Read Game Craft

Title: Red Queen Author: Victoria Aveyard Synopsis:  Graceling  meets  The Selection  in debut novelist Victoria Aveyard's sweeping tale of seventeen-year-old Mare, a common girl whose once-latent magical power draws her into the dangerous intrigue of the king's palace. Will her power save her or condemn her? Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood—those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard—a growing Red rebellion—even as her heart tugs h

One of the main things on my Christmas wishlist this year was books, of course. As much as I'm looking forward to getting some of the books I asked for, the fact that it's getting closer to Christmas means I can't buy any books for myself right now. First of all, I need that money to buy presents for other people, and second of all, I can't buy presents for myself this close to Christmas. So basically all my book wishes are on hold until I see what I get for Christmas. All is not lost, though. Today I got two books from the library that I'm happy about. Astonish Me by Maggie Shipstead and The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma. I've been hearing a lot about Nova Ren Suma and saw both of these books on a Book Riot list of books about dancers and knew I had to have them. If I love them enough, I may have to later buy myself my own copies so I can keep them forever and make notes in them. In addition to having heard of Nova Ren Suma before, I'm currently workin

Warning: This review will contain spoilers for the Throne of Glass series but not for Queen of Shadows specifically. Title: Queen of Shadows Author: Sarah J. Maas Synopsis: Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire-for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past... She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return. Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that mi

                                           Title: The Wrath and the Dawn Author: Renee Adieh Publisher: Putnam How I Found It: I saw it all over both Twitter and Tumblr, specifically from my friend Lisa. Synopsis: Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend. She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murd

I know my last post was a Week in the Life post too, but don’t worry. We’ll be getting back to regular book reviews soon, I promise. I wanted to write this post looking toward the week to come instead of looking back at the one I just finished because last week was a mess for me. I was sick in addition to having a lot going on at school and there were a lot of other, more personal things that I’m not going to get into because they’re not interesting to anyone but me. I’ve already started completing my college applications but this week marks when I need to get even more serious about them because I’m applying Early Action to several colleges and those applications are due in just over a month. Specifically, I need to start asking teachers for recommendations and drafting all my essays. Are any of you applying this year or next year? Are any of you currently in university? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments. Book of the Week: The Wrath and the Dawn by

I've just finished my first week of my last year of high school. My week started with driving myself to school for the first time. I'd been driving a lot this summer, but it was still a really good feeling to have this added independence. The obvious downside is having to pay for gas... Later that day, I and eight of my Creative Writing classmates had to give advice to underclassmen in our department. That was just one of the things that happened this week that reminded me that this year isn't going to be like any other, which I know sounds cliche, but it's true. This week was the beginning of my last year at home, and I couldn't be more excited for what's coming. Things I've Been Loving This Week: Mountain Dew - I know how terrible it is for me, believe me, but I still love it and I've been drinking a lot of it as I've been trying to get used to waking up early again. Also, Kit Kats (this isn't all food, I promise) Boyfriend jackets - M

I start my senior year of high school on Monday. Despite the fact that I'm going to have more going on than ever this year and I already have a ton of deadlines looming, I'm not scared. I'm honestly more excited than anything else. My junior year was really hard for me academically and personally and had a huge impact on me. This summer has been exactly what I needed and lately I've been feeling like I'm finally myself again. I'm excited for school for the first time in a while and I feel like I've rediscovered what it was about myself that made me a straight-A student my first two years of high school and hopefully I'll be able to get those same grades again during my senior year even in my AP Calculus class. School makes me more motivated so I'm looking forward to getting back to studying and hopefully being able to put more energy into this blog.

I love books about summer in the same way I love books about college or moving to a new city. There's something in me that loves reading about the life I wish I could have. It's never the ones in which I could never hope to achieve the lives of the characters, like the ones where they find fame or fortune. It's always the ones where the hopes are just out of my grasp. This summer, I've been reading a lot of those books, and I've been loving it. I'm in a good place this  summer and it's been really nice to read some feel-good books. This is also the first summer where I've really felt like I've been doing something with myself and having fun. That means I'm able to stay away from the feeling of missing out these books sometimes give me. What are some of your favorite summer books?

Title: Tonight the Streets Are Ours Author: Leila Sales Release Date: September 15, 2015 Publisher: Macmillan How I Found It: I read Leila Sales' This Song Will Save Your Life  and then requested and was given an ARC of her latest. Synopsis:  Recklessly loyal.  That's how seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley has always thought of herself. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But lately she's grown resentful of everyone--including her needy best friend and her absent mom--taking her loyalty for granted. Then Arden stumbles upon a website called Tonight the Streets Are Ours, the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter, who gives voice to feelings that Arden has never known how to express. He seems to  get  her in a way that no one else does, and he hasn't even met her. Until Arden sets out on a road trip to find him. During one crazy night out in New York City filled with parties

If you're reading this, you might have noticed I haven't written a blog post in two months. This is partially because school kept me from having time to write anything. It also kept me from having the energy to read. I always make time to read even if it seems like there should be no way I'm able to. But this school year, it hasn't even really been an issue of time. It's more of an issue of energy. I was always, always tired. (Still haven't really gotten over that yet) I always wanted to be reading something but even though I have a huge backlist of books I want to get to eventually, I couldn't think of anything, or find anything, or nothing held me. This school year has not been easy on me. It was my junior year and I can only hope that my senior year, which I start in about two months, isn't any harder. Even if it is, I refuse to let it get to me the way this year did. I'm finally going to listen to the advice my boyfriend has been giving me for

I recently finished Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld and have now started reading The Summer I Wasn't Me by Jessica Verdi. I also went to the library and bookstore and picked up some books. image from goodreads Unmade by Sarah Rees Brennan From Amazon: Kami is linked to two boys. One through a strong magical bond, and the other through unforgettable love. With Jared missing for months and presumed dead, Kami must rely on her link with Ash for the strength to face the evil spreading through her town. Working with her friends, Kami uncovers a secret that might be the key to saving the town. But with knowledge comes responsibility—and a painful choice. A choice that will risk not only Kami’s life, but also the lives of those she loves most. Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins From Amazon:  Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan

I'm always looking to see depictions of things we don't usually see in YA literature - or literature in general, really. Whether that's other races, genders, or sexualities, I'm interested in all of it. I'm also interested in areas that get even less press than the ones I've already listed. Mental illness, for example. It's not only mental illness that we need more to be written about. We also need to be able to find more books about neurodivergence in general so if you have any in that area to recommend, let me know in the comments. A few weeks ago, I found myself having an unusual reading experience: I read two books featuring mentall illness back to back. I don't think that's ever happened to me. And I'm not talking about books that feature depression, which I've seen before. While I appreciate accurate depictions of depression and believe they're entirely necessary, I think it's just as important to portray the mental illnesses

Title: Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel Author: Sara Farizan Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers Rating: 3/5 Synopsis (taken from Amazon):  High-school junior Leila has made it most of the way through Armstead Academy without having a crush on anyone, which is something of a relief. Her Persian heritage already makes her different from her classmates; if word got out that she liked girls, life would be twice as hard. But when a sophisticated, beautiful new girl, Saskia, shows up, Leila starts to take risks she never thought she would, especially when it looks as if the attraction between them is mutual. Struggling to sort out her growing feelings and Saskia’s confusing signals, Leila confides in her old friend, Lisa, and grows closer to her fellow drama tech-crew members, especially Tomas, whose comments about his own sexuality are frank, funny, wise, and sometimes painful. Gradually, Leila begins to see that almost all her classmates are more complicated than they first ap

I finished In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken. I read it on and off for about a month which, considering my reading speed, is highly unusual for me. The length of time it took me to read this book shouldn't be taken as an indicator of its quality. Instead, it's just an indicator of my life right now. I'm always busy with school and when I'm not doing math homework, I'm in desperate need of a nap. Because of the mental and physical exhaustion I put myself through in school, I've been in a reading slump which I've mentioned on the blog before. I hated feeling like maybe I couldn't read anymore. But it seems as though finishing In the Afterlight catapulted me out of this slump. I went on to immediately read four books back to back. Reading felt easy and normal again and I couldn't be happier about that. The books I read were Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara Farizan, The Museum of Intangible Things by Wendy Wunder, Schizo by Nic Sheff,

I've finally begun reading In the Aferlight by Alexandra Bracken, the conclusion to the Darkest Minds trilogy. I've been waiting to read this book for months and while I had some trouble starting this book, I'm excited to find out what happens to Ruby Daly and the other characters. Before I read The Darkest Minds , I was, like many people, a bit tired of dystopian/post-apocalyptic Young Adult novels. While The Darkest Minds  didn't lead me to search out all of the dystopian novels I hadn't yet heard of, it reminded me that not all of them are stale and over-hyped. I heard of this book through friends rather than through the media, and I think that difference is what convinced me to give The Darkest Minds a try. I certainly trust my friends more than any publication claiming they've found "the next big thing." Even if they're right, the big thing isn't always the best thing. If you've noticed that I haven't described the premise of t

If you've looked at my blog recently, you've probably noticed that it's been a while since I last made a post. I'm a bit disappointed in myself, but I don't plan to let this be a trend that continues. I've had some trouble finishing books lately. Around Christmas, I had just started a book about Mary, Queen of Scots called The Wild Queen  by Carolyn Meyer and it was really interesting. But then I got sick and I didn't have the concentration to keep reading. Even once I'd recovered, I got swept up in the activity of the holidays and it came time for me to return the book to the library. Hopefully one day I'll get my hands on a copy once again and finally finish it. For Christmas I got gift cards to Books A Million and I thought this would be the key to getting me reading again, that I would buy new books and spend the rest of the break from school reading and my blog would be more active than ever. This was most certainly not the case. I did buy b