Transitive Verve

I literally just got my Owlcrate twenty minutes ago, and I was so excited that I had to post about it right away :) So let's just get to it!

There is a neverending battle between those who love e-readers and those who love physical books. I fall somewhere in the middle. I love my Kindle, I love how easy and convenient it is to own hundreds of books and to be able to access them at any time, and I like how easy it is to read privately on a Kindle (because, let's face it, no matter how well-written a book is, if it has an embarrassing cover, I won't be carrying it in public). But I love physical books too. I know people talk a lot about the smell of books, but to be honest, I don't sniff books, unless there is some scratch-and-sniff feature to it. Old books smell like... really old books. Like dust and must and other people's hands. So the "old book smell" is not what draws me to physical books. Nope. What wins me over? Beautiful endpapers and interesting design features. These are things that you absolutely need physical copies to appreciate.

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) This is book 2 of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen  series. (Please go here for my writeup of Red Queen , which includes a brief summary of the universe of the book.) Please note from here on out that there are spoilers for the first book. Summary:   Glass Sword  picks up pretty much right where the first book ends, with Mare and Cal fleeing the capital city of Archeon after all hell breaks lose - Prince Maven and Queen Elara have been manipulating them the whole time, angling for control of the throne. Queen Elara, using her mind control powers, has made Cal behead his own father, and it is revealed that she was responsible for Cal's mother's death as well. With Cal and Mare on the run, Maven has ascended to the throne, promising to find them and kill them. Mare's only hope lies in the list of Newbloods - other Reds, like her, who also have special abilities. Along with the help of the Scarlet Guard, they must find th...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary:  In the land of Norta, people are either Reds or Silvers. Silvers, people with silver blood, are the privileged elite in every way, including the fact that they have special magical powers or abilities. Reds, people with red blood, are normal human beings, and in this case are subjugated, oppressed, forced into poverty, slavery, or death on the front lines, fighting the Silvers' wars for them. Street-smart Mare Barrow is a Red, with no special talents other than her ability to pickpocket, but when a failed attempt coincides with an attack staged by the Scarlet Guard (the Red rebel organization), her life changes forever when she reveals herself - in front of the Silver royal family - to be a Red with a special ability, something that is practically unheard of. Now trapped in the Silver world of nobility, political intrigue, and the fight for justice and equality, it isn't long before Mare realizes that she is in ove...