Redeem~Donnielle Tyner | Review

Title: Redeem (The Caelian Cycle #2.5)
Author: Donnielle Tyner
Genre: YA Dystopian/Science Fiction
Length: 66 Pages
Release: January 2016
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

I received a copy of this novella in exchange for an honest review.

Review

 This novella follows Kian, one of the main characters of the Caelian Cycle. Throughout the first two novels Kian has been somewhat of a mystery. Pieces of his history have been revealed, but I never really felt like I knew where he came from. This novella delves more deeply into his past, giving more insight into why he showed up in Lost. 

Throughout Redeem we get to see Kian grow up, in a way. He's running from mistakes he's made, trying to find a way to survive in a world where he thinks nobody cares about him. He becomes a bounty hunter, but has a hard time facing the consequences of some of his cases. Then he starts delving into cold cases, going under cover, and helping others find closure. He finally feels like he might have a purpose. 

While I did really enjoy this novella, I feel there were a few things that I didn't quite understand. Maybe it's because it's been a while since I read Lost and Bound, maybe it will be revealed in the next book, I don't know. I do recommend this for those who enjoyed the first two books in the series. It explains Kian's role throughout those books a little more than either of them did, since we aren't limited to Sadie's perspective and are instead inside Kian's head.

Finding Daylight~Mara Dabrishus | Review

Title: Finding Daylight
Author: Mara Dabrishus
Genre: YA Equestrian/Romance/Sports
Release: January 2016
My Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Review

Mara does it again, delivering a powerful novel that's not only filled with spot on horse racing jargon, but is also full of real family drama. In this novel we follow a young jockey, Georgie Quinn, through a year of life dealing with racing setbacks, love, loss, and the pain that comes with life. 

Horse racing was an obsession of mine for a long time and I still have much of that knowledge stored in my head, waiting to be tested. Waiting to see if I can find flaws in what people are writing. It's not something I do on purpose, but it happens. But there was nothing to cringe at here. The aspects of racing that needed to be explained for the story were presented beautifully. During the racing scenes I was literally on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen. I felt like I was there, in the saddle, or the stands, urging and cheering along with the characters. And it was amazing. 

The other aspect of the story that was done brilliantly was the drama. Georgie comes from a racing family, has racing family friends, and is a jockey. Her life is woven into the horse racing world, so tightly knit that you can't have one without the other. And while I've never been in her position, all of the rivalries, manipulations, and backstabbing made perfect sense. Everyone has  experienced these same things, to a degree. But horse racing attracts an interesting crowd. And those who make it work are sometimes among the most fascinating, for a variety of reasons. 

The romance in this book lacked the near innocence of that from Stay the Distance, Mara's first book. Georgie and Harris were more intimately connected here, through their families, sometimes almost painfully so. Even with all of their obstacles they still managed to be a nice match and seeing their progression from beginning to end was beautiful. One thing that I loved about them was also there connection through horses. They actually genuinely care about the horses they own, race, train, and breed. And sometimes that's the only thing that holds them together.  Sweet Bells and Roman were wonderful horses that made me want to go ride my own Thoroughbred, though not at the same speed.

The story is told from a third person perspective, following Georgie. Scenes from her past are woven in to the present, filling in holes from the very beginning. And it's just beautiful. So if you like horse, racing, and want to read about some crazy family drama with a nice love story thrown in the mix, definitely give this a try.  

Ashley Bell~Dean Koontz | Review

Title: Ashley Bell
Author: Dean Koontz
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Paranormal
Length: 560 Pages (Hardcover)
Release: December 2015
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review

It's always exciting to step into the world of a Koontz novel. I never quite know what I'm going to get, and I always end up loving it. Ashley Bell is no exception. 

To truly discuss this book would be to give away major spoilers. The characters are a major selling point for this novel. Character driven stories are always the best for me, and I feel like this one had a nice mix of character and plot. The narrative follows different characters at different points, keeping it flowing and fresh. 

Bibi Blair, a young, vibrant writer, is given months to live. Her response: "We'll see." Then Bibi has a miraculous recovery and is told that it's all to save someone named Ashley Bell. The only problem is that Bibi has no idea who Ashley Bell is. The story sweeps you away from there, weaving together scenes from the past and present to give you a glimpse of the future. It's a paranormal thrill ride with twists and turns. 

If you enjoy suspense, mystery, or Dean Koontz novels, you should read this. There is so much I want to say, but can't. I feel that to really tell you about this novel would ruin its magic. So pick it up and enjoy the read.

Tuesday Talks | Bookish Resolutions

Tuesday Talks was created by Janie and Janelle and is a discussion group where we discuss a new bookish topic each week. You can visit the goodreads group to participate in the discussions!

Bookish Resolutions 2016

Since I already posted my 2016 Reading Goals last week, I'm going to go at another angle for this one. I'm going to discuss my goals for blogging, booktube, and writing in 2016. 

Write Blog Posts Consistently

Last year some months were sparse and some kind of overloaded here on my blog. This year I want to keep more of a consistent pace. I don't have a target for a certain number of posts per week or anything, and it will still fluctuate based on month, but hopefully not so much! I've really enjoyed my blog and hope to be able to introduce new and different content; more original writing in particular.

Post a Booktube Video Each Week

My computer has had a lot of issues and I have yet to get a new one. It also doesn't get along with my camera, so I have to work around that. I've been using my phone to post videos and I think I will continue to do so until I have the computer issues resolved. I don't care if anyone even watches them, I just enjoy making videos and think it's a good experience. 

Write a full length novel and at least 26 Short Stories

I want to finish at least one more full length novel this year, hopefully with editing included. I would like to write a short story a week, but I'm allowing myself some leeway and saying every other week. That way if I get really into one I don't have to pressure myself so much to finish it. It's better not to rush creativity too much. I also want to continue writing poetry, so hopefully I'll be posting some of that here on the blog soon. 

What are some of your bookish goals for 2016? Let me know in the comments!

Unbroken~Laura Hillenbrand | Review

Title: Unbroken
Author: Laura Hillenbrand
Genre: Historic Nonfiction
Length: 473 Pages (hardback)
Publication: November 2010
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Review

I am fascinated by history, particularly that regarding WWII. Several months ago I saw this movie and had to pick up the book. Louie's story was compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring. 

This book follows the life of Louie Zamperini, who was lost at sea when his plane crashed, declared dead months later, and lived for over a year in a Japanese POW camp. But first he was an Olympian, competing in track and field events. 

There are so many people who's stories will never be told, but finding the ones that are always fascinates me. And one thing that I loved about how Laura constructed this story was that she incorporated so much about the other prisoners and Louie's family into the story. I felt connected to the other POWs through the stories and connections that were made. 

I don't feel that there is any way to adequately do this book justice with a review. It spans years and continents. There is horror, hope, love, happiness, and redemption. It's educational without reading like a text book. I highly recommend that you go and pick it up right now. 

This was an incredible read for me and has been one of the things inspiring me to read more about this era in world history. There is so much to be learned from the experiences of those who came before us. So go read this. 

Tuesday Talks | Favorite Series of 2015

To find out more about Tuesday Talks and to get involved with the discussions, visit the goodreads group by clicking on the link. It's a lot of fun with a lot of bookish people.

Your Favorite Book or Series of 2015

As most of you know, I posted a My Top Reads for 2015! a few days ago, so I'm going to approach this a little differently. Instead of rehashing a post you can go and read for yourself, I'll pick a series or two that I read and loved in 2015. These books may or may not have appeared on my favorite reads list. I'm going to try and stick with only series that are complete. 

The Ascension trilogy by Jennifer A Nielsen was by far my favorite series of 2015. It's a middle grade story that follows a charming and clever boy as he is taken from being a street orphan to become an impostor prince. It was so good. 

The Skinjacker trilogy by Neal Shusterman is another favorite of 2015. It follows children who are stuck in an in-between state between life and death. They are creepy and fascinating. 

And finally, the Swimming Through Clouds trilogy by Rajdeep Paulus. These books follow two siblings living in an abusive household and their fight to break free and the people who help them do it. It's gritty, sad, happy, and just good.













What were your favorite books or series of 2015?

2016 Reading Goals!

For my first post of the year I thought it would be fitting to share with you my reading goals for 2016. I'm not one to set insane resolutions, preferring to set smaller goals along the way. But when it comes to reading I do like to set myself some goals for the entire year. So here they are!

Read 50 books this year!

According to goodreads, I already have one finished...but I started it in December, so to me that doesn't really count. Particularly since I was already halfway through. Last year I read over 200 books, but this year I want to focus more on just enjoying the books that I'm truly interested in reading. 

Read more fantasy!

Fantasy, as many of you know, is my favorite genre. However, I do not feel that I am widely enough read in this genre and want to try out some different aspects of it. 

Read more science fiction!

I really enjoy science fiction novels, but again, I don't feel that I am as widely read as I would like to be. They are something that I enjoy and I want to read more in the genre.

Read more historic fiction/nonfiction!

I love history and I want to read more historical books. This can be fiction or nonfiction. The World War Two era tends to be the most interesting to me, so that's where my focus is right now, but I'm sure I'll try some other things along the way as well. 

Read more middle grade!

I really enjoy reading middle grade novels and I want to read more of them. So that's a goal this year, to find some middle grade fiction and read it. This will still likely fall into the fantasy and science fiction genres, but I want them to be written for middle grade readers. 

Read a book in another language!

This will likely be a middle grade book, in an attempt to make it a little bit easier on me. I've studied some French and Spanish, but am not fluent in either. I don't know if the book will be in one of these or not. I would like for it to be one that has not been translated and was originally written in whichever language I'm reading. 

So there are some of my reading goals for the year of 2016. Do you have any reading goals? Share them with me in the comments! And please, leave me suggestions you think would fit any of my goals this year-particularly that last one.