Favorite Quotes

'Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods...... But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great can Fall.

Mary E. Pearson, Kiss of Deception

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Fandom Mashup (4)

This is a new fun feature hosted and created by Micheline over at Lunar-Rainbows. For this feature, there will be a new fictional scenario each week and you will create your dream team of five different characters from five different fandoms around this scenario.

The most evil dark lord/lady of all time has come into power with plots for world-domination. Who do you take with you into battle?


Naruto
Naruto was my childhood crush and I can't believe I am just now putting him on one of my teams. Naruto is not only noble and wouldn't let anyone take over the world he is also a freaking bad-ass!

Tamlin from A Court of Thorns and Roses
Last week I put Rhys on my list and this week it is Tamlin. I also have not seen Tamlin fight, but I just know he would be a great fighter. He is also very noble and loyal to his people, so if anyone threatened them he would kick-ass. Thus, he would be a perfect ally. 

Groot From Guardians of the Galaxy 
Groot is a powerful...tree, but none the less he can fight. Also, he seems to be another character that would fight for the people and if anyone threatened to take over the world he would be right there fighting to save the day!

 Juliette From the Shatter Me series
So, Juliette has a very cool power that I believe would come in handy in this particular case, she can kill people with a single touch and that would be perfect! All that we would need to do is get Juliette close enough to  touch the would be world dictator and BAM! Problem Solved. 

Allison From the Blood of Eden series
Allison is one of the best fighters I have ever read! She is wickedly fast and a fantastic sword fighter and she, again, will not let anyone threaten her friends. She will kill anyone who ever thinks about hurting the people she loves and she will kill them fast. 



Who is on your team?
Happy Reading!



Sunday, May 24, 2015

Fandom Mashup (3)

This is a new fun feature hosted and created by Micheline over at Lunar-Rainbows. For this feature, there will be a new fictional scenario each week and you will create your dream team of five different characters from five different fandoms around this scenario.

It's the apocalypse! Eeep!  Who do you want with you as you face off with the end of days?

Dean and Sam Winchester 
I am counting these two as the same person because they are brothers so.... I think it counts. These two have been through an actual apocalypse, fought against zombies, vampires, demons, angels, so whatever kind of apocalypse this is they can help. Also, they're the Winchesters so they can't die and that's a plus.


Vin from Mistborn
Vin is a bad-ass, enough said.


Matt Murdock (a.k.a Daredevil) from Daredevil 
This show is quickly becoming one of my favorite obsessions. This show is amazing and Matt Murdock is a freaking bad-ass ninja who has super senses. I would want him on my team for this scenario because he can fight and also he is kind of hot.


Rhys from ACOTOR
So, I have yet to see Rhys in an all-out fight but I still know that he can kick butt. 


Celaena Sardothien
She is the queen of kick-buttness (that's a word, right?) and she has certain abilities (no spoilers) that would be perfect in any apocalyptic scenario. 



Who would be on your team?
Happy Reading


Friday, May 22, 2015

Review: The Orphan Queen by Jodi meadows


Grade: 4 Butterflies
Series: The Orphan Queen #1
Author: Jodi Meadows
Publisher: Kathrine Tegen Books


 Wilhelmina has a hundred identities.

She is a princess. When the Indigo Kingdom conquered her homeland, Wilhelmina and other orphaned children of nobility were taken to Skyvale, the Indigo Kingdom’s capital. Ten years later, they are the Ospreys, experts at stealth and theft. With them, Wilhelmina means to take back her throne.

She is a spy. Wil and her best friend, Melanie, infiltrate Skyvale Palace to study their foes. They assume the identities of nobles from a wraith-fallen kingdom, but enemies fill the palace, and Melanie’s behavior grows suspicious. With Osprey missions becoming increasingly dangerous and their leader more unstable, Wil can’t trust anyone.

She is a threat. Wraith is the toxic by-product of magic, and for a century using magic has been forbidden. Still the wraith pours across the continent, reshaping the land and animals into fresh horrors. Soon it will reach the Indigo Kingdom. Wilhelmina’s magic might be the key to stopping the wraith, but if the vigilante Black Knife discovers Wil’s magic, she will vanish like all the others.



It is no secret that I love fantasy and I read a Jodi Meadows book a few years ago and fell in love with her writing. So, needless to say, I couldn't wait to read this book, especially since it's about an orphan queen taking back her kingdom, yes please! In the end, I really enjoyed reading this book and thought it was a great start to a series. However, I didn't love it as much as I was hoping I would. It had great characters, an amazing setting, and an interesting plot, it just didn't blow me away.

The thing that I loved the most about this book was the world. I loved the world building Jodi Meadows put into this book and I loved the whole mirrored city idea; it was very interesting to read about.I also loved the concept of the mist and everything about that. I think why I loved this world so much isn't solely because they are interesting and unique, even though that is a big part of it, but also how Jodi Meadows wrote it. She has a great talent for world-building and her writing just brought the whole world to life. It was so amazing to read!

Jodi Meadows went another direction with this book and the characters. Usually in this situation you expect the main character to be very angry with the kingdom that destroyed hers and would want to kill everyone in sight. Wil was very different than that, she went through a little self-finding in this book and in the end her world views differed from the norm. I appreciated the fact that Jodi Meadows went down a different route than usual. However, I really didn't understand this world-view. I don't understand why anyone would think that plan would work. I understand why a person would feel like that because sometimes violence isn't the answer, but I just didn't understand how Wil's plan would work. However, I did really like the fact that this book went another direction, even if I didn't really agree with it. It made the book unique and the plot unpredictable.

Another aspect of the book that benefited from this abandonment of the norm is the characters. Wil went through so much character development in this book and it was great to read! The only downside is that, in the beginning of the book Wil was very annoying. She didn't stand up for what she believed in and she let people walk all over her; she even let her friends treat her bad and didn't say anything about it. This just really grated on my nerves. However, I didn't take away any stars for this because I knew while reading that her character would go through some growth in this book and so that saved me from really being annoyed with her. On a side note though, I really didn't feel connected to any of the characters. While reading I didn't really care if any characters died or live or got captured. The plot was addicting and fast-paced, so it didn't really affect my reading experience. I just didn't really care about the characters.

Another aspect that I really liked in this book was the romance. This had the perfect type of romance in it. Wil and the love interest, I won't say who because it is kind of a surprise, started out as strangers, then become friends, and then they got into a romance relationship. I love these kinds of love story because the love feels natural and has depth. It makes the romance seem much more realistic. I loved these two together and I loved reading them together!

Finally, the plot. The plot was good, fast, enjoyable, and slightly unpredictable. I say slightly because I guessed who a certain person was about ten pages after we met him. I really enjoyed reading this book and the plot never faltered and kept a constant pace throughout the whole book. However, something bothered me. The ending felt choppy and rushed. The surprise twist at the end wasn't focused on enough. I understand Jodi Meadows wanted to surprise the readers and end on a cliffhanger, but it felt like the event happened and two paragraphs later the book ended. I didn't even fully understand what was happening and the book ended. Sometimes this works with books, but not this time. It just made the book feel choppy and unfinished.

Overall, I really liked this book and I thought that it was a great start to a series! Not only that but this series looks like it is going to be amazing! The plot was addicting and fast-paced, the world was so cool to read and it showed off Jodi Meadows amazing world-building. There was considerable character development with the main character and all of the other characters had good depth. However, I never felt a connection to them and throughout the book I didn't care all that much about them.

This book got...

4 Butterflies
Beloved, This is a really good book.




Happy Reading


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Fandom Mash-Up #2

This is a new fun feature hosted and created by Micheline over at Lunar-Rainbows. For this feature, there will be a new fictional scenario each week and you will create your dream team of five different characters from five different fandoms around this scenario.

So this is a really late post, but better late than never, right?

This week's topic:

You have to study for a HUGE test. Who do you want on your study team?

Sam Winchester
Sam is probably the smartest character on Supernatural, so he would be perfect for this scenario. He is also used to doing extensive research and study sessions. As added bonus, he is able to get wifi anywhere so we could go to the park and still be able to study. (also he's hot so....)

The Doctor
The Doctor is the smartest character on any show or series that I have watched/read. He knows everything about history, engineering, computers, math, science, art, everything, so he is doubly perfect because no matter what subject the test is on, he can help.

Spock
He is another brilliant person, so why not? He would be a big help and again he knows lots of things in lots of different subjects so he would be perfect!

Belle From Beauty and the Beast
Belle is a fellow book lover so I feel a kinship with her, even though she is fictional, but we are all mad here, so that's fine. Also, she has the big huge library that the Beast gave her, so she has plenty of reading material that we can use to study from. That combined with Sam's magical power to have wifi anywhere means we would not be short of things to study from.

Tyrion Lannister 
He is hands down the smartest person in the Game of Thrones universe. He is not only intelligent but also clever and brilliant. 


Who would you choose to be on your team?
Happy reading




Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Predictions and Hopes Lion Heart


In honor of Lionheart's release day, I have decided to do a Predictions and Hopes. If you haven't read the first two books in this series, Scarlet and Lady Thief, don't continue reading this post. There will be spoilers ahead. 

Also, if you haven't read this books yet, read them now! They are great retellings of the Robin Hood story. 

Release Date:
Series: Scarlet #3 (the Final)
Author: A. C. Gaughen

Goodreads Summary

Scarlet has captured the hearts of readers as well as the heart of Robin Hood, and after ceaseless obstacles and countless threats, readers will finally find out the fate of the Lady Thief.

Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?





I love this series and it is both sad and exciting to see it end. Sad because it is ending, forever, exciting because I really want to know what happens! I have a lot of hopes for this book and I can sum them up pretty well, I just really hope this is a good ending. Reading the last book in series is always a scary moment for me because I really want the end to be a good one and not crap. Usually, the last books are the ones that make or break the series for me; if the ending is bad my love for the series goes down quite a bit, if it is good my love increases. I just hope that it doesn't crash and burn, that the ending isn't terrible and I am left with a good feeling in my heart. I want this book to be epic, to be both heartbreaking and wonderful, I want it to be great.

I really hope that Scar and Rob will have time to be a normal couple, not to be thinking of starving people or sheriffs or anything. I just really want these two to be happy because I love them as a couple so much! They are a big reason of why I love this series so much, they are just so cute and good together!

So, I say this every single P & H, but I will say it again, I really hope no one dies. I have this sinking feeling that someone will and I am terrified who it is going to be. I love all of these characters so much and I don't want any of them to die!

I also really hope that we get to see Rob as the Sheriff. I don't think this is going to happen since Scar is going away from Rob, but I still want to see it. The first and second book was all about protecting the town's people and I want to see them happy and safe for once. I think I will be a bit mad if we don't get to see this, even at the way end because getting to this point was the whole plot for the first two books and it wouldn't seem right if we didn't get to see it.



What do you think will happen in this book?
Please no spoilers if you have already read this book.



Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Discussion Time: Quotes


Okay, so today I want to talk about book quotes. I love quotes, absolutely love them! I actually kind of have an obsession with them, especially book quotes. I just wanted to share my top book quotes with you guys today.


“It can take years to mold a dream. It takes only a fraction of a second for it to be shattered.” 
 Mary E. Pearson, The Kiss of Deception


“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods…
But even the great can tremble with fear.
Even the great can fall” 
 Mary E. Pearson, The Kiss of Deception


“Books are easily destroyed. But words will live as long as people can remember them.” 
 Tahereh Mafi, Unravel Me


"There's so much wonder in the world. Don't let no one tell you otherwise."



"Your power, your greatest gift, is that you never give up. When something fails you make a new plan, and another, and another. You never accept defeat. You never give up."
A.C. Gaughen, Lady Thief



"She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one. "
Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire



"And then I am going to rattle the stars"
Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire


Those are my favorite book quotes, what are yours? Or, do you even like quotes? Comment and let's discuss =D





Monday, May 11, 2015

Fandom Mashups (1)

This is a new fun feature hosted and created by Micheline over at Lunar-Rainbows. For this feature, there will be a new fictional scenario each week and you will create your dream team of five different characters from five different fandoms around this scenario.

This week's topic:

You're stranded on a deserted island. Who do you want there with you?

-- Katniss Everdeen 
Katniss would be my first choice for this because not only is she bad-ass but she knows how to survive in the wilderness. Katnis's survival skills would be perfect in this situation. She would be able to find us food, hunt animals, build shelters, basically everything you need to survive. 

-- Celaena Sardothien 
Celaena would be our bodyguard and fire starter. If there are any unfriendly natives or radioactive monsters on this island she would be able to protect us all without breaking a sweat. Also, Rowan would come and find her and I could get to meet Rowan *swoon*. 

-- Avry of Kazan 
Avry is from the Healer series by Maria V. Snyder and as the name of the series suggests, she is a healer. Her healing abilities would be wonderful in this situation because it would help us live longer. She would heal all of our wounds we get from defending the team from the radioactive monsters or, in my case, tripping over my own two feet and falling down on a thorny bush.

-- Hermoine Granger
Hermoine would be the one who would come up with a spell to get us fresh water and a way off the island. She is the brightest witch of her generation so I would have complete faith that she would devise a plan to get us back to our homes. 

-- The Doctor
The Doctor would work with Hermoine to find us a way off the island and he would definitely find us a way off the island. He is a genius and if nothing else he would come up with a way to get my Nook working so I could keep up with my reading. 



Happy Reading


Bout of Books Sign-Up and Goal Post

Bout of Books

This post is really late since this read-a-thon starts today, but better late than never, right? 

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 13 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team.

I have very ambitious goals for this week. I want to read 4 books over the course of the week which is very ambitious for me because that is that amount of books I've read in the last two months put together. So, There's a high chance I won't complete that, but whatever it's fine, as long as I am reading I am fine. 

---Goals---

Finish Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Breaking the Rule by Katie McGarry (e-book)
Illusive by Emily Lloyd-Jones (e-book)
The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski



Are you participating in this read-a-thon, if so what are your goals?
Happy reading




Friday, May 8, 2015

April Wrap-Up


April was a very hectic and chaotic month for me. Even though finals week wasn't until the first week of May I was still super busy with school. I had so many end-of-year papers to write along with studying for the finals and then doing the finals that I didn't have any time for reading and blogging. However, I am done! I am done with school for the semester and now I have the whole summer to read as much as I want. *sigh* I am happy. I also now have time for blogging again, which is great because I miss talking to you guys so much. I also really need to catch up on my reviews. There are books that I read back in January that I haven't reviewed yet, so I need to get cracking. 

I also started my first Twitter account in April and I am loving it! I'm actually kicking myself for not starting one sooner because I get to be in contact with book lovers a lot more often and frequently than I am used to and I get to have more conversations with my blogger friends. So I am loving it! I am also loving it because of how active authors are. Sarah J. Maas tweets like twenty times a day! Do-does that make me sound like a stalker?


 If you want to follow me on twitter I am Kim's Novel Notes or @kim_notes. 

Again I didn't read much at all during April and that's I why my reading list is so low. I am actually ashamed of how many books I read this month or rather the lack of books. This is the lowest amount of books I read in a month and I am very sad about that. Although I did a bit better at posting reviews compared to how many books I read. So, I'm happy about that at least. 

Books Read: 2
The Orphan Queen by Jodie Meadows| 4 Butterflies
Katie's Hellion by Lizzy Ford|

Reviews Posted: 3
Ten Tiny Breaths by K. A. Tucker
Neverfade by Alexandra Bracken
Defy by Sara B. Larson




How was your April reading? Good, bad, ugly?
Happy May Reading!