The Bookish Feels | Books that are emotional roller coasters

Greetings readers!

I would love to know how emotional you get when you read?

And I’m talking EMOTIONAL! Like facial expressions, odd noises and all. When I tell you guys that a book was an emotional roller coaster, I’m telling you that I experienced a very powerful series of feelings that had me in all sorts of ways XD

So I figured today I would highlight some of the books that made me totally and utterly and completely emotional. I know I usually organize these posts by singular emotions, but today I’m going full scale feeling frenzy.

The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

We start with my top read of 2020. This book had several SCENES that literally made me scream “AH” out loud. I felt a lot of rage and honestly I think it’s why I loved it so much hehehe This book was so amazing, I read it twice within the same year. And friends it just gets better the second time around! Ahhhhhh this book just had so much to take in at once, my jaw was literally on the floor by the end of it. (It might still be on the floor)

Furia by Yamile Saied Mendez

I need to quote my review because past me just knew what she was talking about: “absolutely gobsmacked by my emotions” Oh Rendz how right you were! This was definitely one of my top reads from 2020! It is a contemporary story that packs punch after punch and also very warm hugs. I was squealing and raging and crying and laughing my whole way through this book. Incredible. Simply incredible!

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Hoo. Friends. This book had me bouncing back and forth between stress, rage, hopelessness, love, joy, rage rage rage, and then hope. I just nfjnkajdbhjnjfef this book is soo amazing! It’s one of Marie’s quieter book, but it deserves your love and attention. This historical fantasy swept me off my feet and wiped the floor with me. It is both heart-breaking and inspiring, I cannot recommend it enough!

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Are we surprised to see this book on here? Nope. This book…oh my lord THIS BOOK. *clucthes heart* THIS BOOK WAS MY PERSONALITY for like three months after I read it XD I just ahhh I felt all kinds of things while reading this book. I may have not literally wept, but the squealing and book hugging was real. How many times have I gone back to read my favourite parts? So many times. I adore this book.

A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir

Two words: Weeping Uncontrollably. This book (which I’m still working hard to write my review on) had me on every level of emotion you can imagine. I was dreamy then I was sad, I was hopeful and then I was distraught, I was smiling in glee and then I was sobbing. My body shaking in absolute horror at what happened. And well…I can’t tell you how I felt at the end (you can read that in my review *winks*) but let’s just say my world was ROCKED.

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And that is it for me friends! I would love to know what books sent you on an emotional roller coaster! What kind of feelings do you go through? How do you handle the emotions when they wrap you up?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Bookish Feels | Books That Give Me Wanderlust // We’re going on a trip…

Greetings readers!

Books are really the only way to travel these days. At least for me.

I’m not really up to going that far, except a park or two. That being said, I thought I’d celebrate some of the books that give me wanderlust.

The desire to get up and go somewhere doesn’t hit me often, but when it does it comes in full force and I am left feeling on edge. Which is why I often turn to books to fill in that need!

So what book worlds would I want to visit?

Real World Roaming

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall

via Goodreads

This book gave me the urge to go to a cottage in Maine. Like what? I don’t know a single thing about Maine. For that matter, I’m not even sure if Maine is where they end up going!! The bigger picture is that I want to go to a rustic cottage by the sea!

Island Affair by Priscilla Oliveras

via Goodreads

Oh to be lying and chilling on a beach right now. I read this book when it was still cold out and it gave me major beach nostalgia. Who knew I wouldn’t be able to fulfill that wish once summer arrived? *sigh* Alas, this book is like a ray of sunshine and a warm breeze all in one!

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Take Me Back to the Magical Ole Days

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Roaming around 1920s Mexico with a Mayan god of Death??? Yes. Sign me up. I want the glitz and glam of it all! To visit the pueblos and Mexico city and even step into the dangerous roads of Xibalba, I’m all for it! I’m ready!

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu

Touring with the Mozart siblings and visiting magical music worlds too? Sounds like an adventure and I am all for it! Not only that, I would also get to see Europe  in the late 18th century with all this glam! YES.

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Whimsical Wayfaring

Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster

This book was positively magical. It’s a world full of different magical creatures and life. It was dangerous yet whimsical all in one. And above all else there was so much colour. The vibrancy of the words on the page enticed me into the grips of that story so wonderfully!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

via Goodreads

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: This book was weird but in a very magical and whimsical way. It’s a world that I would love to see for myself. From the ruins of the gods to the beasts that roam far and wide. Taylor painted quite a picture and I would love to see it for myself!

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Let me know what you think! What books have given you wanderlust? Have you ever visited a place because of a book? What wanderlust-inducing type books would you recommend?

*Lebanon Needs You – Please Share and/or Donate + Link to a master list of how you can help Black Lives Matter and other humanitarian movements across the globe*

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Bookish Feels | Books That Make Me Laugh // I really LOL’d

Greetings readers!

I feel a lot of things when I read. But making me laugh? That is not something that happens easily when I read. There is the occasional snort, and like heavy breathing, but an actual chuckle is hard to come by and like a full on belly rumble is even more rare.

Yet, there have been those books that have totally made me reach that point and today is the day we shall discuss them!

The Middle Grade Chuckles

The Humiliations of Pipi McGee by Beth Vrabel

Look this book is one bucket load of second hand embarrassment and I could help but laugh the whole way through. Pipi goes through many situations and most of them are quite giggle inducing! I had so much fun reading this book. I had to pause many times just to calm down from my laughter!

A Dash of Trouble by Anna Meriano

This book is so sweet and sooo funny! Leo gets herself into a lot of trouble as she tries to figure out her family’s best kept magical secrets! The antics are what really makes this book funny! So much mischief and sneekiness that leads to lots of trouble, but always accompanied by a good laugh. The characters are the heart and soul of this book, and laughing with them was one of the greatest joys of the reading experience!

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Are we surprised to see that this book made the Sad list, the Nostalgic list and now the Laughing list? No we are not surprised because The Penderwicks are just that amazing! So yes, I do cry a lot when I read these books but I also laugh me head off when I read them. These sisters get into such crazy situations that are ridiculous, but cute and hilarious! This series is a big part of my life because it can make me feel so many things and the fact that it makes me laugh is extra special!

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Young Adult Giggles

Speak Easy, Speak Love by McKelle George

Ugh the wit! The wit! So excellent! I cannot tell you how much I loved this book, you can read my review if you want that! I had such an amazing time reading this book. These characters had all the banter and snark that made this such an addicting and chuckle inducing read!

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

It’s because of Thorne. God, I love my book husband but he is a fool and I love him for it! Seriously the things he says are…some of them just do not contribute anything to conversation at all, but he always makes me laugh. I mean the other characters, *cough* Cinder *cough* have great snark too that adds to the hilarity so that must not be overlooked!

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Adult Romance Rumbles

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Gosh, I loved these two and the antics they get into on their double dates! They were not total polar opposites, but their differing personalities complimented each other wonderfully to make this a fun-loving adventure! Really, all of the CLo books I’ve read have made me chortle, but this one was extra special!

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

OH WOW! I loved this book and what I loved even more is that since it was my first time reading an adult contemporary romance it made me laugh which helped my awkwardness. Stella and Michael were wonderful characters and the silliness that they go through is delightful! It’s a heartfelt kind of funny that pulls on the heartstrings in the best way possible! Also Quan. A big reason why I laughed. Also, I love him.

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Delightful. Delightful. Delightful. Reading about dudes reading romance novels as a romance rookie myself was one of the funniest things I’ve ever done! But its not just the dude characters that were fun, the ladies added to laughs to! There was so much fun to be had. Yes, there was drama. Yes, there was angst. But the whole time I was reading I was giggling like a fool and living my best life!

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Let me know what you think! What books made you laugh? Do you ever laugh out loud or is more just a chucle? What funny books would you recommend?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Bookish Feels | Books that make me WEEP // Let’s cry together

Greetings readers!

It’s been forever since I last wrote one of these posts! So it is time to bring it back. Naturally we are going to take a bit of a sad turn here XD The last two times I did this post, I chose happier emotions, so we are going to get SAD. Actually, we are going to get weepy, these books are not just books that made me sad, these actually manifested physical tears in my eyes!

So grab your tissues and let’s get to it!

via giph.com

It’s About the Deaths

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Technically, I already knew who was going to die before I even read this. I was unfortunately spoiled before I even thought about picking up the book AND YET when I read the scene, I SOBBED. Just the whole scene of how it went down and the chapter that came after it…Like I’m getting emotional right now! I remember when I read it the first time, I was crying bitterly to myself in my room. I still think about it sometimes and get super sad XD

The Penderwicks on Gardam Steet – Prologue by Jeanne Birdsall

via Goodreads

Let me tell you. I am actually tearing up right now as I think about it! I can’t even explain how gut-wrenching this prologue is. It’s not even the whole book, it’s the PROLOGUE! It just breaks me every time, especially since it is being told mainly through the experience of little girls. I love this book to pieces and the fact that it makes me laugh and WEEP means that it is something special.

via giphy.com

Just Sad Happenings

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

So I actually didn’t cry while I read this the first time. I finished the book, closed it and went to bed. Then all of a sudden *poof* rivers of tears start running down my face. I was overwhelmed with this flood of emotions. The whole novel just came to attack me as I started to sleep. It was quite an experience. THEN I listened to the audiobook. And let me tell you, I cried multiple times throughout the novel. But the final chapters, with the emotion that the narrators put into it…I couldn’t hold back. I was a snotty mess!

The Penderwicks in Spring by Jeanne Birdsall

 

Surprised to see another Penderwick book here? I’m not! This book is a different kind of sad, it’s a soul-tearing kind of sadness, you can’t help but feel for the characters. When I experienced this the first time, I woke up at about 8 a.m. to read (because I was that desperate to read it!) and I was sitting in my living room sobbing and wiping boogers from my noise. I was a mess!!!!!!!!!!!! The second time I read it, I thought I would be better prepared…WRONG! I burst into tears in the middle of the afternoon and then next thing you know ding-dong! The doorbell rang, we had guests! And I had about 30 seconds to not look like a weeping disaster!

via giphy.com

The First Book That Will Always Get Me

Champion by Marie Lu

via Goodreads

 

It was a chilly December day. I was in my living room, reading the final book of a trilogy I have loved since I first started! I was reaching the final chapters when things started getting sad. And then this unbelievable twist happens and I lost it. My eyes started running, but no, I had not reached the climax yet. Then I read the epilogue and all of a sudden I couldn’t see the words on the page, everything was blurry, I tasted salt on my lips and my heart was hurtinggg. This was the first time I have ever cried for a book and I SOBBED HARD. There were actual tears stains on the pages!!! The final words are just killer! Killer! I have not reread the book since, but I am preparing for a reread very soon, so we shall see how it goes!

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*wipes tears* Well this was an emotional roller coaster! I promise that next time I will go for a happier emotion XD But goodness me, I love it when books make me cry. It really means the author has wrapped their whole idea around me and completely shaken my being. It’s the ultimate sign of a great read in my opinion!

Let me know what you think! What books have made you weep? Do you even cry when you read? What’s the saddest book you’ve ever read? 

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Bookish Feels | Books That Make Me Nostalgic // Ahhh the Good Old Days

Greetings readers!

I figured today we would take a trip down memory lane. I’ve been feeling nostalgic these past couple of weeks. Thinking about all the books that got me into reading. As some of you may already know, reading was not my #1 choice of pass time as a young child, but now all I seem to want to do is read. How times have changed.

So I figured today I would talk about some of those books that started nudging me towards my reading journey! These are are not all, but certainly some of the most important ones.

The Picture Books That Started It All

Franklin Books authored by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark

via Goodreads

I devoured these when I was in kindergarten. Besides the fact that our librarian would read a Franklin book every time we had Library at school. Separately, my friends and I would poor over Franklin books on our own free time. Especially the ones we didn’t recognize from the TV show (which, may I add, was also truly iconic.)

Everything and ANYTHING by Robert Munsch

via Goodreads

AN ICON OF MY CHILDHOOD.

LIKE.

DO I EVEN HAVE TO EXPLAIN?

His books were just everything.

E V E R Y T H I N G.

Why haven’t they been made into TV shows and like mini adaptations. Can you imagine?

Some of my personal favourites are Make-up Mess, Mortimor, Love You Forever, and of course THE PAPER BAG PRINCESS.

The MG Chapter Books

Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park

via Goodreads

An Icon. Truly. I started reading Junie B. as a bet to myself. My mother was always picking of me for not reading more books, so out of pure spite, I decided to read the entire series. And y’all this is a 20+ chapter book series and you know what? Little Rendz did it!

I know there are some more recent editions that I didn’t end up ever reading, but I did get through most of them, which makes me feel quite proud!

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne

via Goodreads

Icons. Peek magical adventures. These truly fed my love for fantasy and adventure. I was always imagining myself going on these crazy adventures and it is the main reason I begged my dad for a tree house. To which he said no because we had no tree. To which I then ate and apple and buried a couple of seeds in hopes I would get a tree. Unfortunately, we moved before I ever got to see the seeds (not) grow.

But yes, these books. Amazing!

Accidentally series by Lisa Papademetriou

via Goodreads

SO dramatic. 100/10 I would reread them today. First of all they are Candy Apple books and if you don’t know what that is, please take the time to google this amazingly delicious collection of MG stories that are so DRAMATIC that they are frickin amazing. Tween Rendz was all over these books, given I didn’t get to read them all but seriously these books are like a peek point in my reading evolution. (I used to be all about the contemporary *shocks you all*)

My First YA reads

Legend trilogy by Marie Lu

It came in a scholastic catalogue and just, I have so many memories of eagerly anticipating my teacher bringing the box to class and opening it up and calling us to grab our books. Thank you, Ms. Z!!

Now after so many years we are getting a fourth book and I just…I am going to be so emotional. This is one of the first series I picked up out of my own violation. I am gonna be a mess when it releases so I hope you are all prepared.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Who didn’t read these? Like? I started them after the movie announcement came out and my cousin happened to have read them and purchased her own copies. I picked them up and they literally changed my life. I had never read a book so fast, much less a series. Now whenever I look at them, I think about that time in my life. Those days where all I did was braid my hair and dream about practicing archery.

Yup.

I was that kid.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

via Goodreads

This was by recommendation of one of my classmates in the seventh grade, who was a much bigger reader then me at the time. She said the book had good romance, and at my tender age of twelve years I wanted all the swoons in my books! I think it might have been too much romance for me and when I read the sequel Fire I was *shocked*. I think if I were to reread the books now I would have a much deeper appreciation for them.

Now whenever I think about this book, I get all giddy. Seventh grade was a good year and this book definitely added to some goodness.

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Let me know what you think! What books make you nostalgic? Do you associate certain times in your life with certain books? What is one childhood book you would want to read again for the first time?

Happy reading!

~ Rendz

The Bookish Feels | Books That Make Me Gush

Greetings readers!

It’s that lull time between the holidays. After the high and rush of Christmas comes the anticipation of the New Years party and adventures and here I am trying to blog which I have had a terrible time keeping up with while on vacation!

So I figured I would try my luck with this blog feature again so that you all don’t get bored of my repetitive blog theme. And yet this is the continuation of a post I did waayyyy back in August.

Better late than never, right?

If you want to check out the last one, it was Books that Make Me Mad! It was a strong start, so I hope you all enjoy this one too!

Books that Make Me Gush are not the same as books that I genuinely enjoy. I am sure many of you feel the same. In order for a book to make me gush, it has to be something extra special. It has to have the amazing characters, the epic plot and then something a little bit more that just makes me crumble in feels!!!!!!!!!!!

The Fluffy Gush

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

I wrote an entire blog post on why this series means the world to me, if you are interested in reading the long version I will link it here. But if you just need the short summary, the thing that makes me gush the most is the sister relationship. The sisters are all very different, with different goals in life and passions, but they all have this love for each other that I admire so much. Their love for one another and their whole dynamic is just so precious. My heart sings whenever I think about this series!

The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I don’t talk about this book enough!!!!! I absolutely loooooovvvveeeddd this book! It’s a quite romance with manners and a dash of telekinetic powers! It is honestly just so so so great. I can’t even find a better way to explain it. The characters are all so fun to follow, Nina is so relatable, Valerie is a total witch–but like I also liked her!!!–and Hector is a noob, but his redemption *clutches chest*. But I’ll be honest the star of the book is Nina and she goes through such a lovely transformation and is so fiercely passionate! If you want to read outside your genre and try romance for a change, I definitely recommend this book if your want a more gentle love story!

Read My Review

The Epic Gush

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Do I really need to explain this???? Like?? If you are reading this blog for the first time maybe you do not know, but I ADORE this series. Like I am creepily obsessed with it and its characters and it’s not healthy but I don’t care!! This science fictions, fairy tale retelling mashup was perfect in my eyes and I can talk your ear off about it any day!!!

You can read my in-depth, super gif-filled rants about each book by clicking on the links!

A Moment of Fangirling: Cinder

A Moment of Fangirling: Scarlet

A Moment of Fangirling: Cress

A Moment of Fangirling: Winter

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

This series is just everything. I mean it is on the list and it is not even complete yet. We have one book more to go which is a long ways off from being published, but like I am so so so so in love with everything about it. The characters are incredibly well crafted: see Laia of Serra, my Queen and one of the first fantasy characters I actually felt embodied my kind of personality! See also Elias Veturius: One of my book husbands. The world in this book, the politics, the MAGIC….everything, everything, EVERYTHING about this series makes me quicker with excitement!

The Narnia Gush

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Self-explanatory. I mean…hello? Magical worlds found in magical wardrobes that lead to magical adventures that leads to being ruler of magical kingdoms?????????? Yes, please. Thank you very much. I will be honest the movies might be a little more influential on me than the books (is that a horrible thing to say? Oh well!), but I just love the story so much! They are definitely not perfect, but there are definitely golden moments to be had!

The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth

I mean a book about the lives of siblings after living in a Narnia-like world for so many years????????????????????????? I have been waiting for this my whole life and I when I got to read it earlier this year I absolutely fell in love!!!!!!!!!!!! The characters and the emotions….I still think about it to this day and wonder about how things might be going for our dear sisters Ev and Phil after their adventures. It had so much goodness on its own and on top of that it had Narnia goodness!!!!!!!!

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I could add so many other gush-inducing books, but I must save some for other Bookish Feel posts!

Let me know what you think! What books make you completely gush? What feeling would you like to see me express in one of these posts? 

Happy reading (and gushing!)

~ Rendz

The Bookish Feels ~ Books That Make Me Mad

Greetings readers!

Feels. We are always talking about feels. As readers, we become emotionally invested in everything revolving books. Whether it be characters, plot twists or even just news about books/authors you love. You have feels and you feel them. And sometimes those feels just kind of stick with you. They plague you whenever something remotely reminds you of a scene/character or whatever. The feels come back in full force and you can’t help but…well feel them!

I decided to talk about some of those feels. I was gonna make this like a whole segment, but I don’t know if I have enough material for that lol…then again I have endless amounts of feels!

To kick off this feature, I am gonna start by talking about books that make me mad. From a mild annoyance to a raging fire that makes me want to unread a book. So I figured I’d give you a little insight into what books make me upset or go through some brash hard set of angry feels. I promise next time I do this it will be much happier.

But for now, let’s get angry.

via giphy.com

Characters that Make Me Fizzy with Fury

The Grant Siblings ~ Save the Date by Morgan Matson

I actually really enjoyed this book. It was fun and quite ridiculous, but there is one thing I cannot forgive and that would be how terrible the main character and her family are. They are literally assholes. I’m sorry, but it’s true. It just got me so annoyed whenever the MC would praise her family for being the best when they were literally the worst. And yes, this is a direct call out on the older brother, Danny, who was literally the worst.

Mr. Sanchez ~ Education of Margot Sanchez by Liliam Rivera

Again, I really liked this book. I had so much fun and related to the main character a lot. But there is one character I cannot forgive and that is her dad, Mr. Sanchez. Whenever I think about what he did it makes me just rage a little. I claw my hands and shake my head because he is the woooorrrsssttt and I hate him. But I do like the book.

Joseph Saudrin ~ Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

Yeah….I just really hate Joseph Saudrin. I hated him with every fiber of my being and wished him the worst. I also made my sisters read this…so I am not alone in this wild rage whenever I think about how much I hate this character. It’s a ridiculous amount of hate, but OMG ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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via giphy.com

Simply The Unforgivable in the Romance

Bo x Penny ~ The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw

PENNY DESERVED BETTER. SHE DESERVED BETTER THAN BO. I won’t spoil anything for those who haven’t read the books, but I just cannot think about this book and not get angry over the resolution in the romance. The final scenes that just tick me off. No. No. No. No. Penny deserved more and I can’t believe she got stuck with Bo.

Sarah Jac x James ~ All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry

This had so much potential. But the ship just sunk for me sooooooooo bad. And it’s not like they don’t end up together, but once again the stupid dude can’t keep it together. And I hated him. Hated him with a passion. But maybe it’s because I am a bitter, bitter, bitter bitch that I couldn’t find it in me to forgive him!

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The All Time Rage Trigger

The Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

This comes as a surprise to no one, I’m sure.

I have come to hate this series more and more with each book. I just cannot with this series anymore.

Listen, I liked the first two books. They were fun, fantastical and action-y! But then book 3 rolls around and I thought it was meh. Then book 4 and 5 come about and I legit vomit at the thought of them. Then book 6, which I accept despite my clams with it.

And yes, yes, yes this does revolve around mainly my love for Chaol and everyone’s disdain for him. His character, which I find, complex and intriguing while most others roll their eyes. But the rage also comes from my absolute disgust of Rowan and everyone else’s fawning over him. And let us not forget how far Aelin has fallen in the my books. It’s no secret that she is at the very, very bottom.

So yes, this series triggers a lot of emotions in me. Not all negative, but definitely the most prominent when it comes to negative feels.

I look forward to reading the end, solely because it is the end and I do not want to suffer anymore time with characters I dislike. So cheers to a finale.

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I could go on about my raging feels, but I shall cut it off here. It was fun getting to vent so I hope you all enjoyed my tantrum in the form of the blog post! If I in some way offended you, oopsie(?) These are just my opinions, so I’m not sorry that I hate Throne of Glass—uh—I mean–it’s okay to have differing opinions 🙂

Let me know what you think! What books or characters bring up raging feelings in you? What do you do to cope with your rage? How do you keep from making angry faces in public when you start feeling them feels? (<–I am not joking, I make weird faces on the bus, oops)

Happy reading!

~ Rendz