Introducing: Fangirl Fridays and Top Ten Tuesdays and...-drum roll- More Posts! (Hopefully...)

Hey, everybody!

I'm Wren. (The...you know...owner of this blog.)
In an attempt to try and ramp up my views, I will be posting more! (And not just reviews!)

I will add something I call Fangirl Fridays.
I will (essentially) tell you about the things I fangirled about during the week. And maybe some other things.

And 'stealing' from Once Upon a Twilight  (Go check them out!), I will start Top Ten Tuesdays. I'm not the best with top tens. So I'll try my best. Muwaha.

This will be something I will try to initiate. I am a very opinionated person, so I'll add in opinion pieces. (About diversity. About LGBT. It all depends.) I will post things like that. Or maybe things about the book turned movies. And the works...

I can actually be a very bubbly and fun person if I care to, guys. You just need to contact me! Or...go to my Twitter or something! I can also be very dreary and whatnot. So yeah!

Loveathon 2015: Challenge #2 Book Valentines

Dear Maggie Stiefvater,

You are amazing. Your art is beautiful.

Look at that! Look! That's amazing. I wish I had that talent. I WANT TO BE MAGGIE STIEFVATER'S MUSE. Or...you know...Maggie Stiefvater.

You're absolutely hilarious. Your books are amazing. (I adore 'The Raven Cycle'. I'm also unprepared for the next book... GANSEY CAN'T DIE. He's too young! TOO AMAZING. TOO GANSEY. So don't kill him. Pwease?)

  

You don't hold back. You ARE Maggie Stiefvater. You are only one. You don't pretend to be someone else. You're the best. DA BEST.

I wish I could be as bold as you. You painted your car to match the book! You are random. And funny. And you make me laugh. Your characters are amazingly written. And your readers start to care for your characters. You're awesome.

AWESOME with a capital A.

I imagine this is you...

I wish I was you...

With love,

Wren

PS: How do you say your last name?!?! That video doesn't help much. I say 'stif-vay-ter'. Or is it -sti-VA-ter'? Or something else?!?!

PPS: Don't let Gansey die. Or I riot. 

Book Blogger Love-a-thon Questionnaire

QUESTIONNAIRE

1: What's your name?
Hiya, I'm Wren!

2. Where in the world are you blogging from?
I'm in the 'amazing' USA.

3. How did you get into blogging in the first place?
Admittedly...I wanted ARCs.

4. How did you come up with your blog name?
Well. I was originally Into the Written Word. I became Welcome to Book City because of my favorite, and only, podcast Welcome to Night Vale! I thought it would be cool to try and style my blog like that. (Which, as you can tell, failed.) But I still like adding weather in and whatnot!

5. What genre do you read and review the most on your blog?
I read YA mostly. Some contemporary. Some dystopian. Some action. Some fantasy. It all depends. I have a whole bunch of contemporary books on my TBR list, though.

6. What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews?
Hm. Not many really. Some blitzes for my book tours. Mostly reviews. I do some opinion pieces for The Guardian, though.

7. Best blogging experience so far?
Well...nothing yet. Maybe getting retweets and likes from authors. (Ehem. IW Gregorio.) Or maybe the swag I get for free. (And the free books! I got one because I said I was a book blogger. Man...such a nice author!)

8. Favorite thing about the blogging community?
Our cheerfulness! We're pretty happy people!

9. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2015!
Wow...that's hard.

I just adore Victoria Schwab. She's gotta be one of my favorite authors. She's funny. Kind. And very good with books. Very good. (I love 'The Archived.)

Just...interesting premise. 

I know I have some mild anger issues. I want to see how this is written out. 

I don't know why, but I love when people talk about realistic topics. Suicide is definitely real. It's a touchy subject, though. It has negative stigma. And this book might deal with it correctly... It might not. Depends. 

This just seemed...so interesting. 

10. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read?
Definitely 'The Archived' by Victoria Schwab. I love her. I love the series. I LOVE MAC AND WES. I mean...afjervj29rj2ckrlwejr. -slams hand on keyboard- THEY ARE MY ONLY OTP.

11. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF?
Ugh.... Making me choose?!?!
I adore Mackenzie Bishop from 'The Archived'. But Bitterblue from 'Bitterblue' is great too! Ugh. Don't make me choose....

12. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests?
Well...reading is life, bro. But I do karate. I love it. It's fun. And I bike around my neighborhood. And I listen to music. And I'm restarting my love for writing. (After almost a year of silence.)

13. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for?
Nothing really... -turns away, ashamed- I don't actually book shop, though. I'm a Poe boy from a Poe family. (Muwahaha.)

14.At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing?
Um...well... -shyly looks away- A Fall Out Boy song. I love their music. It's loud and angry. I like that type of music. Probably...'Alone Together' by Fall Out Boy. Or 'Pretty Little Head' by Eliza Rickman. (This is a haunting song. But I enjoy it nonetheless.) Heh heh... Or a favorite of mine. 'Pompeii' by Bastille. You can't get tired of it!

15.Pick out either a book you want turned into a film/TV show, or a film/TV  show you want turned into a book.
Uh. I want The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer to be a movie. Or a show. That would be just perfect. Ohmygosh. I really like that series. ('Fairest' is out, guys!)

'Both of Me' by Jonathan Friesen

Amazon / Goodreads

It was supposed to be just another flight, another escape into a foreign place where she could forget her past, forget her attachments. Until Clara found herself seated next to an alluring boy named Elias Phinn—a boy who seems to know secrets she has barely been able to admit to herself for years.

When her carry-on bag is accidentally switched with Elias’s identical pack, Clara uses the luggage tag to track down her things. At that address she discovers there is not one Elias Phinn, but two: the odd, paranoid, artistic, and often angry Elias she met on the plane, who lives in an imaginary world of his own making called Salem; and the kind, sweet, and soon irresistible Elias who greets her at the door, and who has no recollection of ever meeting Clara at all. As she learns of Elias’s dissociative identity disorder, and finds herself quickly entangled in both of Elias’s lives, Clara makes a decision that could change all of them forever. She is going to find out what the Salem Elias knows about her past, and how, even if it means playing along with his otherworldly quest. And she is going to find a way to keep the gentle Elias she’s beginning to love from ever disappearing again.

The backstory of the characters is fascinating. They have heartbreaking backstories. 

Elias had terrible things that happened to him. Poor Elias. I can't believe the trauma of that experience. I am surprised he didn't fall deeper into his 'Salem'. That was actually really interesting to see how he ended up coping with the incident. It is interesting how his fictional Salem aligns with the real world. The Keeper. The lighthouse. The drawings. (If Clara didn't see the drawings as representations of her story, she could have seen the truth. But people can be selfish and vain. I know I am.) The fact that it is called Salem. (This is a huge hint. Maybe Guinevere could have given the poor boy an explanation. Or given Clara an explanation. After all, it was HER husband. And she KNEW they were in Salem. [Not the fictional Salem, guys.] It was confusing why she DIDN'T say anything. She knew about Salem. She maybe knew why he kept thinking about a fictional place called Salem.) 

And Clara. Man. Her backstory. I can understand why she would blame herself. It does seem like she's to blame. But her father went to jail for hitting a police man. Not for anything else. Little T was an accident. She couldn't have stopped it really. She couldn't have. She didn't have to blame herself. But she did. That's how she coped. To protect herself. To condemn her father yet also preserve him as her fun, amazing father. We do those things. Why? Who knows. 

I like that the characters finally reach their acceptance. That was great. Once faced with a problem, one must decide which path to follow. This results in a moral debate within the characters. Clara has to accept the past. And thankfully she does. She accepts what happened. She accepts her father. (That's evident in the epilogue.) 

Elias...not so much. No one understood Elias. Either one. The 'normal' one or the Other One. People just saw that Salem was a beautiful place. Without the tethers to this world. Because he didn't accept the truth, he crumbled. 

Accepting your past and the truth of it is important. Very so. It's important to face the facts. Even if you want to be in Salem. 

The ending is bittersweet.  I liked it, though. It isn't satisfying. You want  it to all be a dream. You want it to be not real. The ending is such a surprise. You would never expect it. It just happens. It's a bucket of ice thrown at you. 

That's just too surprising. And you have a few pages left, and you're hoping that it's not true!

But things happen to the best of people. Things happen. 

I think that's what the ending is saying. Things happen. You can't help it. People pass away in their sleep. People are mugged, shot at. People crash in planes. People fight. People cry. You can't stop it. It's part of humanity. 

Admittedly, I am like many who are wishing, so bad, that the story isn't over. It wasn't a bad adventure. I just wish there was more. 

I liked the emphasis of the psychological illness. DID has been painted into a terrible light. People might have that disorder but not have it noticed. Others might get the diagnosis but not have the disorder. 

As a future psychologist, this disorder is quite interesting. I liked seeing it in this book. It was quite interesting how it was portraying. It was portrayed as falling into a crack. And not being able to come out. That was quite interesting. I liked that. 

The cause of Elias's DID will definitely explain the Salem part. The thing that happened to him... As I mentioned, it is a terrible thing. But also...the event that caused it explains a lot. Truly. 

I disliked the romance. Clara was taking advantage of Elias. And Elias wasn't thinking right when he said those three precious words. I'm not sure about that. 

There doesn't seem to be a lot of chemistry. And the reason they met? An accident. And Clara seeing the drawings. (If she hadn't...who knows where the plot would go.) I feel like that isn't the best way to start staying with someone. (I'm sorry. Staying at their bed and breakfast? Without paying? Hm...I call serial killers. Kidding kidding.). 

I don't see why they grow closer. I feel like while the Other One understands Clara (sorta)...there isn't a reason for Clara to grow closer to Elias. Other than maybe physical attraction. Or something along those lines. 

It wasn't cute either! Clara was using half of Elias. And he was using her too. Man. Those people are kinda rude. Getting close for your own motives? Well...I know people do that. But it seems rude nonetheless. 

The plot wasn't the best. It seemed to be a bit dull. At moments where we could have gotten a fight, we got a quick resolution. We didn't have too much drama until the ending. We don't have anything happening until the end. I wanted to have more. Maybe a fight between Elias and Clara. That happened. But they stayed together. They never fought for long. (Except for when they reached Salem.) 

There could have been something interesting. Something more interesting. The story was mainly of the backstory...

I also didn't like how we were given Izzy. Then she just disappears. If you're introduced, you have purpose. Izzy is the supposed guard. But other than a shotgun and the ability to drive, she has not much of a purpose. Why is she introduced? It doesn't seem like there is a reason. I didn't mind Izzy. She seems like a good character. She isn't expanded on, though. I wanted her parental problems. What's with that? Why do they want her in Harvard? I don't know! I want to know, though. I really do. 

Did anyone else notice that both main characters had father issues? Like their deep-seated issues are from problems with their father. Or problems that involved their father. I was quite intriguing by this. It does seem a bit odd, but I feel like this could reflect the author's life or the lives of many. It quite depends. 

(I feel bad for psycho-analyzing that... It could just be nothing.) 

Weather:

Sunny with a 20% chance of rain

4/5

Release Day Blitz: 'The Dream Catcher' by Anya Monroe

The Dream Catcher

by Anya Monroe 

Release Date: 02/19/15

300 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

***Paddle boards, bonfires & bikinis won’t help Penny. She craves the boy from the woods; not knowing she’s already caught in his nightmare. ***

Penny’s nightmare is ruling her life and she doesn’t know why. It started a few months ago, and since then Red Bulls, 5-hour Energy Shots, and Starbucks drive-thru are her lifeline.

When Penny’s parents decide to take their research of a rare Native American cult to a remote cabin for the summer, she's less than enthused.

Then Penny meets Delsin in a clearing in the woods, and her view of the world awakens. Apathy defines her, but Delsin lives life to it’s fullest. A shaman-in-training, he is everything Penny is not.

Each morning she comes to the woods, handing pieces of her heart to him, but when Penny is confronted with her worst nightmare, Delsin asks for a sacrifice Penny didn’t see coming.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Excerpt: 

“Listen, Penny. I know we are different in many ways, but you have this gentleness about you,

and I don’t see it in many people. Most of the girls I’ve known are so intense. You are different.”

“So you keep saying.” But I relaxed a bit with his confident words, knowing that he liked me, 

straight up. “I should probably get back. We’ve been gone for hours.” I thought about Ollie 

looking for me. I didn’t want him to find me here. I didn’t want to share this place with him. 

With anyone.

“I know. I don’t want you to get in trouble, on my account.” He stood and took my hand. 

He climbed out of the cave quickly, and then gave me his hands to hold, pulling me out easily. 

His arms were strong and he helped me to my feet. Once again we were on top of the rock, 

looking out at the woods, breathing in the mid-day air. But Delsin’s eyes were looking above, 

into the sky, as if searching for something far from his reach, and he raised his hands, too. As if 

wanting a hand to part from the clouds, to reach out and take him away. 

I didn’t stare. I let him have his moment, even though I didn’t understand it. And I looked out, 

straight ahead, over the trees. 

I didn’t know what I was looking for.

About the Author
Anya Monroe likes to write stories and paint words on her walls. She believes in love at first sight and fights for happily-ever-afters. As a wife and mom to six kids, she carves out time to write between carpool pick-ups and date nights because words are her heartbeat. She lives a ferry ride from Seattle and is a total Pacific Northwesterner who drinks chai lattes and wears Birkenstocks and has dreadlocks. She's a cliché, but doesn't mind it. Not even a little.

She documents her lovely-messy life on IG @anyamonroe. Find her there!

Author Links:

  

GIVEAWAY:

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Book Blitz Organized by:

'My Heart and Other Black Holes' by Jasmine Warga

Amazon / Goodreads

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There’s only one problem: she’s not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel’s convinced she’s found her solution: a teen boy with the username FrozenRobot (aka Roman) who’s haunted by a family tragedy is looking for a partner. 

Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other’s broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together. Except that Roman may not be so easy to convince.

The premise was truly interesting. Two people that form a connection after meeting up and deciding to be Suicide Partners. You don't get they every day. 

It was interesting how it was executed. We have these two teenagers who both hate themselves and want to die coming together and meeting in real life after agreeing to die together. (Are there places for Suicide Partners? Not that I'm suicidal. It's just curiosity.) They slowly and steadily form a bond. Even if Roman doesn't want it. (And even if the black slug within Aysel denies her simple pleasures.) This story was good for giving you precisely what it offered. We were offered a story about Aysel the daughter of a murderer and FrozenRobot aka Roman. Both depressed. Both have self-loathing. That combination makes them suicidal. (I'm not implying all suicidal people are depressed.) 

The premise is well-executed. I'm given what I wanted. 

I liked how Aysel ended up accepting her father and her past. She had to, of course, to accept herself. She had to accept her father. She had to realize that what happened with your parents or grandparents doesn't affect you. There is correlation between being the son or daughter of someone with mental health issues and having said mental health issues yourself. But that does not mean you are forced to be that person. You aren't. She seemed like a perfectly nice girl. Smart and funny. Even though she was depressed, she did make some amazing jokes. Which is good. Even if it was just with Roman. She at least made jokes. 

I also...wanted to see her father. Or read her seeing her father. She had this love-hate relationship with him. And she didn't ever get a goodbye. Or anything. She was left out in the open. Out in the cold. She didn't get anything from him. She didn't get a chance to talk. They were separated. And that's that. I wanted to see how she would react to her father. What she would say. And do. I know that telling her mother she's 'sad' is one thing. But telling her father she loves him? And seeing him? I was patiently waiting for this reunion. And it didn't happen. This is a minor letdown. But I can ignore it for the most part. 

Roman was an interesting character. He did seen quite fine. But 'seem' isn't 'is'. Many people seem fine when you know they aren't. He had a good backstory. I didn't like the blame he forced on himself. But it was a good motivator to hate himself. Or...Before Roman at least.

He's quite kind actually. He cares for people. I know that's odd to say about someone who intends to kill himself. But...Roman knew about Aysel's father. Never said a word. He kept it all hush hush. He didn't try to be someone else around her. He wasn't scared of her. He was just Roman. We need more accepting people like Roman. 

I'm still confused about his username. FrozenRobot? I would have thought CaptianNemo or something Jules Verne-ish. 

The relationship isn't bad. I don't typically like them. Them being relationships. I guess I'm becoming a mush. But the way Aysel falls for Roman...I guess it just pulls at my heartstrings. She slowly falls for him. It's not rushed. It's not quick. It's a slow falling. And she's trying to avoid it. I know I'm getting mushy. But this isn't a bad relationship. I wish they had built more. But being Suicide Partners doesn't give you so much wiggle room in the crush department. I do have a problem, though.

Why him? What's so great about Roman? I know he's a chill dude. But...why? Seriously. Explain. Is it his acceptance of her past? 

The ending wasn't the best. It was rushed at the end. It seemed to push past the buildup it had. And Roman seemed to just...give in to Aysel. For someone so determined to kill himself, he sure did seen quick to become slightly better. I expected more resistance. Or something. I dunno. 

It also felt like the suicide attempt was a curveball just thrown at us. I know Aysel's a flake. And I know Roman probably saw that. But still. I feel like that was such an unexpected yet expected event... I'm not sure exactly what to think. Just that I don't like it. At all. 

And Aysel was supposed to be a physics nerd. She didn't seem too nerdy to me. She didn't mention physics too much. I wanted more. Some equations? Some spiel? I don't know. We only get some physics. Well. I wanted much much more. Maybe her calculations? Or her thought process? I don't know. There was a promise of a physics nerd. We got less nerd and physics than I expected. That was a disappointment. It was promised in the premise after all.

I know this book dealt with heavy issues. Suicide is a rising pandemic, consider it that way. It's serious. A major killer. But I felt like this book wasn't the best at showing the emptiness and pain. I feel like it could have been better. 

Weather:

Cloudy with a 10% chance of rain

3/5

'The Last Time We Say Goodbye' by Cynthia Hand

Amazon / Goodreads

There's death all around us.
We just don't pay attention.
Until we do.

The last time Lex was happy, it was before. When she had a family that was whole. A boyfriend she loved. Friends who didn't look at her like she might break down at any moment.

Now she's just the girl whose brother killed himself. And it feels like that's all she'll ever be.

As Lex starts to put her life back together, she tries to block out what happened the night Tyler died. But there's a secret she hasn't told anyone-a text Tyler sent, that could have changed everything.

Lex's brother is gone. But Lex is about to discover that a ghost doesn't have to be real to keep you from moving on.

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand, The Last Time We Say Goodbye is a gorgeous and heart-wrenching story of love, loss, and letting go.

I'm not sure I can rationally write this review.

Why? 

It's because a friend of mine is named Tyler. I kept comparing him to Ty. And it was terrible of me. And I didn't like it. I hated the comparisons. Even if there were none. 

There was such an interesting backstory for each character. 

Alexis had an interesting story. She had interesting reasons to do certain things. Avoiding her father and friends. Dumping poor Steven. She had convinced herself she had done something to urge Tyler to commit suicide. She wasn't a bad character either. A geeky nerd-type? Cool. Smart too? And she was kind. Even if she shoved people away. Even with that. She was an interesting character. She also changed. It was quite amazing. Realizing the truth. And saying it, writing it. She accepted it. 

And the father-son part with Tyler. There was something with that. Having a father leave is terrible. I've never experienced it. But it must be hard. I can't imagine it. Being left. Alone... This was part of the story. An important part. He is dead. But Tyler, though dead, is still a character. 

I liked how Sadie was woven back into Alexis's life. It was great. It emphasized friendship. It shows that friends are important in times of darkness. Sadie was a good friend. She understood Alexis's situation. Her father died. She was younger than Alexis, though. She understood.

Sadie was a good character. She was quirky. And interesting. She had a backstory. She was a tanned girl Alexis knew before. And then...the pierced, smoke-smelling girl of now. She had a deceased father. And a bit of a bad attitude. And she had a past with Alexis. 

It was great that Sadie was brought back. She was important to Alexis before. And she was supporting Alexis as she accepted her new life. 

The romance was mildly cute. Especially Steven and Alexis. That was adorable. They were good for each other. They complimented each other. Alexis and Steven were both nerdy. They really were meant for each other. 

Alexis could have relied on Steven more, though. He didn't do anything wrong. At all. He was just being him. Geeky and sweet. They really suited each other. 

It was sweet how they met. Really. I liked it. Their relationship can be summed up into one word. Adorkable. I don't like using those terms. So this relationship was pretty good. Even for a non-romantic like me. 

I did have problems... But they can be ignored for now. 

We still didn't get the why. I wanted to know why. I liked that we got Alexis healing. We had hints. But we can't assume blame can be placed on just depression's shoulders. You have external forces as well. Their dad's leaving? Thinking he isn't good for Ashley? You don't know.

I want to know. It was part of the story. Something it was hinted at. I wished we got the truth. I wish Alexis searched for a reason. You can't get the truth. Unless they wrote it out. Or something. But. Still. She didn't seem to care too much for the why. The author didn't add in that. I get it, though. It's the After story. Alexis's story of healing. But. The why... It's something I really want. 

The plot wasn't that exciting. It was pretty dull. Not that much drama. I wanted more. Maybe the truth? (Seriously...) I thought the plot was kinda...slow. We didn't get too much build-up. It was too long really. I felt like the story was just pulling itself along. We could have gotten a more conclusive story. Something that revealed her acceptance earlier on. 

There could have been a fight. Ooh. A fight would have been cool. Or maybe Damian coming into the picture earlier. Or something like that. That would have been amazing. 

I know the fact that my friend is named Tyler is affecting my judgment. I apologize. I hope that isn't changing it too much. 

Weather:

Sunny with a 20% chance of rain

4/5