 stars

This. BOOK. Okay, it's really no secret that I am absolutely in love with Rowell's writing, but this one just makes you really feel.

Park is just surviving the bus ride to school, biding his time until his dad will let him get his driver's license. That's when Eleanor, the new girl (who is all curves and soft angles and red hair), needs a place to sit...and the only open seat is next to Park. But this girl is just weird, and he hates how his so-called friends treat her (and he knows that she's different, because she reads his comic books over his shoulder); a slow friendship forms until one day, Park takes her hand and his heart is lost to her.

This book makes you remember what it's like to be 16 and in love for the first time. It's all about the giddiness you feel when that boy takes your hand, the way your skin tingles when that girl kisses your cheek. Eleanor deals with so much more than she should because of her abusive step-father, and all Park wants is to help her.


This book is definitely suited for high school age and up, but is a beautiful homage to love and life and how messy it all can be.



I wrote this review a year ago, and it still rings true. If you're on the fence about it, just give it a shot, because it's beautiful. 

Uppercase Box review & Other Exciting Things!

Hey, y'all! Here I am (again) trying to book blog. I plan to stick with it this time, so let's go!

Ever since Uppercase launched, I've wanted to subscribe, but haven't been able to justify the cost/Russian roulette book choice/etc. I finally gave in last month, just in time to sign up for the September box. The closer shipment got, the more excited I became, and today, waiting for the "Package Received" email from campus mail was absolute torture! I snagged it and hurried home on my lunch break, positively bursting with excitement.

Uppercase Box... bag?

It's so cute!, I thought, pulling it out of it's Priority Shipping envelope. The only off-putting thing was that exactly: It's a canvas bag instead of an actual box, but that's a minor issue compared to the wealth of goodies and happiness inside.

Opening the bag, I found myself wishing for Julie Murphy's Dumplin', but since it was only released on Tuesday, I knew that was a long shot. (I'm holding out that it'll come with this month's Owlcrate, but if it doesn't, I'm grabbing it from B&N as soon as I can!). I was pleasantly surprised to pull out Erin Bowman's Vengeance Road -- I just added it to my TBR list on Goodreads last week. (That said, I will review this once I've read it. That may take a while though!)

This month's book and swag!

 What I got:

• Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
• A matching bookmark (not pictured)
• A signed Erin Bowman bookplate
• A To Be Read List notepad
• Harry Potter Snitch earrings from Juniper & Ivy Designs
• A Coupon from Juniper & Ivy Designs
• A letter from the ever-wonderful Lisa (who runs Uppercase) telling why she chose the book

A glamour shot of the book... Just because.

I'm in love with this notepad! When I showed it to my roommate, she laughed (because I dropped it, out of excitement) and said, "I would fill that whole thing up in a day!" Which is the truth for the both of us. I had to immediately put on the earrings because they were so precious. 

All in all, I'm over the moon with this month's box. I can't wait to see what comes next month! I definitely recommend heading over to Uppercase's website and giving them a try if you're wanting a book subscription. You get your money's worth for sure.

Okay, but how darling are these?!

Five out of five stars, for sure. Or should I do penguins? We can decide on that later!

Hello, world of book blogging! I have tried and tried to get on the blogging scene and I just fail every time. So I'm trying again, and I'm going to stick with it. It's your job to hold me accountable, okay?

Let's see... A little about me, perhaps? I'm a senior in college, studying to be an elementary school teacher. I've been an avid reader since... Well, since I learned to read, really! I love pugs, penguins, and Harry Potter. I'm also a pretty big Marvel fangirl. ;)

Any questions? Let's talk! Talking about books is one of my favorite things to do. I'm also on Instagram and would love to connect with fellow book-lovers.

I think that's all I had to say! Cheers, y'all. :)