It's Monday! What are YOU Reading?

** Originally posted at The Bengali Nomad**

It's Monday! What are YOU Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at the Book Date. In my opinion, the meme is a great way to share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. In other words, basically yet another way for book nerds to gush over read/unread books. 

Weekly Recap @ Daydreaming Bookworm

** Originally posted at The Bengali Nomad**

               

Since this weekly blog post will be linking up to both Sunday Post and Stacking the Shelves, I've decided to label it as Weekly Recap, just to keep things simple.                                                            

Comeback Into The Blogging World For Good... And Giveaway!!!!

If you've read my last blog post, then you'll know that I've been attending a boarding school in the United States for the past two years. During that time I've been taking a blogging break (I know, two years is a long time for a break) but I want to start blogging again, because I used to love it so much. Also, I am graduating high school in less than 13 days!!! How crazy is that? Which is why I think that now, since I have senioritis anyway, would be the best time to reboot into the network of book bloggers. And what better way to celebrate my official return (hopefully) into the book blogging world than having a giveaway? I figured that since I'm going to have to move out of my school dorm anyway, I might as well give away my books to people who will appreciate them (A.K.A bookworms!). But before that, I'd like to update you guys a little bit on what I've been up to (again, I know I did that last year too but failed to follow through it), and then you'll find the giveaway at the bottom of my post. Enjoy! 

Top 2 Highlights Of My Senior Year: (In No Particular Order)

1) THE EUROPE TRIP:

YES. So I went on the school sponsored trip to Eastern Europe over spring break, and honestly it was one of the best trips I've ever had! Our group merged with three other school groups and we did all the travelling within Europe together. A junior from my school and I were randomly assigned as bunkmates with these two girls from Vermont, and it was like instant connection! The four of us then ended up bunking together as a quad throughout the entire trip. It's funny how you can become so close to people over the course of a week. We still communicate every once in a while, and it would be really awesome if sometime in the future we all had the opportunity to go on another trip together. Our tour group visited four cities: Berlin, Prague, Krakow and Budapest , and other than flying into Berlin and flying out from Budapest, we did most of our travelling on a tour bus. The only part of the trip that I didn't like was visiting the Nazi concentration camps in Auschwitz (Poland), but then again I still believe that it was an important experience because the visit was meant to be a reminder of one of the many things that went wrong in history. And hopefully these past incidents will make us consider our actions in the future and keep us from repeating the mistakes of the past. (Maybe Trump should visit Auschwitz **cough** ,**cough**). Well moving on, below are photographed memories of some "happy" experiences.( I say "some" because there are so many )





2) DUNMUN 2015 (DHAKA MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2015)

Now I started Model UN after I joined the Model UN club at my school here in the United States. So as you can imagine, my first MUN conference was in the U.S , at UConn actually.  But the reason why I chose DUNMUN as a top highlight of the year is not only because it was my first MUN conference in Bangladesh, but also because I met a lot of cool Bangladeshi people WITHIN my generation there (and some old classmates as well!) . For me this is particularly important because while I was having an awesome time in the U.S, I kind of grew apart from people my age back in Dhaka. And it was the DUNMUN conference in particular that helped me reconnect with them. I still don't have any solid future plans: I do know that I am going to start out college at Fordham University, but I might want to transfer midway because I am the kind of person who likes travelling to new places and since I've already lived in the U.S. for two years, I think I might give college in Europe or East Asia a shot. But who knows? Only time will tell.

(YES, I am the awkward kid in the red suit)


I also had a successful season in both debate and MUN (lots of trophies and certificates) so super proud of that. I got into fitness in the beginning of the year and dropped a lot of pounds but gained it all back when AP season came around.(What else is new) But that's all I can think of . Without further ado, I present to you, the giveaway!!

What's up for grabs:

BOOKS: (NOTE: SOME OF THEM ARE ARCS (ADVANCED READING COPIES))

 

Hungarian Paprika from my Europe Trip:

And of course, postcards from each destination I visited on my trip to Europe. (Berlin, Prague, Krakow and Budapest). Giveaway is open internationally and will have four winners. Good luck! :)

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I'm Back!! Sort of...

So I'm trying to get back with blogging. I've had a pretty hectic year trying to adjust to a new life far away from home.For those of you who don't know, I've been in the U.S. for almost a year now.I got accepted to a boarding school in Maine, and have had some difficulties in adjusting to a new life here at the dorms (I was a mama's girl back at home). I still want to get back to blogging and will try to become regular with my posts again so hope you guys will support me!!

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO:

Touring new york city with friends (DID I MENTION THAT WE WERE ALONE?!!!)Only a brown girl will understand the thrill of travelling alone with friends.We shared a crappy hotel room but it was so worth it! xD
(P.S. In case you didn't already know, I'm the brown girl in the waay back)

Watching TED talks on FEMINISM (Good golly!God knows what has happened to me!)

 Discovered Korean Dramas.(The perks of living with a lot of East Asian people ;) ).Back at home I used to whine about my mother watching hindi serials all day but now I don't blame her.TV series can become super addictive.Also, just to throw it out there, I'm a REGULAR Game Of Thrones viewer now.Let the celebrations begin!!

 BTW the only reason why I watch Korean Dramas is because the guys are often times extremely hot.Sometimes I don't even get half of the plot in the drama and am too lazy to read subtitles but I keep on staring at the screen anyway.And when I go for an eye checkup in Bangladesh this summer and my optician asks me why my eyesight has again deteriorated I'll just shrug and act clueless.

 In case you guys didn't know what korean drama was,

It's THIS

and THIS 

Now stop everything and GOOGLE it!!! 

That's it from me!! Hopefully you'll hear more from me soon!

xx

Nobonita

What have you guys been up to?Or what do you want to see more in this blog?Leave a me a message in the comments to let me know!

P.S. MORE MAJOR NEWS!! I am hopefully going on a week long trip to Eastern Europe in April next year.I'm still struggling with funding so I'd be grateful if any of you guys were willing to help out.Any amount of donation is appreciated because I feel that this is a wonderful opportunity,and anything that gets me one step closer is a blessing.So thank you guys for considering!Hope to hear from you soon!

DONATE HERE

Recommendations #1

So I haven't blogged in a long time but despite that I still keep getting book mails from publishers (though they're not as frequent).Obviously with my O'levels right around the corner I don't have the time to review books as frequently as I did before but I'll try to do recommendation posts like this from time to time to keep you guys up to date with my reads.That way I won't feel as guilty with the publishers sending me books.Now my reading has significantly decreased over the past months,but I still had time to come across some wonderful books.Here are a few:

I came across this book at a Times bookstore outlet in Kotakinabalu,Malaysia when I went there this winter with my family.Typical of me,being indulged in books even during family vacations. 😑

But nevertheless,I absolutely loved this book.Everything about the main character,her thoughts,passion,are so much like my very own,that it's as if the author took out fragments of my thoughts from my mind and molded them into her book.I know,sounds crazy right?

So this is one of those books you would call a hidden gem; sassy and funky on the outside,passionate and mind blowing on the inside.A definite must read!

Now this book isn't exactly a novel,it's a collection of short stories by Melissa Marr,who's apparently really famous for her Wicked Lovely series.However,this is the first of her work that I've read so I wouldn't know. 😒 

A lot of the stories in the book is from the world of the Wicked Lovely series so some of them were really difficult to understand without reading the series.I skipped those ones though.But the reason why I'm recommending this book is because it also has a number of original stories in there which I absolutely loved and felt like they were worth sharing.Just so you don't have to face the difficulties I did,I'll list down the stories for you:

*Winter's Kiss

*Love Struck

*The Sleeping Girl And The Summer King

*Where Nightmares Walk

*Merely Mortal

Winter's Kiss is recommended very highly.Reminded me a bit of The Golden Compass.

Now on to the last book of the day.Credit for the copy goes to Sarah Woodruff and HarperCollins International.The folks at HC INTL are such nice people that they make me want to wrap them up in a bear hug. 😊 And they've got the fastest delivery service too! 👌

My passion for Egyptian Mythology had started out from fourth grade history but until recently, I hadn't had the opportunity to embrace it to its full extent.I've read The Kane Chronicles but unlike a lot of other people I know,I just haven't been able to enjoy it as much.But The Chaos Of Stars let me quench my thirst for Egyptian Mythology.I was able to build up a clear mental image for the story,imagining the main character with unparalleled and regal beauty like that of Cleopatra.And I believe that a good book is one which allows you to build up a vivid mental image of its atmosphere without putting in any effort at all.And this book had it all.The usual adorable YA romance,along with the strong emphasis on the rich ancient Egyptian culture, a perfect blend for YA fantasy and mythology fans.

Hope my recommendations help you all in finding your next favourite read!Feel free to comment and share your thoughts,after all,you guys are the main reason I blog in the first place..along with the free books! :3 If it weren't for you guys,I'd probably be that wierd kid who sits alone at lunchtime talking to her imaginary friend. 😅 

Stay cool!

xxNobonita

Authors are Rockstars! Guest Post + Giveaway with Megan Shepherd

 

 Hi guys,I know it's been awhile since I've last done a blog post,and unfortunately,it's going to continue that way until next May/June,when I'm finally done with my O'levels.But anyway,I'm really excited to be a part of the 2nd Annual Authors Are Rockstars tour.Full schedule of the tour can be found HERE so be sure to check out the other blogs participating as well! And without further ado,I'm glad to present my tour stop with Megan Shepherd,author of The Madman's Daughter!!!

Now on to the big question.Why did I choose her as a rockstar author?!!You see,I got the opportunity to read and review an ARC of her debut The Madman's Daughter right before its release last winter thanks to some awesome folks at HarperCollins.And I absolutely fell in love with it.This book gave me the courage to pick up more YA historical fictions which I seldom did before as they rarely aligned with my tastes.Not only that,reading The Madman's Daughter gave me this huge surge of adrenaline,the kind you get when listening to your favourite or any good rockband for that matter.So she definitely fits into the rockstar criteria. ;) 

She even did this post on Great Gothic Classics for today,a bit similar to the premise of her book,which makes her all the more awesome!Check it out below:

One of my favorite parts of being a writer is getting to read other books as legitimate “work.” Since my first series, THE MADMAN’S DAUGHTER, are Gothic thrillers, this meant brushing up on one of my favorite genres: Gothic classics. I adore all the dramatic and creepy elements of these novels: tortured romance, secrets in the attic, lightning crashing, windswept moors. Gothic books are such a wonderful blend of beautiful writing, melodramatic plots, tortured characters, and there’s usually a few brilliant twists. Here are some of my favorite iconic Gothic classics.

The works of Edgar Allan Poe

There really are too many too chose a favorite. The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, The Tell-Tale Heart… Poe was a master of horror, science fiction, and satire. One of the first authors to truly explore death and its various manifestations as literary fiction, his works have been giving readers nightmares for generations.
 

THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, Oscar Wilde

I love almost every Oscar Wilde quote I come across, and it’s a shame he only wrote one novel. Luckily, it’s a brilliant one. In the book, a beautiful young man named Dorian Gray sells his soul so that his portrait will age instead of himself, thus giving him eternal youth. This hedonistic freedom leads to a sinful life, which manifests on the portrait. It’s a creepy story of the supernatural as a metaphor for our own split natures and how we can never escape ourselves.

FRANKENSTEIN, by Mary Shelley

Even more than the book itself, I love the story behind how Mary Shelley came up with this idea. One night, she and her husband Percy Shelley, along with Lord Byron, were sitting around an old manor daring each other to tell stories. At the time, galvanism (experimentation on dead flesh) was a flashy new sort of science, and Mary twisted this idea into the story of obsessed Dr. Victor Frankenstein and his tortured monster. There are so many different versions of this story in books and movies, but I highly recommend reading the original. 

WUTHERING HEIGHTS, Emily Bronte

Along with her sister Charlotte, who wrote JANE EYRE, the Bronte sisters are known for starting the feminist Gothic genre. WUTHERING HEIGHTS is the story of a doomed love affair between beautiful Catherine and the brooding Heathcliffe, set on the windswept English moors, and should be required reading for anyone who loves tortured romance and family secrets.

Thanks for the lovely post,Megan!And now,on to the giveaway.Now I'm going to make this a super long one as I won't be active in the blogging world for a while.Also,this one will be an international giveaway,with two winners.One will get an ARC and the other will get a finished international edition paperback of The Madman's Daughter.Before that,here's a bit on The Madman's Daughter itself and you'll find a rafflecopter widget for the giveaway at the end of the blurb.

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Publication date: January 29th 2013 by Balzer + Bray


Links: MyReview / Personal Guest Post With Author

Blurb:  
  
In the darkest places, even love is deadly.

Sixteen-year-old Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself in London—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father's gruesome experiments. But when she learns he is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations are true.

Accompanied by her father's handsome young assistant, Montgomery, and an enigmatic castaway, Edward—both of whom she is deeply drawn to—Juliet travels to the island, only to discover the depths of her father's madness: He has experimented on animals so that they resemble, speak, and behave as humans. And worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island's inhabitants. Torn between horror and scientific curiosity, Juliet knows she must end her father's dangerous experiments and escape her jungle prison before it's too late. Yet as the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father's genius—and madness—in her own blood.

Inspired by H. G. Wells's classic The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Madman's Daughter is a dark and breathless Gothic thriller about the secrets we'll do anything to know and the truths we'll go to any lengths to protect.

 
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Duet Review + Giveaway: Reboot by Amy Tintera

 

Duet review is a feature where I review a book along with my friend,Maliha.For more info. on this feature,check out my very first Duet Review post HERE.

Here's the book that we are going to review today.

Reboot by Amy Tintera 

Publication date: May 7th 2013 by HarperTeen

Blurb: Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

 

MY REVIEW:

 

Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars

**A copy of this book was provided by HarperCollins for review purposes.**

Reboot,for me,was a fun and thrilling dystopian read.I've been on a reading slump lately thanks to my finals and all the coachings I currently have to bear with my O'levels coming up,so reading this book helped a lot in easing up the pressure a bit.It's not like it's one of the best dystopians I've ever read( Hunger Games and Delirium are still on top of that list) but it did make my reading time a whole lot more fun!It had the promising amount of fast paced action and a limited amount of sweet romantic scenes which I think went well with the storyline.

The general idea of the resurrected dead being used by the government as soldiers because they don't know what else to do with them really got my mind wandering.If this idea was used in some sci-fi TV series or movie it would've been one heck of a show!Among the characters,the main character,Wren Connolly,was an absolute winner(I do love me some bad ass heroines!) and reminded me of another favourite protagonist of mine;Calaena Sardothien from Throne Of Glass.Though the different books have completely different time settings,their mindsets are so similar,it's like they could be sisters!

So anyway,moving on,while I did like Wren a lot,I couldn't say the same for Callum.He started out as an interesting character,but towards the end of the book,he lost his charm.The same goes for the plot.Everything was going so well until the last few chapters came out to be a bit less polished than the others.But overall the entire book was great and would sum up for a nice spare time read.Another thing about the book is that I found it really easy to proceed with.I frequently get bored of books halfway and put it on hold for a few days before I feel like reading it again.Reboot did not have any such outcome on me.I was able to finish Reboot in one sitting and gosh did that feel good!If you're a dystopia fan,particularly of The Hunger Games,this book just may be your perfect cup of tea!

MALIHA(@Anonymous Interests)'S REVIEW:

 

Rating: 3 of 5 Stars

Reboot was a short and fun read. It's like one of those post-apocalyptic books where humans die and "reboot" to become zombies. Only instead of being mindless hungry freaks, they are trained to become soldiers and used for the benefit of humans. Yes, the bad guys here are human.

When I read the blurb and it said the heroine had been dead for 178 minutes - longer than the average time, before she rebooted, and therefore had the least of emotions, I expected to read about a disconnected character who regains her humanity with a cure or something. Well, you can rest assured that the heroine is not like this, but just one snarky girl. She's insecure about her death but otherwise, a respected leader. No, this isn't one of those forbidden romance stories between a human and an undead, but both the hero and heroine are Reboots. Isn't that a nice change of concept?

Callum, oh Callum, with his sweet and funny and determined nature, became one of the most loyal and admirable heroes I've read. I felt so sorry for him when he faced his family.

One thing that irked me was the whole resistance thing - humans and Reboots working together to overthrow the evil human government. Must all dystopian books share this one idea? Whether it was original or not, I wish the couple had escaped for, you know, just because they wanted to. Just because they wanted to be together without killing anyone and following wrong orders. Not because they have to act in a rebellion. For just once, I wish to read about heroes and heroines who started a rebellion, not just participated and suddenly starred in it.

But the best part about this book was how the Reboots are. They're not dirty, boring half-dead creatures. Oh no, they've actually taken to the nature of vampires - no not the blood sucking or immortality part but just the becoming prettier and stronger part. This is a very amusing and original idea, that the undead are better than the humans! 

So while it may not be an irresistible book, it's definitely worth giving a try. I'm looking forward to the sequel eagerly!!

                                                        

 

 

GIVEAWAY!!!

 

If you buy Reboot(though it is not mandatory),you can enter to win a paperback of another Harper title,Towering by Alex Flinn(see my review HERE). This giveaway is international and please see the Terms And Conditions on the rafflecopter widget.Good Luck!!

Book Being Given Away:

Towering by Alex Flinn

 

At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.

Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.


Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.


Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now.

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Book Review: Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers

Dying To Know You by Aidan Chambers

My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars

Publication Date: 2 May 2013 by Definitions,part of Random House U.K (Originally published in 2012 by Amulet Books)

Blurb:  Karl, aged seventeen, is hopelessly in love. But the object of his affections, Firella, demands proof, and poses him a series of questions regarding his attitude to the many sides of love. But Karl is dyslexic, and convinced that if Firella finds out, she will think he is stupid, and unworthy of her, and leave him.

So Karl asks a local writer to help him construct his replies - and an unlikely, but extremely touching, friendship develops between the two men. They both come to learn a great deal about about life from a very different perspective, and when an act of violence shatters their calm, they find their respective appraisal of life shifting in profound ways.

 Buy the book HERE.

My Review:

**I received a copy of this book from Random House U.K in exchange for an honest review.**

As a book reviewer and a book blogger,my favourite part of the hobby is getting the opportunity to discover books and authors that I haven't heard of before.I came across Dying To Know You while browsing the Random House U.K website and the cover caught my attention.It's not like the usual YA covers with cool graphics or girls in dresses which does a good job in catching the attention of the age group the books are targeted at.The simplicity and the serene look of the cover got me really intrigued.And the blurb of course ( the one on the back of my copy is a different one),though it doesn't let on much of the story.

If you've read the blurb,you'll see that Karl gets in touch with Fiorella's favourite author to help him with answering the questions Fiorella sets for him.But the blurb does not give away anything on the fact that the entire story was told from that author's point of view,and instead of focusing much on Karl and Fiorella's relationship,the story shows the blooming of Karl's friendship with the author with time,and how this chance meeting helps them to become each other's most trusted confidantes.Through their friendship,the real author,Aidan Chambers,gives a wonderful insight of the pain of losing someone close, but then eventually letting go and moving forward with your life.And of course,discovering new loved ones to fill in the gap for the ones you have lost.

This book is one of the most unique contemporaries I've ever read,one that made me feel happy and sad at the same time.It is one of those books which,without reading, would leave your life incomplete.If you're a consistent book lover then you'll definitely know what I'm talking about as you're bound to come across a book which made you feel this way.So don't even think about missing out on this book if you're a contemporary fan or better yet,even if you're not one.

Though since there is a bit of suicidal and sexual reference in the book I'd recommend it for older readers.


Other Reviews for this Book: 

Buried In Books
So Many Books,So Little Time
Rather Be Reading


                                                       

Book Review: Towering by Alex Flinn

Towering by Alex Flinn

My Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars

Publication Date: May 14th 2013 by HarperTeen

Blurb:  At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on.
Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying.

Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her.

Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again.

Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now. 

My Review:

**I received a copy of this book from HarperCollins in exchange for an honest review.**

Alex Flinn is the author of two of my all time favourite fairy tale re-tellings,A Kiss In Time and Bewitching.While I didn't like Beastly much even though it was the book which made her popular among YA lovers,the two aforementioned titles managed to impress me, enough for me to put her in my "top modern re-telling authors of all time" list.(Yes,I actually have a list like that conjured up somewhere in my mind)   

So after Bewitching, it was quite natural that I'd have high hopes for Towering right?Even though I saw a few negative feedbacks from some of my most trusted bloggers,I didn't let that waver my enthusiasm.After all,I know quite a few people who didn't like A Kiss In Time at all but that didn't stop me from loving every minute of it!But sadly,that was not the case with this one.For me,it was one of those books which I was trying too hard to like but then,after remembering the real reason why I actually read books,stopped trying and just let myself go with the flow.The idea of the story itself was great,but I just felt that it wasn't utilized enough to make the story enjoyable as a whole.

The characters,on the other hand,were a bit better portrayed in comparison to the storytelling.But again,just like I mentioned before,they were still not utilized enough.It's a bit like when you make a dish with your own recipe but forget to put in the secret key ingredient which gives the dish its spark.So it just turns out to be plain and a bit bland as well. THAT,is exactly how I felt when reading Towering,like I was biting onto a steak which had all its juice leaked out.You get what I mean right?

There isn't much more to say about Towering seeing that I didn't like the book and since I try to avoid snark in most of my reviews,I prefer to keep them short and simple when they're negative.However,if you would really like to get your hands on a good Rapunzel re-telling,I'd suggest that you try Rapunzel Untangled by Cindy C. Bennett.Even though it was a relatively shorter read and comes from a smaller publisher,it is an absolutely adorable and a wonderfully refreshing story.

However,if you're still willing to give Towering a shot,I'll be having a giveaway soon.It will probably be a giveaway with one of my upcoming reviews of another Harper title where you will have to order that title to enter as your main entry but I'm not sure yet.But check back on the blog from time to time if you're interested.

Other Reviews for this Book: 

Mel@TheDailyProphecy
Benji@TheNonReluctantReader
Kate@TheBookaholicBlurbs


                                                       

Book Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

                                                     
Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland  

My Rating:  3.5 Of 5 Stars     

Publication date: May 7th 2013 by Disney Hyperion

Blurb: For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t.

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.        

My Review:

**I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book from Disney Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.**

A bittersweet( and maybe a bit scandalous) contemporary about a girl's summer in Nantucket which doesn't turn out exactly the way she wanted it to,Nantucket Blue might be a good read to pack with you while going on vacation.

What I liked the most about this book is that the love triangle wasn't all that deep.Deep love triangles just frustrate me a lot.Sure,this might sound like your typical boy likes girl,girl likes boy back but boy is completely off-limits sort of story,but it doesn't stop there.Nantucket Blue also shows that even when you mess up pretty badly and hope for your life to be over,you eventually  get over it and move on.

It took me a while to actually accept the story from Cricket's P.O.V,as at first she just seemed like someone who only cared about herself and her perfect summer in Nantucket.But after I read through the entire book,only then did I realise that she may have had her flaws,but at least she had the courage to admit them.In this case though,I found Zack to be a lot more admirable character than Cricket herself.Though it was a bit hard trying to ship them together at the beginning.Her best friend Jules,on the other hand,was a tough character to deal with.One of my favourite characters throughout the story was George.I feel that he played an important role in keeping Cricket's mind off things,at the same time giving her a good experience to take with her to college.

Even though the story did waver a bit in the middle,it had a promising conclusion.Fans of Meg Cabot,Judy Blume and Jenny Han would probably enjoy this debut more than others.I'm saying this by analysis since a friend of mine who is a huge contemporary fan borrowed this book from me earlier in May and seemed to like it a lot more.

Other Reviews for this Book:

Charlie @ LetterTrails
Kai@Amaterasu Reads 
Geraldine@TheSoulSisters


 

        

Blog Tour: Chantress Guest Post by Amy Butler Greenfield + Giveaway!!

 

 **P.S this post was supposed to go up on Saturday but blogger failed me yet again with its poor abilities in putting up scheduled posts on time so here it is, a day later. :( **

Hi guys!I am so excited to be a part of the Chantress blog tour,hosted by Shane@ItchingForBooks.

For my stop I've got an awesome guest post from the author on worldbuilding and of course,a giveaway as well.You can check out the rest of the tour stops here.

 

About Chantress :

Lucy’s Chantress magic will make her the most powerful — and most hunted — girl in England.

“Sing, and the darkness will find you.” This warning has haunted fifteen-year-old Lucy ever since she was eight and shipwrecked on a lonely island. Lucy’s guardian, Norrie, has lots of rules, but the most important is that Lucy must never sing. Not ever. Now it is 1667, Lucy is fifteen, and on All Hallows’ Eve, Lucy hears a tantalizing melody on the wind. She can’t help but sing — and she is swept into darkness.

When she awakes in England, Lucy hears powerful men discussing Chantresses — women who can sing magic into the world. They are hunting her, but she escapes and finds sanctuary with the Invisible College, an organization plotting to overthrow the nefarious Lord Protector. The only person powerful enough to bring about his downfall is a Chantress. And Lucy is the last one in England.

Lucy struggles to master the song-spells and harness her power, but the Lord Protector is moving quickly. And her feelings for Nat, an Invisible College apprentice and scientist who deeply distrusts her magic, only add to her confusion…

Time is running out, and the fate of England hangs in the balance in this entrancing novel that is atmospheric and lyrical, dangerous and romantic.

Release date: May 7th 2013

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Purchase: Amazon

 

About the author :

 

Amy Butler Greenfield was a grad student in history when she gave into temptation and became a writer. Since then, she has become an award-winning author. 
Born in Philadelphia, Amy grew up in the Adirondack Mountains and later studied history at Williams College, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oxford. She now lives with her family in England, where she writes, bakes double-dark-chocolate cake, and plots mischief.

Official links: www.amybutlergreenfield.com | twitter.com/ab_greenfield

Book Trailer :

 

Amy's world building guest post :

 

Chantress is the story of a girl who sings magic in a world that forbids it—and finds herself in the middle of a life-and-death struggle for the future of her country.  Its setting is an unusual one, based on a time and place that stole my heart long ago: London in the 1600s.

 

The London part is easily understood.  After all, I’m far from the first to fall for that ancient and endlessly fascinating city.  But why the 1600s?  Compared with the popular Tudor and Victorian periods, the seventeenth century languishes, almost a forgotten era in fiction.

 

And yet it’s one of the most gloriously intriguing centuries ever.

 

Mind you, I didn’t always see it that way.  For a long time, the 1600s just meant Pilgrims and Puritans to me—worthy but not hugely engaging.  But the century came alive for me when I read The Witch of Blackbird Pond, set in Connecticut in the 1680s  How could I not be interested in a time and place that had witch hunts and seafaring and spirited, rule-breaking girls? 

 

It was only when I came to study history in England, however, that I really fell in love with the 1600s.  What an extraordinary—and dangerous—time to be alive!  Terrorists almost blew up Parliament and the King.  Civil War raged.  The first coffeehouses were springing up, and chocolate and tea were brand new.  Alchemists abounded.  Scientists were working out the mysteries of the universe.  And the women—oh, the women!  They were spies and playwrights and actresses and artists and travelers.  They had nerves of steel.  They were women of wit and laughter and fire.

 

Chantress’s London is based on this world. It’s a London of twisty streets and half-timbered houses and secret passageways beneath great mansions.  Just like the real 1660s London, it has clockmakers, apothecaries, engravers, street criers, alley brats, and dapper aristocrats. 

 

Some of the great landmarks of London are there, too, including the River Thames and the Tower of London and its ravens.

But there is one truly vital distinction between this London and the real one:  In Chantress, there is magic. 

 

In Chantress’s world, the King and his Court really are blown up—and a cruel Protector uses magic to seize control of England.  Using terrifying creatures called the Shadowgrims, he holds the kingdom hostage.  He destroys all magic-workers who might have a chance of defeating him, except one—a girl who’s been hidden out of his reach.  A girl who doesn’t even know she’s a Chantress… until she sings.

 

If you read Chantress, it’s my wish that you’ll slip as easily into this world as I did.  I’d love to have you experience the danger and romance and mystery of its streets—to shiver when the fog rolls in, to feel a surge of fear when a Shadowgrim draws close.  And when the book ends, I’m hoping a small piece of seventeenth-century London might just have a hold on your heart, too.

  

GiVeaWaY!!

Every tour stop on the Chantress blog tour comes with a giveaway!!!And mine's no different.Use the rafflecopter below to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway