Transitive Verve

  The downside of keeping a book journal instead of writing reviews on a book blog is that sharing those thoughts online isn't quite the same. The upside, though, is that writing a journal entry by hand, instead of typing a review , shifts the gears in my head a little bit about how I want to frame my thoughts. I initially struggled REALLY hard about how I was going to review this book, and then I ended up deleting my draft altogether. And then I thought about deleting this entire blog altogether, because I wasn't sure if I still wanted to review books so much as just ruminate on them, which is why I started a book journal for myself. I don't know if I still want to offer my opinions on books for other people anymore; I want to explore my opinions on books for myself. For now, though, I will just share what I wrote about this book, by posting the pictures of the pages from my book journal. I don't know if I will keep blogging, keep journaling, keep posting my journal o...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Bryce Quinlan is half-human/half-fae in a world where even being full human makes life hard, let alone being a "half-breed." But she has a job as an assistant to an antiquities dealer, an apartment she shares with a ballet dancer, a mercenary, and the someday-heir to the wolf shifter throne, and weekends full of wild partying. All of that comes crashing to a halt as she comes home one night to find her best friends slaughtered. The murderer is apprehended, but Bryce will never be the same again. Two years later, similar murders are being committed, and it's clear that there is a further mystery to be solved. Bryce is recruited to help investigate, due to her connections to the victims, and along with fallen angel/assassin Hunt Athalar, Bryce dives into the deep underbelly of Crescent City in order to discover the truth and avenge her best friend, unprepared for the secrets that will be uncovered.

Hi there! I realized it's been a while since I posted--the new school year has started, and things are busy, busy busy! I've been reading, but I haven't had a chance to sit down and write some in-depth reviews, but I thought I'd share with you what I've read since my last post, as well as some quick thoughts: The Night We Said Yes by Lauren Gibaldi Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Quick summary: A year after they broke up, Ella and Matt reunite. Matt is not over Ella, and Ella wants to be over Matt. As they relive the magical night that they first got together, Ella tries to figure out whether getting back together would be worth it. Quick review: This was a really cute story! If you're into realistic YA romance (realistic as in, not fantasy or scifi or supernatural), then you'll like this one!   Lifel1k3 and Dev1at3 by Jay Kristoff Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) for both Quick summary:  Eve lives among the ...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  SO many of us want to be more organized and more productive. We all have goals we want to accomplish, but we also need to take care of ourselves mentally and emotionally. We want to do more, but we want to stress less. Bullet journalling has become wildly popular in the last few years, because it offers both of those things: it's a system for planning and organization, but it's also a way to journal and reflect. Bullet journals can range from extremely simple and minimalist, to ornately decorated and complex, and the beauty of the system is that it's completely customizable for your life. You can pretty much learn everything you need to about bullet journalling from the internet these days, so Ryder Carroll, creator of the system , offers a little something extra in this book, along with instructions on the basics, so that no matter where you are in your bullet journal journey, there's something you can get out of...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary: This is book 7 of the Throne of Glass series. Therefore, it will contain spoilers for all the previous books. If you would like to check out all my previous TOG reviews, here they are: Assassin's Blade  (Book 0/prequels) Throne of Glass Crown of Midnight Heir of Fire Queen of Shadows Empire of Storms Tower of Dawn  (parallel to EoS) When we last left Aelin and Co. in Empire of Storms , things were really bad. Like, REALLY bad. As in, "Aelin has been captured by Maeve and locked in an iron box and now no one knows where she is, and Lysandra has to pretend to BE her to keep the resistance going, because everyone knows they're probably going to die fighting the evil demon king, Erawan" bad. And Tower of Dawn  had Chaol, Yrene, and Nesryn racing back to the Northern continent with reinforcements and the news that Maeve is really a Valg QUEEN in disguise. And Manon and Dorian are off on THEIR own, trying ...

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for also providing the press kit with the graphics and blurb. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it)

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for also providing the press kit with the graphics and blurb. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it)

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Lily Abbott couldn't care less about chemistry class, and tends to spend that time brainstorming lyrics to songs that she'll never finish. But one day after she scribbles some lyrics to an obscure song she loves on her desk, she is surprised to find a response from a fellow student who sits in her same desk. Lily and the mystery guy end up becoming chem class pen pals, sharing not just band recommendations but also deeply personal thoughts. Through him, Lily finds inspiration for a song for an upcoming contest and also possibly... love? But she has no idea who he is. In the meantime, her best friend's ex (and overall popular jerk), Cade, keeps showing up in her life, unexpectedly and unwelcome. Lily can't stand the sight of him and verbally spars with him every chance she gets, but the more she gets to know him, the more there seems to be below the surface. At any rate, she's got a song she needs to write, a...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Olga was always the perfect Mexican daughter--she never stayed out, she lived at home and worked a receptionist job while attending classes, and she never talked back to her mother. Was ... because Olga died in a tragic accident. And Julia, the younger Reyes sister, who always gets in trouble, who always mouths off, who never gets along with their mother, who wants more in life than to just be a docile wife to some man, is left to pick up the pieces. But Julia discovers something about Olga that leads her to believe that Olga may not have been quite so "perfect." And as she tries to investigate further, she also has to learn to navigate her forever-troubled, ever-worsening relationship with her mother, her own post-high school plans, and her sense of self as she finds her life rapidly changing.

While my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it!) Summary:  Seven years ago, Elliot let the love of her life walk away, and she's regretted it ever since. She has always known that Wade was The One, but she was too young at the time to make that kind of promise, and as a result, she hasn't heard from him since the day they broke up. Wade is back in town after seven years of running from the memories of the girl he loved, but under the worst of circumstances: his father is dying. So now, not only is he having to deal with being strong for his sisters, but he also has to face Elliot, and the very real possibility that his feelings for her are as strong as ever.

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Gabby and Ryan are an unlikely pair of best friends--Gabby is a loner who gets panic attacks and prefers to stay home and play Monopoly with her family on the weekends, while Ryan is a popular hockey player who loves to party and probably can't even remember all the girls he's hooked up with. And yet, they've somehow managed to stay best friends since they first met freshman year, going bowling and making Top Ten lists about everything under the sun. Now they've just graduated, and their separation for college is looming just over the horizon. As we count down their Top Ten moments of their friendship, Gabby and Ryan need to confront their feelings and decide if they really want to be something more.

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  A year after her boyfriend Jared's death, Kennedy has finally come to his hometown of Lyra Valley to lay his ashes to rest. She doesn't quite feel ready to let go and can't bring herself to spread his ashes right away, so in the meantime, she gets to know some of the people from Jared's former life. Including Aaron, Jared's former best friend, to whom she feels an instant attraction--followed by instant guilt. Aaron, too, tries hard to deny his feelings for Kennedy, considering how his friendship with Jared had ended so many years ago. But as Lyra Valley's thunderstorms keep throwing them together, they find that they can...

This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Sophia is moving back to the US in seven days, after spending most of her life in Tokyo. She doesn't want to say goodbye to her school, her friends, and the brilliant, electric city she has come to know and love.  And to make matters worse, Jamie has just moved back  to Tokyo -- Jamie, with whom she'd once been good friends and who had hurt her terribly before he left. Why couldn't he have just waited another week? As she counts down the days and her friendships start to splinter, she finds a connection forming between her and Jamie. But with only a week left to go, is she just setting herself up for more heartbreak?

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. NA/A romance has a lottttttttt of sub-categories, so depending on what you like, you can find romances involving football players, hockey players, military men, billionaires, etc. My particular interest is in rock stars, although perhaps not for reasons you'd expect: I played bass guitar in a cover band for all of high school, and while it was all very innocent and teenagery, it left me with an appreciation for music and performing that I still have to this day, even though I stopped playing long ago. Music (playing, not just listening) has always been a part of my life, ever since I was a child (and I ended up being kind of a music snob in my 20s too), so it's probably no surprise that I like reading rock star romances - I'm often paying as much attention to the descriptions of ...

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary: Hayden is the son of a senator, looking to break free from the impending burdens of a political career he doesn't want to have. Saylor is a quirky, geeky animal-lover trying to escape her own troubles having to do with her parentage. They hook up at their friends' wedding, and it's magical. At least, for Saylor it is. Hayden doesn't seem to remember a thing - not the night they spent together, and not the fact that they actually decided on a whim to get married. But he does remember how drawn he is to her, and he just can't seem to stay away. And as their worlds collide (even more), Saylor isn't so sure that she wan...

Disclaimers: while my blog post itself does not contain any sexual content, this book does. This is a review for a book that is meant for mature audiences, and therefore is unsuitable for minors. This book was provided to me for free through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Troy is an MP in the town of Seaside, dreading the onslaught of Christmas because of a family issue that had happened in the past. Allison is the director of the Seaside Veteran's Center, and is happy to be single - except at Christmastime, when her mother hounds her endlessly about dating and then criticizes any man she brings home. This year, after crossing paths fortuitously two weeks before Christmas, Allison has the perfect idea to bring Troy home as her pretend boyfriend - it'll get her mother off her back, and since it's not a real relationship anyway, she won't care what her mother thinks is Troy's fatal flaw. But as th...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Books hold stories, knowledge, and magic. In Kelanna, where people have long been illiterate, Sefia is in possession of one, and she knows she shouldn't have it. Having spent her life on the run with her Aunt Nin after the murder of her father, she knows that the book, and her ability to read, is a dangerous secret. But when their pursuers finally track them down and take Nin, Sefia has to finally make sense of the book and rescue her aunt. As she follows the trail leading to the dangerous pirate Serakeen, her quest connects her to other pirates, assassins, and a boy she calls Archer, who has a dangerous history himself. As they get closer and closer to their goal, they realize that maybe the stories in the book aren't just stories after all, and that their fates are more intertwined than they thought.

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  These are the last two installments of the Shatter Me series, and therefore, this review will contain spoilers for the previous books. You can find my previous reviews here and here . Fracture Me  is a novella told from Adam's point of view, discussing what happened during the final battle in Unravel Me  when Juliette gets taken away. Whereas the novel followed her, this novella follows him in the immediate aftermath. Ignite Me  is the final novel of the trilogy. Omega Point has been completely destroyed, Juliette has died (and come back), and the core group of Omega (including Adam, Kenji, James, and Castle) are in hiding, barely scraping by. As Warner hides her at the base and helps her recover, Juliette starts to formulate a plan to take down the Supreme Commander once and for all - but she needs Warner and her friends to work together, and that means dealing with some major issues (which mainly involve he...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  In Ravka, there are non-magical humans who end up in the army, and there are magical people called the Grisha, who have a number of different abilities like controlling wind or fire or mechanical abilities or glamouring. Together, Ravka's leadership and forces work to fend off enemies to the north and south. They are also cut off from the coast by a swath of darkness called the Shadow Fold, which is inhabited by dangerous creatures. The Shadow Fold has been there for centuries, and its existence ensures that Ravka remains divided and vulnerable. Enter Alina Starkov. She is an orphan, with no one except her lifelong best friend/secret crush Mal, and together they prepare to make the dangerous journey across the Shadow Fold to the coast. But when an attack reveals a rare power that she hadn't know existed, Alina is taken away by the Darkling (mysterious, seductive, dangerous, and the most powerful man in Ravka) to the palac...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary: Vika and Nikolai are two enchanters living in Imperial Russia. Vika is a powerhouse who can wield fire, ice, and other natural elements to her liking, while Nikolai is good with mechanics and building things with his magic. As is the custom in this fantasy world, only one of them can be the Imperial Enchanter (working for the tsar), so they must compete in the Crown's Game - one of them will win, and the other will die. However things are complicated by the fact that they are inexplicably drawn to each other, despite the fact that they are competing to the death, and things get even more messy as Pasha - the Crown Prince - starts falling in love with Vika as well.