Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James
Del Rey (February 14, 2017) | 368 pages
eARC via NetGalley
Plot: 5
Setting: 5
Writing: 5
Originality: 5
Characters: 5
Romance: 4
Title/Cover Bonus: 3
Very original, multiple points of view with unforgettable characters.
Continue reading “Review | Gilded Cage (Dark Gifts #1) by Vic James”
Impossible Love by Kimberly Readnour
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
An enjoyable New Adult book.
As with any book with racy sex scenes some words come off as alarming. However, if felt that most X-rated words always came off as alarming, which made my reading experience somewhat unpleasant. I honestly think the book would have been much better if some of the more Adult words were not used. I say this because the main character, Kayla, came off as more of a teenager than an adult. Sure, she was 21 but she was a VERY inexperienced adult in many fashions. She portrayed herself as a very naive young lady with some immature reactions.
There were a few pop culture references of a recent Adult series-turned-movies that I also felt were unnecessary.
Favorite scene:
The Skype call.
The Form of Things Unknown by Robin Bridges
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A good new girl to new town book.
Centers around Natalie who has just had a heck of a break up, and is making new friends in her new home town after moving to help support her grandmother.
Main characters are well developed but I feel the supporting characters lacked in connection to the story. Such as Starla and Colton.
Overall, a decent read and a surprising ending.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this book.
The major thing that I loved was that the story begins at the very beginning of the main character’s lives. Right from birth. This frightened me a bit because I thought maybe this would not progress to their young adult and adult lives. I was wrong and I loved having the whole story!
This book is full of details both in character and surroundings.
My first Ottoman Empire read and I truly enjoyed it.
The relationship between Lada and her younger brother Radu was an odd one. Lada is a special girl. She is a strong willed girl-woman in a man’s world. Thus, she must be brutal and overpowering to stand out among the boys and men of her world. Unfortunately she is more man than that of her brother who is weak and cries too much.
Overall, I found the character progression satisfying. I look forward to another story with these characters.
The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While this was a good book I can’t say that I loved it as much as the first book.
Then again when do we really ever love the second book of a series?
There are several things that happened in this installment that I found very interesting. Such as Arin’s trip East. Kestrel really has her thinking cap on in this book too.
I can say for certain that I dislike the Emperor even more now. I also have a love hate feeling for Kestrel’s father.
I did not like the ending of this book AT ALL.
There is no conclusion what so ever.
Hate endings like this.
I look forward to the next book though.
So I have my braces on! Woohoo!
Without getting into too much detailĀ here, just know it went well.
I have posted a few YouTube videos detailing my experience.
I did NOT edit the first video…I will go back and correct that this weekend. But I did get a chance to edit the other videos. So I apologize in advance for the two encounters with my children while filming.
Questions and comments are always welcome.
I have a few upcoming book giveaways so stay tuned!
Book lovers, please excuse these personal blog posts covering my journey with braces. Unless, of course, you are interested!
A few months ago I committed to correcting my teeth. Many never would have thought that my teeth were a sensitive subject of mine but they are and have been from a very young age.
Take these school portrait pictures for example.
Up until 4th grade I had a massive cheese going on. 5th grade I was like, “nope, not happening again this year”; maybe the crazy vest made up for it though? Couldn’t find my 6th grade picture but I was back to a big toothy smile in 7th grade with my little sister Jennifer. By then I seemed to have grown into my large smile but still had issues with showing too much gum.
I have since mastered that issue by controlling just how much I smile. That is not fun and no one should feel like they need to limit their smile for fear of showing too much gum or funky teeth but we still do. I am 31 and I have had enough with feeling bad about my teeth and smile.
Many people have vocalized their confusion as to why I think I need braces. “Your teeth are fine.” they say. The simplest answer is because I do. š I need it for myself. It is not a want, it is a need. I need it for my emotional health. Yes, there are also physical health benefits as well such as correcting my bite. I also have a slight issue with TMJ that braces will help fix once my bite is realigned. I also have overcrowding on top and bottom, which cause the hated issue of food continuously getting stuck in my teeth causing a whole other issue I hate dealing with in public. But mostly I need to be able to feel comfortable with smiling. I need to feel good about my teeth. Because right now I do not.
The orthodontist I selected was based on the location of offices and word of mouth. Dr. Toothman of Toothman Orthodontics is based in Frederick Maryland but also has an office in Hagerstown. They offer a variety of orthodontics but I have selected to go with the Damon System utilizing the Damon Clear brackets on my top 6 front teeth and the metal Damon brackets on the remaining teeth. I initially wanted to do Invisalign but since they are removable I decided I did not want to potentially waste my money because I am a known quitter.
I plan to do vlogs (video blogs) to update my progress with the Damon braces. I hope to start them after my braces are put on and monthly or so afterwards.
My braces go on Friday, January 09, 2015 at 8:30 am. I am excited!
Here are my before braces pictures. Click to see a larger picture! Wish me luck!
Drinking from the spring in Tuck Everlasting promisesĀ that you will be granted the opportunity to live forever. Would you drink from the spring?
That is a tough question to answer. It is almost like would you become a vampire or werewolf which also promises immortality? The spring merely promises you to continue being a human. While the prospect of immortality is interesting to me it is not quite as cool as a supernatural ability or super power. I think if another attribute came along with it then I might drink from the spring. Just being a plain human sounds like life would get boring, unless I was able to share that time with another person I love and adore, such as my husband. However, when you mix our children into the equation my answer will change. I would love to live old enough to see my children prosper and even see my grandchildren or great-grandchildren even would be lovely. However, I would not want to see anyone I love to perish before me. That would be torture and I do not enjoy torture.
The 40th Anniversary Edition publishes on January 20th; however, you can pre-order a copy by going to the Macmillan website!
For me personally, book covers, titles, and series titles should support the story as much as possible. These elements are the initial marketing that readers see or hear. They either grasp our attention and interest or they…..don’t.
The cover of Pawn is a great example of tying the cover to the story. Before reading the book you would not be able to see all the details and how they factor in but there are many in this cover.
First, the title Pawn is supported with the chess piece in the upper right hand corner. It is also supported by the teaser line of “The first move is hers…”. Then we see the maze like center, which is later revealed to be a necklace that Lila receives. The center of the maze details an eye and the Roman numeral of three. The importance of the bright blue eye is explained. Kitty’s eye color is a perfect match to Lila’s, a Hart signature, and we find out that the eyes are the one thing that cannot be changed when someone is masked.Ā The number three represents Kitty’s status in society. The cover is gray such as the color of stone.
Taking a closer look at Captive we see the same blue eye but the three is no longer there and is replaced with a seven. The maze like detail has changed. I suspect this might be to represent Section X of Elsewhere. The chess piece in the corner has increased rank from a pawn to a rook. The teaser line is now “Some moves are riskier than others”. The color of the cover is now a wood color which would represent an increase from stone. This cover does not have as many details to uncover as the first book. The major differences are the maze, the number in the eye and of course the cover color.
The next book in the series was announced to be called Queen. I suspect to see a queen chess piece in the corner, an X in the blue eye and I am not quite sure about the maze or the cover color. I want to say an iron color but that would be too close to the Pawn stone colored cover.
What are your thoughts on these covers?
For the past two months, Kitty Doe’s life has been a lie. Forced to impersonate the Prime Minister’s niece, her frustration grows as her trust in her fake fiancĆ© cracks, her real boyfriend is forbidden and the Blackcoats keep her in the dark more than ever.
But in the midst of discovering that her role in the Hart family may not be as coincidental as she thought, she’s accused of treason and is forced to face her greatest fear: Elsewhere. A prison where no one can escape.
As one shocking revelation leads to the next, Kitty learns the hard way that she can trust no one, not even the people she thought were on her side. With her back against the wall, Kitty wants to believe she’ll do whatever it takes to support the rebellion she believes inābut is she prepared to pay the ultimate price?
