Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow by Jessica Day George

Page Count: 336

Published on: January 8, 2008

Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Retellings, Adventure, Romance

Source: Print: Library

Age Rating: PG-14

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Twitter: @JessDayGeorge

Goodreads synopsis:

Blessed--or cursed--with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she's known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when anisbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn't hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who's been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he's forced to marry a troll princess.

~~~

Hey guys!

        I was so excited to get my hands on this book, because I absolutely loved Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and East by Edith Pattou. All three of thare retellings of East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon, and all three have similar aspects to them, but all three have original aspects to them, but because they're main plot lines are the same but the way the authors go about to get to the next plot line is different. I love how Jessica Day George writes. This is my first time reading here writing and let me tell you, guys, she's such a good story teller! I read the first 3 parts of the book within my first day of reading, and I finished up the last 90~100 pages as soon as I woke up this morning. 

        I really loved Sun & Moon, Ice & Fire I loved George's little twists in the story that she used, and I loved how she wrote the lass's character to be so caring and loving towards animals, even though her mother didn't love her enough to give her a name. I loved how she cared for her family even though they didn't love her as much as she deserved. She's disregarded by her mother and siblings, and the only people who really care for her are her father and her and her eldest brother Hans Peter.

The Little Things That I Loved:

• The vivid descriptions of the scenery.

• I love the descriptions of the characters

• I love the Norwegian words implemented into the story and I loved that there was a glossary/pronunciation key in the back. It totally helped me reading.

• I loved how true to the story this book was. You can tell that Jessica Day George did her research and knew what she was talking about. 
• The story was developed and the characters were fleshed out and you knew their personalities and it was just really awesome.

• Guys, I basically loved almost everything. 

        OK, the only problem I had with this book was that I felt like the ending was rushed and I felt like the conclusion could have been better. It felt kind of underdeveloped and I was hoping for a little more. Overall, I suppose it's satisfactory, but I was hoping for a little more.

        You guys need to pick this one up! It was so good! 

If you loved ___, you will LOVE S&M,I&S

• East by Edith Pattou**
• Ice by Sarah Beth Durst*
• Beauty by Robin McKinnley**
• A Court Of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas*

* Go to my reviews (Goodreads link in review)

**Go to Goodreads

What are you currently reading? Tell me in the comments!

Enjoy guys! I'll have a review up of Just One Drop by Quinn Loftis up tomorrow!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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Doon by Carey Corp & Lorie Langdon

Page Count: 368

Published on: August 20th 2013

Published by: Zondervan

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Romance, Science Fiction
Source: Print: Hardback: Library

Age Rating: PG-14

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Twitters: @careycorp & @LorieLangdon      

Goodreads synopsis:

DOON…

Veronica doesn't think she's going crazy. But why can't anyone else see the mysterious blond boy who keeps popping up wherever she goes? When her best friend, Mackenna, invites her to spend the summer in Scotland, Veronica jumps at the opportunity to leave her complicated life behind for a few months. 

But the Scottish countryside holds other plans. 

Not only has the imaginary kilted boy followed her to Alloway, she and Mackenna uncover a strange set of rings and a very unnerving letter from Mackenna's great aunt—and when the girls test the instructions Aunt Gracie left behind, they find themselves transported to a land that defies explanation. Doon seems like a real-life fairy tale, complete with one prince who has eyes for Mackenna and another who looks suspiciously like the boy from Veronica's daydreams. But Doon has a dark underbelly as well. The two girls could have everything they've longed for...or they could end up breaking an enchantment and find themselves trapped in a world that has become a nightmare.

DOON is loosely based on the premise of the musical Brigadoon, with permission from the ALan Jay Lerner Estate and the Frederick Loewe Foundation. Follow the journey at http://www.DoonSeries.com

~Destiny awaits!

~~~

Hey guys!

       Sasha Alsberg (@sashaalsberg via Instagram & Twitter) has mentioned Doon & Destined For Doon in quite a few of her videos, and I've been meaning to pick it up, and I finally did on the 20th of July! I literally read the first 90% in a few hours at my grandparents house (shout out to my amazing grandparents who put up with my accidental anti-social-ness when I come over! <3) and then I literally got sucked into Doctor Who the next day and didn't read at all! The last 60 pages were absolutely amazing, and I really need to read the second one! Here is what I loved and what I didn't love about Doon!

What I Loved:

• The setting! Oh my gosh I want to be in Scotland now!

• The romance! So beautiful and I felt all the feels!

• The characters! I absolutely love the characters. I really want to know more about them! I'm excited to see how their personalities progress in the next book!

• Jamie MacCrae! Hello dreamboat! 

• I loved the whole Christianity aspect! The talk of the Protector and how the people of Doon rely on their faith and trust in their Protector...it's beautiful and I love to read books where the people rely in God. <3

• I love the authors! They're so involved with their readers! Props to Lorie and Carey! <3

• There were quite a few pop culture references that I liked and the humor was really witty.

• The writing was really fluid. I could tell that Corey and Lorie were very compatible writers and they had very similar writing styles. 

• There was a bit of everything! History, romance, culture, a new world, a tiny bit of mystery, and MAGIC. 

• Basically everything!

What I Didn't Love:

• I wish that Doon wasn't so rushed. I was hoping that there would be able to have a couple scenes for Veronica's graduation and the trip on the plane...but it went straight to Kenna and Vee in Kenna's aunt's cottage. I found that a bit aggravating.

• I also think that it would have been nicer to get into the character's heads a little more. Sometimes I felt like I didn't know the characters as well as I would like. I also think the "she's beautiful, but doesn't realize it" thing was worn out.

• A couple of the plot twists had a bit too much overshadowing so the plot twists were kind of easy to spot.

~~~

       Overall I really loved this book! I read the first 306./368 pages in one night and I just really loved this book!

       Thank you Sasha Alsberg & BenjaminOfTomes for recommending this book in their videos! This was sooo good! Guys check out their videos ! They are the bomb dot com!

Enjoy guys!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

Twitter // Instagram // Tumblr // Goodreads // Bloglovin

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Page Count: 372

Published on: June 5, 2012

Published by: Broadway Books

Genre(s): Science Fiction, YA, Dystopia, Fantasy
Source: Print: Paperback: Library

Age Rating: PG-14

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 4 stars

Twitter: @Ernie Cline

Goodreads synopsis:

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. 

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune — and remarkable power — to whoever can unlock them. 

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved — that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig. 

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle. 

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt — among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life — and love — in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape. 

A world at stake. 
A quest for the ultimate prize. 
Are you ready?

~~~

Hey guys!

       Ready Player One was up for the Rosie Award in 2013-2014, during my sophomore year. I hadn't read the book, but a couple of my friends had read it and absolutely adored it! At the time, Ready Player One didn't sound appealing at all; but then again, I'm not one for video games, and all I knew was that it talked about video games. I eventually picked it up, because Katytastic on YouTube really loved it, and I wanted to see if the hype was justified. I started it off kind of skeptical, but I soon got really into it. I had to put it down multiple times just to get a reality check, because the book was very addicting, like video games. The book was really good, really well written, and full of information. It made me appreciate the 1980's culture even more. 

        This book was really good, but was really slow going for me. Ready Player One took me nine days to finish! Usually, it doesn't take me long to finish a book that is under 400 pages, but this one was particularly hard to finish. I think it was the subject that the book revolved around. I'm not too keen on video game culture, and I'm not really all that into video games. I think it's really cool that Ernest Cline put this novel together. It was really well thought out and there weren't any plot holes and everything was explained. For someone who knows barely anything about video games, I wound up knowing quite a lot by the end of Ready Player One. I also really really loved the action and romance and the whole aspect of the book.

My Favorite Character(s): Parcival (Wade), Art3mis, & Aech
My Least Favorite Character(s): The IOI Company


        I'm really excited for Ernest Cline's new novel ARMADA which just came out on the 14th of July. Armada has a video games aspect as well from what I hear, and I'm really excited to see if it's as good as Ready Player One.

Comment down below if you've read ARMADA! Tell me what you think! I want to know!

Enjoy guys! Happy reading!
Olivia 
~livthebooknerd~
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P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Page Count: 337

Published on: May 26, 2015

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance, Realistic Fiction
Source: Print: Hardback: Library

Age Rating: PG-15

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Twitter: @jennyhan

Goodreads synopsis:

Lara Jean didn’t expect to really fall for Peter.
        She and Peter were just pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever. When another boy from her past returns to her life, Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too. Can a girl be in love with two boys at once?

         In this charming and heartfelt sequel to the New York Times bestseller To All the Boys I've Loved Before, we see first love through the eyes of the unforgettable Lara Jean. Love is never easy, but maybe that’s part of what makes it so amazing.

~~~

Hey guys!

         If you've been following me on Goodreads, then you must have seen that I had been reading PSISLY this week, and I wasn't impressed. It takes quite a bit to get a 3.5 star rating. Over all, I felt that this book wasn't necessary to have. I agreed with Maddie & Bee (of the YouTube channel and blog "HeartFullOfBooks"), Jenny Han could have added about 30-40 pages to the end of To All The Boys I Loved Before, and it would have wrapped up the book quite nicely. 

What I Didn't Like: 

• I don't like it that the Song girls call their parents Mommy & Daddy. I find that really juvinile but endearing sometimes. I guess that's just a nit-picky thing with me, so pay me no mind.  

• Peter & Lara Jean's contract...if you like each other you don't need a list to set boundaries and have expectations. Talk to each other. Your relationship is unhealthy and weird. 

• Lara Jean not trusting Peter, and Peter not being open about what was going on with Gen. 

• Gen. If you've really got something going on with your family, but then buddy-ing up with your ex who's taken, you need to reassure a girl...it's girl code! Even if you don't like the girl at all, how would you feel if someone was doing that to you? 

What I Liked:

• John and Lara Jean. I ship them so hard! They're so cute, and John is so romantic!

• The character development for Gen. Now I know why she hates Lara Jean. I would too, but Gen sure doesn't want to seem in the wrong..talk to Lara Jean girl! Don't just drop a friend like that! Gah!

• How Peter is so sweet with Kitty. He's a good boy, but he has communication issues. 

• I love how the Song girls and their father cook. I wish I could cook and bake like Lara Jean! I need to start baking! 

• I loved the little glimpses of Korean culture. Super cool.

• I loved how close Lara Jean is to her family. I hate it when characters keep their lives a secret and are fake with their parents. Your parents care and you need to stay close to your parents, you never know when they'll be gone. (At least most parents anyway)

• Jenny Han's writing is so poetic and lovely to read. It was a really fun read. it made me feel all the feels. Her writing is really easy to read and you get sucked into the character's life, and it's really beautiful. <3

• I read it in less than a day. I love easy contemporaries! 

My Favorite Character: John or Peter

My Least Favorite Character: Gen

I hope you enjoyed this review! I like to change up the way I write them so comment down below if you like paragraph or bullet point format better! Or if you like a different way, I'll try it out! Keep the comments coming!

Enjoy guys!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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Blood Rites by Quinn Loftis

Page Count: 256

Published on: November 19, 2011

Published by: Quinn Loftis

Genre(s): Paranormal, Romance, YA, Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Source: eBook

Age Rating: PG-14

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 4 stars

Twitter: @AuthQuinnLoftis

Goodreads synopsis: 

With the challenge complete and the corrupt Alpha of Coldspring defeated Fane is now free to complete the mate bond with Jacque and perform the Blood Rites. Although the challenge is done, the affects are far reaching. Once it is known that Vasile, one of the strongest Alphas in the world is in America, specifically Coldspring, TX, there is one Alpha who cannot over look the significance of this. An Alpha who happens to share Jacque's DNA, but is this the one she needs to fear? 

With her mom driving and her two best friends, Jen and Sally in tow, Jacque sets off for her happily ever after. She will soon realize a plan has been put in motion that will change her course and possibly tear her from Fane's grasp forever. It will take a wolf pack, her mother's love, her two best friend's unrelenting determination, her own will to survive and the undying love of her mate to bring her home. The question remains, if she fights, if she endures, who will she be, what will be left once she is back in her mates arms?

~~~

Hey guys!

        Blood Rites is the second book in the Grey Wolves series by Quinn Loftis. It follows the characters right after the end of The Prince Of Wolves. The beginning (the first 30%) was super frustrating and I literally had to put the book down for a few days. I eventually consulted my friend Mark (the man who lent me his kindle book to read) and he told me that it was worth it to finish, and that the first 40~50% was kind of dodgy but the last half was totally worth the read. After I hit the 45% mark I flew through it. These books aren't necessarily hard to read, not by a long shot, but sometimes the grammar or the writing style is really frustrating or flighty. Sometimes Quinn Loftis will change POVs randomly mid-paragraph, and it totally throws me off! Please Quinn, don't do that! I love your books, but sometimes that throw me off!

        OK, I love the Grey Wolves books but sometimes yeah they frustrate me, there's un-needed drama and some scenes in the book that are so unrealistic that it made me mad. Also, the characters accepted that they were in the hospital! They don't question anything! It made me so mad! And Dillon's Beta...oh my gosh he makes me mad! If Dillon is such a powerful Alpha, his Beta shouldn't have been able to do what he does! This book was kind of disappointing, compared to The Prince Of Wolves. Also, Jen and Sally's parents are so weird! They let the girls go to Romania after just a talk with Alina and Lily??? What the heck! I'm convinced they're bad parents. I'm hoping that the next book is better, because I do plan on reading them all. I hope for the best.

        I really love the banter between Jen, Sally, & Jacque. I also really love the banter between Decebel and Jen. I really hope those two end up together, I find them really adorable! They're perfect for each other. The humor is usually really funny, but sometimes corny. The characters are cute, and the paranormal aspects are really interesting, and that's what makes these books worth reading. I also really love the romance, it's really swoon-worthy and sweet. 

        If you've tried to read this book but you've not gotten passed the first 10~30% I recommend that you skim the first 35% and just continue reading, you won't miss anything very important I promise. :)

       I would have to give the first 35% 2 stars, but the rest about 4 stars, so I've given it a rating of 4 stars...I'm actually even skeptical of this rating, but I love Quinn Loftis, so, I'm going to keep it there.

My Favorite Character: Decebel
My Least Favorite Character: Dillon's stupid Beta >:(

Enjoy guys!
Olivia
~livthebooknerd~
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Page Count: 303

Published on: April 7, 2015

Published by: Balzer + Bray

Genre(s): Contemporary, YA, LGBTQ Fiction, Romance, Humor
Source: Print: Hardback: Library

Age Rating: PG-15

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Twitter: @beckyalbertalli 

Goodreads synopsis:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

~~~

Hey guys!

       I really really liked this book! It really really surprised me! It was absolutely hilarious and the characters were really well written! I didn't necessarily agree with the world views of some of the characters, but I still absolutely loved them! The encounters with Simon and his hilarious friend literally made me laugh out loud...or even in some cases snort. The romance was really cute, and made me giggle out loud sometimes. I love books that make me feel something. If I don't feel some kind of emotion in a book, then it automatically isn't a 4~5 book. I need emotional connections, it's rare that I don't relate or empathize with a character. This book was so entertaining and I'm so glad I read it!

What I Loved: 

• Simon's family's dog's name is Bieber...because Bieber has floppy brown hair like Justin Bieber. I laughed so hard at that!
• When Simon accidentally got drunk. I loved that he appologized after to his parents.
• Simon's relationship with his parents. They may have their ups and downs, but I love how supportive they are, and their shenanigans cracked me up!
• Blue and Simon's emails. They left me smiling and they are just so cute!
• They used amazing grammar! I loved that they didn't use text lingo in their emails! 
• The oreo banter. That was so cute, and made me crave oreos in a bad way!
• The cover! It's absolutely perfect for this book! Simon would really appreciate the cover. From what I got from his character, this cover screams "SIMON"!

If You Love _______#_______ You Will Love Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda!

1. Anna & the French Kiss/Lola & the Boy Next Door/Isla & the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins [reviews! {#1} {#2} {#3}] 5/5/5 stars
2. One Man Guy by Michael Barakiva 4.5 stars
3. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 4.5 stars

Enjoy guys!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~

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Weekend Reads [7/24~6/26] & End of July TBR

Hey guys!

       I'm hoping to read a bit this weekend. I've read 3 books since Sunday (the 19th), and I had read a little over 1,100 pages in about 6 days. I'm excited to read some more graphic novels before I start up school again. I'm also excited to read the final installment of the School For Good & Evil trilogy, The Last Ever After. I'm also really excited to read some more fairy-tale retellings, such Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow by Jessica Day George, which is a retelling of East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon; and Uprooted by Naomi Novik, which is a retelling of The Beauty & the Beast. Comment down below what you plan on reading this weekend or this coming weekend.

Here is my End Of July TBR!

The Trickster's Choice by Tamora Pierce

Page Count: 453

Published on: September 17th 2004

Published by: Scholastic Press

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA,  Science Fiction, High Fantasy, Romance

Source: Print: Paperback: Library

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

I loved Tamora Pierce's The Song Of The Lioness Quartet, and I'm really excited to get into this series.

Sun & Moon, Ice & Snow by Jessica Day George

Page Count: 336

Published on: January 8, 2008

Published by: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Retellings, Adventure, Romance

Source: Print: Library

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

I absolutely loved Ice by Sarah Beth Durst and East by Edith Pattou, which are retellings of East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon, and I'm really excited to read this soon.

Doctor Who: 11 Doctors 11 Stories by Eoin Colfer, Michael Scott, Marcus Sedgwick, Philip Reeve, Patrick Ness, Richelle Mead, Malorie Blackman, Alex Scarrow, Charlie Higson, Derek Landy, & Neil Gaiman

Page Count: 516

Published on: November 23rd 2013

Published by: Puffin

Genre(s): Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Science, Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction

Source: Print: Library

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

I love Doctor Who sooo much, so I'm really excited to read these short stories!

The Last Ever After (The School For Good & Evil #3) by Soman Chainani

Page Count: 672

Published on: July 21st 2015

Published by: HarperCollins

Genre(s): Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Middle Grade, Fairy Tale retellings

Source: Print: Library

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

OH MY GOSH I'M SO EXCITED! CHECK OUT MY REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST & SECOND BOOK! [here #1] [here #2]

I also want to read Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Just One Drop by Quinn Loftis, and The Knife Of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. A couple graphic novels that I want to read are: Daniel X (Manga #2) by James Patterson & Ned Rust & SeungHui Kye, Saga (Volume 1) by Brian Baughan & Fiona Staples, and My Girlfriend's A Geek by Rize Shinba. What are you planning on reading in the next couple weeks? Comment down below! 

Enjoy guys! Happy reading!

Olivia

~livthebooknerd~