I was tagged by the incredible Kyera @ Kyera’s Library in this super cool tag that she came up with herself. The Bookish M.A.S.H. Tag!! I haven’t played a round of M.A.S.H. in a very long, long time. I used to play all the time in middle school, especially during indoor recess when there was nothing better to do! It was a game that predicted the future, who wouldn’t want to take a chance at it!
Kyera created a Bookish version that basically creates a YA story with you as the centre of the universe! Seriously this was so much fun to do and Kyera is the brilliant brain behind it! If you do not already follow her, you definitely should she is amazing, kind and a great blogger!
THE RULES:
Link back to my original post on Kyera’s Library so I can see all your answers! (Be sure to do this via pingback, I don’t get notified if you just tag my URL)
Thank the person(s) who tagged you… show the community some love!
Obviously, come up with your wonderful answers!
Don’t forget to tag others to keep the tag going!
My M.A.S.H. Options: I decided to change up the answers for my M.A.S.H. and stayed true to the two good options and two bad options!
My magic number is: 7
(In my version of M.A.S.H. you ask a friend to draw a series of lines until you tell them to stop without looking. However many lines there is how long you count for! You can honestly just pick a random number!)
My results:
My Story:
Coming soon to a book store near you, the next big contemporary novel that will have you crying after the first page.
Rendz didn’t realize her parents were evil until she witnessed their greatest crime. Raised as an assassin with only her pet snake to keep her company she walks out of her home longing for a quieter life in the famed city of Ketterdam. Rendz and her best friend Linh Cinder take on a new life in a mansion that Rendz drew to life from the rubble. Little did she know that her new beginning in this dark city would lead to her face-off with her cruel neighbour, the Commandant. Tears will fall. People will die. Rendz will love a boy named Joseph Sandrin, but betrayed by his infidelity, she will once again have to begin a new life.
Critically acclaimed, with ten starred reviews, Rendz’s story is one of heartbreak, love, falling out of love and finding the courage to live as an assassin in a contemporary setting…which is totally possible, right?
Let me know what you think! Would you read this “contemporary” story? Have you ever played M.A.S.H.? Would you want to write an autobiographical YA story about yourself?
In honour of Valentines Day, which is fast approaching, I found it is the perfect time to fan about my favourite couples from books.
Thank you, Sophie @ Blame Chocolate for tagging me in this epic tag! She has an amazing blog! *Seriously, I demand that you check it out!*
Oddly enough, I found it really hard to answer these questions. Trust me, I ship tons of ships, but having to choose just one to fit the categories was tough! Plus this tag also made my reread list grow even longer because there are so many couples out there that I want to revisit!
Let’s get on with it then. Prepare to swoon.
A couple that share big passions and goals
via Goodreads
Day and June
*Infinite crying* At first they each had their own separate lives and goals until they came together and it all merged into one. They just wanted justice, and their journey to it was hard fought with so many sacrifices. My heart cannot handle it when I think about them. I adore them so much!!!
A couple that love and respect each other
Maya and Amar
They are their own people and literally go to the ends of the world for each other. My heartttttttttttttttttt.
A couple that is stronger together than apart
via Goodreads
Attia and Xanthus
Seriously, they kick major butt when they work together.
They rooted for each other throughout the whole Levana debacle even if they thought each others approaches were a little risky. i.e. Kidnapping the groom, Trying to stab the bride at the wedding. They cheered for each other without a doubt. I LOVE THEM. This piece of fanart makes me literally squeal and cry and yell. Too much cuteness in one.
Cress will literally defend Thorne against himself and anyone else who demeans him heroic-ness and Thorne will always keep his stance on how incredible Cress is even though she has been locked away most of her life. THEY ARE THE SHIP OF MY LIFE. I SUPPORT THEM ENDLESSLY. DON’T YOU DARE FIGHT ME ABOUT IT.
I Tag…
Well anyone who feels like gushing about their favourite ships! Please do it, I would love to see your answers!!
Let me know what you think! Who are your favourite romantic ships? Friendships? Sibling(ships)? Yell out your OTPs I am ready!
I’m forever going to be late with all these amazing tags! Krysti over at YA and Wine created this incredible tag that features and recognizes the various strengths of all our favourite YA Heroines! I absolutely adored reading through this tag and answering the questions myself, I hope you all enjoy!
Match at least one YA girl with each of the themes below.
Tag as many people as you like!
WARRIOR GIRLS
Attia – Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
Helene Aquilla – An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
June Iparis – The Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu
GIRLS WHO FIGHT WITH THEIR MIND
Kestrel – The Winner’s Trilogyby Marie Rutkoski
Adelina – The Young Elites by Marie Lu (Literally fights with her mind)
Cress – The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
GIRLS WHO FIGHT WITH THEIR HEART
Winter – The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Maya – The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Lucy Pevensie – The Chronicles of Narniaby C.S. Lewis
GIRLS WHO ARE TRAINED FIGHTERS
Attia – Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
Inej Ghafa – Six of Crowsby Leigh Bardugo
Helene Aquilla – An Ember in the Ashesby Sabaa Tahir
STRONG GIRLS OF COLOR
Inej Ghafa – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Laia of Serra – An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Iko – The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
GIRLS WHO FIGHT TO SURVIVE
Laia of Serra – An Ember in the Ashesby Sabaa Tahir
Cinder – The Lunar Chroniclesby Marissa Meyer
Shazi – The Wrath & the Dawnby Renee Ahdieh
Cleo Bellos – Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
GIRLS WHO ARE WEAPONS MASTERS
Inej Ghafa – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Nova Artino – Renegadesby Marissa Meyer
GIRLS WHO DON’T CONFORM TO GENDER ROLES
Attia – Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
Scarlet – The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Lada – And I Darken by Kiersten White
GIRLS WITH KICK-BUTT MAGICAL POWERS
Nina Zenik – Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Yrene Towers – Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
Meira – Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
STRONG GIRLS IN CONTEMPORARY NOVELS
Charlotte Holmes – A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
Starr Carter – The Hate U Giveby Angie Thomas
SERIOUSLY FIERCE GIRLS
All of them.
MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK WITH A STRONG LEADING LADY
Furyborn by Claire Legrand will have TWO fierce ladies front and center, so I am pretty stoked for this book!
I Tag…
Anyone who has not had the chance to have a go at this! (But I think literally everyone has already done this and given amazing answers!)
That’s it for me! I know there are a lot of repeats on my list! Frankly, I just have not read enough! There are so many ladies from books on my shelves that I wanted to add, but I haven’t read their story yet, so really I can’t judge their ferocity just yet! But I look forward to it!
As someone who has never been particularly physically strong, or snarky-strong, it’s so important that this tag was created to showcase the other strengths! So thank you again to Krysti!!
Let me know what you think! What is/are your strength(s)? Who are your favourite YA Heroines? What fierce lady inspires you? (Real or fictional)
I was tagged by the lovely Sophie @ Blame Chocolate to do the Ringing in the New Year Tag! Sophie is a wonderful friend and blogger! She has tons of great reviews and posts, so make sure to drop by and pay her a visit!
It is still January so the idea of setting goals is still applicable. Especially if you have already broken some resolutions, it is not too late to set some more!
I reread The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer in the summer of 2017, which was the best decision I have ever made. Reliving all those emotions and revisiting the characters I adore was the most amazing experience!
I wrote four fangirling posts along the way which was also pretty fun, so if you want to check those out, be my guest!
***And clearly in 2018 I have to go about finding some male authors of interest too! I hear Jay Kristoff and Neal Shusterman are ones to look out for!
Most anticipated book turned movie/tv show?
I’m pretty excited to see The Hate U Give movie…I believe it comes out this year! There are so many other YA adaptations coming to the big screen, but I haven’t had a chance to read them yet!
Name a character that you wouldn’t mind sharing a kiss with at midnight (if there is one)
What’s on you TBR for 2018? (Top 5-10 will suffice if it’s an extremely long list!)
A Reaper at the Gatesby Sabaa Tahir
via Goodreads
Immortal Reignby Morgan Rhodes
via Goodreads
Wires & Nerve Vol. 2: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
via @marissameyerauthor
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
via Goodreads
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
via Goodreads
Wacross 2by Marie Lu
Furyborn my Claire Legrand (I got an ARC, so I get to read it early! *gloats*)
via Goodreads
How many books do you hope to read in 2018?
60 is my plan. 25 Debuts and whatever I find on my shelves or the library!
Will you participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge or any others (PopSugar, Down the TBR Hole, etc.)
Yes! As stated above I plan on reading 60 books, so I have Goodreads to keep me on track! It is the same personal goal I had from last year and I got close but didn’t exactly achieve it. Here’s to hoping this year turns out better!
Any New Year’s Resolutions? (Bookish, blogging (or vlogging), and otherwise)
I do! I even wrote a whole blog post so that they would be written out meaning I can’t opt-out anymore!
Read my shelves
Read 25 Debuts of 2018 in 2018
Get to 1000 followers (I’ll kind of need your help for this one)
In terms of life goals….I’m trying to get Real Life-Rendz together. We have important decisions to make and she has to not be afraid of change and taking risks. So hand me your most inspirational quotes, please!
I Tag…
If you’ve already done this tag, feel free to just tell me your goals in the comment! ❤
So reflecting on my 2017 reading goals. I realized that I didn’t really have any. I just sort of went with the flow. That year was full of new changes and lots of books (most that I didn’t get to…oops) I realized that for this new year, 2018, I want to have a set list of just a few things I want to accomplish. Things that I can reflect back upon throughout the year and hopefully within 360 days, I can say I got things done!
The Goals….
1. Read my shelves
I can’t even begin to explain the amount of unread books currently sitting on my shelves. It’s quite a large number and for this new year I want to actually make a significant difference in that number. I want it to go DOWN! Now some of the books I have sitting around are recent releases, whereas others are three years old! (Some even older) That is just ridiculous and it is necessary that I get to them as soon as possible.
Plus, as my shelves expand throughout the year, I want to make sure I have a balance of read shelved books and newly acquired shelved books. This is my biggest goal of the year because I am a sentimental weirdo who deep down believes that my old books will get jealous if I put them off any longer. (I won’t even breach the topic of “expired” ARCs….I have like five on my shelf…….oops!)
via giphy.com
2. Read debuts
I know this is always a tough one to accomplish. I have still not made even the smallest of dents in 2016 and 2017 debuts so don’t expect too much from me, I am trying my best to catch up.
There are currently 102 YA Debuts on the Goodreads list I am starring at. Many of them on my To-Be-Read and others I haven’t gotten a chance to look at yet. My plan is at least to get to 25. (Remember this is just debuts, there are still a whole bunch of other books out there that I want to get to!)
So 25 2018 debuts is the goal! I have three ARCs currently in my possession meaning progress is being made!
3. Gain those 1000 followers
So this really doesn’t completely depend on me, but it would be really nice to reach those 1000 follows by the end of the year. I’m am almost to 500 right now so if I can do math correctly, 500 more followers in another year isn’t too unlikely!
I have two tactics to actually lure in readers that will hopefully bring me good luck.
INTERACT! Follow other blogs myself. Fastest way to make friends is to go out and blog hop, like, comment and share opinions with people! I really have to amp up my commenting game!
Promote me-self. I am literally the most awkward self-promoter out there but like you gotta do what you gotta do. Sharing reviews on any social media outlet from Instagram, Goodreads, Twitter and maybe I’ll begin a Tumblr, will really help spread the news that Reading with Rendz exists and that I’m pretty awesome (if I do say so myself!)
via giphy.com
4. Manage my book money “better”
Hehehehe…what I mean by this is that by the time my highly anticipated books are released, the ones I know I want to buy, I will actually have the money to buy them!
The library and I have always been good friends, but now we are going to be blood relatives. I’m going to borrow physical and ebooks as much as I can, so that I can read as much as I can. Especially books that I’m still iffy about. Getting debuts from the library will be tough, but doable!
I will also be taking advantage of sales when I can and if possible order more from cheap stores like Book Outlet.
I make this promise to my wallet.
via giphy.com
5. Expand My Genres
Almost 90% of what I read last year was fantasy. Which in my case…is completely understandable, but I really want to make some changes. I want to open myself up to different genres out there and read what they have to offer.
I already started off the year right! I read a thriller-ish/contemporary-ish (more thriller) book which I very much enjoyed! I hardly pick up thriller, but this one sounded so intriguing!
I plan on reading about three books from each genre that I hardly pick up so…
3 Thriller/Mystery
3 Contemporary
3 Historical Fiction
3 Romance
*maybe a non-fiction book*
I might read more in some areas than others, but hopefully I get to at least one from each! This is one of the most important goals on the list and something I really want to achieve so send me your recommendations people, I’m going to need them!
Five goals for 2018. Doable.
I may not exactly achieve the exact numbers for each, however I’m hoping that I do touch upon most of these goals. I have a feeling about 2018. It’s gonna be a good one. Otherwise, I’ll make it good. Optimism is hard to keep hold of, but we can do it peeps.
It’s a simple question many people ask: “What book changed your life?”
The complexity comes in answering. For me at least, and I am sure many of you would agree. No one book changed my life. No one book had everything I was looking for. No one book had a full representation of who I was, rather it was multiple books. Series of books. Multiple series of books that I learned from, harboured intense feelings toward and ultimately changed me.
So we are going to start from the beginning and move forward. I am counting the series that have impacted me in one way, shape or form. There isn’t really an end to this list. As life goes on, I keep reading more series change me and this list grows!
Those of you who know me might spot some familiars and go “Well…duh!” and some might surprise you. I doubt it though, I am about as open as a…well…book!
Junie B. Jones seriesby Barbara Park
So some of you know that I hated reading growing up. Going to the library at school consisted of me picking up picture books, but in Grade Two we had to start taking out novels. Books without pictures. The horror. I couldn’t fathom reading a page of just words. Words that I didn’t know their meanings or how to pronounce them. No.
I used to be a Gaston…..*shame*
I saw all my classmates taking out books and reading them just fine. I (who was very prideful) took out books just like them and never actually read them! I hardly ever read my assigned books for language too. Eventually my teacher caught me. She noticed how I was struggling to pronounce words and when she interviewed me about my book, I knew nothing about it! She told me that I had to try and I was also afraid of being reprimanded for not reading again, so I listened to her.
My teacher was actually quite nicer when she told me to read.
The next time I went to the library I found a bucket full of thin-ish looking chapter books. An entire series, I realized about this coocky girl named Junie B. and her adventures in school. I made a pledge to myself in the moment, standing in front of the boxes that I would read this entire series no matter what. And I did. I read one every week or so and continued to do so until I found other series that drew me into my reading mode. I loved Junie B. It was the perfect series for me. A little comedy, a lot of drama and just good fun!
via Goodreads
I’ll always be thankful for Junie B. Jones and Barbara Park as they mark the beginning of my reading journey.
Now we are going to skip forward a few years and meet twelve year-old Rendz! In other words, The Golden Age of Rendz.
Over the years I read lots of great books, I went to the library three or four times over the summer to take out books, but none of them really impacted me or made me addicted to reading. That comes later!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
It was a January, some years ago. I was at my cousins’ house after school as usual. My older cousin arrived and I saw that she was clutching a black book with a weird/cool-bird-thing on the cover. Tween-Rendz was intrigued, so I asked my cousin what she was reading. To quote her: “How do you not know?” Apparently these books were rather popular and her hold from the library finally came after weeks of waiting. Long story short, she ended up buying them to avoid the long library wait and I borrowed them from her in February.
I read the entire trilogy in nine days.
I always said that reading books slowly made them more enjoyable, but for the first time I had experienced the joy of being completely engrossed in a story that you finish it before you even realize. Everything about THG just hit me in all the right places. The action, the romance (even though it was a triangle), and the heroine just completely transformed me. Literally. (I braided my hair like Katniss for the next three years…#TrueStory) Then the movies came out and were great and I was just completely submerged by this genre of dystopia and fantasy.
The big thing about THG is that the series made me less hesitant to head into the teen section or to explore the YA section at Indigo. I visited the library more often, took out lots of more books and read them faster than ever. My YA journey really started with this book series and I have never looked back!
Last one of this post! It’s really no surprise!
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Controversial Bit: It didn’t begin with the books, it began with the movie.
C’est vrai! It was December 2005 and baby-Rendz demanded that she and her family watch the movie she has been seeing advertised on TV lately. Her mother said “Your going to get scared by all the monsters,” but Baby-Rendz insisted. So we bought the tickets and I watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the first time!
My mom was right, I was supremely scared of the monsters.
My cousin would eventually buy me a DVD of the movie and that, ladies and gents, is the beginning of a phase I am never going to grow out of!
BUT..the books? Where do they come into play? In the 6th grade my teacher decided to read LWW to us and I was literally over the moon because that meant we would also be watching the movie at the end of the unit! Of course while studying the book we had to find all the symbolism and metaphors and all those other fancy-dancy literary terms (plus I went to a Catholic school, and this is C.S. Lewis so you know Jesus was brought up a couple times too), but all of that really took a side note. For me, I was realizing that my favourite fantasy world could be explored in more ways, that I could venture further into the world with the other books, I just had to find the motivation to do it.
That motivation didn’t come until the following year when I bought a beautiful bind up of all seven books and read the entire, humongous tome in a month and a half. It was fantastic, I found new love for LWW and also found other faves in The Horse and His Boy and The Silver Chair!
Narnia was such an important feature in my life. It took up (and still does) most of my thoughts, I would coerce my friends into playing “Narnia” at recess, I would reenact my favourite scenes at home and find my favourite quotes to write out. The obsession is never ending. I know they may not be the most politically correct books and C.S. Lewis is pretty problematic himself, but I cannot deny what a huge impact these works had and still have on me.
Narnia was my first fantasy world that I visited and even though I’m sure there are other amazing worlds to explore, I will always choose Narnia as my go to.
Alright that’s enough for now! These are just the beginning books, the ones that really impacted me as a kid and tween.There are still a few more series that changed me in some way that I will dive into in other posts.
Let me know what you think! As a kid what are some books that really changed you? Or perhaps they made you fall in love with reading? I would love to know!
There are certain things I wish for in my bookish dreams. Some of them are more easily fulfilled and others have yet to be fulfilled or I have to scavenge really hard to find them. They exist, but not in a large amount. Books, specifically YA, never take place in or have characters from El Salvador (id est. Rendz’s family’s place of origin). I may be wrong, though I doubt it. So that’s a dream still not fulfilled, but perhaps someday.
Now YA set in Canada is another dream. It’s a lot easier to find books set in Canada/with Canadian characters! There are lists on Goodreads that I can scroll down and so on!
So pretty much all books set in Canada get put into my TBR, no questions asked. This was one of those books, so when I saw it on NetGalley you I snatched it up fast!
Scion of the Foxby S.M. Beiko
via Goodreads
As the winter ice begins to thaw, the fury of a demon builds — all because one girl couldn’t stay dead . . .
Roan Harken considers herself a typical high school student — dead parents, an infected eyeball, and living in the house of her estranged, currently comatose grandmother (well, maybe not so typical) — but she’s uncovering the depth of the secrets her family left behind. Saved from the grasp of Death itself by a powerful fox spirit named Sil, Roan must harness mysterious ancient power . . . and quickly. A snake-monster called Zabor lies in wait in the bed of the frozen Assiniboine River, hungry for the sacrifice of spirit-blood in exchange for keeping the flood waters at bay. Thrust onto an ancient battlefield, Roan soon realizes that to maintain the balance of the world, she will have to sacrifice more than her life in order to take her place as Scion of the Fox.
American Gods meets Princess Mononoke in this powerful first installment of a trilogy sure to capture readers’ imaginations everywhere.
*My deepest gratitude to the publisher for providing me with a copy! This does not affect my opinions!*
Well this was definitely an interesting read no doubt. It was a little bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of how I felt about it at times while reading, but overall it was a pretty fun read! With an added bonus that it’s set in Canada!
What I Liked
Characters
Roan:Our lovely chosen one. (As she so warmly names herself) Um…I actually have some mixed feelings about her. She was a very entertaining character to follow. She definitely wasn’t the perfect hero! She felt like giving up multiple times (she almost did), but like the good heroine she is, she pulled through. She made not so intelligent decisions, some of them more mind-boggling than others (more on that later). I wouldn’t label her as my fave character, but she was alright.
Sil:Sil was an interesting character to follow! She was the not fairy god mother but still the wise figure in Roans adventure. Wise and very sassy. I really enjoyed her banter with Roan as it made the book a whole lot more entertaining.
Eli: Very interesting. Very troublesome. Not exactly a villain but definitely possesses some evilish qualities. Not exactly the most romantic hero for Roan either (like they have issues)….but unless I read into it wrong he’s feeling something! (There wasn’t any romance in the book, I’m just pointing out from observation!)
Other characters…Roan had a great cast of friends by her side. Phae, Barton, Natti and more who helped her survive her journey. There were secondary characters that were less likeable, but that I liked to hate so I had fun following them too.
Setting: Le duh! Set in Canada, specifically Winnipeg (a city I be never actually visited…I haven’t visited a lot of Canada FYI) The story takes places during the winter so the atmosphere really contrasts with Roan and makes her stand out! Where she burns bright with fire her surroundings are very cold, ominous and chilling. And then as the story melts into spring, her fire gets more intense and the big show down happens.
Magic System: While I liked it, it was also kind of hard to wrap my head around. I liked the use of the elements and the Ancient system that passed down their powers from generation to generation. It was classic so I enjoyed it. What stumped me were the animal familiars. I didn’t have a problem with the Owls, Fox, Seal or Deer….what stumped me was the Rabbit, representative of the earth element. It was just funny to imagine because I see earth as a strong and fortifying element but envisioning cute little bunnies kind of threw me off (and it didn’t help that the people descending from this line looked jittery and scared). I don’t know, it just didn’t work for me. Otherwise, I really like the Magic and its ties to humanity and the villain.
What I Disliked
Predictive: I saw a few things from a mile away, that were really no surprises or shocking revelations. I felt that the intensity of the novel was low, there weren’t any really OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG moments, but it wasn’t completely flat either. I think this was a little juvenile for me despite some of the more mature themes.
Trope Talking: This book had some tropes in which I was like, whatever *shrug* But then the author goes and makes fun of the tropes within the book…in which I was like okay….? The obvious one is the Chosen One trope, ie Roan. She actually poked fun and makes jokes about being the Chosen one….and continues to do so throughout the story. It was funny at first, but then it gets annoying so I really could have done without it. The author does this with a few other tropes too: the white saviour w/ a diverse side cast and the old wise person, dead parents are some examples. It’s kind of like saying “these tropes kind of suck, but I’m going to use them anyways!”
Roan’s Idiot Mistake, for being an Idiot Chosen One: I read about 400 pages of Roan trying to stop Eli from being evil. She helps him get through some intense struggle and y’all, they pull through. And then in the final chapter, she made the same damn choices as evil-Eli so now she is at risk of becoming evil! Was she not present for the earlier chapters of the book??? Did she not realize the consequences of her decision??? Apparently this book is a cycle, and we are going to get right back where we started.
Overall, I did enjoy most of the book. It was fun and magical. A little flat in some areas, but it was a solid read.
Rating: 3.5 / 5 stars
Recommend: I think this would work well with younger YA readers
Let me know what you think! Have you read this? What are some of your favourite tropes? What are some of your least?
Ahhhh spoilers. A cause of great drama, pain and probably a lot of unhappiness. But hey they come with fair warnings right? Wrong, not always. Sometimes spoilers just assault you out of the blue and you can’t unsee what you’ve seen so your scarred for life, baby!
via giphy.com
So let us discuss!
• Spoilers = The Devil’s Spawn OR Spoilers = A Bit of Necessary Info •
~ Confession: I have a secret love for spoilers. ~
Maybe not big ones, but little ones. Spoilers that make me wonder, why?, how?, and increase my intrigue to read a certain book or series! Maybe I “accidentally” scroll through a spoilery review and see a spoiler about the MC having magical abilities, intrigue hits and I press Want-To-Read. Maybe I see another minor spoiler about the plot. Something that doesn’t give the whole thing away but you know little, little things.
Maybe, I’m one of those people who scavenges for spoilers about books with love triangles to see who I have to root for and not be on the losing side!?! (I totally do this.) Why? BECAUSE I HATE LOVE TRIANGLES BUT I WOULD RATHER BE ON THE WINNING SIDE THAN THE LOSING ONE!!!!!
via giphy.com
I don’t always look for spoilers. But with books that I’m kind of iffy about (or books with triangles) I just want a little bit of necessary info. Let it make me wonder and question and draw to the book to me. Sometimes I end up liking the book, sometimes I still end up on the wrong side of the triangle and sometimes the spoilers bring up things I don’t want to read about and I avoid the book completely.
Little spoilers are okay, but big spoilers.
No.
• Let’s talk about BIG spoilers which actually are the Devil’s Spawn. •
~ The Epic Plot Twist Spoil ~
I have had a couple epic twists spoiled for me, by accident. Both of the big twists in A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir were ruined for me. I was scrolling through Tumblr and she was answering questions about the book and I spotted two huge things that left me going “WHAT?!??” but at the same time “NO?!?!” It kind of ruined the momentum of the book, it was still AMAZING but those two revelations weren’t as epic as they should have been because I was spoiled! >.<
via giphy.com
~ The Character Death Spoil ~
This is actually the worst! I’ve had it happen to me a couple of times. I was spoiled for Crooked Kingdom (by my own fault), The Crown’s Game (by Kez’s fault) and pretty much all the deaths in Throne of Glass (by fault of Pinterest/Tumblr).
It just really sucks to get death-spoiled because then you are already mourning that character and by the time they die, it just doesn’t hit you as hard. I like to be hit hard and cry a little, but death-spoilers ruin this!
via giphy.com
~ The Final Ending Spoil ~
I hardly doubt anyone likes to know the ending of the book while they are reading it. Especially the conclusion of a series. I mean, it kind of defeats the purpose of reading the preceding books if you know how it’s all going to end. At least, that’s how I sometimes feel. Usually I push through and continue reading, but like I don’t have the same enthusiasm!
I know Maz and Kez would just not read the books at all if they spoiled the ending-ending for themselves (Which they do often to avoid long series. I don’t see their logic.)
• The Problem with Me and Spoilers •
I have the worst poker face. THE WORST. My fake smile, shake of the head, or just plain, “neutral” expression gives it all away!
Here’s the thing. I am a great liar when I want to be. (Which may be too often) But when it comes to books/movies/all things fandom, I just cannot keep my composure and I give it all away!
My friends and cousins, especially my cousin will come out and friggin interrogate me about her theories and ideas. Over text, I can keep the secrets but in person, I look guilty…especially when their theories are spot on.
I start sweating:
via giphy.com
My hands get clammy:
via giphy.com
My face gets red:
via giphy.com
And I put on the fakest smile of life!
via giphy.com
At that, my friend/cousin start yelling at me that I’m spoiling it for them, to which I answer: “THEN DON’T ASK ME!”
Moral of the story: I am an automatic spoiler, don’t tell me your theories unless over text because if you see my face, the cat is out of the bag!
Let me know what you think! Let’s discuss! SPOILERS! Do you voluntarily search for them? Do you religiously avoid them? What books have been spoiled for you? (Please do not give actual spoilers, lol) Do you have a good Spoiler-Poker Face?
It is that time of year again! When the scariest movies are on TV and the Halloween Town theme song is on endless repeat in my head! It’s Halloween Season!!
I love Halloween. I loved dressing up as a kid (though I usually went as a witch or princess….one time as a cowgirl) But this is a great time for movies, even though personally I cannot do scary/thriller and I will never be able to do horror, I love kids Halloween movies! (The Kid in Rendz never died)!
Thank you so much to Melting Pots and other Calamities for tagging me to do the Halloween Creatures Tag! Give my girl a visit and explore all the great posts, reviews and discussions she has going on! You’re in for such a great treat!
I do love me some mythical and eccentric creatures so this seems like a really fun tag!
Rules for the tag:
Follow the Categories
You Must Be Honest
You Must Answer All Questions to the Best of Your Ability
The Chronicles of Narnia! The books that first introduced me to magic and never let me go!
Mummies : A book or character you can’t wrap your mind around:
Jonas from the Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes
Like I don’t hate him…but I also think he is a nuisance and needs to get his act together.
Vampires : A book, series, or author you can’t live without:
Marissa Meyer and The Lunar Chronicles
I would be living an unfulfilled life had I not read this series. Marissa Meyer is my queen, she gave me everything I ever wanted. Who would I be if I never met my husband Carswell Thorne??? Answer: No one. I would living incomplete. Thank the stars for the existence of this amazing author and these incredible books!
Werewolves : A book best read in the middle of the night:
House of Ash by Hope Cook
This was a gothic and really dark read. Plus it gave me Monster House vibes which in my defense is kind of creepy movie to show kids (Oh Rendz, you soft, scardey cat)
Zombies : A book you picked up for the 2nd time/Continued after DNF’ing it:
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
What a foolish creature I was. I first tried to read this book back when I hated reading so I understand why I dropped it after a few pages. Thankfully, intelligent 12 year-old Rendz picked it up again, fell in love and I’m still endlessly waiting on the fifth book!
Ghosts : A book you easily predicted a twist or ending:
Warcross by Marie Lu
I absolutely adored this book, but I have to say that I did see the twist that came at the end. Although, the reason why it happened still shocked me.
Frankenstein : A book that truly shocked you:
Champion by Marie Lu
I’m never going to get over that ending. I am and always will be broken because of that ending.
Skeletons : A book or character that chilled you to the bone:
The Commandant from An Ember in the Ashes Quartet by Sabaa Tahir
This lady is insanely frightening and I would never want to cross paths with her. She is crazy!
Ghouls : A book that left you hungry:
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
My mouth was literally salivating after the first couple of pages.
Goblins : A greedy character:
Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Dirty Hands wants it all and he knows exactly how he is going to get it.
Devil : A dark, evil character:
Levana from The Lunar Chroniclesby Marissa Meyer
Hated her with all my guts. She is literally responsible for the death of thousands and feels exactly zero remorse.
Grim Reaper : A character you loved/hated that died:
Sorscha from Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Sorscha was the first character in that series I really related to and I absolutely hate that her time was cut so short. I hate that she is just brushed under the carpet and in the next installments of the series she is nothing but an after thought. If she were still alive, I would demand/petition/riot for a book solely on her and her adventures. But no, she’s dead!
Scarecrow : A book or character that scares you:
Every horror book out there. Goodbye Mr. Stephen King.
The Monster Mash : Tag 3 or more people to do this tag:
That’s all for me folks! Let me know what you think! What was your favourite Halloween costume ever? What is your favourite scary book/movie? (You know, so I can avoid it) What is your favourite Halloween creature?
If there is one thing I love to do on my blog is spillllllllll my unpopular opinions. Things that I don’t find quite amazing that others fawn over, or things that I fawn over that others hate. It truly makes for some good drama and me?…Well I love me some drama!
via giphy.com
Huge thank yous to the following lovely bloggers for tagging me and giving me the opportunity to spill all my unpopular views of this bookish universe!
All of these bloggers are fabulous and have such incredible posts, reviews and discussions. You should give them all a visit and lose yourself in their amazing archives!
Let’s get started! *evil laughter*
A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT YOU DIDN’T LIKE
via goodreads
Red Queen series by Victoria Aveyard
I thought the first book was amazing after having read it, but then I let it simmer and really…it wasn’t all that great. Then I read the sequel which was really boring and just a big nope. I never picked up the third one and now the fourth is coming…….I just don’t know if I will ever get back to that series.
A POPULAR BOOK OR BOOK SERIES THAT EVERYONE ELSE SEEMS TO HATE BUT YOU LOVE
via goodreads
Dust Land Trilogy by Moira Young
Maybe it’s not hate, but just a big dislike because of how the story is written. The author doesn’t use proper grammar or spelling to really emphasize the rustic-ness of characters. There isn’t even any punctuation really. This bothers a lot of people, but I loved it! I thought it was so cool!
AN OTP THAT YOU DON’T LIKE
via giphy.com
Rowan and Aelin a.k.a Rowaelin
I hate them both. Individually and as a couple. Their existence to me is unbearable but I have to bear it for all the secondary characters that I love. But I honestly don’t like these too, I do roll my eyes every time I scroll down Pinterest/Twitter/Tumblr and see something about them. I do not care for them at all. If either of them die…good.
*Did I take it too far*
via giphy.com
A POPULAR BOOK GENRE THAT YOU HARDLY REACH FOR
Thriller……………………….it’s cuz I’m a big scardy cat and I just can’t do the intense twist and brain melters! Also, horror because, again, tooooo scary!
A POPULAR/BELOVED CHARACTER THAT YOU DO NOT LIKE
Geez other than Rowan and Aelin?
Cal from the Red Queen series
I found him really boring, dry and just a big baby. No thanks, I liked Maven more and we all know how that turned out to be.
A POPULAR AUTHOR THAT YOU CAN’T SEEM TO GET INTO
John Green.
I never actually even read one of his books….I’ve never had the inclination to. I watched TheFaults in Our Stars movie, but I still have no desire to read the book. I don’t even know what his new book with the turtles is about. Just nope.
via giphy.com
A POPULAR BOOK TROPE THAT YOU’RE TIRED OF SEEING
Love triangles need to stop. Just nope. Nope. Nope.
A POPULAR SERIES THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN READING
via goodreads
City of Bones….and that entire series by Cassandra Clare. Even though I’ve read the first chapter of City of Bones, I never continued. There are way too many books in the Shadow Hunters world that I just will never have the inclination to start them now!
THE SAYING GOES “THE BOOK IS ALWAYS BETTER THAN THE MOVIE”, BUT WHAT MOVIE OR TV SHOW ADAPTATION DO YOU PREFER MORE THAN THE BOOK?
I actually don’t have an answer…
I haven’t read enough book to Movie/TV adaptations to judge. I’ve either read the book or haven’t watched the movie or vice versa! But like I’m pretty sure I like the Princess Diaries movies more than I would the books (If I were to ever read them)
I Tag…
Oh gosh, everyone has done this tag…but I’ll still tag a few of my new blogger friends! *no pressure to do it if you already have!*
Let me know what you think! Share any unpopular opinions with me? Share any opposing ones? What is your ultimate unpopular opinion?
Sorry if I like kind of trashed your fave book, series, author or OTP…..but this is my blog and opinions are mine! That being said I completely respect you if you disagree with me.
Reading with Rendz 