REVIEW: Dream A Little Dream by Kerstin Gier

Let me tell you a thing: I loved SO VERY EXCEEDINGLY MUCH The Ruby Red trilogy by Kerstin Gier. Oh my goodness the time travel and the fantasy and the characters. I can't. So I went into this new book by her with a whole lot of expectations... that were sadly and dramatically let down. Dang it. Let me tell you about it.

The Short Story:

If you like books about dreams and the mind and super dark things, this book is up your alley. Think lots of mind games and a blurred line between waking and sleeping. And some creep factor. Also, since some people are turned off by this in YA, the main character is quite young and acts it. I think if this book sounds interesting to you, give it a try! But it wasn't my cup of tea. Too much creep, too much awkward.

The Long Story:

Liv and her sister, Mia, have just been uprooted from their temporary home once again because their mother met a new man... again. So they're a little bitter about attending another new school with the same issues that every school has. With one exception: a few of the students seem to be dabbling in things they shouldn't and they really want to get close to Liv. Liv stars seeing and meeting these people in her dreams and inexplicably they can all remember what happened in that dream the next day at school.
So. Liv is ridiculous and I can't deal with her. There is a whole lot of freaky stuff going on in this book and I could hardly believe how dumb she was being by seeking out these things and these people who were CLEARLY trouble from the start. UGH. She made me crazy.
Also, the romance in this book was the most insane trip I've ever read. I normally am fine with insta-love, when it's done well! This romance was not. It came out of nowhere and was fairly awkward to read (in my opinion) and I wasn't even rooting for them. That was the biggest problem: I didn't care if they ended up together or not because for half the book I had been given no real clues to lead to that end! It was odd.
The creep factor in this book was TOO DARN HIGH for me because I'm a total wuss. But it made me like the book significantly less because I was expecting a bit more light and fluffy and less scary and hellish.
I enjoyed the dream element because it was super unique and something I'd never read about before. The way Gier constructed the world of dreams and dreaming and how it all worked was so cool and I liked that a lot! But that was just about the only upside for this book.
Overall, if you're a fan of dreams, creepy books, and don't mind a naive main character, give it a try. I'm sure there are people who would like this book, I'm just not one of them.

2/5 stars.

Happy reading!

REVIEW: The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson

It is hot. It is humid. And it is the most summery of summer weather, which means stay inside or in the shade and read for hours and hours... and hours.
So when the world is trying to melt me, I do just that! While I'm not a "seasonal reader," I looked at The Unexpected Everything and I was like YES SUMMER YES.
And you guys, it did not disappoint AT ALL! This book is summer in a book, perfect and fantastic and all the things yes.

The Short Story:

If you like stories about being spontaneous and finding yourself and REAL friendships, (and dogs), read this book. The dogs were some of my favorite characters, the romance is very well done (albeit a smidgen insta-lovey), and the growth in all of the characters is great. This is truly the quintessential summer novel. Please read!

The Long Story:

Andi is the daughter of a now-infamous politician, and scandal has turned her world (and plans and summer and life) upside down. As a type A person and a constant planner, Andi couldn't be more thrown by being forced to change her summer plans at the last second. And she definitely could not have guessed she would become a dog walker. Or meet a dorky boy. Or have to hide secrets from friends and family. Or anything else that happens in her summer, but the craziness might just be what she needed all along.
Andi is such a relatable character for a lot of people, especially in high school, who are always on the lookout for ways to better their resume or look more impressive to universities. Morgan Matson lets you see every bit of Andi and her motivations and fears and goals. This makes you really want to keep reading just to get to know Andi better.
I love the relationships in this book (except to a point, which you'll probably understand when (yes I said when and not if) you read it)!! Family relationships and friendships and romantic relationships. THEY MAKE ME SMILE! This book has so many genuine characters and their relationships with one another are so enjoyable to read about.
I'll be honest and say I saw the plot twist (is it a plot twist? the surprise? sure..) coming a mile away. But that didn't affect my reading the book; it just made me want to read more and more. I thought the author wrote this conflict very well and in a way that seemed accurate to real life.
My favorite part: the romance. So. It was unbelievably amazing for me! If you like sugary sweetness, this might not be your favorite romance. But if you like hilarity and a couple just having the best time together, this is a great one!
Again, the dogs. THE. DOGS. Bertie. ASDFGHJKL. I loved how much attention was given to the dogs because it made them into important characters! I have two dogs and reading about how the dogs were acting made me laugh because I knew exactly how dogs are.
Overall, this book was funny and clever and sweet and sad and emotional and relatable and REAL. Highly recommend!

5/5 stars, no doubt.

Happy reading!

CAMP NANOWRIMO!

HEAR YE, HEAR YE! On this day, the twenty-seventh of June in the year two-thousand and sixteen, I do declare that I will be participating in Camp NaNoWriMo! 

YAY! :)

For the last two years I've considered doing NaNoWriMo in November and have yet to do so... until I heard about Camp NaNoWriMo that happens during July, which is way less busy that November for me. Lately, I've been feeling really inspired to write but have not found the motivation to actually start. I've been planning, plotting, personifying, and what not, but haven't written more than twenty words. This is going to be the PERFECT set-up and the perfect time to start. 

Camp NaNoWriMo is just like NaNoWriMo, but summery and camp-themed. It is still a month of huge writing goals with what I've heard is an amazing community and support. It is a fantastic way to jumpstart your writing project while being surrounded by people who believe in you. You set your own goal and CNNWM helps you keep going!

I've wanted to be an author, to write stories in any capacity, since I was little. I love writing still and now, having just graduated from college and having the whole world at my feet (or something like that), seems like the best time in my life for me to give this a try for real. 

The book I want to write is a probably middle-grade (but maybe YA, we'll see) friendship-and-family-and-revenge-and-adventure-and-fairies-and-magic-and-kingdoms-and-first-love story. I've had the characters in my head floating around and becoming more defined for about a year and they're itching to have their story told.

I couldn't possibly be more excited than I am right now! If you're joining the Camp NaNoWriMo fun, find me on the website at thestoriedshelf :) I would love to write along with you! Subcribe to this blog and follow me on Instagram (@the.storied.shelf) because I'll be posting updates (and rants) periodically throughout this month. 

Happy reading!

INTIMIDATING TBR TAG!

Even thinking about doing this tag has been intimidating! My TBR is out-of-this-world huge (I have unread books on my shelf in great numbers AND a list on my phone that exceeds two hundred books...guys, help) and it's hard to narrow it to the most intimidating books on it... But here we go! 

What book have you been unable to finish?

I probably finish 98% of books that I read. But I tried reading Denton Little's Deathdate and I couldn't get into it. The concept is so unique and sounds like something I'd enjoy, but when I actually tried to read it, I couldn't stand the characters and the style was too odd for me. So I still haven't finished it and I'm most likely going to DNF it.

What book have you yet to read because you haven't had the time?

Oh my goodness the entire Throne of Glass series. I want to read them. I need to read them. But just look at those books! Every time one is published it's bigger than the last one!! I don't know what to do about this one except drop all my responsibilities and hide in a box until I finish the whole thing. Yep.

What book have you yet to read because it's a sequel?

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the last book in the Rebel Belle trilogy and I'm having a hard time coming to terms with finishing it...so I haven't even tried. I've been avoiding review like the plague because I don't want anyone to tint my reading of this finale, but I need to get to it SOOOOON so I'm not spoiled.

What book have you yet to read because it's brand new?

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan. Now let me tell you a thing: I wanted this the day it came out. But other things (read: bills) prevented that dream from coming true. So I bought it a few days ago, which makes it super brand new to me! And I still haven't started it yet. What's wrong with me? I honestly have no clue. It's still only about a month old, so it's brand new, but I have no excuse because I own it now. Oy.

What book have you yet to read because you read a book by the same author and didn't enjoy it?

I have a weird answer for this one, and it's The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. Now, Chris hasn't written other novels before this series, so the problem isn't that I haven't liked previous books, but that I'm super skeptical about books by actors that I've been a big fan of in the past. I loved Glee when I watched it and now I'm not sure about a book written by "Kurt." Maybe it's just me.

What book have you yet to read because you're just not in the mood for it?

I read Kerstin Gier's Ruby Red trilogy last year and loved every second and every word on every page of the whole darn thing. And now she has another series that starts with Dream A Little Dream and I'm super excited to read it...sometime. Her books are certifiably mindboggling and I'm just not quite in the mood for a book that is going to take my brain and twist it until I can't see straight. But it's on my TBR for this month so hopefully I'll get this one solved soon!

What book have you yet to read because it's humongous?

One word: ACOTAR. Ha, see what I did there? It's an acronym so it's actually several words but looks like one...okay, I'm done. Anyway, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas has hype for days (and days and days) and that's one part of its hugeness. The other part is physically it's very tall and quite a few pages and it scares me. I want so much to read it. But it's so BA I feel like it will consume me entirely.

What book have you yet to read because it was a cover buy that turned out to have poor reviews?

Eleanor Herman's LEGACY OF KINGS, no doubt. I bought this at the beginning of this year and I was so pumped to have it! It is gorgeous and epic-looking and I want to stare at it all day. But recently I've been hearing not great things about it and that makes me super anxious. I think I'm still going to love it, but I've kind of been putting it off.

What is the most intimidating book in your TBR?

I'm cheating a teeny bit, but it's my most honest answer. The remainder of the Ranger's Apprentice series is easily the most intimidating item on my TBR. I read the first book over a year ago and was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. But then other things came up and I got distracted by pretty covers and such and now it's been so long and I haven't continued the 12-book series. Yeesh. I know I'm going to love it, but there are so many books and world and characters and wow I'm dizzy.

Who do you tag? 

I've tagged several AWESOME people over on the bookstagram community (@the.storied.shelf) and you should check out their responses there!

And there y'all have it! This tag succeeded in making me feel super guilty about having not read these books AND made me want to built a cave out of my unread books and hide away in it. But hey, it was still fun! 

What's your most intimidating TBR?? 

Happy reading!!

DISNEY BOOK TAG!

If there's anything I like as much as books, it's Disney. I touched on that fact in my review of A Whole New World, but really Disney movies are my very most favorite in the entire world! So when I saw Kat from Katytastic on Booktube do a Disney book tag, I got ridiculously excited to do it myself! I'm sure this will be the first of many Disney-related posts, as well as book tags.

Firstly: The Little Mermaid

 - a character who is out of their element, a "fish out of water" -

Percy from both Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus. Poor kid is just living his life, going to school, struggling with homework, and out of the blue he's attacked by monsters and finds out he's not just a human. I mean, wow, what a bombshell. 

Secondly: Cinderella

 - a character who goes through a major transformation - 

Cress from the Lunar Chronicles. When we met Cress for the first time, she is an unbelievably timid girl, very much a damsel in distress type. By the end of the last book, she is living up even past her potential and does some incredible things to help her friends.

Thirdly: Snow White

 - a book with an eclectic cast of characters-

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zac by [AUTHOR HERE]. This book isn't talked about much, but there are so SO many weird and awkward and unique and crazy characters thrown into just one story that you can't help but be entertained.

Fourthly: Sleeping Beauty

 - a book that put you to sleep -

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this book to some degree... But it definitely lulled me to sleep on more than one occasion. It's very dense and hard to get into, so I found myself drifting off.

Fifthly: The Lion King 

 - a character that had something traumatic happen to them in their childhood -

Clary from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Even though Clary doesn't learn of this occurrence until later, the immense secret and spells performed on her were traumatic to discover after the fact.

Sixthly: Beauty and the Beast

 - a beast of a book (a big book) that you were intimidated by, but found the story to be beautiful - 

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Once upon a time, I decided I wanted to read a classic romance for fun and I figured this would be an okay place to start. Then I would put it off and choose to do things other than read it because it was so huge and dense and I thought I'd never get through it. But it's now my favorite classic of all time and I've read it more than once!

Seventhly: Aladdin

 - a character that gets his or her wish granted, for better or for worse -

Kyle from Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library. In this middle grade book, Kyle tries his hardest to win a ticket to the new library opening in his town because he wants to play the video games, but doesn't care at all for the books. When he gets his chance, he ends up learning a lot and his wish to visit the library was granted for the better.

Eighthly: Mulan

 - a character who pretends to be someone or something they are not -

Finn from Loop by Karen Atkins. When Finn accidentally gets taken from the past into the future, he has to pretend a lot of things: that he belongs there, that he is fro, this century, and that he isn't in love. And he does it so badly in such a fantastic way.

Ninthly: Toy Story

 - a book with characters you wish would come to life -

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. I read this book and fell instantly in love with the Garrett family!! It would be awesome if they came to life...and were my next door neighbors!

Honorable mention: Harry Potter (OBVIOUSLY).

Lastly: Disney Descendants

 - your favorite villain of morally ambiguous character -

Sebastian from The Mortal Instruments. Y'all, this guy is so good at being bad and making you think he could be good. And then he shatters your heart into ten trillion pieces of sad. It's ridiculous. He is without a doubt my favorite villain.

And that was the Disney book tag! Let me know if you agree or disagree with my choices and who your favorite villain is!

Happy reading!