Flash Reviews

Bits about books I've read.

The Morgan Rawlison Series by Maryrose Wood

So some background is needed here. I read this series like two years ago so I'm all fuzzy on the details otherwise I would do full reviews for all of them, that's how much I loved this series! However I don't have time to re-read them so I'm flashing them. Just know that this series is awesome and I-the girl with series commitment issues-managed to read them all in a row without missing a beat. I highly encourage you to read these, they are so good!

Why I let my Hair Grow Out 
Goodreads
Flash: Take one part Paranormalcy add one part Iron Fey and mix well, put it all behind an Ireland backdrop and you have Why I Let My Hair Grow Out. Morgan is one of the more snarky characters I've read and I just wish there were more like her. She changes pretty drastically in the mix, the whole finding self thing. Some how a bike ride through Ireland and a magical adventure can set you up right in the world. Oh, and did I mention, there is a cute and funny Irish boy, complete with accent? Well there is and his name Colin. A great story that balances reality, fairy(and faery) tales, love, and laughter.

How I Found the Perfect Dress
Goodreads
Flash: Some of the big points in my original review were learning about leprechauns and gnomes, seeing more of Morgan's home life like friends and family (particularly her sister Tammy who is a huge fan of Disney), and of course more Colin except this time he is on her side of the ocean. You see Phinnbar, the trickster of the series, is back and tricky as ever. More snark + new spin on mythological creatures + a boy with an accent = you really can't go wrong reading this series.

What I Wore to Save the World

Goodreads
Flash: Unicorns are a huge part of this book. Just thought I'd put that out there first. Seriously though they are pretty epic, there horns have magical properties like the glow stick setting. Yes, they are that cool. Back to Colin's side of the ocean this time but set in my favorite place which I have never actually seen, aside from Narnia, England!! Tammy's snark is improving and she is as cute as ever. We also meet Grandpop-Colin's Grandpa-who is the cute old grandpa of the story. More magic and deep self discovery and the almighty love. The fact that this series ended in a way that it can't ever come back makes me miserably sad. Although it was a brilliant end to the series.

-Kare Out-

Flash Reviews

Bits about books I've Read.

North Of Beautiful by Justine Chen Headley

Flash: This was an amazingly written book. A people mapmaker/artist Terra finds the beauty in who she is despite her flaws. She embraces who she is fully. This book covers all the bases. A girl standing on rocky ground trying to figure out who she is? Check! A boy who loves her for who she is? Check! A family in disarray? Check! A mental trip to China? Check! Redemption for even the characters you spend the whole book hating? Check! This book floored me and that's all I have to say. 

Quotes: 

“Getting lost is just another way of saying 'going exploring.” 

“Beauty--real everlasting beauty--lives not on our faces, but in our attitude and our actions. It lives in what we do for ourselves and for others.” 

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Flash: 1.Libba Bray is very, very good at sarcasm. 2. The unique range of characters, feminists to some very sexy pirates. 3. Censorship addressed. 4. Silly ads on some of the pages that resemble the way EVERYTHING these days has a billion ads. 5. Very well developed characters. 6. British guys (this may be related to the sexy pirates I mentioned before). 7. Growing up and finding just where you stand. 8. You won't find any girls just waiting to be saved in this book, no these girls take charge and thrive. 

Quote:

“There was something about the island that made the girls forget who they had been. All those rules and shalt nots. They were no longer waiting for some arbitrary grade. They were no longer performing. Waiting. Hoping. They were becoming. They were.” 

10 Things we did (and probably shouldn't have) by Sarah Mylnowski

Flash: I had a real fun time with April and her crazy story. It was funny, realistic (well to a point), and easy to slip into. Aprils voice was funny and for the most part light hearted. Hudson was my favorite, non judgmental  sweet, and, oh yeah, adorable. That ending was perfect, it wasn't perfect in the sense that everything wrapped up nicely but it was a good way to end a story. 

Quotes:

“No one was perfect. But we all did the best we could. I guessed you had to forgive when you could, move on when you couldn't, and love your family and friends for who they were instead of punishing them for who they weren't.” 

“We're all crazy. What's your specific form of crazy?” 

-Kare Out-

Flash Reviews

Quick bits about books I've read.

This week is all about Lisa Schroeder and a few of her verse novels. 

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Flash: This book is a ghost story so creepy should be there but it's also a verse novel so the creepy factor is cranked up to maximum. So few words but you get the most clear picture. An Honest story about a girl whose world gets shaken up by loss. Yet another reason to love verse novels.

"I am warm-hearted. I am affectionate. I am reliable. I am generous. I am smart. I am strong. Today, I add another one. I am hopeful." pg 226

"Guilt reminds me of a stray cat. You chase it away, and yet it comes back when you least expect it." pg 217

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder
Flash: A verse novel in dual perspectives? How does she do it? She manages to weave an elegant tale about loss, the shadows that haunt us, and everyday superheros while staying in verse. Verse writing is one of my favorite types. I know it doesn't work for some people but something about it speaks to me the way other styles can't. Nico is very much an everyday hero and is one of my favorite guys in YA fiction now.Love, loss, and everything in between. Stunning. Heart-breaking. Elegant.

"After all, it's not just superheros who use their powers for the good of mankind." pg 360

The Day Before by Lisa Schroeder
Flash: So I read this on my own day before coincidently enough. It was right before I shipped myself to Idaho and I found myself completely in sync with the main characters Amber and Cade. I knew how it felt to be right on the edge of change. Once I read this book I knew, I knew, that I would always be a fan of Lisa Schroeder.

"Kelly Looks nothing like me, acts nothing like me, is really nothing like me. But she is my sister. And that means everything." pg unknown

"Life is the bad with the good. The deadly sharks with the beautiful sea stars. the gigantic waves with the sea castles. The licorice with the lemon and lime. The loud lyrics with the rhythm of music. The Lover disease with the love of a father and son. It's life. Sweet, beautiful, wind on your face, air in your lungs, kisses on your lips. Life." pg 299

I earnestly recommend any of these and her other verse novel Far From You. I can't wait to get my hands on more of her books!!

-Kare Out-

Flash Reviews

Quick bits about books I've read. 

Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Goodreads
Flash: A new way of looking at time travel that winds perfectly into our world. Emerson is such a snarky character and you can relate to the way she builds walls around herself. The litteral burning between Emerson and Michael was tangible.
Overall: A fantastical, brain-sucking, time traveling, worth reading adventure that will stick in your heart and mind.

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Randsom Riggs
Goodreads
Flash: This book had everything: Magic, time travel, little children with powers, and a love story. Fair Warning: This is not a book for the faint of heart. I'm pretty sure I had nightmares about this book... at least I woke up thinking a towel was attacking me. Take that how you will.
Overall: I just fell in love with the storyline and the way it was presented, creepy pictures and all.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot
Goodreads
Flash: A modern retelling of King Arther? How could I not read this? Elaine, or El for short, was such a fun character to slip into plus Meg has a way of writing that just sucks you in.
Overall: I can't describe it but I loved this book. It was perfect from her floating summer days to the twisty anxious ending. A book in it's own category of awesome.

-Kare Out-