Saturday, February 28, 2015

Feminism in YA



Topic: Feminism in YA


In my opinion, I think YA has taken stride and embraced feminism (not to the extent that it could but it's reaching there). We've lived in a society where heroes have taken the lead (and still kinda do when it comes to DC/Marvel) but in YA a lot of great heroines have emerged.
But first let's talk about what feminism really means: 
Feminism: noun
  1. the doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.
To me it means that women AND men should be able to feel/do whatever they want to do without it being labeled as insults or as "girly" or "masculine". We've primarily associated feminism with women rights because, let's be honest, women have only recently been able to vote and have options they can choose from and we don't even have equal wages yet. This society is messed up. At the same time I do think that boys/men shouldn't be ridiculed simply because they felt emotional (God forbid they cry a little) or care about their appearance. I don't but there are a lot of guys who really really care about what they look and how others view them. Yet still, that's more commonly associated with women in the way that shopping and makeup and other sort of things are "for women". No one should be judged for liking books, video games, makeup, or cars. If they like it, SO BE IT! 

And this has totally digresses from what I really wanted to discuss. I LOVE that there are so many books with heroines who are awesome and could totally rule the world if they wanted to. It's great that some books and authors emphasize women independence and self discovery. It's in this golden age of YA that this has become a most prominent feature. Girls are looked at as equals (whether with powers or not) and for the youth it definitely ensures what they're capable of. Most of the female characters within YA novels show women as strong, capable people who don't follow the social norms given to them because of their gender.

And then there's the romance aspect of these stories. I've heard stuff here and there about people disliking romance in stories because it disrupts this female independence or just makes the girl look weak. Like what are you talking about? Girls and guys in general like being in relationships. As long as they don't get too dependent on each other and still have their own lives, it's all good. Just because a girl wants to be in a relationship doesn't mean she doesn't want to be seen as an equal/partner. And just because a girl is in a relationship does not (necessarily) mean she loses her independence or who she really is. (In some books it even enhances those things)

What do you guys think about feminism in YA?
More? Less? Never thought about it?


Thursday, February 26, 2015

Taylor Swift Book Tag


1. We Are Never Getting Back Together
A book (or book series) that you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with..
Taherah: The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare
Loved the first 3 books and then pretty much got tired of the rest of the series.
Caitlyn: The House of Night Series by P.C Cast & Kristen Cast
Loved the first one but as the series went on it got more and more ridiculous plus she had the same problems every book.

2. Red 
A book with a red cover...
Taherah: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins 
I know it's not totally red but Anna's dress is red and lust has a read aura so it fits in :D 
Caitlyn: Fire by Kristin Cashore
It's literally all red XD

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (124)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating. 

~Currently Anticipating~

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Review: Everything That Makes You by Moriah McStay

Everything That Makes YouEverything That Makes You by Moriah McStay
352 Pages
Release Date: March 17th, 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: 4-4.5 STARS

Goodreads Summary:
One girl. Two stories. Meet Fiona Doyle. The thick ridges of scar tissue on her face are from an accident twelve years ago. Fiona has notebooks full of songs she’s written about her frustrations, her dreams, and about her massive crush on beautiful uber-jock Trent McKinnon. If she can’t even find the courage to look Trent straight in his beautiful blue eyes, she sure isn’t brave enough to play or sing any of her songs in public. But something’s changing in Fiona. She can’t be defined by her scars anymore.

And what if there hadn’t been an accident? Meet Fi Doyle. Fi is the top-rated female high school lacrosse player in the state, heading straight to Northwestern on a full ride. She’s got more important things to deal with than her best friend Trent McKinnon, who’s been different ever since the kiss. When her luck goes south, even lacrosse can’t define her anymore. When you’ve always been the best at something, one dumb move can screw everything up. Can Fi fight back?

Hasn’t everyone wondered what if? In this daring debut novel, Moriah McStay gives us the rare opportunity to see what might have happened if things were different. Maybe luck determines our paths. But maybe it’s who we are that determines our luck. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Top 10 Heroines from Books/TV Shows/Movies

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten.
**Lists aren't in any specific order**

Topic: Top 10 Heroines from Books/TV Shows/Movies
Taherah's List:
Books-
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1)These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Cover Attack III

In case you missed previous cover round ups:

**Click on the cover to go to its Goodreads page**

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson
Walk on Earth a Stranger (The Gold Seer Trilogy, #1)

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Review: The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury

The Sin Eater's Daughter (The Sin Eater's Daughter, #1)The Sin Eater's Daughter by Melinda Salisbury
320 Pages
Release Date: February 24th, 2015
Publisher: Scholastic
Source: Publisher
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 STARS

Goodreads Summary: 
Seventeen-year-old Twylla lives in the castle. But although she’s engaged to the prince, Twylla isn’t exactly a member of the court.

She’s the executioner.

As the Goddess embodied, Twylla instantly kills anyone she touches. Each month she’s taken to the prison and forced to lay her hands on those accused of treason. No one will ever love a girl with murder in her veins. Even the prince, whose royal blood supposedly makes him immune to Twylla’s fatal touch, avoids her company.

But then a new guard arrives, a boy whose easy smile belies his deadly swordsmanship. And unlike the others, he’s able to look past Twylla’s executioner robes and see the girl, not the Goddess. Yet Twylla’s been promised to the prince, and knows what happens to people who cross the queen.

However, a treasonous secret is the least of Twylla’s problems. The queen has a plan to destroy her enemies, a plan that requires a stomach-churning, unthinkable sacrifice. Will Twylla do what it takes to protect her kingdom? Or will she abandon her duty in favor of a doomed love?

Friday, February 20, 2015

Review: Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
400 Pages
Release Date: March 10th, 2015
Publisher: Kathrine Tegen Books
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 STARS

Goodreads Summary:

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

Jodi Meadows introduces a vivid new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, dangerous magic, and one girl’s battle to reclaim her place in the world.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Blog Tour: A Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas {Review+Giveaway}


A Wicked Thing
by Rhiannon Thomas
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: February 24th 2015
Read an excerpt
Rate: 3.5 STARS 

Synopsis:

Rhiannon Thomas's dazzling debut novel is a spellbinding reimagining of Sleeping Beauty and what happens after happily ever after.

One hundred years after falling asleep, Princess Aurora wakes up to the kiss of a handsome prince and a broken kingdom that has been dreaming of her return. All the books say that she should be living happily ever after. But as Aurora understands all too well, the truth is nothing like the fairy tale.

Her family is long dead. Her "true love" is a kind stranger. And her whole life has been planned out by political foes while she slept. 

As Aurora struggles to make sense of her new world, she begins to fear that the curse has left its mark on her, a fiery and dangerous thing that might be as wicked as the witch who once ensnared her. With her wedding day drawing near, Aurora must make the ultimate decision on how to save her kingdom: marry the prince or run.

Rhiannon Thomas weaves together vivid scenes of action, romance, and gorgeous gowns to reveal a richly imagined world … and Sleeping Beauty as she’s never been seen before.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (123)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating. 

~Currently Anticipating~

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Book Related Problems

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten.
**Lists aren't in any specific order**

Topic: Book Related Problems

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Cover Attack II

*Click on the covers to go to its Goodreads page* 

Ice Like Fire by Sara Raash
Ice Like Fire (Snow Like Ashes, #2)

Saturday, February 14, 2015

Event Recap: RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard

For one of the first events of 2015, Caitlyn, Olivia (Vlogger at We Think We're Funny), and I went 
to The Grove B&N for Victoria Aveyard's RED QUEEN. At first Tahereh Mafi was supposed 
to be moderating but she wasn't able to make it because she was sick. 
WE SEND OUR WISHES TAHEREH! Hope you feel better! <3

Friday, February 13, 2015

The Truth About Books: The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead


Sooooo, hopefully you know the drill ;) if haven't read this book you shouldn't read this review unless you want to be spoiled. Also another disclaimer: 
this is the last book in the Bloodlines series
If you want to start with the first book I believe I did a review on it XD 
Happy Reading!

The Ruby Circle (Bloodlines #6) by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Release Date: February 10th, 2015


Goodreads Summary:

The epic conclusion to Richelle Mead's New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series is finally here...

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

After their secret romance is exposed, Sydney and Adrian find themselves facing the wrath of both the Alchemists and the Moroi in this electrifying conclusion to Richelle Mead’s New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series. When the life of someone they both love is put on the line, Sydney risks everything to hunt down a deadly former nemesis. Meanwhile, Adrian becomes enmeshed in a puzzle that could hold the key to a shocking secret about spirit magic, a secret that could shake the entire Moroi world.

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Blog Tour: One of the Guys by LIsa Aldin {Promo+Excerpt}

One of the GuysOne of the Guys by Lisa Aldin
Release Date: Feb. 10th, 2015
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press

Goodreads Summary: 
Tomboy to the core, Toni Valentine understands guys. She'll take horror movies, monster hunts and burping contests over manicures. So Toni is horrified when she's sent to the Winston Academy for Girls, where she has to wear a skirt and learn to be a lady while the guys move on without her.

Then Toni meets Emma Elizabeth, a girl at school with boy troubles, and she volunteers one of her friends as a pretend date. Word spreads of Toni’s connections with boys, and she discovers that her new wealthy female classmates will pay big money for fake dates. Looking for a way to connect her old best friends with her new life at school, Toni and Emma start up Toni Valentine’s Rent-A-Gent Service. 

But the business meets a scandal when Toni falls for one of her friends--the same guy who happens to be the most sought-after date. With everything she's built on the line, Toni has to decide if she wants to save the business and her old life, or let go of being one of the guys for a chance at love.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (122)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating. 

~Currently Anticipating~

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely ladies at The Broke and the Bookish! Each week, a new topic is put into place and bloggers share their top ten.

**Lists aren't in any specific order**

Topic: Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romance In Books

Monday, February 9, 2015

Book Blitz: Collide by Melissa West {Excerpt+Giveaway}


Collide (The Taking #3)
Release Date: 02/09/15
Entangled Teen
320 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
Military legacy Ari Alexander has survived alien spies, WWIV, and a changing world order. But when the new leader of Earth uses Jackson—the only boy she's ever let herself care about—to get to her, Ari has no choice but to surrender.

To free Jackson, she agrees to travel to the national bases to train others to fight. What she discovers is a land riddled with dying people. Ari has the power to heal by turning the fighters into aliens—half-breeds like her. If she succeeds, together, they have a chance at overthrowing the alien leader, Zeus. But if she fails, everyone she holds dear will be wiped away forever.


Once again, everything Ari’s come to believe is thrown into question. In a world of uncertainty, loyalties are tested, lies are uncovered, and no one can be trusted. If Ari and Jackson have any hope at survival and at preserving a life for the future, they must fight the final war with their eyes wide open.


Buy Links:
AmazonB&NKobo

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Cover Attack


**Click on the cover to go to its Goodreads Page**

P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han 
P.S. I Still Love You (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #2)

Saturday, February 7, 2015

Blog Tour: I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell {Interview+Giveaway}


I Remember YouI Remember You
by Cathleen Davitt Bell
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: February 10th 2015

Synopsis:
For fans of THE FUTURE OF US comes an engrossing story of two teens, whose love for each other is tested by time and fate.

Lucas and Juliet couldn’t be more different from each other. But from the moment Lucas sees Juliet, he swears he remembers their first kiss. Their first dance. Their first fight. He even knows what’s going to happen between them—not because he can predict the future, but because he claims to have already lived it.

Juliet doesn’t know whether to be afraid for herself or for Lucas. As Lucas’s memories occur more frequently, they also grow more ominous. All Juliet wants is to keep Lucas safe with her. But how do you hold on to someone you love in the present when they’ve begun slipping away from you in the future?

Goodreads | Amazon paperback | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | iTunes | Kobo

Friday, February 6, 2015

Review: When Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill

When Joss Met MattWhen Joss Met Matt by Ellie Cahill
368 Pages
Release Date: February 24th, 2015
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: (New Adult) Contemporary
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 4 STARS

Goodreads Summary: 
Ellie Cahill is poised to coin the term “sorbet sex” with her charming twist on the age-old ‘friends-with-benefits’ story.

Dating can be fun, but it can leave a nasty taste in your mouth. For Joss, ever since her longtime boyfriend cheated on her, she doesn’t want her last memory of a guy to be that jerk. Enter her college friend, Matt. They come up with a theory: after a bad break-up, a person needs to cleanse the palate with a little sorbet sex. Lovers for a night, but always back to being friends in the morning. The two can handle it because they have a contract: rules they wrote, rules they follow and rules they can sometimes bend. The arrangement works: everyone needs a little sorbet now and again … until it starts to be the only thing you want. And then Joss breaks the one rule they never wrote down: don’t fall in love. 

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Book Blitz: Invaded by Melissa Landers {Author's Note+Giveaway}


I am so thrilled to help Melissa Landers with her release week launch party for INVADED! See a note from Melissa below and make sure to enter the giveaway!

Hey, fiction lovers. I’m Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated series (YA sci-fi from Disney-Hyperion), and today I’m bouncing with excitement because THE SEQUEL IS FINALLY HERE!

It’s been a year since we left Aelyx and Cara onboard the intergalactic transport, and INVADED begins with an emotional goodbye as they part ways—Aelyx returning to Earth to salvage the alliance, and Cara continuing to L’eihr to serve out her part of the student exchange. While they’re apart, our star-crossed lovers will face assassination attempts, betrayal, crippling self-doubt, and a sadistic alien Phys Ed class. (Because there’s no escaping PE, even in another galaxy.) When Aelyx and Cara finally reunite…well, let’s just say it’s combustive. ;-)

What do reviewers think? I’m glad you asked!

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Waiting on Wednesday (121)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine where that spotlights the upcoming books I am currently anticipating. 

~Currently Anticipating~

Monday, February 2, 2015

Review: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
320 Pages
Release Date: February 10, 2015
Publisher: Orion
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4 STARS

Goodreads Summary:

A thrilling new fantasy trilogy for fans of DIVERGENT and THE HUNGER GAMES.

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Cover Reveals: Nowhere but Here, Neverseen, and MORE


Nowhere but Here by Katie McGarry
Nowhere But Here (Thunder Road, #1)
Love that the guy is in the background and that the title takes the whole page
Can't wait for this new Katie McGarry book :D 
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