November Wrap Up

November has been a slightly better reading month for me, but not the best, by far. I read a total of 3 which I am pretty happy about! I have read 44/ 50 books for my Goodreads challenge, so I am so close! I will really have to crack down in December and get it done! But, the books I read in November were incredible, so if you want to hear my thoughts, just keep on reading!

The first book I read this month was Caraval by Stephanie Garber. I had been anticipating this one since I heard it was the Night Circus of the YA genre! In all honestly though, this one did not live up to the hype. I have a full spoiler free review posted, so if you want to know the specific reasons I was disappointed, you can check it out here . I gave this one 2.5/5 stars.

Then I read One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake and it was fabulous! Everything I could have wanted and more was in this book! It was written beautifully, a seamless addition to the 1st book in the series! I fell in love with the characters and the competition was played out wonderfully! All around 5/5 stars! I also have a review of this one here.

The last book I read this month was Tower of Dawn. I have been working my way through it since September and I am done now! Okay, well I have 30 pages left, but it’s getting late and I wanted to include it in this wrap up… But, I loved it per usual! Keep an eye out for a review in the next couple weeks where you can get my complete thought and ratings! You can also be my friend on Goodreads to keep up with what I’m reading!

So, that’s it! Not my best month, but not my worst! I am incredibly excited for the books I have planned for December, so tune in on Saturday for my TBR! What books did you read in November? Comment below so we can chat about books!

One Dark Throne Spoiler Free Review

One Dark Throne Review

Book: One Dark Throne

Author: Kendare Blake

Genre: YA Fantasy

Rating (out of 5):

The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?
With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.
In this enthralling sequel to Kendare Blake’s New York Times bestselling Three Dark Crowns, Fennbirn’s deadliest queens must face the one thing standing in their way of the crown: each other.

Last year, in May, I heard about a book that sounded fascinating! It was pitched as a high fantasy battle between three sisters to decide who becomes queen! It sounded so awesome, so I immediately jumped online and preordered it! Once it came, I devoured it and LOVED it! I even tried forcing all of my friends to read it, but they haven’t yet, so… This book was Three Dark Crowns, one of my favorite books of last year! So, you can imagine my excitement when I finally got around to reading its sequel, One Dark Throne! And boy oh boy did it live up to expectations! This book was a rollercoaster, full of twists and turns, and I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end!

There is not one thing about this book I did not love! I have read that a lot of people think that the first half of the book is rather dull and does not pick up until the last 30%, but for me that is far from the truth! There are so many characters, so many moving parts, so much going on that I could never be bored! I read the whole book in 3 days because it was that good!

The characters in this book are what make it so loveable! In the first book I had so much trouble picking a favorite sister because they all had such unique stories and motives! In this book it was easier to pick the sister I didn’t like, but I still feel a connection to all three! The back story and the relationships between the sisters was explored more, which added an extra element to all of their personalities. This book also adds in the concept of the suitors, which gave it some interesting drama. If any other author had written this book there would have been a love triangle, but Kendare Blake built her characters so uniquely and with such clear motives and loyalties that it never happened! I loved that for once there is a YA fantasy with loyal relationships!

The politics and world building are amped up to a new level in this book, which I loved! Like I mentioned before, the history was added in some and more of the inner workings of the families were revealed! My favorite thing about fantasy is the world building, so I was so here for learning more of the stories and rituals that they have!

If y’all know me at all, you know I love a classic competition! Throne of Glass, The Night Circus, The Crown’s Game, if there’s a competition, I’m there! In the first book, the idea of the competition had just been introduced, but it hit full force in this book! I was living for it! There were duals, hunts, trickery, everything that makes for a good competition!

This series was originally a duology, but it has been extended to 4 books! At first, I was a little mad because I thought things would start to drag. But, in classic Three Dark Crowns style, this book ended with so many questions and a crazy plot twist (not quite as crazy as the first book, but it’s up there)! Now there has to be at least one more book and I need it now! Ahhh!

Have you read One Dark Throne? What did you think? Comment below so we can talk about books!

The End of the Year Book Tag

The end of the year. That’s a scary sentence. I am so not ready for this year to be over yet! (Honestly, I’m just not ready to take finals next month). Anyways, I just found this awesome tag the other day from Ariel Bissett and I loved the questions, so i decided to go ahead and do it! It is a little late in the season for some of them, but I’m still going to answer them all anyways! I hope you enjoy!

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?
I started Tower of Dawn back in September and I really need to finish! I only have 150 pages left, but I have been moving through it so slowly! I have no idea why because the story is amazing and Sarah J. Maas is my queen... but such is life. I also started Night Film a while ago and need to finish, but Sarah J. Maas takes priority.
Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?
I would say Night Film is my transition book. I usually like contemporary novels to break up all of my fantasy, so this book was able to ease me from summery books and magical realism into my dark high fantasy books for winter!
Is there a new release you're still waiting for?
Kendare Blake has a novella called The Young Queens coming out in December that I am so excited for!
What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?
1. One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

2. Once and For All by Sarah Dessen

3. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart
Is there a book you think could still shock you and become your favourite book of the year?
I have high hopes for both One Dark Throne and Night Film! I really hope to find them on my Top 17 of 2017 list come the end of December!
Have you already started making reading plans for 2018?

Yes! I am already looking into some read-a-thons for next semester and putting together my TBRs for them!

Now, a question for you! What book do you think could still shock you this year? Comment below because I would love to hear from you!

Caraval Spoiler-Free Review

Book: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Genre: YA Fantasy and Romance

My Rating (out of 5):

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever. Welcome, welcome to Caraval…beware of getting swept too far away.

Caraval- a seemingly exclusive and magical competition. A competition with high stakes and lots of risks. This book seems to have it all: magic, a circus, a dark and brooding love interest, a strong female character, sisterly bonds, and a dash of mystery!  While I will not deny that all of these promised aspects were there, Caraval still fell incredibly short for me. Don’t let anyone fool you, this book has nothing like the wonder and dark atmosphere of The Night Circus. To be honest, the comparisons that were made between the two books is what made me want to read Caraval. I knew not to expect them to be exactly the same, because that’s not fair, but I felt none of the joy or anticipation that I have come to relate so closely with The Night Circus, a feeling I was seeking desperately in my post-TNC slump. With that out of the way, there are some other things that I definitely need to talk about…

Let me say this, I hated Scarlett. She was always whining and complaining about how awful her life was and how all she loved was her sister, but when she has a chance to do something about it she couldn’t stop her “woe is me” act. I’m not sure a single page went by that she didn’t say, “But my sister…” We know your sister is missing! Everyone in a five mile radius knows she is missing! Her perspective was just terrible to read from. I almost dnf’ed this book around page 50 because I couldn’t stand her, but I held out for hope until the very end.

Now that I am really thinking about it, the premise of the Caraval “game” makes no sense. The story is told as if Scarlet is the only player when there were clearly other people around. What were they doing while she was running around being angsty? Did they get the same clues that she did or was she special because her sister was kidnapped? Honestly, it was more of a personal quest and the “extras” only popped in when a little bit of drama was needed.

Speaking of drama, the relationship between Scarlett and Julien is one of the most pathetic relationships I have ever read. The entire first half of the novel he is awful to her and she hates him, but then all of a sudden they are in love. I was so confused. The author tried to have the whole bad-boy brooding vibes around Julien, but it just didn’t work and from what we saw of Scarlett, I’m surprised she would have ever enjoyed being in his company. Plus, their “romance” scenes were overall pathetic and overshadowed by Scarlett’s inability to shut up about her sister.

The icing on the cake for me was the magic system. There was no real magic and things were clearly made up along the way. If you are going to market your book as a high fantasy novel, you need a little more world building and a few more regulations on magic than were present in this book. The world was not fleshed out at all, we only know about this mysterious collection of islands governed by various counts and rulers. There was vague mention of another continent, but there was no explanation given for the history or any of the politics mentioned in the novel. The magic was just as convoluted as the world was vague. Rules were made on the fly and they rather conveniently allowed for things to work out. “Oh, of course there’s another loophole out of this random rule,” I found myself saying over and over again. If she has to lose two days of time as punishment, she should lose the two days! And why are only certain people are allowed to die? Who made this up? It is so random and not enjoyable to read!

The only thing I enjoyed about this book was the relationship between Scarlett and her sister, Tella. They were so different, but still loved each other deeply and I really appreciate that. While Scarlett did whine a lot, she stayed loyal to Tella throughout. This is something that is so rare in YA books, so it made me happy to see. Now did that offset all of the other things? No, but it made reading the book slightly more bearable.

There were other things in this book that I noticed, but those were the main ones. I really wouldn’t recommend this book to many people, but maybe if you are new to the YA genre and want an easy starting place, this might be the book for you. I think other people would be let down by their own expectations for the book, much like I was. Overall I gave it 2/5 stars because while I had lots of problems, it was a quick read and a good palate cleanser. Has anyone else read Carval? Do you agree with what I said? Comment down below so we can chat about this book!

Shabbat and Sabbath | What I've Learned from Going to Various Religious Ceremonies

The past two days have been incredibly interesting to say the very least! I went to a Jewish shabbat service with a friend’s family, a catholic confirmation celebration for a (different) friend, and the family celebration for the students I helped to teach this semester at my own church. It was an amazing experience and it the past 24 hours I have come to learn (or relearn) a lot of things.

Don’t be afraid to look stupid. Let me tell you, going to a traditional service that is different than what you are used to is terrifying. In the Catholic church, I didn’t know when to kneel, when to say “Amen” or “Praise be to God”, or if I should get up during communion. And at the shabbat, half of it was in a language I didn’t understand! So, of course I felt really stupid half mumbling Hebrew words and standing when everyone is kneeling. But, I realized two things in these services. 1) God is not going to smite me for turning to the wrong page or singing the song to the wrong tune. 2) When the people around you see how confused you are, about 95% of the time, they are willing to help you. Don’t be ashamed to take that help, you need it! So, yeah, I looked pretty stupid, but if I had only focused on that, I would not have enjoyed the service and what people were saying. Being able to accept that I will be embarrassed made the experience 100x more enjoyable.

Love people for who they are, not who you want them to be. When you spend so much time inside of a church, you see people for who they are. It can be so easy to force onto them how you want them to act, but it won’t do any good. Do I wish the people I was working with were more responsible? Yes! Do I wish that this one kid wouldn’t be so annoying? Yes! But, do I still love those people? Yes! They are my family and I desire to love them like Christ loves them! With this idea, people are going to do things differently and you need to learn to accept that. Again, I might not understand, but I still need to love them. I may not agree with the way things are done, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t love the people who do agree with them.

The shabbat service I went to was lead by students and they all spoke on different college application essay prompts and related them back to their religion. One talked about how to compare apples and oranges. They said while each is a fruit, they each have something different to offer. So while they are hard to compare, they have a fundamental similarity. Just like people. We all have our God is common, but we are all gifted with different gifts to do different things. The other prompt that stuck out to me was one about Where’s Waldo. The person was saying how Waldo sticks out because he looks ridiculous. It takes a while, but you can always pick him out of a crowd. Again, this is just like us. When we have the holy spirit (okay- she didn’t say holy spirit because she’s jewish, this is just artistic interpretation) in us, we stick out like a sore thumb in a crowd. So, I guess the moral of the story is be a fruit in a crazy red striped hat!

It’s fun to get excited about things! I am a super religion nerd and I was just smiling through all of the confusion! I don’t understand it, but all of these people do! All of these people came together united under some higher power and they all have a similar history and understanding of how the universe works! That makes me excited! Some people would have thought all of these services were boring, but I loved it! Or when someone I knew was up on stage, you bet your buttons I was cheering as loud as I could for them! It made me so happy to see them! If I hadn’t found joy in those little things, I would not have had any fun! When you can be unabashedly excited for things, life becomes a little brighter!

So, I’ve had a crazy day, from shabbat to confirmation to confirmation (not to mention an hour long trip to Marshalls, an 8 am art sesh, and the best Mexican food I have ever had)! I remembered that it is okay to be excited, look stupid, love people, and stand out! If you have ever been to a service that was different from your own, what did you learn from it? I would love to know (again- super religion nerd), so please comment below! Have an awesome day!

*The cover image is a Jewish name bracelet that I made, another religion thing for me to nerd out about*

The Presence of the Lord

The first time I ever felt the Lord pulling on my heart was on a church retreat in the 3rd grade. I had been following Jesus for a long time, but for some reason that night, when they made the altar call, I lost it. Everybody thought I was crazy because I couldn’t stop crying, but I had been overwhelmed by the spirit of the Lord! I felt him filling me up and letting his love and peace overflow in my life! Since then, there have been hundreds of times that I could pinpoint the Lord moving my heart, times when I was in the presence of the Lord.

We live in that life-giving presence everyday, but some days it is more evident than others. On the days when I take time for my faith, when I pour into it, I find his presence to be stronger in my life. It is easier to make decisions or be nice to people. It is easier to find joy in the little things and get myself through the day. But, on the days when I am not finding my identity and strength in his presence, I really struggle. I get irritated easily and have no motivation to do anything.

This strength presents itself in our lives in the form of the Holy Spirit, in faith through Christ. Even when we have bad days, that Spirit is still with us. We never lose his Spirit, we cannot make it go away. We all have days when we feel like we are drifting from God, but find peace in knowing he does not push you away. Whenever bad days present themselves, remember that the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you.

The result of abiding in the presence of the Lord is joy! It is so easy to feel gloomy and dejected when you feel like his Spirit is “lacking”, but as you spend more and more time with him, this becomes less of a problem. Yes, there are still bad days, but when you completely envelop yourself in his love, joy become second nature!

And how do you live in this love? It is not as hard as it may seem! Pray, bring him your fears and your sorrows! Praise him from your innermost being! Listen more, be silent and wait on his answers! Read your bible so you can be more in tune to his voice! Even 10 minutes a day can satisfy your thirst for the Lord! When you fill your day with his presence, the burdens of this life fade and joy becomes natural!

Top Picks Tuesday | November 7, 2017

It’s been awhile since I’ve made one of these, but… IT”S TOP PICKS TUESDAY! If you don’t know what this is, it’s a post where I round up all of my recent favorites in movies, tv, books, fashion, food, and everything else!

My first favorite is Thor: Ragnarok! This has to be one of my favorite Marvel movies so far! It combines all that we love of Thor with the humor and space travel of Guardians! It was absolutely hilarious! My one critique is that I’m not quite sure what the point of the movie was. Yes, there was an epic battle where an evil person was defeated, but with it being the last movie before Infinty War, I was expecting a little bit more action. Despite this, it was still a fabulous movie and I will definitely be watching it 100 more times!

Are you looking for some good shows to watch on Netflix? Well, I was too, but I found 3 that I adore! The first of which is Riverdale! It is so dramatic and it keeps me on the edge of my seat (plus all of the characters are so fabulous)! The second show I love is The Good Place! It is so funny and it (surprisingly) has an amazing and complicated story line! And once I finished those, I was in a bit of a slump, so I started Parks and Rec! I was shocked by how much I liked it! If you are on the fence about it, I highly recommend going ahead and watching it!

A couple weeks ago, I ordered some green chacos. I was expecting I would like them (because why else would I order them?), but I LOVE these guys! They are so cute and go with so many of my outfits! Here’s the link to buy them!

My last favorite are these bible pages I made for my Etsy shop! I have some  in my room and they are so cute and so fun! Here’s the link to my shop!

What are your favorites for this week? Comment down below because I would love to hear from you!

Come to Me

Come to me, I'm all you need

Come to me, I'm everything

Come to me, I'm all you need

Come to me, I'm your everything

Come to Me by Bethel

At the end of September, everything fell apart. My peace was gone, my joy was buried. I didn’t know how I could find my way out. As October came, the hits came harder. You think that things can’t get worse, but then they do. You think the suffering you have endured is enough, but you can’t tap out. And as October came to a close, with all the trials those 30 days had brought behind me, I reached a place of in-between. I no longer felt helpless, but I still wasn’t ready to praise the Lord. The sting was still there, but I hadn’t found what I had lost.

Last month I posted about distraction, exhaustion, joy, being caught in the net of the world, being in the in between, and ultimately letting your light shine for Jesus. I was stuck, stuck in a place where I didn’t know if tomorrow would be better or worse. Each day brought new news, some days good, other days bad.

Looking back at it now, I would have done things differently. I was living in fear, instead of living in the light of salvation. I sang about how I needed God and I wrote about how to find in the dark times, but I never sought him out myself. I had to force myself into quiet time and prayer, the desire was there but the actions were not. If I could change how I handled this, I would have tried harder to keep my relationship with the Lord. It was there, but it was fleeting. I only called in him where I really needed it.

I firmly believe that he had prepared me for this time and that I will come out stronger from it. The Lord does not send you into trials blind, he is your guide, he is your light. The past year he has show me peace, joy, and love, the likes of which I had never seen before. He taught me to dance through the darkness, to celebrate even when my heart was heavy. He put people in my life who brought me through this. He taught me to rely on others instead of doing it myself. He taught me to cry out to him in my need and to praise his name in my joys. And most of all, he taught me to come to him with everything.

If I have learned one thing in my life, it’s that I cannot carry my burden by myself. This is where Come to Me comes in. This song became my battle cry, a reminder that the Lord is stronger than I, he will not sway in the storm. When the world fails me, he is there, he is true. In the hard times, in the good times, in the in-between times, he wants us to bring our everything to him. This song is so powerful, such a good reminder that the Lord is our rock. And that rock will not move.   

He reminds us that no prayer is too small (or too big). He knows the desires of your heart, he knows where you come from, he knows what you need. He wants to hear it all from you. He wants you to call on him. He loves talking to you, for the Lord rejoices when we come to him.

In the hard times, don’t leave your faith by the wayside, don’t let that relationship become one sided. The Lord will always speak to you, it’s a matter of you speaking to him. The Lord won’t ever leave you behind, he never sees you as a burden. He says on a daily basis that he wants to ease our sorrows. Don’t ever think for a second that your relationship with God is not worthwhile. Let it grow, nurture it.

In my dark time, I forgot to do this, and it hurt me. It made things worse because I was not with the Lord. I knew in my mind that he wanted me to be with him, but my heart couldn’t handle another break. I thought that letting him in would hurt me, that if he left I would shatter. But the Lord does not leave you or forsake you. You are not placing your hope in some fleeting idea or inanimate object, you are placing your hope in the creator of the universe. There is no heartbreak here, there is only love and peace. And yes, you will go through trials, but if you reach out your hand, he is always there. He is always behind and ahead and beside. He clears the path, guides your step, and watches your back.

Come to the Lord. That is his greatest desire, for his children to run to him. Don’t pretend he isn’t there when things get hard, lean into him. When you go through trials, don’t abandon him, trust him. He has never abandoned you and he never will. So, come to him.