Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

A+ 10/10 WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!

I have to start this review off by saying that I don’t normally read these types of books. Paranormal romance has just never been my thing. When I accidentally stumbled upon this book, I was immediately intrigued by the Poe aspect of the story; I’ve always been an Edgar Allan Poe fangirl. I happened to glance at some of the reviews, which generally seemed pretty positive. I took a chance, and let me tell you what, I am SO happy that I did. 

This book tells the story of Isobel and Varen, a cheerleader and a goth who end up being paired together for an English project. Neither one of them is very happy about this arrangement. Isobel’s possessive, football playing boyfriend isn’t happy about it either. 

This book doesn’t have that immediate opposites-attract, love-at-first-sight aspect (THANK GOD). We slowly see Isobel become aware that you can’t judge a person by what they look like and what others think of them. At the same time, Varen doesn’t just see her as a dumb cheerleader anymore. You can tell, even with his aloof mannerisms, that he genuinely cares about her and wants nothing more than to protect her. It is so refreshing to see a romance that develops in a realistic way. Just about when you are ready for them to start admitting their feelings for one another, strange things begin to happen. Isobel begins to have intense dreams that seem all too real when she wakes up. She is hearing voices. She is being chased by invisible adversaries through the woods. Why did all this begin as they started this project? What does Edgar Allan Poe have to do with this?

I am so impressed by the writing of this book. This is one of those stories that could have definitely had a crash-and-burn if it wasn’t executed perfectly. Kelly Creagh managed to weave the story of Isobel and Varen seamlessly with her references to Poe and the mysterious circumstances that surrounded his death. She has given her readers a so-crazy-it-just-might-be-true explanation, and that is one of the greatest things about the book. You are left sitting there wondering...could something like this have really happened? 

I think the only bad thing I could possibly say about it is the cliffhanger ending, and I truly don’t know how anybody who read this when it first came out was able to handle waiting for the second book. Thankfully, I have already downloaded it onto my Nook, and plan to begin reading it after I post this review. 

Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near

THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC!

Isola Wilde is a sixteen year old girl living in England with her parents. She is considered quite strange by most of her acquaintances, but she does have her two very good friends, James and Grace. She also has friends that only she can see, who she has dubbed her ‘brother-princes’, guardians straight from a fairytale. They do everything in their power to protect Isola, which is good, because things are about to get a little crazy when she is walking through the woods and runs into a dead girl in a birdcage. 

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The best thing about this book was the absolutely mesmerizing way in which Allyse Near writes. She has such a unique style, and I truly hope to see more books from her in the future. There was not a single instance where I felt bored while reading this story. 

The second best thing about this book was definitely the main character. Isola is now one of my all-time favorite characters from any book ever. Seriously. She was loving and unique, and it was impossible not to be on her side, hoping for everything to work out for her. 

I don’t know if I can properly express just how great this story was without being excessively gushy. It was truly magical, so I highly suggest you do yourselves a favor and give it a read.

P.S. If you are in America, you can order it through fishpond.com. They have free shipping :)

Tell The Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

This isn’t really going to be a proper review; I wasn’t really into book reviewing when I read this book, so I didn’t write down my thoughts. I just wanted to put it out there that it’s one of those books that I feel everyone should read. It’s just beautifully written, and while it is heartbreaking, it is also full of hope.

This book came into my life at just the right time. My father had passed away in July, and I found myself starting books and putting them down repeatedly. I was going through the worst case of reader’s block that I have ever experienced in my life. My fiance, knowing that I had wanted to read this book, bought it for me. 

I'm pretty sure that this book brought me back from the dead, and I will always remember it being the saving grace that allowed me to finally cry and let myself feel something other than emptiness. It will forever hold a spot in my heart for that.

Sometimes I get angry

Surprisingly, I have yet to post a rant on this blog. I have many, MANY things that make me mad, and now it’s time to get some of that out. Something that upsets me greatly is victim-blaming. We all know about it. “Oh, she was wearing a short skirt and a low-cut top the night she was raped. She really shouldn’t have worn something that slutty, and he probably wouldn’t have raped her.” This kind of behavior is programmed into our society all our lives. 

Does anybody else remember in middle and high school that stupid rule that the girls were not allowed to wear spaghetti-strap tank tops, because they were ‘distracting’ and ‘boys like to snap the straps’? Thinking back on this, I am really pissed off. SO, rather than teach these young men to respect a woman and just, oh, NOT SNAP THEIR STRAPS, we teach young women that they must police their wardrobe to appease the patriarchy. 

So should the male sexualization of girls’ clothing matter more than girls’ personal freedom and comfort? Absolutely not. Let me tell you what, if I ever have a daughter, her school better shape up, or they will face my wrath. 

Friday Ruminations

This evening, at the hairdresser, a woman came in with her two unruly and rude teenagers. I immediately knew the teens were going to irritate me right away, they both had that typical ‘I’m an obnoxious kid who thinks I know it all’ kind of look about them. The woman looked so frazzled, or maybe I just saw her that way because I know I would be frazzled with children like that. Anyway, she just wanted a quick trim, and they took her right back. When she sat down in the chair, her son walks over, interrupts the hairdresser, and asks his mom for money. She tells him that she really doesn’t have a few dollars to spare, and he replies, “Oh, but you have money for a haircut?”, and angrily walks away from her. At this point I want to get up and smack the kid, but obviously that’s not my place, so I just silently shake my head. A couple minutes later, the daughter yells across the salon to her mother that they are going to go take a walk. I, for one, was very happy to have them leave. 

After her haircut, as she was walking to the register to pay, she had this horribly sad expression on her face. It made my heart hurt; I wished I could say something to make her feel better. I just don’t understand the rudeness of people. What makes me the most sad is that this is obviously her everyday life. She deals with her kids every day, and they seem to be bringing her down. 

I hope her kids grow up a bit and become more respectful. I hope the woman realizes that she is also important. 

I wish that everyone could realize that they are important. 

some quick thoughts before bed

I spend a great deal of my time reminiscing over my childhood. I was so lucky to grow up the way that I did, because I am quite sure that the absence of cable television, computers, and neighbors shaped who I am in a very big way. 

When I was younger, I absolutely hated living in a house in the middle of the woods in the middle of nowhere. I felt like an oddity. There was nobody for me to hang out with nearby, and while I did have a few close friends who I would hang out with, for the most part I felt secluded and alone. Looking back, I feel that this really made a world of difference. 

I learned to make my own fun and be my own best friend. The woods where I grew up were filled with an abundance of imaginative opportunities. I walked amongst the trees with fairies and elves. I swam with mermaids. To this day, the worlds I created in my mind feel so real that I almost believe they really existed. 

I try to keep my imagination alive today. It’s so much harder once you become an adult. I still read all the time, but I feel like my own ideas have almost completely disappeared. That’s what I think creating this blog was about for me. I want to bring back that side of me. I loved myself so much back then, and it feels like for the better part of my adult life I have lived in a bubble of self-loathing. I miss being the eccentric girl who would hide in the woods to read because a sofa was just not a good enough spot for escapism. I miss writing stories almost every day, just because I had so many thoughts going through my head that if I didn’t get them out, I would explode. I truly think having an overactive imagination is one of the best personality traits a person can have. 

Book Review- The Wisdom of the Shire by Noble Smith

This is a unique and engaging self-help book, perfect for any fan of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Noble Smith encourages readers to take a step back from their hectic lives and the many problems that they deal with on a day-to-day basis, and live in a more simplistic manner, just like the hobbits of Middle-Earth.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have been completely enamored by the hobbits and their way of life ever since I first picked up Tolkien’s books. Good food and cheer, what could be better than that? It seems that Noble Smith shares my thoughts on this matter, and really gives us a handbook to following the Hobbits’ example. One of the chapters has such a simple, yet overlooked message. Sleep well. Yeah, that’s it. As simple as it sounds, how many of us actually turn off our TVs and computers at a decent hour and go to bed? Noble even says, “If you’re reading this book right now and you’re tired, put it down and go to bed.” I also thought that the chapter on love was brilliant. Noble has us think about where we currently base our ideas of ‘romance and love’. How many of us are constantly looking at celebrity gossip magazines and acting so surprised when these people split up and both go after ‘the next best thing’? Smith writes about Tolkien and his wife, Edith, and the obstacles they overcame to be together. “The Wisdom of the Shire tells us: True love must be defended bravely with the soul of a warrior, and yet tended with the patience of a gardener.” 

I was very happy with this book, and I sure hope others will decide to pick it up and add some Hobbit wisdom to their lives. You won’t be disappointed.  

Rating: A+

Will I read it again?: Yes, probably quite often