InSomnus by Molly Fennig

Page Count: 282

Published on: August 10, 2016

Published by: Createspace

Genre(s): I don't even know!

Source: Paperback - From author

Age Rating: PG-12

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @mollyfennig

My Rating: 1.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

      Bryony "Bryn" Winters can harm people by dreaming. With no control over whom she hurts, a condition called Somnus, Bryn can't even be sure she won't kill her own family. Protecting them means running away and trusting a mysterious company that possesses as much authority as amorality. And when Bryn meets Cedar Blackthorne, a Somnus with captivating eyes, she can feel he's hiding something. So why can't Bryn help trusting him? And what if she's making a deadly mistake?

~~~

Hey, guys! 

      I was sent a paperback copy of this book for an honest review. This will be a very honest review. I wanted to really love this book. I love reading books by young and upcoming authors, but I really did not like this book. It was cliche, the fantasy or dystopian world wasn't developed at all. The plot went everywhere. It was just a mess....I really wish that I liked this book but it needs extensive work...Maybe my Goodreads updates will kind of give you an idea of what I was saying all throughout my reading experience. Warning: I was really irritated so....

Guys....I had over 50 Goodreads updates. Within a couple minutes, I'd have another comment about the book that was either disappointing or I just got really pissed.... Here are a few of the highlights:

• Insta-love. It was insanely annoying.
• The characters gain random personality characteristics that would pop up randomly and then are either never mentioned again or are only mentioned when it was convenient. 
• While I'm on the topic of convenience, everything happened way to conveniently. Almost every huge plot event was completely random or was a knock off of major events in other YA novels. 
• The main character, Bryn, was so completely annoying. I cannot stand her. She's so whiny, inconsistent, and annoying. One moment she's a total badass, but then she's a total submissive weakling. 
• There were so many bits of this book that I felt were basically from other popular YA novels. (Hunger Games, Red Queen, The Selection, Shatter Me, & Divergent). 
• The main character was so dumb...she could never make up her mind. She made me so mad. If you read my Goodreads updates, then you'll probably get an idea of my frustration. 
• The writing was not great for me...The characters were not written very well and they were very two dimensional. None of them acted their age, they didn't make any good decisions, they didn't use common sense at all, they didn't have natural reactions, and it was so annoying.
• If you really don't want to read my updates, then I'll summarize it up a bit. (No I don't expect y'all to read them, but it kind of reveals my thought process while reading. I was just really disappointed. 
• There were so many plot holes and the characters were so annoying and there was so much insta-love! I really hated it. This book was just a mess.

      I really wanted to love this book. I think Molly has the potential to be a great writer, but I felt like there needed to be more originality.... 

Reviews of Books Mentioned:

• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins ~ 5 stars
• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard ~ 5 stars
• The Selection by Kiera Cass ~ 5 stars
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi ~ 5 stars
• Divergent by Veronica Roth ~ 5 stars

Happy reading!

Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~

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After You (Me Before You #2) by Jojo Moyes

Page Count: 353

Published on: September 29, 2015

Published by: Penguin

Genre(s): Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Adult Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Drama

Source: Paperback -Sent to me by Penguin

Age Rating: PG-17

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @jojomoyes

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future...

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await. 

~~~

Hey, guys!

      If you've kept up with my reviews for the past few months, you would probably remember my very emotional thoughts on Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.... Boy was that great and thought provoking book. Well, After You follows Lou Clarke after the end of Me Before You. If you haven't read Me Before You and do not want to be spoiled, then I recommend that you read Me Before You and then come back. I will tell you though, that this is an excellent book and although it's not as great as Me Before You, I think it is essential that you read this book after it. I think it ties up Lou's story really nicely. It's not like Me Before You even needed a sequel, but the nerd in me really wanted more of Lou's story. I was so torn up about the ending of Me Before You, but I really enjoy the character development in this book. Anyway, here are my thoughts on After You by Jojo Moyes. 

       Like I said before, After You follows Lou after Will's death. Lou is in a rut and she doesn't know how to be kick started back to life. She's a shell of who she was before, and she just isn't happy. A person from Will's past shows up and turns her life upside down. On top of that, she's going to a therapy group and meets Sam Fielding. The guy who saved her life after a freak accident that she had. This book follows Lou's journey after Will's death and her attempts to find herself even after she feels like her world had ended. 

      I really enjoyed this book. Jojo Moyes's writing is so beautiful and lovely to read. Even though I've only read two of her books, I feel like I'm returning to an old friend when I pick her books up. They deal with some heavy subjects, but they still feel really light and easy. I really loved the characters that Moyes added to Lou's story and I really loved the continuation of the characters in Me Before You. Lou's mom for one, wow! What a character development. I really loved how she stood up for herself and worked hard to be the amazing woman that she is. At first, I really was surprised about her sudden shift of perspective, but then I really got into her attitude and I was cracking up about how Lou's dad reacted. 

      I really did enjoy Lily's character. At first I thought she was a bit dramatic, but once I got to know her whole story I really loved her and she was really real to me. I really want a book about Lily. I want to see her grow up and thrive and find love...I also really loved Sam's character. He is such a sweet guy and I totally ship Clarke and Sam... I also really enjoyed Clarke throughout this book. Her grief was very raw and realistic and I loved how Moyes dealt with her heart ache and her healing process. 

      Jojo Moyes is about to come out with another novel and I can't wait to read it. I'm not sure if I'll read her other books. I'm not sure where to start. Comment down below your favorite Jojo Moyes book other than MBY & AY. I adore her writing, but I don't know where to start. 

Thank you Penguin for sending me a copy of this awesome book! 

Books Mentioned:

• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes ~ 5 stars

Happy reading!
Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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Kindred Spirits by Rainbow Rowell

Page Count: 96

Published on:  February 25, 2016

Published by: Macmillan's Kids UK

Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Short Stories, Fiction

Source: Paperback --Thank you Carlisa!

Age Rating: PG

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @rainbowrowell

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads synopsis:

'Everybody likes everything these days. The whole world is a nerd.'
'Are you mad because other people like Star Wars? Are you mad because people like me like Star Wars?' 
'Maybe.' 

If you broke Elena's heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she's expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does. What she's not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels. Kindred Spirits is an engaging short story by Rainbow Rowell, author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On, and is part of a handful of selected short reads specially produced for World Book Day.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      If you've been following my blog or following me on Goodreads, then you would know that I am a huge fan of Rainbow Rowell's work. I've loved everything that she's written and when she announced that she was releasing a short story for World Book Day that was about a girl who loves Star Wars...I was sold. 

     Elena is absolutely ecstatic about the new Star Wars movie. She decides to camp out in the movie queue..she expects a huge fuss and a huge celebration. She finds the queue to be made up of 2 guys and herself for the week. 

     I loved this story. You would think that it would be a bit of an info-dump when it comes to the main character, but there was actually quite a bit of character development and it was very natural. The characters were all really funny and sweet and their shenanigans in life were really fun to read about. I really want a full-length novel that takes place after the movie to see Elena and her new Star Wars friends go from there.

      I'm not sure why there was a little thing on the front of the book that says "For Older Readers", but it was definitely YA. I just loved how sweet and fluffy it was. Some may not like the ending because it was a bit abrupt and could appear to be rushed, but it was a short story and I loved it. I'm not very familiar with short stories, but this was just what I needed between a fantasy and science fiction binge.

I can't wait until 2017 when the U.S. gets their own version of this book. I want to buy all of Rainbow's work. She's definitely one of the best contemporary romance writers.

My Rainbow Rowell Reviews:

• Fangirl ~ 5 stars
• Carry On ~ 5 stars
• Attachments ~ 4.5 stars
• Eleanor & Park ~ 5 stars

Happy reading!
Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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[TAG] Pokemon Go Book Tag

Disclaimer:  Pokemon Go belongs to Niantic and Nintendo, please don’t sue me.

Original Post: {click here}

By the time this is uploaded, Pokemon Go has probably taken over the internet. The memes will have blown up your Facebook feeds and the Poke-culture will have taken over the 90's and 00's generations...I actually haven't played the game because my device is too old to support the app...I'm fixing that soon...I really want to try Pokemon Go out...Anyway here is the tag!

EDIT: I've started playing the game and it's alright. I only play it if I have like 10 minutes between a class, or if I'm bored, but it's pretty fun. I have some pretty cool pokemon and I think I'm on level 10 after playing for a couple weeks. 

Comment down below the level you're at and your favorite pokemon that you've caught so far.

Rules:

NIL: Link back to Aentee's blog. You may re-use the graphics. Tag people or don't just have fun.

~~~

There are 3 books that I remember reading early on in my life that have shaped my reading tastes.I've shared these books with my little sisters and my little cousins and I encourage them to read them when they start reading for fun. Those books are: The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner, Junie B. Jones & Her Big Fat Mouth by Barbara Park, and Green Eggs & Ham by Doctor Seuss.

The obvious answer is Harry Potter, but if I had to choose an actual literary classic it would have to be Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I absolutely adore L.M. Alcott's writing. She has been very near and dear to my heart for as long as I can remember, but when I actually did my term paper on her life and her writing my junior year of high school, I learned so much about her hard work and dedication to what she loves and I loved her not only as a writer but as a person as well. 

Can I just say that I am sick of the hype around Fifty Shades of Grey? Some people really love this book, but from what I read about it, it just doesn't look like it is written well. Not to mention the subject matter. I'm not really into that genre, but that's just me. I think it's really funny when I see like 5-8 copies of Fifty Shades of Grey in charity or donation shops and nobody picks them up. I think lots of people are pretty sick of FSOG. This is just my opinion, though. 

In the end of last year, I reread the first two books in the Lux series by Jennifer L. Armentrout and read the third book in the series for the first time and it really reminded me of Twilight by Stephanie Meyer! It is a very angsty book and I have the whole series on my shelf...Once I got about 50 pages into the fourth book, I put it down and I haven't actually picked it back up yet. It was getting too predictable for me...Someday, though. Until then, I'm going to try to find some awesome books to read.

I'm just going to say.... The Game of Thrones and Outlander books...they are so huge! Middle school Olivia would be jumping through hoops to get her hands on such hefty books, but college Olivia has decided to wait until she can actually commit to such fat books. I would never be able to get into these books at this time. I am so swamped right now. I literally cannot right now....

Uh...A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas!!! Easily my favorite book so far this year. I cannot wait to get my hands on the rest of the series. I'm so glad that this series is going to be made not in a trilogy, but in a six-book-series! When I found out that Sarah J. Maas had released a statement about the series being expanded I literally screamed. I'm not kidding. I screamed out loud! I love this series so much, and I expect that when I reread the first two books in the TOG series and actually read the rest I'm going to love them too. Sarah J. Maas is definitely going to be an auto-buy author for me....

Ha! I have so many OTPs but here are a few of them:

Peeta x Katniss from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

America x Maxon from The Selection by Kiera Cass

Feyre x Rhysand from A Court of Mist & Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Levi x Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

If you haven't followed my blog long, then you ought to know that I am the biggest fan of The Selection series by Kiera Cass and basically anything by Kiera Cass for that matter. I will definitely buy anything that Kiera puts out. She is such a beautiful person. I love her so much. 

Who doesn't love the Percy Jackson spinoffs? I mean nothing could be better than Rick Riordan's spinoffs. He doesn't just write spinoffs, he writes masterpieces. Every book and spinoff are 10/10 fantastic.

Last year, I read an ARC of Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos and I absolutely loved it. I still don't have my own physical copy, but I have been planning on buying one for a while. I just loved that book, and it's fantastic and I highly recommend!

When I was compiling this list, I hadn't started The Mortal Instruments series or the Infernal Devices trilogy, but as I type this up, I have already read the first 2 books in the Mortal Instruments series and I've ordered books 3 through 5 on Amazon to binge read the series...I can't wait to complete this series. I'm loving it so much.

Again, any Harry Potter book. It's my dream to go to Europe and collect different editions of Harry Potter to have a cool collection of the books. I love this series so much and I would not hesitate to buy all of the Harry Potter books...but college...so not yet. Haha.

I had to look up some 2017 debuts because I wasn't really up to date with all of the debuts that will be coming up, but recently, I bought The Thousandth Floor by Katherine McGeeand I'm so excited to read it. It's so beautiful, and I'm so excited to read a new dystopian book. I'm such a big fan of the genre. There's also another book, Blood Rose Rebellion by Roselyn Eves which sounds so fantastic, so I can't wait to read this book.

Okay, I mentioned a few authors above that I had said were auto-buy authors...I forgot about Lure Mods...so yeah...I'll mention those authors again. 

Kiera Cass, J.K. Rowling, Rick Riordan, Sarah J. Maas, and Rainbow Rowell

All of these authors are such beautiful people and write some pretty amazing books. I can't wait to read what they write next. 

I mean it hasn't been forever, but I can't wait for A Court of Thorns & Roses #3. It's probably going to be my most anticipated read of 2017...Need I say more?

I tag anyone who wants to do this! 

I officially tag:

Maddie & Bee from Heart Full of Books

Jessica & Stacy from Chapter Chicks

Chelsie of Bookish Dream!

Sophie from Seamless Reader

Kristina from Gone Pecan

Happy reading!
Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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Milk & Honey by Rupi Kaur

Page Count: 204

Published on: November 4, 2014

Published by: Createspace

Genre(s): Poetry, Nonfiction, Feminism, Contemporary, Adult, Romance, Cultural, Mental Health, Sociology, Literature  

Source: Paperback -Borrowed

Age Rating: PG-17 -mature themes and topics

Trigger Warning: Rape & Abuse

Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon

Twitter: @rupikaur_

My Rating: 3 stars

Goodreads synopis:

milk and honey is a collection of poetry and prose about survival. It is about the experience of violence, abuse, love, loss, and femininity. It is split into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose, deals with a different pain, heals a different heartache. milk and honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look.

~~~

Hey, guys!

      I was lent this book by one of my friends that I met at college (Thank you, Abby!) and I was really excited but kind of wary of this book of poetry. I had heard  from Abby that the book was really amazing, but I had heard from Whitney from WhittyNovels on YouTube that it wasn't that great. I kind of have to agree with Whitney. Overall, the book was kind of underwhelming. I mean the hype for this poetry is unreal, but I really wasn't impressed with most of it. Some of the poems were really beautiful and profound, but some of them just weren't. 

     Most of the poems were quite random and didn't have any specific rhyme or structure. They weren't lyrical and were like regular sentences with weird spacing. The feminist message wasn't anything new, I had been hearing the message for years now and I've accepted the ideals for a long time. It wasn't anything new for me. It's what I've been reading online and hearing in the media for years now. It was very Tumblr-aesthetic and I think it was just really frustrating to have something so powerful to be so underwhelming. I really wish that I loved this but I didn't. 

      The overall look of the book is really elegant and lovely, but the insides are kind of pretencious and unimpressive. This book had the potential to be really fantastic and powerful, but it felt cliche and the poetic devices weren't used right at all. I will probably see more of Rupi Kaur's work on Tumblr, but I probably won't go out of my way to read a full novel of her poetry...


Things That Made Up For the Lame:
~Rupi Kaur's passion
~The aesthetic
~The illustrations
~The few poems that I loved

Other Verse Novels That I've Reviewed:

• The Good Braider by Terry Farish ~ 3 stars
• Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams ~ 3 stars

I would love to read more novels in verse or even a collection of poems. If you would like me to read a book in verse or even recommend a specific poem, I would love to check out your recommendations. I love poetry and I love getting your recommendations. Comment down below or contact me through my social media! 

Happy reading!

Olivia 
~LivTheBookNerd~

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[Tag] The Birthday Book Tag!

Hey, guys!

So yesterday was my birthday...I turned 19! Wow! That's so weird to say! I found this tag via Google and I'm not sure where it originated, but this is the Birthday Book Tag. I'll be answering some cute bookish questions, so enjoy!

1. Count your birth day along your bookshelf and then subtract your birth month. What book does it land on?

So, my birth month, October (10) and the date I was born, 13. I did some counting from the top stacks on my shelf...It's a mess, but I landed on:

The Crown by Kiera Cass

My Review: {click here}

Holy crap I loved this book so much. Such an amazing conclusion to one of my all time favorite series. I can't wait to read more of Kiera's work. I need more of her books in my life.

2. If you could spend your birthday with any fictional character who would it be and why?

This is so hard! If I had to pick between all of my favorite characters it would be between Draco Malfoy or Fred Weasley from Harry Potter. I'm so in love with Fred, but I think Draco is a misunderstood sweetheart. I would love to meet both of them...

3. Find a book that takes place in the season you were born in.

I definitely have to pick Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. If you've followed my blog for a while, then you'll know of my constant love for this book. If I had a book that was my book spirit animal, this would be the book...if that makes any sense. This is one of my top 3 favorite books..ever. I recommend it to everyone. Fantastic book. 10/10!!!

My Review: {click here}

4. Find a book that is the color of your birth stone.

It's really hard to find a book that is the same "color" of an opal...I guess I could pick Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. It's grey, but kind of shiney like an opal...I'm not sure. Comment down below if you can find a book that is the same "color" as an opal. 

5. Is their a series with the same number of books as your age? If so what is it?

Not that I know of! One of the longer series that I love is the Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer. It's a historical/adventure series that is set in the 1700s and follows the crazy adventures that Jacky Faber gets into.

6. Pick a book set in a time period, world or country you would like to have been born in.

I would love to live in the world of Harry Potter. I mean...do I have to explain? It's the ideal world to live in...

I hope you enjoyed this tag! Sorry it went up a day late!

Happy reading!
Olivia

~LivTheBookNerd~

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