You may or may not have noticed, but not a lot of blog posts have been published recently. I'm not going to apologize for that fact, but I want to explain it. My university works with an 8-8-4 system and every 8 weeks you follow two classes and in the 4 week block one. I failed a class last December so I have to take an extra class to get all the necessary points to pass my second year. Therefore I have been swamped with coursework, required readings, finals and essays. University and getting good grades have the highest priority in all of my hobbies. They come before blogging, YouTube and even reading. So this means that I probably won't post any or hardly any posts until the end of May. Unfortunately this is the case, I do hope to find some time to write, but that is something I cannot foresee. I hope you understand.
Lots of book love,
Lisa
Review: The Archived
Author: Victoria Schwab
Series: The Archived #1
Publisher: Hyperion
Release date: January 22nd, 2013
Genres: Young adult, Fantasy
Source: Bought
Add it: GoodReads | BookDepository
Source: ★★★★
Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.
Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.
Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for that it is: a useful tool for staying alive.
Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous - it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapter. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.
My Thoughts
I dove into this story without any prior knowledge. This was something I regretted while I was reading the first couple of chapters. I had no idea what was going on and with most books that is the fun of reading, but the first part of this book progress very slowly. It therefore is hard to get into the story and to push through because I didn't know what was coming next. I had just given up on a book and I didn't want to do that so I decided to stick to the book and in the end I'm very happy that I did because I ended up really enjoying it.
Like I mentioned before, The Archived starts out pretty slow. There isn't much plot development or world building, it's more a vey long introduction. But as you can see I did gave this book 4 out of 5 stars and that is all thanks to the rest of the book. Right after a very inciting incident occurs in the book, the story takes off and doesn't stop. The main character, Mackenzie, grows and learns a lot and the plot develops at a pleasant pace.
I've got nothing but praise for this book, the characters and the writing style and when that is the case I find it somewhat difficult to explain why. It just fits into my what-I-like-shelf in my brain...
Memorable Quotes
"Free caffeine and sugar, a recipe for making friends."
"Ignorance may be bliss, but only if it outweighs curiosity. Curiosity is a gateway drug to sympathy."
"Lying is easy. But it's lonely."
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Book With Memories
In this video I highlight some books that I own, which have some special stories behind them.
Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Series: Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1
Publisher: Little, Brown Books
Release date: September 27th 2011
Genres: Young adult, fantasy
Format: eBook
Add it: GoodReads | BookDepository
Rating: ★★★
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a lit in the sky. In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret leaning the truth about herself?
My Thoughts
Usually I like angel books, but I never hate or love them, and with this book it's no different. The difference that exists for me between this book and other angel-related books is that I have some strong feels concerning a certain character. But more on that character later. First we meet Karou, a blue-haired, artistic girl living in Prague. She is does errands for Brimstone, who is a very strange creature. Karou is the typical YA female protagonist: she is tough, artsy, perhaps a bit oblivious and somewhat selfish at the beginning of the book. Those are not likable characteristics, but fortunately she quickly changes and goes through a personal growth, which makes her a much 'better' protagonist.
The character for which I have some strong emotions is Akiva. He is the 'love interest' for Karou and when we first meet him, he seems like a great guy, perhaps a little troubled, but somebody that could be a good fit for Karou. However, when the story progresses certain secrets surface and his persona becomes a lot less likable. For me it is unforgettable what he did and I hope with all my heart that Karou does not end up with him.
The writing style was not anything special in my opinion, which is very pleasant. It made it easy to get into the story. Right of the bet I wanted to know what was going to happen, who Karou was and what Brimstone's business was about. But when I read bout 75% of the book I started to feel bored. A big twist in the story was told, which should've surprised me, but I had figured out what the twist was going to be a lot earlier in the story. Therefore the last 25% of the story was to long for my preference. But the last chapter in the book did came as a surprise for me, which saved the book.
All in all, I liked the story, the characters and the writing style. Nothing more, nothing less. And therefore the final rating is three stars.
Memorable Quotes
"Wishes are false. Hope is true. Hope makes its own magic."
"Have you ever asked yourself, do monsters make war, or does war make monsters?"
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